Teal Koch
Staff Reporter
That is not what sororities are about—and it’s definitely not what they’re about at McDaniel College. “I always thought the idea of a sorority would be a lot of fun based on movies,” spills Blair Undem, Phi Sig sophomore, “I thought they were nothing more than pretty girls and make up and dresses and boys…I had no intention of joining a sorority. ” Phi Alph Sophomore, Devon McAndrew adds, “I thought it was just some popularity contest where you had to impress girls in order to be wanted.” Junior Phi Mu, Linsey Turkett, agrees: “I never wanted to be in one because I just never saw myself as a socialite or that kind of girl.”
What is “that kind of girl,” exactly? Senior Alpha Sig Mike Mandel says “that kind of girl” is “blonde, attractive, has big tits, and cries…a lot.” Maybe “that girl” is a “sorostitute” (yes, sorority plus prostitute), but maybe not. Either way, the stigma against sisterhood is what worries some girls and deters them from even giving Greek life a chance. “I actually looked up online what people thought of [being in a sorority] and if it would hurt my chances for future jobs or applications to med school” says Blair.
Like many girls, I wanted no part in going Greek—I had absolutely no desire to be turned into Elle Woods. Still, after finding out that some of the girls I was already friends with were Greek on the side, I realized that I had no idea what being in a sorority was actually like. So a few weeks ago, I went through rounds.
Now, as a (currently) pink-haired, vintage-wearing, pierced, tattooed, supposed-member of whatever “subculture” Westminster claims to have, I’m not exactly the poster child for “that kind of girl.” But I can honestly say, none of that factored in to my sorority experience. I felt equally comfortable in each of the rounds with each of the three participating sororities on campus. I was completely taken aback by the lack of judgment, both during rounds and now, as members from all three groups still greet me pleasantly as we pass by in Decker. I won’t be turning into the House Bunny anytime soon, but even I found a place in Greek life and contrary to popular belief, it’s made me feel more like myself than anything else I’ve done. That isn’t to say that everything is always peachy, “Some girls just don’t like certain girls,” explains Devon, “but being Greek means having the tolerance for other organizations because in the end, we all want the same things for our organizations.” No matter what you think you may not like—be it Greek life, theatre, or sports—if you never try, you’ll never know.
