Arts & Life 05
04 Arts & Life
D BY
Jess Abner CONTRIBUTOR
Joining Greek Life at NKU is inclusive and accessible to everyone. When joining a sorority, you’re not just exclusive to that one chapter, there’s a whole community supporting you. By doing this, NKU sororities defy stereotypes attached to Greek Life and make a community of sisterhood. Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Kim Vance said in a press release, “Philanthropy is one reason students choose to join Greek organizations,” meaning your involvement not only impacts you, but also others. Before joining a sorority you must go through recruitment on Sept. 7- 9. Here are three tips from the PanHellenic Council to help make the most of the week: Tip 1: Be Open-Minded Vice President of Membership Grayson Yaden said, “girls pigeonhole themselves into one chapter and deny themselves the opportunity to get to know another chapter that might be right for them.” Open-mindedness allows for new recruitments to get to know all the individual chapters better. Each sorority has its own personality and
philanthropy, just like new recruits have their own characteristics and community issues they care about. New recruits who go in with a preference stop themselves from fully experiencing rush. Coming in open-minded also goes hand-in-hand with not having expectations. “New recruitments should come in with no expectations, which allows them to be fully themselves and find the chapter that fits their personality,” Katie Mitchell from Delta Zeta said. Tip 2: ‘Trust the Process’ If you’ve been to any of the previous events for Greek life at NKU, the phrase “trust the process” is commonly used among the sorority community. During recruitment week, you may feel stressed about where you will end up. If you “trust the process” you will eventually find a chapter that fits your personality and strengths. On the other hand, some girls come in thinking they know exactly which chapter they want to be in.
Yaden said those girls usually end up disappointed when they don’t get the bid they wanted. Instead of going in with a closed-mind, go understanding you’ll eventually end up in the right place. Tip 3: Be yourself The biggest tip is to be your true, authentic self. Yaden said the biggest stresses for new recruits is feeling like you have to be perfect. Yaden said new recruits should “be as true to yourself as possible; sororities want to see the true you.” What can help the most is being yourself because you’re not only joining a chapter, but rather a community that is dedicated to making the best version of you possible. Recruitment week is all about being yourself and finding your home away from home. Don’t be stressed about how you should act—there’s a place for you on campus and in the community.
Josh Kelly ASSISTANT ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Fraternities prepare to welcome more than 200 potential brothers into the seven Interfraternity Council (IFC) brotherhoods next week. Fraternity rush starts Sept. 7 and during the event-filled week perspectives can look forward to laser tag with Phi Gamma Delta, a potluck with Tau Kappa Epsilon, capture-theflag with Sigma Phi Epsilon and much more with NKU’s fraternities. Rush is an annual event that all chapters go through as a semi-formal process of recruiting new members, but it’s not the only time to rush into a fraternity. At NKU, IFC extends yearround recruitment to upperclassmen; some fraternities also host spring recruitment, open to all students. IFC President Isaac Dailey went through recruitment when he was a freshman because he didn’t know a
lot of people at NKU. Dailey felt it was the best way for him to meet new friends. “I think [Greek life] has developed me into who I am now with my work not only in my fraternity, but the whole community,” said Dailey, now in his senior year. As the president, Dailey recognized the differences in NKU’s Greek life as compared to other college campuses. Some of those differences include having residential halls instead of houses, more affordable dues and a smaller Greek population. But he noted the benefits that it comes with as well. “We are a culture that is just made up of a big diverse background of people just like NKU, and what makes us different is that we are very holistic in how we do things as a community. Everyone is very supportive of everyone else,” Dailey said. Dailey said that support is
something the Greek community does well. In the past year, NKU’s chapters of Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Tau Omega and Theta Chi received awards at the national level at their respective conventions. The awards aren’t just getting noticed by NKU, as Forbes also commented on NKU Greek Life on campus. While you may be deciding which fraternity to rush, know that each fraternity on campus recruits based on the values their founders set up for the chapter. Yet no one person is the exact same as his brothers. “We don’t just recruit one type of person; every fraternity has a diverse mixture in their own chapters,” Dailey said. Dailey encouraged all students to come into Greek life with an open mind. “Never think that you’re too good for something,” Dailey said. “If you’re the slightest bit interested, look into it because there’s amazing opportunities here.”
T
O
TY
ERNI
FRAT
FRATERNITIES
SORORITIES
PHO
DE ROVI OS P
OF FFICE
IT ROR & SO
E
Y LIF