Sororities are not perfect. Greek Life is not perfect. Colgate is not perfect.

But that does not mean all members fit the stereotypes that are sometimes put forth about us.

We do fit some of them, however. Our organizations are made up of a majority of white people.

Yes, a lot of us are not on financial aid, yet there is still socio-economic, sexual orienta­tion and religious diversity.

But to say there is no diversity is unfair. And to be clear, the present constituencies of our organizations do not dictate our part of the selection process.

We can say this with confidence for our chapters: not once during the recruitment pro­cess this coming weekend will any of us for a second question the race, economic status or ethnicity of any one of the potential new members going through recruitment. To even suggest that there is categorizing going on for the first-years already is a fallacy.

Members of sororities are everywhere.

The list of organizations sorority members are leaders in outside of our chapters could take up this whole edition of the Maroon-News.

They range from Konosioni, to the COVE, to running the Relay for Life, to Link Staff, with every possible combination in between. It is also clear that along with these leadership roles, members of sororities are truly dedicated to philanthropy beyond their Greek organization.

Roughly 70 percent of women involved in sororities also participate in separate com­munity service projects or organizations including volunteering at CHOP, Camp FIVER, alternative spring break trips and more.

This shows a dedication to connecting to the Hamilton community directly. Even after Colgate, recent alumnae from all three sororities are working in the Peace Corps, Teach for America and other programs committed to the service of the underprivileged.

As sorority members, we all have something in common. We are sisters. Some may make light of this term, others may not feel intense connections to every other sister, but the truth of the matter is that we share a connection that extends beyond the reaches of this campus to other chapters around the nation.

In each of our chapters, we are connected to something greater than ourselves, greater than Colgate. We are social organizations; no one is denying that fact. We all made new friends when we joined our organizations.

One woman noted in the survey that she knew no one in her sorority before join­ing and it gave her an opportunity to meet hundreds of people she never would have known previously.

But meeting new people is not all that defines sorority members.

There is so much more to a sorority than the matching shirts and silly songs. It is hard to even encompass everything that is a sorority.

The community service, leadership opportunities, and strength of bonds amongst the women of the chapter are the beginning steps in describing the positive aspects of the group.

The fact that 304 woman have signed up to participate in this year’s Recruitment may speak to that.

We cannot speak for all of Greek Life or any of the sororities as a whole. We are made up of diverse thinkers with our own opinions and it would be foolish to think we could classify the thoughts of all members into one article.

All that the two of us can do is give our insight on what sororities have done for us. We hope that those who do not know what is like to be involved in a sorority ask. Not just the affiliated members, but ask as many people as you can including faculty, administrators and staff.

We have learned throughout the process of writing this article that no matter how you may try to cover your bases, every written opinion has a particular perspective and a there is always a voice not being heard

Contact Samantha Myers at [email protected].

Contact Dayne Weber at [email protected].