Just back from a sorority reunion

[Anonymous]

And it was fabulous! 4 decades later, I still love this group.

I rushed just to see how the other half lived, and I was lucky enough to get a bid from a house that was the perfect fit for me. It shaped my college experience in all the best ways.

I was never hazed or told to lose weight or made to feel unattractive. No mean girl stuff.

As an only child it was a great chance to experience a community of women living and working on shared experiences together. I got a lot of leadership experience and learned the art of compromise with all kinds of women.

For me, it was a lucky break. And I think those possibilities are still out there at colleges across the country.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad you had a positive experience, OP. But please acknowledge that there are a lot of exclusionary Greek houses that select based on looks and a certain social profile, and those are really bad for young people's morals and ethics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad you had a positive experience, OP. But please acknowledge that there are a lot of exclusionary Greek houses that select based on looks and a certain social profile, and those are really bad for young people's morals and ethics.

+1. DP. I truly regret joining one and truly regret being its president

[Anonymous]

Glad it was great for you - my Greek experienced involved being gang raped

[Anonymous]

Good Lord PPs, get over yourselves. OP had a good experience, wasn't the typical rush, and forty years later (!!!) still gets value from it.

[Anonymous]

One time I noticed a flood of well-dressed black women who were clearly tourists in my neighborhood over a couple days and finally asked one on the bus about her pink and green. Yep it was a sorority reunion. They were all so happy and it was fun to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad you had a positive experience, OP. But please acknowledge that there are a lot of exclusionary Greek houses that select based on looks and a certain social profile, and those are really bad for young people's morals and ethics.

+1. DP. I truly regret joining one and truly regret being its president

You sound like a whiner.

[Anonymous]

Seems like this should be in the over 50 sub forum.

[Anonymous]

That's great! I was in a fun, fairly chill sorority (even lived in-house) and loved the parties, but by junior year was ready to be done with it. Had tired of the people, and the scene BUT, met a few of my lifelong friends in my pledge class and for that I am eternally grateful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Glad it was great for you - my Greek experienced involved being gang raped

How terrible! Truly sorry

[Anonymous]

Posts like these make me wonder. Though I have heard some good things about sororities, I have always counseled my DD to avoid them. My logic is based on the statistic that being in a sorority makes a girl more likely to be raped (by almost 2X!) It seems to make sense, given that sororities socialize with fraternities, who have vastly different (read:lower) standards for men than a woman would have when assessing an individual man for dating potential. It's like a workaround for sub-par guys to encounter women that society would normally shield from them, under circumstances that make the women vulnerable. Also, if you have picked your school well to ensure fit, shouldn't most people there be potential friends for you? You went to all the trouble to find a school with like-minded kids. Why focus time and attention on an exclusive minority? Then I hear some girls rave about their experiences and I think perhaps I've been too quick to judge. It still seems like the potential downside is greater than the upside, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad you had a positive experience, OP. But please acknowledge that there are a lot of exclusionary Greek houses that select based on looks and a certain social profile, and those are really bad for young people's morals and ethics.

I see no need for them to do this.

[Anonymous]

Maybe things have changed in 40 years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Posts like these make me wonder. Though I have heard some good things about sororities, I have always counseled my DD to avoid them. My logic is based on the statistic that being in a sorority makes a girl more likely to be raped (by almost 2X!) It seems to make sense, given that sororities socialize with fraternities, who have vastly different (read:lower) standards for men than a woman would have when assessing an individual man for dating potential. It's like a workaround for sub-par guys to encounter women that society would normally shield from them, under circumstances that make the women vulnerable. Also, if you have picked your school well to ensure fit, shouldn't most people there be potential friends for you? You went to all the trouble to find a school with like-minded kids. Why focus time and attention on an exclusive minority? Then I hear some girls rave about their experiences and I think perhaps I've been too quick to judge. It still seems like the potential downside is greater than the upside, though.

I disagree with most of your logic. If you drink to excess, you often lose the ability to make good decisions. Don’t blame that on a sorority. As a parent, my job was to educate my child to be safe and careful (be aware of your surroundings when walking alone, don’t ever leave your drink unattended and to stay with your friends). Sororities, and fraternities for that matter, should be looked at as another group of friends (not your ONLY group of friends).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad you had a positive experience, OP. But please acknowledge that there are a lot of exclusionary Greek houses that select based on looks and a certain social profile, and those are really bad for young people's morals and ethics.

+1. DP. I truly regret joining one and truly regret being its president

You sound like a whiner.

No. And all I related was facts: my regret. You projected the childish insult of “whining”.