Uhm Greek philanthropy is like a thing

“Oh you’re in a sorority?” For some reason this reaction seems to always carry a negative connotation.  Whenever I tell someone I am part of a Greek organization, he or she without fail acquires a judgmental look.

This stereotype of a “party-hard,” ditzy and lazy Greek community, often portrayed in movies, is far from the truth.

After spending almost two semesters in a social sorority on Albion’s campus, I will be the first to tell you being Greek is no walk in the park. More over, the typical “sorority girls” and “frat boys” portrayed in the movies do not accurately represent the Greek Albion men and women.

Yes, on occasion there will be mixers between different fraternities and sororities, but these do not consist of topless girls “booty-popping” on a table.  Rather, they are a group of young adults conversing, maybe dancing in silly, creative costumes to fit whatever obscure theme the mixer may have.

Although the themes of mixers may differ, each Greek organization has one thing in common – they all proudly support philanthropy.  Whether that philanthropy is Service for Sight or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, it is all philanthropy.

What I find remarkable is the amount of hard work and dedication put into raising money and support for these organizations’ philanthropies.

I had the privilege of being Alpha Chi Omega’s assistant service chair this semester.  In this role I merely assisted in preparing and executing the week dedicated to our philanthropy, the fight against domestic violence, called, “Go Purple Week.”

As only an assistant, I worked on something related to Go Purple Week at least three days a week for the three weeks leading up to the event.  Not to mention the immense amount of work the Vice President of Philanthropy for Alpha Chi Omega, Anna Bickerstaff, Grosse Pointe senior, did, and of course the entire chapter contributed a great deal of time and energy to the week’s success too.

And it is just that, a success.  As a whole, the Greek community shows terrific passion, dedication and hard work towards their philanthropies.  This positive energy and elbow grease not only looks good on paper, but it genuinely raises a substantial amount of money and support for these philanthropies.

Just to name a few, Alpha Chi Omega raised $916 during their last Go Purple Week, according to Bickerstaff.  Delta Sigma Phi raised $1050 during their last Fear Fest according to Michael Dix, Rockford senior. Tau Kappa Epsilon raised nearly $1000 during their last Pig Roast according to Matthew LeFevre, Canton senior.

It is undeniable that not only do Greeks put an astounding amount of work into their philanthropies, but also that this work pays off.

Although the Greek community may dress ridiculously at mixers, these men and women successfully carry their passion for dressing in wild costumes through to more than adequately supporting their philanthropies.

Photo courtesy of fanart.tv

About Holly Pyper 16 Articles
Holly is a sophomore from Rochester Hills, MI. She is a Business and Organizations and Spanish double major and a Communications minor. She is a yoga enthusiast and loves all things Albion.

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