COLUMN: In praise of Penn sororities

From Karen Pasternack's "Effective Immediately," Fall '97 From Karen Pasternack's "Effective Immediately," Fall '97 If you're a regular reader of "Style on the Street" and watched too many '80s movies as a teenager, you've probably acquired a mental image of a sorority girl as someone who drinks too much, lounges around in varsity jackets and black pants and is capable of reciting entire passages from The Rules. Last year, 1997 College graduate Sarah Giulian often bashed the sorority scene in her column, "From Under My Rock." She asked the question why anyone would want to subject themselves to rushing and pledging a Greek organization. I'm familiar with all this Greek scene jargon. In fact, freshman year I considered dropping out of rush because of my mistaken notion that sororities meant becoming a carbon copy of other people. Yet as a senior member of Chi Omega, my tolerance for the stereotypical sorority joke is slowing waning as I come to realize that sororities comprise one of the most empowering women's forums at this University. Many people think of sororities as merely a forum for partying -- a social scene. And of course sororities are social organizations by nature. But at the same time, the Panhellenic system provides emotional and academic support as well as community service, proving it has a substantial place at the University. I venture many people don't stop to think about all the women who might have dropped out of Penn if it weren't for the emotional support of their sorority. Last year, while working on a class project, I had the opportunity to interview women about how their sororities act as support systems. One woman said her sorority served as a major crutch when she returned to Penn after a personal crisis. Another woman said the support of her sorority sisters enabled her to recover from her date rape experience and eventually speak at Take Back the Night. Both these women said they never could have made it through these disastrous times in their lives without the aid of the peers in their sororities. In my own personal experiences with Chi Omega, I have acquired tremendous respect for my sisterhood. I am always impressed with the diversity and leadership of the women in my own sorority. During meetings, I hear voices representing groups all over campus, such as athletic teams, multicultural groups, women's awareness groups, theater groups and myriad others. These women are not clones, but rather individuals, seeking out their own passionate causes while coming together in support of each other. Each year I witness the number of Greek women who are elected to honors societies, achieve perfect GPAs for the semester and are selected for distinguished jobs and graduate programs. And often these achievements are framed in ways to benefit the group. For example, last year's seniors in Chi Omega took time to construct a resume and career guide for the incoming seniors as a way of easing the transition into senior year. But the truly remarkable factor about sororities on the Penn campus is they are all able to achieve tremendous academic and emotional growth within their specific groups, while working as a unified system in the University community. When I attend performing arts shows and concerts I am struck by the numbers of women from sororities who give their spirit to involved peers, cheering them on through attendance and ads in the playbills. I've also experienced the incredible connection of the female Greek community during times of tragedy. For example, this year Chi Omega held its third annual Dance for Dance party commemorating the life of Emily Sachs, a member of my pledge class who passed away after my freshman year of college. No conflicting events were thrown that evening by other sororities and the presence of diverse Panhel members at the party enabled Chi Omega to raise $3,661, more money than we had ever raised for a charity event. Sorority jokes may always be present in the dialogues of Mask and Wig and Beverly Hills 90210. But make no mistake. The Panhellenic system is not something to laugh about. It is a serious group of women who are dedicated to improving the quality of life in the University community and the surrounding area. After all, anyone can slip into black pants, but not everyone can redefine the importance of women leadership for the 21st century.