Why Should it Be a Competition?

If you haven't read this TSM article, I need you to just stop now and go read it here.

Now, if you've read that column, let's talk a little bit about what was said in it.

If you have any knowledge of Greek life, you know that college students have begun dividing the sororities into "Top Tier," "Middle Tier," and "Bottom Tier." This makes absolutely no sense, especially on a campus like mine where we have a grand total of three sororities. Obviously, one sorority would be top, one will be middle, and one will be bottom. However, I do not recognize these rankings because it is highly offensive. In my eyes, my sorority is the top sorority. In the eyes of the Alpha Xi Delta sisters, their sorority is top, the same goes for the ladies of Alpha Sigma Alpha. And why shouldn't we all think our sorority is the top sorority? We each get to see what happens behind closed doors, we get to see how strong our own sisterhood is. What is wrong is that we are letting people from outside of our sisterhoods affect how we view one another as sisters.

Greek men and women are often subjected to higher standards and expectations when it comes to friendships and how they work together. No one gets on a website and rates the marching band on how they work together and talk about one another. (At my school the band is like one huge family.) Why don't they do that? I'm not sure. Part two? I don't care. We view sororities completely different from an organization like the marching band, SGA, or SAB. No other organizations on campus feel as though they should be competing with one another, so why should the sororities feel like they have to fight and compete? We shouldn't.

I have so many friends in Alpha Xi Delta and Alpha Sigma Alpha, it's not even funny. I love these ladies so much. While we don't share letters, we share a love for being a part of something larger than just ourselves. We have devoted ourselves to serving our respective charities as well as our communities. The bottom line is we are all strong women who have dreams and are going to chase them. And we're going to do it with our sisters by our side. One of the older sisters in my sororities coined the phrase "Panhellinic sisters" within our chapter. I will definitely have my AST sisters as well as my panhel sisters by my side for the rest of my life. There is no need for competition among friends.

We as sisters (and panhellinic sisters) should come together to disbar the "tiers" that we are being divided in to. EVERY member of EVERY sorority has something to offer this world. What you look like or what letters you wear do not define your devotion to service or success, so why does it matter what sorority you join? Obviously, if you don't make a connection with the sisters don't join that sorority. But if you connect and then turn down a bid because it's a "bottom tier" sorority, you are viewing sororities all wrong.

         

AST loves ASA                              AST loves AXD