this article could be written about arizona

women wearing greek letters. The message was clear: Be a part of something bigger than yourself; join and you will be happy; go greek.

I think this strategy works on most women, but I was bothered by all the sameness. College was about freedom, opening your mind to the ideas of new people, inclusivity. For that, I needed independence, not rules. My mind was set; I threw away the literature.

JOINING THE RANKS

Sometime during my first semester I began to doubt my decision. Friends were hard to make and social events were hard to find. My Delta Delta Delta roommate wasn’t having those struggles, so I began researching each sorority to see if there was one in which I would fit.

These were some of my impressions: Chi Omegas are about scholarship; Kappa Alpha Thetas are Bible-beaters; Tri Deltas are super-involved on campus; Alpha Chi Omegas party hardest; and Alpha Gamma Deltas are recruitment’s leftovers.

Whether or not these stereotypes were true, they were widely accepted. I began letting friends in participating houses know I was interested in informal recruitment.

A member of Alpha Phi, a sorority I hadn’t heard anything about, invited me on a “date,” where she and another member told me what their house had to offer. They said it was defined by the variety of its women, which sounded perfect for me. I signed the paperwork within the week.

At first, I felt like royalty. I was given more presents during new membership than I could fit in my dorm (I would discover later that I paid for them as part of my dues). Even outside of Alpha Phi, I could sense the respect those two letters had garnered me. To faculty and students alike, I was someone now.

BE SOMEONE, BE YOU

I’m still not sure what makes you someone at the University of Oklahoma. What I do know is who I am and what I do. I am an editor at The Oklahoma Daily, a leader of many OU organizations and the recipient of several OU scholarships and awards. If that doesn’t make me someone here, then I don’t think someone is what I want to be.

I write this now not to say sorority life is wrong for every woman. I also have nothing to say about fraternity life; how could I? And my final disclaimer: I do not pretend to know the inner-workings of sororities other than Alpha Phi. But I imagine them to be similar.

So I write this because I had no choice; it was writing itself in my head, begging to be put on paper. If I can assure one Laney out there of her decision not to rush, I will be satisfied.

I believe we must, in all our decisions, be true to our instincts in order to become the best versions of ourselves. So to every woman reading this: be strong and confident in your beliefs and interests, whatever they may be. You will be happy. Best of all, you will be you.

Laney Ellisor is a professional writing junior and The Daily’s assistant managing editor. Ellisor was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority from February 2010 to May.

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