“Did they get all their facts right Fran?” a friend asked on my Facebook page. She was referencing one of the posts ranking sororities – best, prestigious, most sought after – the adjectives don’t matter. The posts appear on a regular basis. My response, since I was typing on a phone and not a keyboard, was short and to the point:
I refuse to read this kind of drivel. Almost every member of each group firmly believes that hers is the best. And that is the way it should be. The experience one will have in any of the groups is almost exactly the same. After all we believe and care about the same basic values. No one should be made to feel she is a member of a less prestigious group. It serves no purpose and we collectively shoot ourselves in the foot when we encourage these sorts of comparisons. Rant over.
An Alpha Delta Pi friend chimed in:
I despise these things – we are all equal in that we have strong chapters, weak chapters, giant houses, tiny lodges, chapters living in residence halls, great philanthropic projects and #AmazingSororityWomen among all organizations. #QuitRankingUs #EmpowerEachOther When we come together there’s no stopping us!
An Alpha Gamma Delta friend added:
I did read the drivel. (It’s not called click-bait for nothing!) As usual there is incorrect information and a reference to ‘alumni.’
I often say that the affection I feel for Pi Phi is akin to that which I feel for my children. The affection I have for the other NPC groups is very much like what I have for my nieces. They are family and I would go to bat for any of them. After all, who understands us better than each other? The power of 26 is so much greater than the power of one. Alone we can do great things, but together we can do so much more. Let’s not divide ourselves over these nonsensical, manufactured rankings.
As thousands of women begin the recruitment season, let us hope they all find a chapter they will love, cherish and work for its betterment. We will all benefit for it. When a woman drops out of recruitment or is heartbroken at the way it turns out, we all suffer for it. We, the sorority women of the world, need to help potential members and new members realize that the experience a woman will have in any of the 26 NPC groups will be more alike than different. Moreover, the most determining factor in the equation is the woman herself. Being a member of a sorority is much like anything else. The more that one puts into it, the more one will get out of it.
