Always strive to be a part of something greater than yourself. Being a part of a sorority is much more than it is painted as in the movies, it’s not all about the parties and pictures, it’s about so much more. It’s about having a sisterhood of women who collectively support, love, care and help each other through not only the four years of college but for the rest of your life. Having, and being, a sister is always having a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold and open arms to hug.
At Bentley, this can mean becoming a member of one of our three sororities represented on campus. Spring formal recruitment gives students a chance to rush a sorority through a weekend long process. This process consists over various events among the days to get to know each sorority and the girls within them. The “parties”, as they are commonly referred, each have a theme and give girls that are rushing a chance to talk one on one with members of each sorority to get a better idea of the authenticity each has to offer. One of the party themes is philanthropy where you will be introduced to the charity all of the sororities represent and how they have impacted it throughout the years through their community service hours and philanthropic events. After several rounds of parties there is preference night. This calls for formal attire and an even closer in depth look at your top two preferred sororities. The last day is the most awaited one of them all - it’s bid day. Here you finally get a bid from the sorority that you will be a sister of and get to meet your pledge class as well as all of the older sisters. While the process may seem long and time intensive, it provides you with that extra insight to make sure you join the perfect one for you. In the end, you will have over one hundred new friends that you can now call your sisters.
This point marks the end of recruitment and the beginning of your greek life experience. All of the new members are filled with joy, excitement, hope and happiness. I can recall one girl saying that she is so glad she joined Phi Sigma Sigma because her mother was a part of it when she was a college student and now she gets to be a part of the same sorority. I remember one new member of Gamma Phi Beta reading her bid with glossy eyes because she was so happy to be in it with her best friend, roommate, and now sister. Finally, I can relive the moment when the two french doors into the EDR opened wide to see my 100 new sisters of Alpha Phi and I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. Each of the three sororities offer much more than their name, they are each their own unique mosaic of brilliant and talented women, they are opportunities waiting to be pursued, they are memories about to be made and they are a sisterhood of empowerment.