Carleton sororities make up a large population of the student body, but their reputations can be stereotyped by non-members, according to sorority sisters. To reveal the realities of Greek life, current and former members shared their experiences.
President of Carleton Sororities Ved Shimpi, who runs the organization representing the three international sororities on campus: Phi Sigma Sigma, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Delta Phi Epsilon, said although over 200 students at the university are currently sisters of international sororities, media portrayals have contributed to creating stereotypes about sororities within the general student population.
“Carleton Sororities are the ones that are most common when people think about sororities,” Shimpi said. “If you’ve seen those movies of sororities with like big houses, our sororities were the ones that were kind of stereotyped for that.”
Shimpi said one of the biggest stereotypes she hears is that sororities have a lack of diversity.
Cameron Jette, a fourth-year human rights and social justice student who joined Delta Psi Delta earlier this fall, said he didn’t initially see himself joining a sorority because of this stereotype.
“I obviously don’t look like the sorority girls in the movies, so I was kind of hesitant initiating, But then I realized it was a lot more about the quality of your character rather than what you look like.” —Cameron Jette, Delta Psi Delta member
Jette said the diversity of his sorority goes against the typical image usually associated with Greek life.
“I’m like a plus-size, non-binary, kind of alternative looking person. In my sorority, we have people of all shapes and sizes. I mean, I have green hair and piercings and tattoos,” he said.
Shimpi added hazing is another misconception many sorority outsiders talk about, but said Carleton Sororities have a “strict” no-hazing policy.
“A big thing that we talk about in Carleton Sororities is values-based recruitment—recruiting girls not based on superficial qualities, but on personality and shared values,” Shimpi said.
Depending on the severity of the rule broken, sisters may meet one-on-one or attend a ‘standards meeting’ where the sister could be dismissed from the sorority.
Shimpi said she has never been part of a standards meeting herself, and the majority of the sisters do get along and follow the rules.
“There’s a thing that we always say, ‘It’s not for four years, it’s for life. Whatever connections and things you make in your sorority, you keep those for life.” — Ved Shimpi, Carleton Sororities president
Jette agreed, saying although he only joined earlier this year, his sorority has quickly become like a “second family.”
“It just gives you this huge group of like-minded, really awesome people, which has been really good for me because I always had a really small circle of friends,” he said.
“So now, having all these people that are very much committed to being my friend and they like me for who I am and I can do whatever I want and they don’t care, has been amazing.”
Shimpi said strong sisterly connections are formed through philanthropic work, social events, and shared secrets.
“Initiation you cannot reveal at all. Just you cannot do it,” Shimpi said. “Once there was a news story about a sister who posted their initiation online and then the sorority sued her. So you cannot reveal it.”
When asked whether the secrecy is good for sororities, Shimpi said it allows members to bond.
“It creates a sense of community within the sorority because we’re the only ones that know what happens during initiation and stuff like that,” she said, adding initiation ceremonies are sentimental and meaningful for sisters.
“Having a one-on-one connection with someone is really good for your wellbeing in the sense that you have that one person you know you can go to,” Barker said. “You have them forever.”
“My big, who’s actually not in the sorority anymore, she’s still my big, I don’t lose her when she goes away, we still have that relationship,” she added.
Barker also said the chance to form female relationships specifically is empowering.
“I really like the feminism side of being in a sorority,” she said. “We all support each other really strong in our community.”
“It’s not like the movies, the kind of pressure and craziness you see in the glorified media is very much not how it is,” Barker said, adding sororities put an emphasis on philanthropy and scholarship.
However, not all sisters are best friends forever.
Mackenzie Cielen-Gough, a first-year masters student in sociology who decided to leave her former sorority of Alpha Pi Phi about two years ago, said although sororities can be great, the rules aren’t for everyone.
“It’s like if you work at Tim Hortons and you’re wearing your Tim Hortons shirt and your name tag, you’re not going to go out and get blackout drunk, because it looks bad on the actual organization.” — Mackenzie Cielen-Gough, former Alpha Pi Phi member
“If you’re wearing your letters, you obviously don’t want to be doing anything that would look bad on that.”
Although the sorority wasn’t for her, Cielen-Gough said there’s no bad blood.
“I don’t regret my decision at all—I’m just a very independent person and I just like being able to do what I want to do,” she said.
When Cielen-Gough decided to leave her sorority due to personal reasons, she said she did not receive a refund on any of her dues.
Like the vast majority of clubs on campus, joining a sorority comes with a cost, though the prices are not all the same.
“We have fees, which are called dues, and they vary from sorority to sorority. They tend to be higher for international sororities versus non-international sororities,” Shimpi said, adding as a member of an international sorority, she pays around $500 a year.
Greek life does come with costs, but prices shouldn’t be a barrier in joining a sorority, said Jette, who said he pays around $200 a year.
“One of the nice things about our sorority is we’re the lowest cost in the city, because we really do not want costs to be a barrier to people being a part of this,” he said, adding joining a sorority shouldn’t have to cost you your entire paycheck.
“I consider myself low income, a lot of our sisters consider ourselves low income, but it’s still an accessible space and we can still afford to do it.”
“Everything is best enjoyed in moderation,” she said. “Being in a sorority is great, but that’s just only one part of my university experience.”
Shimpi said because she is the president of Carleton Sororities, many people assume she is loyal only to her sorority members and does not branch out of her immediate social circle.
“People are under the assumption that because I am part of a Greek letter organization, that I vote for the slates that are filled with people from Greek organizations, that’s not the case,” she said.
“Being in a Greek organization isn’t really like a holding cell where you’re being forced to vote for these people and do this, you can do what you want.” — Ved Shimpi, Carleton Sororities president
Although Shimpi said she looks at every candidate in Carleton student elections, “it’s kind of hard to not see” the influence Greek life members have on student politics.
“People tend to support their friends and people that they know, so I guess that’s why you see Greek slates being very prominent.”
Regardless of whether students are in Greek organizations or not, Shimpi said balance is key.
“People take Greek life very seriously, sometimes way too seriously,” she said.
“A lot of people should just step back and look at the big picture of what Greek organizations were meant for, which is just a community to have.”
Featured image provided. With files from Tim Austen.
