Student group dossiers

Sororities and fraternities are just misunderstood

Kelsey Nicholls

“So, what do those symbols on your sweater mean, anyway?” That’s probably one of the most common questions I’ve been asked since I joined a sorority when I started university back in 2003. The next question is almost always, “Really? We actually have fraternities here?!”

The answer, obviously, is yes.

Sororities and fraternities are perceived to be a strictly American thing, like dipping everything in ranch dressing or assuming everyone in Canada has a dogsled. But the truth is that sororities and fraternities (“Greek systems”) have been around in Canada since 1879, and on the University of Manitoba campus since 1921. The popularity of Greek groups has kind of fluctuated throughout the years: the peak was between the 1930s and 1967. In the ’70s, interest started to wane a little, but currently we’re rebuilding our membership and increasing our status on campus.

The main misconception with frats and sororities is that they are all like Animal House and Legally Blonde. The reality of who we are and what we do is very different from those representations. You don’t have to be a ditzy girly-girl or have a liver of steel to be a part of these groups.

That’s not to say that we don’t know how to have fun — we definitely do. With Greek Week, socials and exchanges (when one group goes out with another to do some sort of activity like bowling or capture-the-flag), there is always something going on. The difference, however, is that partying all the time is not the main objective of joining a group. There are other important benefits, such as gaining interpersonal and public speaking skills, getting involved in philanthropic events and forming instant connections.

That may sound like some sort of pamphlet or sales pitch, and essentially I suppose that’s what it is. Unlike the Greek systems in the U.S., we don’t have people who are just dying to join; here, it sometimes takes us more than a little convincing to get someone interested. Why the lack of interest? I would probably say that it’s the lack of knowledge of the Greek system, which hopefully can change starting with this article.

For more information, you can check out the Greek Council website at www.manitobagreeks.com.