The Thought
I never really saw myself as a “sorority girl”, and to be honest, nor did anyone else. It was an identity I’ve always thought about pursuing, but never really had the courage or drive too. Even the phrase itself “sorority girl” gave me an iffy feeling. One person who got me interested in the Greek community was my brother. He was apart of the Sigma Iota Omega fraternity at Bloomsbury University and would tell me stories about all the adventures and memories he had with his brothers. This is what made me want to get involved with Greek life. I decided to ignore those who had already classified me as “not a sorority girl” and pursue something I had become interested in and to break that stereotype.
Fast forward to mid-semester junior year of college, I have still never went through formal recruitment as a potential new member but I am apart of a sorority. How you ask? I helped establish a new chapter at my college.
The Start
I heard about Kappa Delta a year prior to my junior year. As corny as it sounds, as soon as I heard about it, I knew I had to be in it. I had forfeited my last possible chance to join a sorority already established. I waited until after formal recruitment to start the process of becoming an Alpha member of Kappa Delta here at West Chester University. The process was slow, small and low-key to those who don’t pay attention to Greek life, and included a coffee-date interview, mock recruitment rounds and a series of meetings. Eventually, I became an initiated member of the Theta Omicron chapter of Kappa Delta.
The Experience
Being apart of a new chapter is one of the most exhausting but coolest experiences I’ve had at West Chester University. Although it may seem like starting a new chapter would be all fun and games, it really wasn’t. Most of the days I’ve found myself wanting to bail because of how much of a time commitment it was. Weekly meetings to learn the history, values, and other important information about KD, sisterhoods to get to know the girls, and attending headquarters events were all apart of this process.
I’m not going to lie, the process of setting up a new chapter is not easy and takes a lot of hard work collectively. It’s like starting a new business. We not only had to set up how we operate internally but also how we were seen on campus. This was the coolest part, especially for a communication studies major like myself. We were able to successfully market ourselves and our organization to the campus through events and social media. Because of that, our reputation is as we want it to be seen; a diverse, open-minded, silly, fun-loving sisterhood. We were able to use our creativity to make the sorority how we saw fit ourselves.
Looking back at the first semester, I’m glad I didn’t drop. I wouldn’t have half of the people in my life or the experiences that I do now if I did. Sometimes I wish that I had joined an already established sorority for traditional aspects. However, although being a founding member is tough, the rewards are greater. It’s corny, but I met my best friends and no hardship is going to break me away from them. Experiencing the firsts milestones together: first date party, first formal, first bid day, first council meeting, creation of bylaws is so much more of a bonding experience than anyone could imagine and I wouldn’t trade it for all the glitter in the world.
