In the aftermath of bicker, I find myself reflecting on how socially tumultuous sophomore year is for Princetonians. This is particularly true for many Princeton women who go through Greek life recruitment first semester (due to the administration’s freshmen rush ban) and eating club bicker second semester of the same year. At the same time, many social outlets on campus, particularly sororities, are mocked as being superficial and trivial and as a result, their merits are dismissed. That perspective compels me to identify the lesser-known reasons that make organizations like sororities so valuable to me and the 389 other Princeton women who participate in them. Trivializing the University’s legitimate social organizations is insular yet unfortunately common and I think it’s time for the freshman rush ban to be lifted from sororities.
Sororities may not single-handedly cure gender inequality and the depression that pervades our student body, but I fail to see why the administration won’t recognize the largest women’s group on campus that primarily serves as a network of support for its many members. All three chapters are affiliated with their respective national organizations, which hold all members to higher behavioral and safety standards than the University does via bylaws and membership review committees. Princeton’s three sororities are not like the rowdy, hazing sororities depicted in movies and banning freshmen from them is only detrimental. Stifling the friendship and mentor-type relationships, especially those between upperclassmen and underclassmen, that sororities help foster makes adjusting to college an even more difficult and isolating process.
However, sororities don’t serve solely a social purpose. Academically, sororities function as a support group as well, providing reading groups and class advice from older members. It’s not a coincidence that 85-percent of Fortune 500 executives and all but three U.S. Presidents since 1825 were involved in Greek life. The first female senator and first female astronaut were sorority women too. If the University wants its graduates to become successful business leaders, politicians or pursue virtually any job involving people skills, then activities focused on networking should be given equal, if not more, resources – or at the very least, official recognition. Classroom learning is obviously important, but personal growth and development of leadership skills are just as important for most, if not all, career paths and should not be disparaged.
A study by the University’s Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women's Leadership emphasized that women are less likely than men to be presidential candidates for student groups and “social networks tend not to be very fluid on this campus, and opportunities to move into visible leadership posts are in short supply...” This is not the case for sororities where the entire executive boards and officer structures are always comprised of women leaders.
Many Princetonians make friends through common activities or sports, but unlike other campus activities that unite people who exhibit a common skill, people who join a sorority have different talents. As opposed to groups where athletes only hang out with athletes or singers only mix with singers, the only characteristic that unites sorority women is a common interest in being social. The diversity of my sorority members’ interests enriched my college experience because if I didn’t have a sister to support, I might never have attended water polo games, ballet and diSiac performances, arch sings, philanthropy fashion shows and so on. At the same time, I have always had a group of sisters in the audience at my violin performances, crew races and any activity that I have pursued. I sought a group that would connect me to others based on what we value, not what we do, and I only wish I could’ve accessed that inclusivity even earlier in my college career.
Denying freshmen this opportunity for a support system is counterproductive. Freshman year is a difficult adjustment for many students and without providing an outlet for formal big-little mentorship, study groups, networking opportunities or social guidance, Princeton can be intensely isolating. As detrimental as the correlation may be, social affirmation often directly impacts personal happiness for many students here. One way to make sophomore year less stressful for women is to allow sorority recruitment to happen freshman spring, which would give students the summer to regroup regardless of the outcome of recruitment. Friendships would blossom earlier as a result of the process and, as was the case with many of my friends, students’ happiness levels would dramatically increase. Perhaps if sorority recruitment were moved to freshman year, there would be less substance abuse and regrettable nights on Prospect Avenue as a result of mentorship and supportive peer oversight.
At the very least, sororities should be recognized as official organizations by the University and freshmen should be allowed to attend Greek philanthropy events like fundraising 5Ks and profit-shares in town. Speaking of fundraising, the University administration should be further incentivized to support such events, as Greek-involved alumni nationally give four times as much as non-Greek alumni. Social involvement doesn’t matter to every student here, but in such an academically intense environment, providing purely social outlets for those who are interested is a vital step in creating a healthy college environment. The largest women’s organizations on campus should be recognized and mobilized as the powerful resource that they are.
Devon Naftzger is a politics major from Lincolnshire, Il. She can be reached at naftzger@princeton.edu.
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