Many schools have recruitment guides to help interested girls go through the recruitment process and provide unbiased feedback for them. They are called different things at each school but at Winthrop, we call them Rho Gammas. Part of a Rho Gamma’s job is to disaffiliate from her chapter. This means that they take a step back from their chapters and give up their letters so that other girls can find theirs. During the recruitment period, Rho Gammas don’t affiliate with their chapter. They don’t wear letters, they don’t post pictures with sisters, they don’t throw their sign, they don’t hang out with a large group of sisters, and they don’t tell people what chapter they are a part of. This is so that they can remain impartial/unbiased when recruitment weekend comes and really help the potential new members find their home. But, Rho Gammas are not the only women who disaffiliate. The CPC, or College Panhellenic Council, executive board also disaffiliates. These women also give up their letters and take a step back from their chapters. They are the faces of CPC so they also need to be unbiased for any potential new member to come to them as well as the Rho Gammas. Being a member of the CPC exec means helping plan recruitment, education Panhellenic sisters on important topics, and so much more. Being disaffiliated is not easy. It’s emotional and challenging. It makes your heart ache for your chapter and to be a part of your sisterhood again. It’s a lot of work and it’s not something that every sorority woman can do. But for those who do disaffiliate, it’s one of the most rewarding experiences that they will have during their time as an active member of their sorority. While disaffiliation may seem hard or even scary, there are so many benefits that come with it. Yes, we have to spend time away from our lovely sisters, but it is well worth it. You get to meet so many new people, or grow the relationship that you already have with another disaffiliate; you create deeper connections with each organization and learn more about who they are; you begin to love CPC more than you already did; you create new friendships with other disaffiliates and potential new members, you fall in love with your organization all over again; and my favorite part – you get to run back home to your sisters. Disaffiliation may seem tough, but you get to connect with so many other people, create lifelong friendships, and welcome home the future of your chapter. - Allison Mayer, Director of Recruitment Guide Education
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This year is like no other. When January 1st hit, I do not think anyone was expecting a worldwide pandemic to sweep through where masks are required and we have to keep a safe distance from others. What does that mean for us? How will Greek Life be affected? I asked some of the members in Greek Life how they felt connected last semester. Here is what they said: “I made sure to FaceTime my Panhellenic girls once a week and stay in contact over social media!! Most of the days I would see something in my room or in my memories that reminded me of the sweetest times. Whenever I saw those, I would reach out to my friends & we would laugh about how much fun we had!” -Baily Crolley, Rho Gamma “We had lots of facetimes with sisters and used our Facebook page to stay connected! We would have polls or some sisters would post a picture or something like that on it! We also used instagram frequently!” -Reagan Queen, Sigma Sigma Sigma “I stayed connected virtually in Greek like last semester by joining the zoom calls that were posted in our Facebook Group. We had such fun events, such as cards against humanity and a kahoot trivia night! Also, our Spring 2020 women even got initiated virtually over the summer! This was definitely a different experience, but it was important to make the most of it!” -Lauren Hershelman, Chi Omega “I FaceTimed my sisters a lot and we did homework on FaceTime!! We also sent a lot of snapchats and talked a lot in group chats.” -Nikki Delissio, Delta Zeta “We had sister zoom call hangouts each week where we all got to catch up and hang out for a few hours!!! Any sisters that lived near me, we would meet up and hang out also!! Be intentional with your sisters, reach out to them and to check on them!” -Virginia Hearn, Alpha Delta Pi “I stayed connected in Greek life through zoom calls! We had our PC meetings on zoom so we were still able to continue to plan future events and things to do when we get back to campus! It also was fun to get to have huge zoom calls with like 50 people and just see everyone in our chapter! I remember our first virtual sisterhood on zoom and we all were told to say what we had been doing during quarantine, and it was awesome to just get to hear what all my sisters were doing and how different of things we were all doing to keep busy while being stuck at home.” -Haleigh Ormsby, Zeta Tau Alpha - Maddie Morrison, VP of Communications
Greek life is not just the four years of college. It carries into adulthood. It is a door to opportunities that will build you as an individual. Yes, there are lifelong friendships that are built. Your sisters do become bridesmaids in your wedding. There is also so much more than the obvious friendships that leave college with you. Networking The alumni of each individual chapter and sorority become a pool of resources for you in the big world. Because of your letters, there is an instant connection. There is a will to help one another to succeed. This helps when it comes to looking for jobs in specific fields and needing recommendations. Not only can your sister help you professionally, alumna are great sources for advice. They have been where you are and are just a step ahead of you in life. Learning from them has personally been a great source of wisdom. Personal Growth Within a sorority, there are many opportunities to build and develop new skills. A crucial skill that is learned is time management. While balancing school, your sorority, and other obligations, your time is valuable and managing it correctly is critical. Learning professional skills, like interview skills and professional dress, is taught through events like chapter meetings and executive board elections. The most essential skill that greek life has taught me is communicating within different social situations. I have learned how to hold conversations with strangers, how to get to know others better by learning about their interests, and how to speak in a more professional manner. This has been so essential to me because communicating properly per the situation has never been formally taught to me but is the foundation for every relationship I have formed. Working with Others In every environment, you have to work with other people. Greek life is a controlled environment where you get to experience people from all walks of life who have all sorts of personalities. It is a prime opportunity to learn how to work with everyone. Whether it be within a committee working on a big event or with another sorority to collaborate on an idea, you have to be flexible and considerate of others. You also have to contribute and take initiative. All of these skills are marketable and useful later on in life. It is also more ideal to learn these skills in college than when your job relies on your ability to work in a team. Greek life helps mold you into an adult who has many skills that are essential to being successful, a set of friends to get you through all times, and older sisters to look toward. It has made me an overall better person who is ready to walk into life after college. My hope is that you will let it mold you into the best version of yourself as well. - Madeline Ballard, VP of Operations
When I was a freshman going through recruitment, I thought that once a person went Greek that that was where they placed all of their attention. I was also under the impression that going Greek was all a person became known for once they joined an organization, however that is so very far from the truth. My letters helped me gain confidence, but they didn’t hold me back from joining other student organizations. Honestly, my letters gave me the much-needed confidence to go join the organizations that made some of the biggest impacts on me. The experiences and outside organizations that I have joined, as a result of going Greek, have been some of the things that I will treasure the most when I graduate from Winthrop. As a senior, this will be my first year not being connected to the Office of the First Year Experience. Being a Peer Mentor the past two years was one of the most fun experiences that I think I will have at Winthrop. I got to connect with so many different freshmen, and beyond freshmen, I was able to show the people in my circle of friends that they were capable of joining a similar organization themselves. Not to mention, I got to work with the BEST faculty partner (shout-out to Dr. Ritzer of the Psychology department). I was always open about being Greek with my students, but it never defined me throughout my time with either of my classes. And the other peer mentors? I would have never been able to get through my sophomore year without them. Once again, my letters empowered me to grow beyond my comfort zone instead of holding me back. One of the best parts about being involved both in and outside of Greek life is that you are able to work with other leaders from other organizations and build stronger bonds. I have loved getting to work with other Greek individuals outside of the community; it is always so much fun and reminds me why the Greek community is one community that I am so proud to be a part of. So, while you may think that people in Greek life don’t join any other organizations or that Greek life is all we care about, I implore you to look beyond the surface of what you may see. I have never met an individual within Greek life that hasn’t also been involved in another organization that they loved being a part of. And all of that aside, BEING INVOLVED IS SO MUCH FUN!!!! Winthrop has over 150 student organizations, so if you can’t find something that brightens your day, you can make it yourself. I wouldn’t have stayed at Winthrop had I not gotten involved. Even if you realize that Greek life isn’t for you, there’s something here for you. I know that everyone has a different college experience, but I don’t think that anyone has ever said that they made the most of their time at college by not getting involved in anything. I’ve met my people by getting involved here at Winthrop, and I think it’s possible for anyone. There were times when I failed, didn’t have enough time, had to learn the hard way how to prioritize, but all of those times don’t compare to the happiness that I feel when I think back on all of my experiences here at Winthrop. So, bottom line, GET INVOLVED!!!! Because even on the days that I didn’t want to get out of bed or I didn’t want to see anybody, I still wanted to give back to Winthrop as much as it has given to me. A full list of the student organizations at Winthrop can be found here: https://www.winthrop.edu/studentorgs/alphabetical-listing.aspx - Madi Mott, Vice President of Judicial and Programming
When joining a sorority on Winthrop’s campus, not only are you joining your new chapter, but also a community of Panhellenic women from various organizations. Winthrop’s Panhellenic community is one of the major advantages of going Greek. Not only do you gain sisters for life within your own organization, you also gain a tight-knit community of Panhellenic sisters. Panhellenic sisterhood is special, although you’re not in the same organization, having a Panhellenic sisterhood allows you the opportunity to support your friends within their personal organizations. At Winthrop, Greek organizations attend events held by other chapters, members of chapters help promote and participate in other chapters philanthropy events on campus. Together, we work together as a Panhellenic community to show love and support to fellow CPC organizations. Winthrop’s Panhellenic community also prides itself in service. Together, we serve our universal philanthropy, The Circle of Sisterhood Foundation. C of S allows sorority women to stand together as one community to help improve the lives and livelihood of girls worldwide by removing barriers to learning. Through serving CofS, we have helped women in over 260 countries gain access to better education. Along with service, Winthrop’s Panhellenic community holds a CPC day of service, where CPC organizations serve alongside their Panhellenic sisters to help make a difference in our local community. This past spring, our Panhellenic women packed snack bags for the Children’s Attention Home located in Rock Hill, in one night we were able to pack over 250+ snack bags and help educate our sisters on the importance of volunteering their time. - Lindsey Burrell , CPC President
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