The University of Mississippi’s Greek life is alive and thriving, with African American and Caucasian students. Ole Miss is known for its Greek life, where while walking around campus one would see people proudly representing their affiliation.
Greek life between African Americans and Caucasians has similarities and differences.
With the Caucasian sororities on campus rush begins in mid October. Rush is a weeklong process where the women attend each house and get to know each sorority a little better each night that they are invited back. It also involves a ranking system, both the sorority and the woman who is rushing have to rank. With this rush there must be a mutual liking from both the sorority and the woman.
For the women going through rush it is a very nerve racking experience. But for the women on the other side of rush, who have already been through the process, they find it to be a fun but tiring experience.
Marie Elise Williams, a sophomore Chi Omega, said, “Rush is so much fun, getting to meet all of the women that you have heard so much about is awesome.”
For the women who are already affiliated with a sorority, rush consists of studying all of the rushees faces, learning their name, hometown, GPA, and also extracurricular activities. The reason for having to learn all of this is so that while in the rush process you will have something to talk about with them and hopefully will help the situation to be less awkward.
For the women going through rush there are certain requirements that they must have to go through the process. They must have at least a 2.5 GPA, the reason sororities have this requirement is because each chapter on campus tries to have the highest GPA.
“There is a huge competition to have the highest GPA on campus, we all try to beat each other,” said Williams. They must also have recommendations from former members of that certain sorority. This way the members of that chapter can learn more personal information about the rushee.
Each sorority is responsible for donating money to their philanthropy. Philanthropy is an organization or charity that the sorority has decided that they would like to help. Most sororities hold some type of gathering where food is served; whether it is a crawfish broil or a spaghetti dinner.
With the African American sororities on the Ole Miss campus things work a little differently. The women are not allowed to rush until their sophomore year of college. Along with when they are allowed to rush the rush process happens a little differently. Instead of it having to be a mutual liking between both the sorority and rushee, the rushee herself has to go after the sorority and let them know that she wants them. She not only has to let them know she wants them she has to prove it to them.
Once the sorority has decided which women they believe truly want to be a part of their sorority they will give the rushee a call and inform her that she must attend the meeting. During this meeting the girls are all interviewed and also hear from that chapters advisors. After this meeting the women must wait for another phone call if they receive this phone call then they are officially a pledge for that sorority.
The pledge process lasts up to a month at the least. Throughout this time period the women are expected to be studying all of the sororities history and information. Once they are called back in they will be tested on this information. They are also expected to prove why they want to be affiliated with this particular sorority. The sorority is looking for someone who genuinely wants to be in the sorority and who likes what they stand for; they want to make sure that they don’t want to join just for the party.
Teresa Jones, a freshman at the university and a residential assistant, said, “I am very nervous, I have a lot of studying to do.”
To raise money for their philanthropy, African American sororities often hold step shows. A step show is a dance that is synchronized by hand and foot movements, along with singing, dancing, and chanting. They practice these dances for months. When they finally perform their dances the money they receive from the show goes to their philanthropy.
Once in the sorority they are expected to be in for life, after college they are still expected to uphold their sorority’s ideals and standards. Where as in Caucasian sororities normally after college they still stand for their sorority but they aren’t as affiliated with it anymore. Generally they only donate money, unless they are an advisor or housemother.
No matter if the way they go about rush is different, or how they raise money for their philanthropy, all the women love being a part of their sorority. They love having that sense of family while they are off at school. No matter what skin tone, all of the women would agree that their sisters tend to be their best friends for the rest of their lives. One has their real biological family but then one has their sorority family. The women that know everything about their sisters, the things that make her angry and the things that make her cry. Sorority sisters are sisters for life.
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