The three Panhellenic sororities at USF, Delta Zeta, Delta Delta Delta, and Kappa Alpha Theta, have spent this past semester welcoming home their newest member class (notice the use of “member” and not “pledge” if you’re familiar with Greek Life talk). As nearly 20 new members have been added to the collective of sisterhoods on campus, they can only imagine what’s in store for them in the years to come. I know I was feeling the same way as an excited and nervous Freshman, sweating stains through my white Bid Day shirt, feeling awkward as hell.

Greek Life has seen some dramatic changes over the past few years, especially following the pandemic and return to campus. Sami Marquez, the recent President of USF’s Kappa Alpha Theta chapter, recalls having a sense of hesitation after returning to in-person events: “Having my senior year of high  school through COVID, I feel like a lot of the incoming freshman at the time were apprehensive to join more outgoing networks and we were rusty to build those meaningful connections,” said Marquez.

I remember running home to my sorority on bid day, and some of the active members looked just as confused and unsure of how to interact as I was. After five semesters in my organization, and wrapping up my final semester, I can’t help but reflect on the experience, and seeing the new members in my shoes, wondering to myself: “Was this worth it?”

Members across the organizations share many of the same goals, advertising throughout the recruitment process that they are committed to volunteer work and service (despite a sometimes low turnout to events like a beach cleanup) and have extended goals in the leadership of breaking down the stigmas that prevent people from joining, addressing the issues that perpetuate these narratives, and creating a more unified community on campus between the organizations.

Accessibility and inclusivity are additional barriers between the three sororities and the USF community, which prides itself on social justice. Sabrina Barot-Martinez, the current President of Delta Delta Delta at USF, expressed appreciation for the efforts of her chapter to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion committees into their programming. “Committee members learn about things such as social justice [and] microaggressions,” said Barot-Martinez.

O’Shea has engaged in many meetings as the Panhellenic President, addressing the barriers to accessibility. “I think one barrier to inclusivity in this community is the financial one,” said O’Shea, “However, I do think the community also does a good job at trying to offer awards to help with dues, and I know all three orgs’ nationals offer due scholarships as well.”

Kristen Caughman, the recent Vice President of Administration for Kappa Alpha Theta, holds a unique perspective on the aspect of inclusivity and accessibility in her experience as a sorority member. “Coming from South Carolina and being surrounded by people whose dream was to rush a sorority at the University of Alabama, I'd say joining a sorority in San Francisco has defied a lot of my expectations in the best way possible,” said Caughman. “My sorority can feel inclusive in some aspects, but exclusive in others […] I am the only Black woman in Theta right now, and there are some days where I really feel like it […] there are parts of me that I feel aren't represented just because there aren't other women in the organization that can relate to and validate my experience.”

Caughman believes there is always room to grow for a chapter to hold itself accountable to DEI practices: “Based on how my chapter carries itself and from what I've seen from other chapters, I think there's always room for improvement and growth, but I genuinely do think all of the organizations are committed to working towards a more inclusive sorority presence.”

Addie Wittenberg, the recent executive assistant of Kappa Alpha Theta, said, “On campus when I get to talk to another woman in a sorority, we get to bond over that common trait regardless of our chapter. I do wish the chapters did more together and were a little more unified.”

Marquez has spent the past year in various meetings to address the issue of unity among the  sororities and said, “I think this year we did a really great job unifying chapters among different Panhellenic organizations, but our work is never really finished with that. I’d love to see more collaborative events in general.”

Solona O’Shea, the recent President of the USF Panhellenic Executive Board, said, “After observing events and attitudes for the last year, I do think that the organizations, in general, have a desire to support each other.” O’Shea believes that many times, the reason for any lack of unity has more to do with a chapter’s internal issues: “There is a greater focus on member involvement in general, and it can be hard for leadership boards to focus on encouraging their members to attend other events when they are primarily putting effort into getting members to attend their own events.”

Despite the various efforts between individual chapters and the larger Greek life community, the perception of members in a sorority space is often reduced to harmful stereotypes such as “party girls, shallow, dumb, and wealthy,” according to Marquez. “The same girls labeled as ‘party girls’ are the ones waking up at 5 am to go to clinical or work […] They could do both- it’s not a jaw-dropping revelation,” said Marquez.

Wittenberg observes the perceptions of sorority life that she once held as she underwent the recruitment process: “I was skeptical about joining a sorority because of a bad reputation of Greek life […] I think the perception of USF sororities is a lot like those in the South.” Despite this negative view towards sororities, Wittenberg does not regret her decision and said, “Being in a sorority has exceeded every expectation that I had set […] USF sororities defy [stereotypes] because I truly feel a close relationship with each of my sisters and when talking to women in other chapters I know that they feel that same genuine connection.”

O’Shea often defends her involvement when met with questioning: “I joined a sorority because I wanted a community and […] I liked the idea of being a part of a community that would hold me to high standards.” O’Shea often feels she has to justify her decision, saying, “It’s frustrating trying to explain that to people who hear that I am in a sorority and immediately associate sorority with partying and lack of self-respect.” 

Not to make a “Bama Rush Documentary” moment out of this article, but I can’t help but share more insight into my journey of identity through the sorority experience. And no, this is not any attempt to advertise or recruit. As a transgender woman who had only begun to develop a deeper understanding of my feminine identity six months before coming to USF, I honestly did not think I’d be accepted.

I went through the recruitment process at the beginning of my first year in the Fall of 2022 as a joke. Family members and close friends from home had joined sororities and I thought it’d be a nice way to relate to them in our shared joys and annoyances of becoming a member in our chapters. Ultimately, this has been the case, especially for my mother and I to laugh and roll our eyes over, being irritatingly outspoken women in a space where popular opinion may sometimes conflict with our individual morals.

There’s an irony to be found in seeking a collective of women who share intrinsic values when the truth to be found is that values are interpreted on an individual level, and we may have less in common with our new “sisters” than was advertised through the shiny social media advertising. However, this has reinforced a truly valuable lesson for me as a developing adult, which is that celebrating our differences is necessary for more transparent and accountable institutions. 

By this, I don’t mean tokenizing our members of color for joining a historically white institution like Greek Life. Rather, acknowledging the various backgrounds of socio-economic status that get revealed when one member paid her dues the first day they were due with the support from her parents while members like me struggle to meet the deadline of paying out of pocket the separate installments of dues throughout the semester. Celebrating someone who rocks beat-up heels they bought last minute at Target on the same level as someone who is able to afford designer brands.

This is, unfortunately, not always the case. In my own chapter, the back and forth of what constitutes a “formal” dress code has changed each semester of my membership, though I feel it has finally reached a point of being open-minded to all financial statuses and gender or style expressions. The Panhellenic board at USF has had many conversations  about practicing accessibility for all members to participate in sorority activities.

In my three years, I’ve been a part of five Transgender members who’ve undergone sorority recruitment, three Trans women and two non-binary members. To me, this has been a huge moment of visibility and an eye-opening possibility at the continuing push for genuine inclusivity in these often exclusive spaces. On the days when my schedule is packed, my energy is low, and I show up to chapter without having shaved or done my makeup, and I feel the furthest from my ideal feminine self, the most powerful thing I’ve found in my forever sisterhood is those people who I know will see me in my whole complete self, a beautifully imperfect individual.