A few weeks ago, Christopher Newport’s Panhellenic sororities hosted their second annual Panhellenic preview: an open house/trial run to formal recruitment in the spring.
I attended preview with a very skeptical mind, and preconceived ideas about Greek life in general that were very stereotypical. However, the idea of being in a sorority was intriguing enough that I thought I’d go to preview just to see if they could change my mind. They did.
Greeks and non-Greeks will both tell you that CNU sorority life is much different from other schools. You won’t find many stereotypical sorority girls here, which is what I discovered at preview.
At the event, we were put into groups of about 20 potential new members, and went to different rooms around the David Student Union and the Freeman Center for 20 minutes at a time. At first, we were all pretty intimidated by the chanting (you just had to be there) that was coming from the other side of the door where the sorority sisters were. When we were led into each room, the girls would grab us by the arm and lead us somewhere to talk. Being able to mingle with the girls, and really getting to know more about sorority life and sisterhood was eye-opening. The sisters of CNU’s Greek life are very committed to their philanthropies and the bonds they’ve fostered with their sisters. They’re also very honest, and sort of adorkable (adorable + dorky). It was definitely not what I thought Greeks would be like. I imaged Barbie dolls in Lily Pulitzer patterns talking about shopping and gossip, not down-to-earth girls in jeans and letters telling me about their passions and dreams.
Of course, there were a few girls who fit the sorority stereotype more than others, but seeing that mixed in with so many different backgrounds and interests was very encouraging.
The sisters did an amazing job of being personable, truthful, and all-around sweet women who left a great impression on me. If you’re contemplating joining a sorority, you should seriously consider going to Panhellenic preview next year. It’ll change your mind on a lot of things involving Greek life and give you a much better idea of what recruitment and sororities at Christopher Newport are really like.
