As sorority recruitment becomes a reality for First Year women and women in the Panhellenic community, the question of what sororities mean to those who are involved in Greek Life starts to be asked a little more frequently. That is why for the next few weeks, going into next semester, the life and style section will be highlighting each sorority on campus beginning with Kappa Alpha Theta. Keep an eye out for them because it will give you a glimpse into the reasons why we, as a Panhellenic community, love our respective sororities as well as support every other Greek organization on campus.

I am honored to say that I am part of the Greek community at Dickinson College and a sister of Kappa Alpha Theta. The women in Theta have become some of the closest people in my life and I have to thank recruitment, Panhel, but most importantly my sophomore year roommates for pushing me to even consider recruitment. I went through not knowing anything about Dickinson Greek life. I met so many women who had different majors, personalities and interests. Accepting my bid to Theta opened up even more doors for me to meet people I would have not normally met in my day to day encounters. Not everyone was a psychology major, not everyone lived in Malcolm, every single sister was unique: their own entities, but Theta was what brought us together.  Theta is where I finally found my place on Dickinson’s campus, where I found my support system, where I found my second family.

Three other Theta sisters shared a similar sentiment. “To me, Theta is a place I can call home. I feel comfortable in this group of girls. I can be myself around Thetas. I may not be best-friends with every single girl, but I know without a doubt that if I needed it, any of my sisters would be there for me. We’re a group of girls with all different personalities, majors and on-campus activities, but this one organization brings us all together. We’re all unique and distinct individuals, but so is a family. Theta really is a family,” said Cadence Doyle ’17.

Claire Paulsen ’17 channeled the wise words of Dr. Seuss to describe Theta, “I like theta because every single person is so unique, and that’s what makes it so special. A wise man once said ‘We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.’ That wise man was Dr. Seuss and he was right.”

Finally, Amber Sands ’18 said that, “thanks to Theta, I’ve met so many incredible women that I never would have met otherwise. My Dickinson experience wouldn’t be the same without the friendships I’ve made this last year, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to know such strong, kind, and passionate women. Thetas are the girls I look up to, and who support me endlessly. I am so lucky to call these women my best friends and sisters.”

Along with being a family, Theta has an extensive alumni network, is one of the largest national sororities, has a chapter in Canada and it supports the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for its philanthropy. It is one of the five sororities on Dickinson’s campus.

Overall, and I think it’s safe to say that almost every person in Greek life will agree that although there are stereotypes, each sorority is much more than their stereotype and the best way to really understand why someone went Greek is to ask them. Panhel is an amazing resource and no matter where you end up, as cliché as it may sound, it was meant to be.