By Sam Pfeifer
I had no intention to join a fraternity. Too often, headlines are filled with tragic stories of a group of men coming together and making regrettable decisions.
As such, I didn’t feel like I needed to commit to something such as a fraternity in order find a group of friends, a social life, and a meaningful college experience. However, after a few months on campus, my mind was changed. My spring semester of my first year, I decided that I should give it a go. And while I was enticed by all three fraternities, I ended up deciding on Fiji.
Each organization is filled with young, curious leaders who foster community engagement and work hard to break stereotypes. But I don’t want this to be a shameless plug for Fiji, so I asked a bunch of active Greek life members to share their worthwhile experiences.
Perry Lum ’21 of Theta has found lifelong friends during her stint in Greek life. “I love Greek life because it brings together a lot of really amazing people that have a similar interest in scholarship and friendship,” Perry explained, “I am able to have genuine friendships with women of every grade, which has become a large part of my experience at CC.”
“Greek life has provided one of the most stable, supportive, and empathetic groups of guys I have ever been a part of,” said Parker Chatham ’21, who, in Fiji, can be himself. “The culture of acceptance in Fiji has given me a space where I am proudly and unapologetically me. I know when I walk in a room of Fijis, I’m in a space where I’m free to be who I want to be while knowing they will all support me every step of the way.”
President of Kappa Sigma Crane Friedman ’20 sees CC Greek life as a unique experience. “I like CC Greek life because of how different it is from other schools,” he said. “It doesn’t have the same ultra-competitive culture that exists in other places”.
Delta Gamma member and president of the Panhellenic Council Remy Wells ’20 “genuinely believe[s] that CC Greek life is special”. She states, “Although only 15% of students are in Greek life, it allows for a really close community. I have best friends in every single sorority and fraternity, which I’m not sure would happen at other schools. Greek life also encourages involvement in other activities, so members of Greek life are super involved around campus, which I think is awesome.”
Through Fiji, Edgar Santos ’20 has met a diverse group of individuals he otherwise would not have encountered. “I didn’t think much about Greek life when I first attended CC when I was a first-year. However, that changed when I became a sophomore and was invited to join Phi Gamma Delta,” Santos said. “I really have and still enjoy getting to be part of a huge family of people on the CC campus I would have otherwise never interacted with.”
Rush for fraternities and sororities will be 1st week of Block 2, and whether you are seriously thinking about it, or you are completely unaware of Greek life on campus, we want you to come give us a try.
