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January 2018
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EmpowHERing Organizations: Sororities12/10/2017 Think about empowering organizations. Who are they? What makes them what they are? For many, the word "empower" does seem to piece together with the image of America's college Greek life systems. The words that do come to mind are much more harmful and degrading. And, I would argue, rightfully so. These past few months have brought national headlines on death by hazing and alcohol abuse within college fraternities. It may be unfair to judge the thousands involved in Greek life organizations based on the extreme actions of a few. But haven't those organizations bred a dangerous culture for young women? As a sorority alumna, my experience tells a much different story. It's a story built on support and growth−as a student, a leader, and a person. For me, sorority was a tool of empowerment. A community where I found women to look up to as mentors while I strived to be a woman worthy of being looked up to myself. Which is why I knew that the sorority community was the perfect place to start in sharing the Tell Her She Can message with young collegiate women. On November 3rd, Junior Panhellenic Council welcomed me to speak at their weekly meeting on the topic of women's leadership and empowerment. With the discussion focusing around the theme of sororities as empowering organizations, it was fitting to introduce the history of founding these organizations into the conversation. The New York Times published the article "When A Feminist Pledges a Sorority" in April 2016 that spoke to the history of these women's organizations and how we've progressed or evolved to the point that "it's not your mother's sorority anymore."
As the New York Times article explains, "'women's fraternities' were formed as a way for women, in the early days of coeducation, to band together in hostile institutions. The early organizations were not overtly political, but their members often were: active in the suffrage movement, determined to prove themselves intellectual equals to men." (Bennett)
My hour spent with Junior Panhellenic Council seemed much to short. With these bright, young leaders contributing their own voices and stories to presentation, the issues and barriers that women often face in the classrooms event today came to life. After an introduction to the gender leadership gap through an AAUW video, a few sorority women shared their experiences of being doubted and questioned in the classroom and beyond. The mission of Tell Her She Can is to empower women by inspiring confidence. To begin the conversation with Junior Panhellenic Council to recognize gender bias and the barriers that women face and to explore options to overcome, was something that I truly treasured. To say that this group of women gave me hope for the future of sorority life is greatly undervalued. Their conversations and their depth of understanding these issues in how they affect themselves, other women, and their organizations was profound and something that I found myself inspired by. The Junior Panhellenic Council group ended their November with a Values Week open to the sorority community. One of their events included a Women in the Workplace panel of sorority alumnae. I was happy to be invited back and to share my own experiences as a young professional and Alpha Xi Delta alumna. The questions that were asked were very intentional and aimed to help prepare a young community as they look ahead at their next years beyond college. I found myself appreciating the chance to learn from the others on the panel as they spoke to their own challenges and shared advice. These are the moments and the conversations that I believe sorority life was built for. As we are celebrating the power of mentorship this month at Tell Her She Can, this opportunity with Junior Panhellenic Council was a beautiful reminder of the strength and resilience of women, especially when they band together.
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