Teaching New Meanings For The Sorority Environment

“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life…” is a quote that seems to describe my present feelings. My interest that I have in joining the Sigma Psi Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. is not a decision I make on the whim. This lifelong commitment is a step I make with confidence and determination. In the past year and a half, I have been exposed and admired these exemplary college educated women who have dedicated themselves to be of service to the community, the empowerment of others and themselves, and to leadership. The members of this sorority hold themselves to a high standard and forged these strong bonds of sisterhood with each other that have been influential in me making

I learned so much about the things I was capable and not capable to do and about the foundation of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc. The lovely ladies of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc. always made me feel very comfortable to the point that I was able to be myself around them. However, when I tried that with the other sorority members it did not felt the same way. The other sorority made me feel left out and uncomfortable when being around them and that’s something that Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc. did not. Being able to talk one on one, ask for help and talk to the ladies like a regular friend was one of the reason why I chose Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority

The discourse community I have chosen is within my sorority, Delta Delta Delta (Tri Delta). There are many stereotypes associated with Tri Delta, and that is the most irritating thing about being in a sorority. Anyone from my high school would insist that I am not a sorority girl if someone were to ask them. When I started my fall semester, I was not expecting to rush because once again again, I am not the “sorority type”. Greek life at Boise State is unlike any other campus. Some may think that being in a sorority is all about social standing, parties, and being better than the people around you. In reality, it is the exact opposite. For the rest of this paper, I am going to prove to you why Tri Delta is a discourse community.

Day in and day out we hear about high school and college students wanting to pursue a sorority and/or a fraternity based on the stereotypes these organizations uphold, well I chose to differ. I told myself if I ever decided to become a member of a sorority it would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated consists of ladies of distinction and exemplary character who excel in scholarship, leadership, and service, which are qualities I have chosen to uphold. From my perspective, I encourage myself to maintain a respectable appearance and reputation which doing so inspires me to embrace my self-concept; which helps me confidently excel academically and

My interest in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, started a long time ago, in fact when my first interest was peaked I wasn’t even able to pursue my interest as I was still in high school. I was able to participate in several of the “groups” within Alpha Kappa Sorority Inc., such as the “Roses” and the “Pearls”.

With this research I plan to go back to the roots of why sororities use Greek language in their discourse community and how it helps them form a sisterhood that is shared only amongst the community. Sororities and fraternities are becoming more prevalent in universities all across the nation. Today, there are over 9 million members of the Greek communities and the number is continuously growing each year (“Greek Life Statistics”). “The terms ‘fraternity’ and ‘sorority’ describe groups of men and women who join together to offer fellowship, academic support, leadership training, participation in campus activities, service to the community and University, and preparation for future careers” (“What is Greek Life?”). People that in are the Greek community all have at least one thing in common. Whether they just want to be apart of a sisterhood/brotherhood or deeper things like they all share a common belief or goal. “Sororities have five basic benefits: sisterhood, scholarship, leadership, philanthropy (charitable causes/community service), and socializing” (“About Sororities”). These benefits are included in the values and beliefs of a sorority as a discourse community. Greeks all speak a “language” that they learn in the process of becoming part of their fraternity/sorority(recruitment process). Agendas, e-mails, and text messages are all forms of a genre. A genre is anything that is written down and shared in the discourse community. Face to face interaction is a way to advertise for events and also another way to advertise for events is through

Within sororities is a language all their own; many words are created or used in a different manner. For example, “big” is not an adjective that describes something grand or large as in the English language. However, “big” is a term used to describe an older sister whose is assigned to a younger sister within the organization to be a mentor and a friend. Another example is the word “waltz”, which is not referring to a ballroom dance but rather the celebration of a sister’s twenty first birthday. Even the word “sister” is a part of a sororities’ unique language as it does not denote the relationship between blood-related relatives, but rather signifies the sister like bonds between members. This language is imperative to a sorority’s culture because it unifies members under a commonality that distinguishes them from other groups and organizations, much like racial and religious cultures.

My passion for my sorority grew exponentially during the fall of my sophomore year. Recruitment season had started and I was meeting loads of sweet, freshman girls. I loved getting to know the new faces, showing them the ropes and making them feel at home. In high school, I had never been close friends with underclassmen, so the experience of being an older “guide” was new for me. I loved it and I loved my freshmen friends.

A native Patersonian, Audrey McDowell is the daughter of the late Cornell and Laura Parker. Audrey received her early childhood education at Dale Avenue School, and Our Lady of Lourdes in Paterson. She is a graduate of Wayne Hills High School in Wayne. Audrey completed her post secondary education at William Paterson College in Wayne New Jersey graduating with honors with a BS degree in Community Health Education.

As I walked into the glittery ballroom once again, trying my hardest to remove the white cat hair from my black sweater, I noticed that almost everyone had heels on and ignored the Panhellenic letter that suggested we wear “church attire.” I was already nervous about having to wear an overly conservative dress that didn`t match my style for the second day of sorority recruitment, so seeing that everybody else looked like runway models only added to my nausea. However, when I looked around the room I saw many girls who were didn`t fit in, like me; some who opted for slacks, some who decided to wear no makeup, some who just didn’t look like everyone else. We all had similar demeanors: uncertain smiles, furrowed brows, and faces that were pointed straight down, as if we were being reprimanded.

Prior to joining my sorority, I assumed that I had found and established what I thought a true community should look like here on Grounds. In my various groups and clubs, I felt that I had satisfied my craving to feel involved and connected to UVa and the Charlottesville community. But in reality, I was not satisfied. Especially at UVa, there is an overwhelming sense to prove yourself and what you can do. And I felt this pressure immensely. But as soon as I entered the sorority environment, I did not feel this pressure in the slightest and slowly became aware of a different kind of community at work. I soon realized that community within my sorority was different because the strong women around me did not care about what I did or what I could

Being first generation I knew that I just broke many stereotypes and started a new chapter for my family. However, as the semester started, I had started to get homesick since I wasn’t around anyone I knew. Further into the semester I remember el Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Death in SFSU, I was walking around and came across this organization named Academic Latino American Society (A.L.A.S). Upon going to their meetings I felt that this was the place I belong to , I remember seeing Latinos with similar background stories but with the main goal of graduating College. Furthermore, in the school year the organization I join had transformed Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc (NAK).

Throughout the daily course of one’s life, he or she enacts distinct social roles in order to effectively communicate with others. Whether talking to a parent, a boss, or just a friend, one partakes in the act of code-switching, formally defined as changing from one variety of language, dialect, or behavior to another as the situation demands (Lavenda & Schultz 2016, 33). However, these episodes of code-switching can be influenced by many factors that may affect one’s ability to do so. I interviewed three first-year college students who currently attend the University of Iowa (all whose real names I have kept anonymous and replaced with fake ones) that I have met through both high school and attending the university: Adrian, a male from a small high school of about 450 students; Kate, a female from a larger high school of about 1,900 students; and Peter, a male also from a small high school of about 300 students. Through elaborate interviews with these four informative participants, I have discovered that it tends to be more difficult for students from smaller high schools to transition to a substantially sizable university than it is for students from larger high schools. Through an abundance of clubs a well as broader student bodies being provided at bigger high schools, it may be easier for students of a Class 4A school to adapt to their surroundings than it is for a student of a Class 3A or 2A school, where they may have slimmer alternatives in friend groups, student

With society constantly changing we see situations where simple things like a word differentiate from its original meaning or send certain connotations when communicating. For instance the word thick has been around for quite sometime, but the way people use it in this day and age can be a complement and or offensive.

This change of setting was at first a difficult adjustment. Suddenly, I found myself in an unfamiliar environment with an entirely new and different culture. Students were often more free spirited and individualistic, and came from a wide array of diverse backgrounds and upbringings. At first, this new space was confusing and difficult to navigate. But as time went on, I grew accustomed to these changes through trial and error, persistence, and by doing one thing out of my comfort zone each day. These tasks I would create for myself were often relatively simple endeavors such as starting a conversation with someone new or speaking up in class, but at the time they were vital to my growth. It is the result of this that I today attend a school at which I feel comfortable, motivated, free, and have a fulfilling social life.