Greek Life Experience

Prior to joining the Greek community at OSU, my perceptions of Greek life were entirely based on stereotypes and what I had seen in movies. To my surprise, however, these outlandish stories and stereotypes did not make their way from the big screen to Stillwater. After gaining considerable life skills, valuable relationships, and countless opportunities because of my fraternity and the Greek community, I was given the chance to give back to both by serving as president of my fraternity in 2016 as a sophomore. While I felt inexperienced to lead a group of 110 men, I quickly found and relied upon the greatest strengths of the Greek community- our accountability to one another and cohesiveness from chapter to chapter. I was able to draw strength

Because of the massive Greek involvement in homecoming, most residential life groups do not know they can participate as well. As such, my top priority as Executive Director this past year was to build up participation and involvement with residential life. After working closely with RHA Senate, numerous community councils, and residence halls, I was able to educate and encourage participation in the events and activities throughout the entire year, and each residence hall pairing participated in sweepstakes for the first time in 15 years. Perhaps the most impactful part of this experience was witnessing a group of men from the Delta Tau Delta fraternity help build and stake the structure of the sign for a residence hall group after seeing the Res Life participants show up with just their sign. Refusing to stop there, these men and several other fraternity groups came over to help the residential life participants set up their signs and stakes. It was an impactful experience witnessing the Greek community openly embrace and encourage other living groups, and I learned that our efforts as individuals can truly improve the experience of others. Our efforts as a community, however, can change and overcome even the greatest challenges, obstacles, and discomforts. Our biggest weakness as a community will perhaps always be the stigma or stereotype associated with Greek life, but this can be combatted by showcasing the true meaning and value of the fraternity and sorority life in an inclusive