Tis’ the Season to Go Greek

The past week has been busy for many students, as the Greek Life sorority and fraternity rushing season continues on! Here at Hope College, Greek Life offers students an opportunity to engage with other students and to find a sense of belonging within their community. There are seven sororities and five fraternities on campus. The seven sororities are all local sororities that are unique to Hope College, along with their symbols and values. Four of Hope’s fraternities are local, unique to the College, while there is one national fraternity. According to Hope College’s website, the Greek Life’s mission statement states that, “Greek Life enriches the lives of Hope students through faithful student leadership, academic and social accountability, and commitment to service. We strive to foster holistic personal development and lifelong relationships and connections.”

Along with striving to create meaningful relationships and personal enrichment, Greek Life also organizes fundraising events and engages in volunteer activities. One of the group’s biggest fundraisers is Dance Marathon, which is a year-long fundraiser ending in a 24-hour dance-a-thon that helps raise money for children at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI. Many Greek Life organizations also have miracle children that they connect with throughout the year. Several of them attend Dance Marathon and other Greek Life events with the miracle families. 

Greek Life rushing will continue to take place over the next couple of weeks. The rushing process involves rushees (potential new Greek life members) engaging with actives (current Greek Life members) as well as other rushees. They will participate in rush activities, such as crafts, games, sports, and other fun social events. Haley Pangborn (‘27) said that one event that stood out to her was the pet rock painting and bouquet-making hosted by Alpha Gamma Phi at their second open event. When asked why she wanted to rush and join a sorority, Haley’s response was, “I wanted to meet more people and make some more friends and have a good community, and I also wanted to be more involved with things on campus.”

Becoming involved in Greek Life offers an opportunity to meet new people while participating in enriching and fun activities. Students learn about the different sororities or fraternities and what they have to offer. There are currently hundreds of students involved in Greek Life, and there are hundreds more eager freshmen, sophomores, and juniors hoping to join a sorority or fraternity. Most events during the first week of rush are in the evening, and they do not overlap in order to ensure that rushees who want to explore several sororities or fraternities have the ability to do so. As the rush process progresses, students will have to decide which organizations they feel most connected with, as events start to last longer and overlap with one another.

There are seven sororities and five fraternities on campus. The seven sororities are all local sororities that are unique to Hope College, along with their symbols and values. Four of Hope’s fraternities are local, unique to the College, while there is one national fraternity. 

Students will continue to rush in the next couple of weeks, in hopes of receiving a bid from a sorority or fraternity. A bid is an invitation from a sorority or fraternity to join their organization. After bids are placed, there is a silent period that lasts one day. Greek Life organizations are not allowed to contact or talk to potential members about Greek Life, and potential members are not allowed to talk to actives about Greek Life. The idea of not receiving a bid can be nerve-racking for many, but it is important that rushees stay true to themselves and do not try to be someone that they are not in hopes of receiving a bid. Rushees who receive a bid will make their decisions, choosing to either accept or reject their bids no later than Feb. 1st.