Project 2 Draft 2
Kristen Swope
Mat Wenzel
ENC 2135
17 July 2017
Draft/ Outline of Ideas
Pacing up and down hilly streets while wearing heels and a face full of makeup in the sweltering heat of August is not the picture of an ideal summer day. While this may not sound like something any sane person would do, this scenario will represent a portion of many people’s last week of summer including my own. The last week of summer at Florida State University is rush week for Panhellenic sororities. Rush week consists of seven days of socializing and interacting with current sorority members of all seventeen chapters to decide where one belongs. There are four rounds, and each round consists of chatting with one member of a given sorority for an allotted amount of time. After each round, the sorority ranks the potential member, and the potential member ranks the sorority. If both rankings are consistent, then the potential member continues to meet with that chapter for the following rounds. The last day is bid day, and during bid day, the student is given a letter stating that a sorority is offering them a spot as a new member("Panhellenic "). Personally, rush week used to seem extreme, and I was never interested enough to put myself through that. After my friends went through the process and I learned more about panhellenic sororities, my opinion changed and I have decided to hopefully join a sorority this fall. The decision of whether or not to join a Panhellenic sorority at Florida State University was a tough one. With education being the top priority, it is difficult to know if another commitment will be worth all the time that it takes up in a schedule. Before I made the decision to rush, I pondered the nagging question of whether joining a sorority at Florida State University is beneficial to myself now and in my future endeavors.
After doing my research, I came to the conclusion that joining a Panhellenic sorority at Florida State University would be beneficial to myself now and in the future. The reason for why I decided to join greek life was to get involved in an organization on campus because I believe that this will help me grow as a person and increase my likelihood of getting a job in the future.
Being a part of organizations on campus creates a well-rounded person. According to Routon and Walker, “the more students are engaged in campus activities, the more they gain from their undergraduate education”(Routon and Walker 62). Joining Greek life at Florida State is an outlet for expressing ones self aside from school, which can lead to someone discovering a better understanding of who they are.
Becoming a member of a Panhellenic sorority at Florida State University can help someone in the future when applying for a job or trying to find an opening. “These researchers used a five-category welfare measure, asking respondents about their life ‘purpose’ as well as their social, financial, community, and physical well-being. Across all five categories, former Greek members responded at greater rates than non-Greeks that they were ‘thriving’ and were generally more positive in their responses overall” (Routon and Walker 64).
After interviewing my friends and my aunt, I learned that a major part of being in a sorority is being involved in philanthropy events that support that sororities cause and organization. Two of my friends are in Zeta Tau Alpha at Florida State. Zeta’s organization is Breast Cancer Education and Awareness ("Zeta Tau Alpha "). Once I learned this, I felt a deeper connection to Greek life. My mother’s best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. She battled through it for several months undergoing surgeries and radiation. She was always close to our family and seeing someone so close to my heart having to deal with something so difficult made me want to do more with myself in the future. Just like every other chapter, Zeta holds a fall and spring philanthropy event for their cause. They have the Crown Classic which is “a two-day 7vs7 flag football tournament for boys” ,and they also hold Race to Live which is “is a 5k that starts and ends at the Zeta Tau Alpha house and runs around FSU's campus” ("Zeta Tau Alpha "). Thinking about being a part of something greater than myself is the main reason I want to join a Panhellenic sorority. I want to find someone’s story, just like my mom’s best friend, and be able to change how the ending of their story is written.
I plan to incorporate my interview answers into my subtopics. I also plan on using my other sources to back up my arguments above and potentially add another subtopic. My text is going to be the Race to Live video from Zeta Tau Alpha. I want to talk about how joining a sorority is commiting to more than just yourself and how it is putting aside your selfish needs and wants to help specific groups of people while being surrounded by people like minded. I also would like to someone tie in the Florida State University Panhellenic mission statements. The Panhellenic mission statements are: “Sisterhood is created through millions of genuine moments of joy; Sorority provides a lifetime of support;We believe in giving women a voice.” ("Panhellenic ").
Works Cited
Jacobs, Jeff, and Tim Archie. "Investigating Sense of Community in First-Year College Students." Journal of Experiential Education, vol. 30, no. 3, 2008, pp. 282-285.
"Panhellenic ", http://www.floridastateph.com/about-us.
Routon, Wesley, and Jay Walker. "Going Greek: Academics, Personal Change, and Life After College." Change, vol. 48, no. 1, 2016, pp. 60-66.
Walker, Jay, Nathan Martin, and Andrew Hussey. "Greek Organization Membership and Collegiate Outcomes at an Elite, Private University." Research in Higher Education, vol. 56, no. 3, 2015, pp. 203-227.
"Zeta Tau Alpha ", http://www.floridastateph.com/about-us.