A group of about 30 women mingled over ice cream sundaes, Oreos and Teddy Grahams at Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority to discuss sorority life at Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon.
The informal event was organized by the Panhellenic Council -- the governing body for the seven all-female houses on campus -- in order to introduce women to the sororities on campus and to have their questions answered by members of each house.
Panhell hosts the discussion each term; this term the event was specifically intended for freshman girls. During the Fall term, the discussion was aimed at sophomores preparing for rush and freshmen getting introduced to the Greek system.
Amanda Young '09, a member of Kappa and Panhell, was in charge of Saturday's event.
"I want to get rid of the stereotypes, get everyone as excited about Greek life at Dartmouth as I am and give the '10s enough information so that they can have great experiences like I've had," Young said.
The first part of the hour-long event was dedicated to explaining the rush process and the six principles of Greek life: sisterhood, leadership development, inclusivity, service and philanthropy, scholarship and accountability.
While specific stereotypes of each house were not intended topics of discussion, the speakers tried to dispel any perceptions of sororities as being solely concerned with partying and drinking.
Lauren Orr '08, president of Alpha Phi sorority, talked about leadership development and remarked that if an individual wants to improve her leadership skills, a sorority is the best organization to join.
"It has not been easy, but I've personally learned so much and developed valuable skills," she said. "Two years ago, I couldn't get up and talk in front of a group of people but now I can."
Kimmy Harris '09, a member of Kappa, spoke about the principle of sisterhood in which there is a support system of women that help each other and congratulate one another on their achievements.
The importance of community service and philanthropy through the Greek system was also discussed at Saturday's event.
Erin McDonald '09, a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, highlighted the required philanthropy hours at Tri-Delt as well as the importance of collaboration within the Greek system that philanthropy events can elicit.
During the second part of the event, women had a chance to talk to the members and ask specific questions about the rush process and the specific houses.
Marisa Taney '09, another member of Tri-Delt, said she liked the idea of having this type of event.
"When I rushed, I didn't know what to expect," she said. "The first day of rush was more uncomfortable than the second. This event is a good way to get your questions answered."
One freshman who attended the event mentioned her uneasiness at the fact that some upperclassmen have already begun to guess at which house she will be in next year. The general consensus among many of the members was for women to go into rush with no expectations.
Lucy Pollard '10 said that the event put her more at ease about the rush process.
"I had not attended any other events like this and I have not spent much time at any sororities so I found this really informative," Pollard said.
"It was nice to have the girls explain the process and now it seems a lot less stressful."
