What is it to be Greek? We all know the stereotypes, and many have seen the movies representing Greeks partying and not caring about anyone other than themselves. Self-centered and petty, isn?t that what all Greek are? I beg to differ. Fraternities and Sororities are non-profit organizations that raise funds through philanthropic events to support worth-while causes.

On the Sacramento State campus, each Sorority and Fraternity raises funds for their own independent cause. However, we all support each other?s organizations by participating in philanthropic events in order to raise funds as well as share in the college experience. So when you see Greeks cheering on the soccer fields or dancing and singing crazy songs on the Joe Serna Plaza, they are most often raising funds for a great cause.

For example, Delta Gamma has a Service for Sight Foundation, which supports the visually challenged; Lambda Chi Alpha supports the AIDS Foundation by volunteering their time at various black tie dinners as well as other functions; Sigma Kappa has a foundation which supports the Alzheimer Research Fund; Alpha Phi?s philanthropic priorities are heart disease and cardiac care; and Gamma Phi Beta has a foundation which supports special camping for girls. These are Greek organizations on our campus that raise hundreds of dollars each semester to support worthy causes. This is only a partial list of Greek contributions to the community; there are many more.

However, the non-Greeks on the Sac State campus only hear about the so-called trouble Greeks cause and the partying that they do, and you cannot forget the famous line, “Why do you have to pay for your friends?” We do not pay for our friends. We are run as a corporations with Presidents, vice presidents, finance directors and many other important positions.

Members attend weekly meetings in a business setting, and many Greeks hold important offices within their organizations and are relied on to keep the organization running. These things do not happen automatically. A lot of time and effort is placed into these positions.

I personally hold two offices within my Sorority chapter, as well as 15 units at school, working 30 hours a week and am a member of Rho Lambda and the Vice President of Order of Omega. Never heard of Rho Lambda or the Order of Omega? Well, before you ask what kind of grades I have with that kind of schedule, Order of Omega is a Greek Honor Society on Campus. Members must maintain a 3.0 grade point average, participate in community activities and support Greek life on campus. Rho Lambda is an honor society for sorority members who must be nominated by their chapter President or a present member of Rho Lambda. I am proud of my college accomplishments and the success I have seen many of my sisters achieve. However, it hurts me every time sororities and fraternities are bad-mouthed when they contribute so much good to our society. Personally, my sorority has not existed since 1873 and grown to 145 chapters by partying day and night.

I assume all of the other Greek organizations on campus feel the same way. Admittedly, we do have parties and enjoy ourselves, but in spite of what non-Greeks believe, that is not our college priority. We are all on this campus as students and ultimately we all have the same goal to graduate.

Crystal M. Clark is a staff writer on The State Hornet. She is also Director of Scholarship of Delta Gamma and Vice President of Order of Omega.