Editor’s note: Nicki Croly is President of the Panhellenic Council.

I have heard it all. But mostly this: I’m a dumb, party-loving, frat boy obsessed, friend buying, alcoholic slut. Can you guess what I am? Based on stereotypes and misconceptions this is an image of a sorority girl.

To some, this image is (to quote a former Hornet writer) that a sorority girl is a “skimpy skirt wearing bimbo who gossips about all her friends and uses her body to get what she wants.” Now, I’ve been at Sacramento State for four years and I have never seen a positive column about what it really means to be Greek. So brace yourselves – this has been a long time coming.

A sorority doesn’t cause you to sit around gossiping about your friends. It’s sad to say, but completely true, that gossipping is an activity shared by everyone. A sorority doesn’t turn you into a ho. I know of a few girls some may consider hos and they don’t happen to be in a sorority. A sorority doesn’t make you drink until you pass out or do other ridiculous things (i.e. drunk dialing or drunk MySpacing-you laugh, but you know people do it. Ever read a comment from a friend at 3 a.m. that looks like this: “dud i m soo drukn rihgt now”?). A sorority doesn’t make you stupid and stupid people don’t make up a sorority. Personally, my GPA went up upon joining my sorority and most of my sorority sisters are frequently on the Dean’s Honors List. Being in a sorority is not buying your friends. Our dues go to programming and community service events that we have. Besides, my sisters are worth more than what I pay in dues.

So what does a sorority actually do? Not what you have heard. Do you know what they really do? Well, a lot, actually. We are students just like everyone else. We balance full class loads with part-time and sometimes full-time jobs. We have families and boyfriends and lives just like any other student. The difference is, we found a group on campus full of women who not only like to do what we are interested in, but who value what we value. And a big part of that and what we spend most of our time doing is philanthropy.

Philanthropy, for those not familiar with the word, is active effort to promote human welfare. For example, through Sigma Chi’s philanthropy event Derby Days, a lip-sync and dance competition last fall, the seven Panhellenic sororities helped raise nearly $14,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network and the Hunt’s Cancer Institute. And this is just one philantrophic event. There is everything from a sychnronized swimming competition to a Miss Greek pageant to a soccer tournament. All seven sororities and seven InterFraternity Council fraternities have an event to raise money for their charitable causes. And it’s not just money they bring in. Sororities have service hours, including working Safe Rides, to give back to our campus and community.

We also value scholastic achievement. We are always trying to improve our grades, not just individually, but as a whole. We award those who succeed and we have programs to help those who may need it.

Of course, we have fun. College is all about learning to have a balanced life. We have formals and awards dinners, activities like ice skating or bowling with the fraternities and events with our sorority alumnae.

Now this is the time of year when we recruit new members to join our sororities. It is a fun and exciting time for incoming students or those who feel they are ready to try something new. It can be scary and intimidating but the girls willing to check out sorority recruitment rarely regret the choice.

Our recruitment started last Friday, where potential new members get to meet all six National Panhellenic sororities. And for the next few days, they get to see the real side of sorority life and decide which one is right for them.

You have probably seen all of these sorority women out in the quad or in your classes. They may seem to be extra excited or perky and it is because they are about to share what they love, what they are passionate about with other students. Personally, and I am sure other sorority girls will agree, joining a sorority is one of the best decisions I have made here at Sac State. So the next time you see a girl wearing a sorority shirt I hope you look at her in a new way. And if you are a girl, maybe, just maybe, one day you will call her sister.

Nicki Croly can be reached at [email protected]