Numerous television shows and movies portray Fraternity and Sorority Life as an elite party scene, escape from reality, or horror scene.
How accurate are these depictions?
TRUE or FALSE: Through joining a fraternity or sorority students become part of a social network where drinking, pranks, and partying become important everyday occurrences.
♥ FALSE. Greek-letter organizations became popular in films during the late 1970s with the release of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978). The film takes college traditions like homecoming, fraternity rush, and house parties and mocks them by presenting the most extreme cases or mishaps that could occur. For example, the chapter meetings in this film show alcohol consumption. In reality chapter meetings are alcohol free and run as any professional organization would with procedures and standards.
TRUE or FALSE: Joining a fraternity or sorority is a way to create a new life or an escape from reality.
♥ FALSE. More recent movies like “Old School” (2001) staring Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson take a different approach. In this film, it is implied that life in a fraternity is an escape from an adult life of drama and responsibility. And in the comedy “Sorority Boys” (2002) staring Barry Wilson, this same theme of escaping reality is revisited. Accused of stealing from their fraternity, a few college students go undercover as women in a sorority in order to complete their undergraduate education. These movies fail to 
demonstrate the process of recruitment in which students meet new people and decide whether their values match those of each organization.
TRUE or FALSE: Murder, stalking, and accidents occur in fraternity and sorority organizations.
♥ FALSE. There is an abundance of fraternity and sorority references and backdrops in horror and thriller movies like “Sorority House Massacre” (1987) and “Sorority Row” (2009) in which sorority women are the objects of pranks gone awry while stalking serial killers. In reality accidents do occur in college but not at a higher incidence to students joining fraternities or sororities.
When watching your favorite movies or television shows like ABC Family’s “GRΣΣK,” not everything is as it appears. Membership in a fraternity or sorority can hold different meanings depending upon the chapter you join. However all organizations support some sort of moral values and high personal standards.
Movies do not include any of the community service fraternity and sorority members perform nor the values, philanthropies, or lifelong friendships these organizations support.
For more information about fraternity and sorority themed films visit this link.
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Kristi Jensen is a SureSister.com Ambassador. After serving as the treasurer for her University of Oregon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kristi served her Panhellenic community as director of continuous open recruitment and vice president of accountability. She also served her fellow students as a senator in student government. Kristi holds a bachelors degree in political science and Spanish and plans to attend graduate school in 2011. She can be reached at @PETALKristi on Twitter or via email at her first name at SureSister.com.
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Copyright 2010 Kristi Jensen, SureSister.com
Here are eight great tips to prepare you for the big events.
The Panhellenic Recruitment process is organized to
During formal recruitment a phrase you may hear often is “maximize your options.” This means you should accept all party invitations extended to you, and attend all events to which you are invited. Here are four reasons you should heed this “maximizing” advice.
Still unsure about this whole sorority thing?
Not only will you get a walking tour of various parts of campus during parties and events throughout the week, you’ll start to hear from women about various student organizations and ways to get involved in things across campus. What a great way to get the inside scoop!
Gretchen Stahl is a 
The sorority women you meet during sorority recruitment are as nervous as you when it’s time for that first recruitment event. They have spent weeks, even months learning communication etiquette and reviewing relevant facts about their organizations – with the goal of getting you to join.
❁ Don’t ask questions that are too personal or give out information that is not typically shared when you first meet new people (political views, religious beliefs, etc.).
If you are a first generation college student or if your parents were not in a sorority or fraternity, they may be wondering how the sorority recruitment process works. Even if a parent was in a sorority or fraternity, he or she may be wondering how “rush” has changed – besides just the name.
“The research shows significant advantages that are specific to the fraternity experience. Some of the most dramatic areas of difference are found in leadership and community involvement. These differences appear to be unique to the fraternity experience compared to other student groups and prove to be essential tools for building well-rounded individuals that are more completely prepared to join the workforce.” (UniLoa: The Center for Learning Outcomes Assessment, Inc., July 2009, 
How do you strike a perfect balance between “Gaga on Tour” and “H1N1 patient” during sorority recruitment? Simply add your smile and personality to these eight tips to project your true beauty during recruitment events.
. Then use a small brush to apply concealer. Feather the edges out, pat with a fingertip to eliminate any demarcation lines, and then lightly powder the spot to lock in the concealer.
nd an old mascara wand you have washed clean, and brush up and along the line of your brow. It’s an instant eye opener that will last all day and all night.
♥ Even if you don’t normally wear lip liner, try one during recruitment. Find a shade that is close to the color of the INSIDE of your lip. Trace your natural lip line, then fill in and pat with your fingertip to soften the look. Top with a little gloss. The waxy pencil will give your gloss more staying power, and leave a little color behind, so you’re not “bare.”
Beth Titlow Gittons is a 
The summer before your first year of college is an exciting one filled with anticipation for the four-year journey ahead. While enjoying your summer vacation, be sure to capitalize on the opportunities to learn about your extracurricular choices.
Do you know when your campus holds formal recruitment? Events held by the councils can vary from campus to campus depending on the time formal recruitment is held. Panhellenic associations hold formal recruitment at one of three points during the academic year: before fall classes begin, during the fall term, or immediately after the new year in the winter term.
The etiquette for these events is the same as that practiced during recruitment (see the 
