Sorority Parents Blog

college life, Greek life, sorority life, sorority membership, sorority rankings

In today’s climate of competition and reality TV, should we box women in categories of winners and losers? In our historical reality and consistent vision for shaping women as leaders who are active and engaged community participants, the process of labeling creates no positive outcomes.

Our own conference history reflects the same during the years in a review of our timeline.

1919: Passage of the first standards of ethical conduct which states “it is beneath the standards of fraternity women: a) to speak disparagingly of any fraternity or any college woman.”

1998: After committee review of history and intent of the Unanimous Agreements, the following language was adopted: “The National Panhellenic Conference denounces the arbitrary priority rating of women’s fraternities.”

Since social networking exploded on the scene, along with the ability to create anonymous and fictional personas online, rankings are becoming more prevalent. A quick Google search shows quite a few out there – with none being official sites linked to actual and real organizations with ethical standards.

Many of these sites have crashed of their own negative weight and impact, such as the demise of the controversial JuicyCampus.org website.

As women across the country engage in online chats, forums and networks, we hope they apply the appropriate engagement of conduct online as they would in person.

Be civil. Be appropriate. Be aware of the consequences of your words.

And as recruitment begins anew this month on college campuses across the nation, let’s share our positive support for women finding the real chapter networks of support they need to become the next generation of leaders.

Let’s each of us also remember the NPC Creed as important words to live by:

“We, as Fraternity Women, stand for service through the development of character inspired by the close contact and deep friendship of individual fraternity and Panhellenic life. The opportunity for wide and wise human service, through mutual respect and helpfulness, is the tenet by which we strive to live.”