Greek life has an impactful and integral role in the community of William Jewell. While many may have preconceived notions of what it means to be apart of a sorority or fraternity, Greek life here at Jewell reinforces not only important values but life skills that extend beyond campus.
There are three sororities and three fraternities here at Jewell. The sororities consist of Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Zeta and Zeta Tau Alpha, and the fraternities include Kappa Alpha, Phi Gamma Delta and Lambda Chi Alpha. Many of the organizations focus on philanthropy and promoting worthy causes in their local communities. Here at Jewell Greek life has a very different meaning and purpose than what one might traditionally think about Greek life. As a member of Delta Zeta, I can speak to the significance that Greek life has played in shaping me into a well-rounded individual.
When I first joined Greek life I was surprised by the immediate camaraderie that I felt and influence that such a strong and intelligent group of women had on me. As someone rather introverted it forced me outside of my comfort zone and I was beginning to interact with individuals from all different backgrounds.
I also was pushed to better myself in every facet of life. I admired and looked up to the older students who had seemed to navigate the often tumultuous nature of adulthood and college with nothing but grace. I had a support system and I feel that this had a monumental impact on my achievements here at Jewell. I also was actively involved in philanthropic events that helped to raise money and promote Delta Zeta’s philanthropy, which is the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Greek life at Jewell is also unique in that there are diverse groups of individuals in every chapter. I had friends that attended much larger schools who had participated in Greek life and they would often note that certain chapters were recognized by stereotypes.
Athletes or thespians would only be involved with one specific chapter whereas here at Jewell each sorority and fraternity has a diverse and collective mix of students involved in many different activities and programs on campus. I think this is one of the most beneficial and impactful things about being involved in Greek life at Jewell. I interact with individuals involved in things that I am not a part of like sports, theater or choir.
Recruitment occurs at Jewell in the spring. While many larger universities conduct their recruitment in the fall, I think that recruitment in the spring allows students to acclimate to college life and their academics. As a first-year, I was playing a sport at the time and trying to get a handle on college classes and I felt that the stress of going through recruitment was lessened by having it in the spring.
I also did not have a conventional route to joining Greek life. I joined my sophomore year and I have experienced both Greek life and being independent as well. However, I still interacted with members of Greek life in my classes and throughout the nursing program. Jewell’s close-knit community made me feel that I still had friendships and camaraderie even if I wasn’t in Greek life. However, I wanted to go through recruitment again as a sophomore because I really felt like joining Greek life would provide me with a lot of amazing opportunities, and it has not let me down.