Admissions Blog Posts

Why I Love Greek Life


Last updated March 15, 2022

By Ashlynne Culpepper

Hey, Furman family!

If you asked me in high school if I planned on joining a sorority in college, I would have laughed and emphatically told you “no!”. Well, plans changed. My fall semester of my freshman year, I decided to sign up for recruitment because I wanted to be more involved on campus and get connected with new people. Joining a sorority and being a part of Greek life has been an amazing experience (and one that I do not regret!). While I have noticed that many freshmen women are hesitant to join a sorority at first, I would highly encourage incoming students to sign up for recruitment even if you are only somewhat interested. As cheesy as it sounds, I truly do love my sisters. I am grateful to be surrounded by a supportive and kind community. Being in Tri Delta is my favorite campus involvement and my day-to-day life at Furman would be lacking without it. Below are my three favorite aspects of being in a sorority.

Philanthropy

Tri Delta’s national philanthropy is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude is a non-profit organization that treats childhood cancer and researches cures. Every patient who stays at St. Jude does so for free! Because of this, St. Jude relies heavily on loyal donors, such as Tri Delta. Tri Delta has raised more than $75 million for St. Jude. Each semester, we host one fundraising event on campus. In the fall, our chapter organized DHOP (Delta House of Pancakes). For $5, anyone on campus could buy a ticket for an unlimited pancake dinner. This spring, our chapter will host Delta Dodgeball. Additionally, all Tri Delta chapters each spring participate in a letter writing campaign called Sincerely Yours. Our chapter alone will send over 4,500 letters to households across the country to raise awareness for childhood cancer. All the proceeds from DHOP, the upcoming dodgeball tournament, and Sincerely Yours will support St. Jude’s efforts to end childhood cancer.

Functions

Each semester our chapter has two functions. These are casual and formal social events at a venue off-campus where we get to dress up in silly costumes or fancy dresses, bring a date, and have a fun night out! Last semester we had Crush in October at the Furman University Golf Club and Semi-Formal in November at the Fluor Field at West End (a baseball stadium in downtown Greenville). Both events were so much fun! A few weeks ago we had Winter Function at The Hanger (an open air venue in the Greenville Downtown Airport). Winter Function was extra fun because the newest pledge class got to experience their first function! Formal is at the end of April. I am extra excited for Formal because I am going to break out my prom dress that I never got to wear my senior year of high school.

GolDDD Crush 

Disco Cowboy Winter Function

Leadership Opportunities

On top of raising money for a noble cause and attending fun social events, being a part of a sorority provides leadership opportunities. This upcoming academic year I will serve as the Director of Financial Operations for our chapter. This will give me practical experience creating and executing budgets and collaborating with other officers to maintain the financial health of our chapter. If administrative work is not your thing, that is okay! Other officers work on philanthropy, recruitment, social events, academic excellence, ceremonies and rituals, public relations/marketing, membership selection, and more. There are 18 officers in our chapter and each one has an important role to fill to ensure that our chapter can operate successfully and smoothly. I am looking forward to learning, growing, and serving in my new role starting this fall.

These are only some of the aspects of sorority life that I enjoy. Recruitment, big little week, tailgating, and special ceremonies are other features of Greek life that I enjoy. If you are interested in the slightest in being a part of Greek life, follow Furman Panhellenic on Instagram (@furmanpha) to learn more. I challenge you to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. You might love it even more than I do!

Cheers,

Ashlynne Culpepper