A close encounter with death often makes people want to explore the limits of their reality, experience things they always rejected as alien to their way of being, try something new before it is too late.
This is why I have been doing such uncharacteristic things as taking driving lessons, visiting homeschoolers, chatting up ministers, celebrating Christmas, going to the swimming pool, joining a spinning class, and even reading one whole book in the fantasy genre.
So when I was contacted by a sorority on campus with a request to become the sorority’s faculty leader, I agreed. As you know, I don’t like sororities and fraternities. I don’t get why they need to exist, and the whole thing is very strange to me.
And this is precisely the reason why I agreed without even thinking about it. Since sororities are here to stay, I will explore what they are like and participate in making sure that they serve a useful purpose.
Of course, it has to be mentioned that this isn’t just any sorority. It’s a sorority for Latina women on campus. The existence of such a sorority is usually a big help in attracting Hispanic students to a university. We are in desperate need of more Spanish-speakers around here, and I’d join a Satanic cult or a dog-owners’ association, let alone an innocent little sorority, if I thought it could help in getting more Hispanics join us on campus.
This will give material for many new posts, too.
Clarissa's Blog 
I actually think sororties and fraternities serve a great purpose for under-represented groups on campus (like African Americans and Latinos.) So I don’t think you are going to get the “traditional” sorority experience. Still, I’m interested to know your thoughts here. Also: visiting homeschoolers? Did you observe any “lessons”? Did it change your mind at all?
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No, I was referring to that Christmas party at the colleague’s house. Academically, the kids seemed OK. They have good vocabulary, they do all sorts of creative stuff, athletics.
However, as a pedagogue, I can say that in terms of communication patterns they lag seriously behind their peers. The 14-year-old boy behaved like a very well-adjusted and happy 6-year-old. His identity is still completely tied to getting approval from adults. I’ve taught to this age group quite a bit, and I know what these teenagers are like. This kid will not find it easy to get accepted by his peers.
And it was the same for the boy’s sister. She reminded me a lot of my niece Klubnikis, although she is twice my niece’s age.
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Oh boy oh boy, this is going to be interesting… I, like you, have no interest in actively participating in the greek system, so it’ll be really fascinating to read about it from your perspective.
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My best friend and I have just been discussing how I need to introduce these students to the concept of pink feather slippers. 🙂
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I admire your willingness to get out of your comfort zone. I’m sure the sorority experience will be interesting for all concerned.
I’m wondering if the bad effects of homeschooling are exacerbated by millenial helicopter parenting?
I can imagine situations where I think homeschooling could be a good option, I’m not convinced that most people doing it are in those kinds of situations (that is, I’m mostly convinced they’re not).
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This family is making big sacrifices to homeschool. They both work an array of part-time jobs, struggling to get by, and fitting in teaching their children with all other obligations. These are really heroic sacrifices, I have no other word for it.
I have absolutely no idea what the point of all this heroism is given that they live right next to the best public school in the entire region.
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I think the point is the sacrifice–to prove how much they love their children. To prove how superior they are to parents who send their kids to school. To prove that they are willing to do anything to “protect” their children.
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At least, we did see one of the kids read a book on evolution where evolution is discussed as a fact that is not in need of being debated. This was the kid’s Christmas gift and he was very happy about it. So that’s good.
Our local public school is the safest, most peaceful place you can imagine. I’m guessing that the homeschooling is juts a thing they do in their religious community. And since everybody in the group does it, they do, too.
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I’ve become a lot less dogmatically opposed to sororities and fraternities since teaching at a school that has a lot of them. There are plenty of evils that go along with an entrenched greek system–I haven’t changed my mind about that. But I’ve seen that they fill a real need for students who otherwise find themselves lost and bewildered on an enormous campus. My university ought to provide better ways of meeting that need, but until it does, I’d rather see students cling to the life-raft of a comfortable community and complete their studies rather than succumb to loneliness and quit. And of course organizations that meet the needs of underrepresented student populations have even more going for them.
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Could you write about soronities in general and this one (and your role in it) in particular for non-USA readers? Do those students live in one building, party together or (pretend to?) engage in social, political activism?
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Then moment when I find out how this works, I will post about it. For now, I’m completely ignorant.
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Some quick info until Clarissa is in a position to explain it all. “Do those students live in one building?” Many require that people live in the sorority/fraternity “house” the first year but then they have to move out (often into apartments that they share with other members of the organization). However, some (particularly newer) organizations don’t have their own building and are entirely non-residential. “[Do those students] party together?” Yes–most greek life (and presence on campus) centers around parties. At schools with an extensive greek system, students complain that there is little to no social life for students who aren’t members of a organization. “[Do those students (pretend to?) engage in social, political activism?” Activism–no, not really. Charitable work? Yes. They do a lot of fund-raisiing for charities and some also organizations require more hands-on volunteer work in the community. If you object to the greek-dominated party culture at a school with a lot of these organizations, a supporter of the system is sure to pipe up with “Oh, but the XXX contributed so much to YYY last year!”
This is the basic template, but there are some interesting variations that involve less focus on partying–particularly for students from underrepresented populations on campus.
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Sorry, I’m also “good enough cook”–not sure why I can’t seem to sustain a consistent identity in WordPress
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If this sorority is meant to be patterned after the African-American Greek system, then you are in for something interesting. These sororities and fraternities have a service orientation and they keep in contact after college at a much higher rate than typical white Greek organizations. Some have alumni-student events, some have alumni-centered projects as well as student-centered projects. Traditionally white Greek organizations dry up between college and 30th year reunion.
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