Greek life on any college campus can result in many judgments from those on the outside of the Greek community. These being the incoming freshman who are eagerly waiting for or eagerly avoiding the rush process and non-Greek students who generalize the Greek community of being a group of students that only party, pay for their friends, and so on. However, Greek life is way much more than just a group of friends to have something to do with on the weekends. As an active member of a social fraternity on campus for almost a year, Greek life has benefited me in ways that I could have never imagined. I won’t lie and say that partying does not happen because it does. As a social Greek system, having social events allows members of the Greek community to get to know one another by meeting active members outside of their chapter. With safety and clear communication between active members and chapters, it is not a crime to socialize. In relation to the social aspect, you do not pay for your friends. All of the money that you pay for being an active member allocate into different events throughout the year as well as money to be payed for a chapter to be recognized by the college. The events throughout the school year go towards rush, formals, philanthropy, and many more depending on the chapter and their schedules. In addition, the pledging process and or the new member period in order to become an active member scares some people as they generalize that hazing is a key element of every pledging process. My pledging process allowed me to meet some of my best friends in my pledge class and made me realize that I was becoming a part of something bigger than myself. From the history of my fraternity to the fun pledging activities, pledging is an important aspect of every chapter. You learn a lot about yourself, your pledge class, and a group of people that are there to support you, However, the pledging process can be difficult for some people as it is not for everyone and that of course is understandable. In addition, from what is portrayed in the news of national fraternities and sororities, that should not be reflected onto all Greek groups and especially the local chapters here at Augustana. Hazing is a serious issue and consequences should be faced by any and all Greek groups that practice it, but to say all Greek groups haze is not accurate. Pledging has changed over the years due to these serious cases of hazing. So, if anything, Greek life has become better in making the pledging process to be more smooth sailing for those involved. Apart from the culture that Greek life is known for, there are some things that go unnoticed from the large attention that certain incidents receive. From the benefits of the relationships you make in your chapter, these include professional ones as well. Augustana is known for having great alumni and some of these alumni were members of Greek life. Professional connections, even for the local chapters at Augustana, are apparent. At bigger schools for national fraternities and sororities, there are chapters in many different schools so there are even more connections to be made as well. I would have not been as involved on campus nor would have landed my first internship if it weren’t for my fraternity. Seeing the involvement of my brothers and the rest of the Augustana Greek community showcases the focus of extra curricular. Beyond finding internship opportunities, leadership positions are available for chair and executive board positions that exist within each chapter. These are great to put on a resume and to showcase your leadership capabilities at your next job interview. And apart from all this, there is always someone to go to if you need help with anything. Personally, I would have never imagined myself to be an active fraternity member. I heard many different perspectives of Greek life from both those who were a part of it and those who weren’t which made it unclear for me to decide it if was something for me or not. After taking initiative and figuring it out for myself, I’m glad I did and it has been one of the most rewarding and important decision of my college career.