Sorority Rituals - Reflections On Rites of ... - Mari Ann Callais

Wilson, 1989; Pike & Askew, 1989). Studies by Pennington, Zvonkovic and Wilson (1989) and
Pike and Askew (1990) have linked Greek affiliation with increased levels of satisfaction with
college. Pike and Askew (1990) also found that students who are affiliated with fraternities and
sororities have an increased ability to function in groups. Astin (1975) studied fraternities and
sororities and found that members of these organizations continued persistence in college and
had a higher probability of subsequent degree completion than did those who were non-members.
Although sororities have been a part of the college campus environment for more than
150 years, the future of Greek life is being challenged today more than ever before. Some college
administrators, faculty members, community members, parents and even students argue against a
need in higher education for single sex organizations such as sororities. Studies have been
conducted that membership in Greek letter organizations have been linked with increased levels
of alcohol consumption (Tampke, 1990; Wechsler, Kuh, & Davenport, 1996), high levels of
academic cheating behavior (Kirkvliet, 1994; McCabe & Bowers, 1996), lower levels of
principled moral reasoning (Sanders, 1990, Kilgannon & Erwin, 1992) and negative effects of
Greek affiliation on standardized measures of cognitive development during the first year of
college (Pascarella, Edison, Whitt, Hagedorn, & Terenzini, 1996). Heida (1990) presents a very
realistic challenge facing Greek communities today:
Over the past decade, campuses have studied and continue to study the future of Greek
organizations and expectations for individuals and chapters. Colby College was one of the
first to withdraw recognition for fraternity and sorority chapters based on the college's
assessment that they were not conducive to a positive educational experience. Many other
campuses have reviewed their situations and have chosen to retain Greek organizations
but developed standards of operation and behavior, as well as relationship statements
between the national organization and the campus (p. 3).
In the past decade, a number of campuses have decided to eliminate their Greek communities all
together. Those who foster the continuation of sororities believe that they can significantly
contribute to student development as well as provide leadership opportunities for women (Astin,
1984; Pace 1984; National Panhellenic Conference, 2001). The National Panhellenic
Conference’s publication, 100 years of the National Panhellenic, states:
2