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

Robson writes further:
In a world characterized by casual acquaintance and fleeting contacts, the fraternity
[sorority] nourishes the establishment of deep friendship and lasting brotherhood
[sisterhood] to enrich one's life. It makes permanent contributions to personality growth
and provides foundations to meet the challenges of a chaotic and dynamic society. The
college fraternity [sorority] adopts the role of a family during the undergraduate years
whether it be small school or large. Brotherhood [sisterhood] and friendship ties acquired
in a college fraternity [sorority] last through the years long after graduation, surpassed by
few other loyalties throughout life (p. 31).
Robson's description is of the fraternity experience, yet can also be applied to sorority
experiences as well. Although not from a professional journal, the following is the best example
that I could find to explain a modern day description of what it means to share a sorority
experience, as expressed in the words of a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma:
Our lives in Kappa all began differently. As a child you may have heard Kappa songs. As
a young teenager perhaps an older sister talked about Kappa. Maybe you were on a
college campus before you ever met a Kappa. However our stories began, what is really
exciting is that part of your story is shared by every woman of Kappa Kappa Gamma, past
and present. Our experiences differ, but despite chapter location, number of members,
housing situations, and varied campus life, we do have a shared experience -- our Kappa
ritual. We all participated in ritual saying the same words, wearing the same clothes and
on a higher level, naming the same dreams and ideals we would seek in our lives. We
claimed the value of friendship and the ideals of goodness, truth and beauty and then we
endeavored together to seek the finest in life, thought, and character. This is when our
Kappa stories became one (Strength, 2000, p. 6).
Strength's portrayal of her sorority experience is based around the concept of ritual. This
description, although different than Robson's, continues to present a theme of friendship,
sisterhood, ritual, and lifetime commitment.
The structure and intent of sororities is to provide an environment that enhances a
woman's academic endeavors and her personal and social growth (Astin 1977, Wilder & Hoyt,
1986; Pascarella, Flowers, & Whitt, 2001). In a study conducted by Pascarella, Edison, Whitt,
Nora, Hagedorn, and Terenzini conducted in 1996 traced the cognitive impacts of Greek-
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