Bridgewater State University

Dear Families & Friends,

 

                Right now you’re probably thinking, “Oh, no! Our favorite young lady has been swept away by a SORORITY! This is bad news! We               need to withdraw her from school RIGHT NOW!”

 

                Well, I’m here to tell you that a) this is not bad news, it’s actually great news, and b) you should not pull her out of school because             you probably already paid for this semester, and you wouldn’t want to waste that, right?

 

                Just the words “sorority” or “Greek life” carry all sorts of negative connotations. You might have images in your head of hazing,                  drinking, partying, and all-around mischievous behavior. Greek life is portrayed in the media as a four-year rager, which only reinforces              negative ideas about it. I have some excellent news for you: we are not a stereotype.

 

                Delta Phi Epsilon is an organization full of intelligent, determined, brave, ambitious, loving young women. We hold ourselves, and              each other, to very high standards, and we do our very best to reach or exceed our expectations. We are firm believers in being well-                rounded, and we focus on five areas of our lives in order to be our best selves. We focus on Sisterhood, Scholarship, Self, Social, and                Service.

 

                Sisterhood is more than being friends; it’s about supporting each other through everything. We spend so much time together,                   even outside of DPhiE functions, meetings, and events. We have so many people to eat dinner with, or to catch up with between                     classes, and many of our sisters are roommates. Sorority life has provided all of us with an amazing support system, one that we could             never find anywhere else.

 

                Scholarship is the reason we all go to college in the first place. We all worked hard to get here, and we are focused on continuing               that excellence through college. To be a sister of DPhiE, a young woman must be in good academic standing, and must keep that up.               We are even required to log our study hours weekly, in order to ensure that everyone is keeping up with their classes.

 

                The focus on self is about each individual. Each woman consistently makes an effort to be their very best self every day, and this               can be done in a number of ways. Some women make goals like spending another hour on homework each week, or trying to walk to               class instead of taking the bus. It’s the little things that keep us at the top of our game.

 

                Our focus on social is a little broader. Of course, we hold social events for ourselves, like our annual Night of the Iris ball, but we                 also socialize with other organizations. Greek Week activities are held for all members of Greek life, and it gives us an opportunity to               get to know our other Greeks better. Having this opportunity to work with other organizations helps us to learn more about other                   national philanthropies, and how we can help others in our community. 

 

                Our final area of focus is service. Delta Phi Epsilon has two main philanthropies, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the National                Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). We hold several events each semester in order to raise money and            awareness for our philanthropies. Other service opportunities we take part in are volunteering at Gifts to Give in Achusnet, MA. and help          raise money and awareness for cancer research by being the top fundraising team for Relay For Life three years in a row!

 

                I know that the information here might not be enough to erase your impressions of sororities and Greek life. We actively work to             change people’s perceptions, but sometimes information isn’t enough. I sincerely hope that your daughter’s experience with us changes         your perception. It’s not easy to understand this from the outside, but your daughter is an inside look what we are really like.

 

                I can’t promise that everyone will see Greek life for what it really is, but I can promise you this: your favorite young lady has a home         here. We will love her, believe in her, support her, and make sure that she is the very best woman she can be.

 

                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                Marissa Bean ~ Iota Class