I was the first person in my family to go Greek, so it's not suprising that they carried a lot of stereotypes as to what Greek life is about. I actually didn't tell my parents I was rushing -- I told them after I'd accepted my bid. I thought my mom would be okay with it and my dad would freak out, but it turned out to be the other way around. My dad basically told me "different strokes for different folks" and that even though he would have never joined a Greek organization, it was okay if it was something that appealed to me. My mom was the one who was all like, "But sororities are full of sluts who drink all the time and don't care about school and blah blah blah . . ." In the end they were both impressed with the thought I had put into it and the research I'd done -- I brought up Tri Delta's no-hazing policy, the fact that sorority women at my school have a GPA that's comparable to the all-women average (in fact, this semester the sorority average was higher!
), the volunteer work we do, stuff like that. I pay my own dues, so it's not like they could have stopped me if they had wanted to.
I think my mom still believes the stereotypical stuff -- I'm pretty sure she thinks I got hazed, that we drink too much, etc. She caught an episode of "Sorority Life" this season which didn't help.
My advice for anyone whose parents are anti-Greek is just to do as much research as possible and then present it to them. Point out that all NPC organizations have anti-hazing policies, but that even if you were getting hazed, you'd be strong enough to walk away from the situation. Emphasize that while Greek organizations are primarily based on social activities, they also have a strong emphasis on academics, philanthropy, and sisterhood. Point out how they can help you in your future career, or how, if you move from one city to another, you can meet up with the alumnae chapter there and have instant social connections to make the transition easier. After you accept your bid, point your parents in the direction of your organization's national website so they can do some more reading and see what it's all about. My mom looked at the Tri Delta website after I accepted my bid, and she read about our work with St. Jude's, all the famous Tri Delta alums, the alcohol and hazing policies, and the long history of the organization. I think that helped her to understand a little bit more about how sororities are more than just the stereotypes.