Cosmopolitan magazine hazing question

[nauadpi]

I now too have sent in a response saying how my sisters would never be the ones to hurt/humiliate me... It really does get to me that they want an article like that...

[Taualumna]

I didn't answer their question . I actually sent something saying that I thought it was unfair that the media like to portray sororities so negatively and that it was really unfair that they're only writing from one point of view.

[Tom Earp]

Thanks for the ++++ up vote! I did post to that ragazine posting my dismay and who I never new any Soroitys who I knew ever had any hazing attributed to them.

I very nicely said what they were asking was crap/Nice way of saying S**T!

Only way to hurt them is to stop sales!

Dont know, but how many Womens Soroitys and Members are there?????

[kappa2]

As a Kappa Kappa Gamma, our chapter didn't do anything to haze. On the contrary, there were many examples of kindness, generosity, and encouragement. I responded to the Cosmo question with a few of those examples instead and a request that if they write an article, they show both sides of the story. I would hate for someone to miss out on an amazing experience just because an article or book made them fearful the few bad apples out there.

[ADPiShannan]

I will say that chapters on our campus do NOT at all haze, we bend over backwards to treat them like princesses, we take their plates from them, clean up after them, we spoil them rotten. We do not let them do anything that could even possibly consider hazing. We have a maid to clean the house so we do not make them clean. I mean if we have a chapter clean, we dont even make the new girls help. We do this all while they are new because we do not want them feeling like we are making them do ANYTHING they do not want to do.

I have so many positive experiences from ADPi and Greek Life in general. I even had an ADPi and an AGD in my wedding as well as two TKE's.

I filled out their little thing with such positive things. I honestly will say Id think anyone who would post on it even if they arent greek and say something terrible, Id see them publishing it over anything good. Well see though, maybe they will post positive things. Doesnt seem like anyone does anymore, but lets hope for the best.

[ZTAngel]

I let Cosmo know about all the presents I received while a new member, the wonderful things the sisters did for us to make us feel comfortable during our pledging process, and how my big sister was always by my side if I had any doubts. I hope that Cosmo does a story on the benefits of a sorority; with books like "Pledged" and "Sorority Life", the media would rather focus on few (rare) negative experienes some greek members have had. I think the majority of greek members had a positive experience with their organization.
I'm surprised because I would imagine that many of Cosmo's staff members were once a sorority member. Why aren't they talking about the positives of their greek experience? I'm sure they didn't all have a horrible greek experience.

[33girl]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
I'm surprised because I would imagine that many of Cosmo's staff members were once a sorority member. Why aren't they talking about the positives of their greek experience? I'm sure they didn't all have a horrible greek experience.

But in the liberal media, it's not "cool" to be pro-Greek. I would bet that some of those gals were the biggest letter-wearin', Vera-Bradley-totin', fraternity-party-goin' ladies out there. They just don't want to admit it because the prevalent media bent nowadays is to make fun of Greek life and trash anything positive about it.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by 33girl
But in the liberal media, it's not "cool" to be pro-Greek. I would bet that some of those gals were the biggest letter-wearin', Vera-Bradley-totin', fraternity-party-goin' ladies out there. They just don't want to admit it because the prevalent media bent nowadays is to make fun of Greek life and trash anything positive about it.

Exactly. The "liberal media" as you call them, also don't like anything that has the reputation of being "selective". A few years ago, The Toronto Star ran an article on my high school and portrayed the girls as stereotypical private school snobs (you know, girls who wear named brands who are spoiled rotten by their parents and only date private school boys). The woman who wrote, like Alexandra Robbins, didn't say much about the community service work or nor did she say anything about girls who are on bursaries and have parents who have to scrimp and pinch their savings to send them there.

[insolita]

Originally posted by 33girl
But in the liberal media, it's not "cool" to be pro-Greek. I would bet that some of those gals were the biggest letter-wearin', Vera-Bradley-totin', fraternity-party-goin' ladies out there. They just don't want to admit it because the prevalent media bent nowadays is to make fun of Greek life and trash anything positive about it.

I can't believe you just called Cosmo "liberal media".

Let's face it: the truth about GLOs is never going to be a hit in the media because it won't sell. Nobody is going to buy a magazine with a cover story called "My Sisters Treated Me So Well, I Want My Daughter To Be One", so no consumer-driven magazine (as Cosmo clearly is) is going to publish it. People want to read about naked slumber parties, circle the fat, initiation rituals involving dead pelicans -- in short, total crap. In fact, all of these things are mere rumors that we've all heard one time or another (well, maybe not the dead pelican thing.) But there's a reason why rumors travel so quickly. People don't want to hear squeaky-clean stories about sorority girls raising money for breast cancer research. They want dirt.

I'm just sayin'.

[33girl]

I didn't mean Cosmo in particular, I meant the media in general.

[insolita]

Originally posted by 33girl
I didn't mean Cosmo in particular, I meant the media in general.

'
Okay. Well, point taken, anyway, but I still don't think there is any media that portrays greek life in a particularly good light (with the exception of our own publications).

[LuvUTrulyKKG]

Originally posted by 33girl
I would bet that some of those gals were the biggest letter-wearin', Vera-Bradley-totin', fraternity-party-goin' ladies out there.

Haha! I love that quote, 33girl! That is greek life at my school (Furman in Greenville, SC) in a nutshell! As for my opinion on the Cosmo issue, it's only to get people to buy their magazine, but I hope that no one participates... I know that I will not be (because I have never been hazed, nor do I know anyone who has been!)...

[Pink_Bug]

This is so sad. I must admit that the only time I was ever interested in Cosmo was when I was a senior in high school / very early college...in other words - "Pre"Greek and its sad to think that junk like this is what will fill the minds of other "pre"greek ladies out there. I think it is wonderful that everyone has written in with positive stories about sorority life...maybe they will get so bored reading these positive things that they will stop their research

[WhiteDaisy128]

Here is what I wrote (yeah, I know it's long):

I would be glad to tell you about my sorority. I'm a member of an International Panhellenic sorority. Here is the memory that stands out the most to me...

In was Christmas Eve 2001, we found out my mom had breast cancer. It was in advanced stages, but they were going to do everything they could. She underwent an emergency mastectomy December 27th. The next year was spent in and out of chemo and radiation. She was declared a survivor in August of 2002. In September of 2002, they discovered that the cancer had spread to her liver.

Also in September of 2002, my university’s Greek System was expanding. A new sorority was coming to recruit members. It just happens that my mother was a member of this sorority. She was very excited about the opportunity to share the Greek experience with her only daughter. I went through recruitment and was a proud new member of the sorority.

On November 17, 2002 my mom proudly pinned me at my initiation. It was beautiful, tears filled the eyes of everyone there.

My mother’s cancer continued to worsen. We decided to take a trip to Ohio to visit my grandmother (my mom’s mom)…as we feared this might be the last chance to enjoy Christmas all together. Before we left for the Christmas break, I contacted some women from an Ohio chapter (which happens to be my mom’s chapter) of my sorority. While in Ohio, my mom and I had a beautiful reunion with some of the current collegians from her chapter. We even got to see her old chapter house with her pictures still hanging on the wall.

In February of 2003, my mom took a turn for the worse. The cancer was aggressively growing in her liver. She had to be hospitalized. My sorority sisters were so amazing during this time. One night, 30 of my sisters showed up at my dad’s house to clean it. They did everything, took out trash, dusted, swept, mopped, they even did laundry and cleaned the bathrooms. They knew that with my mom in the hospital, we were very busy and the house was not in it’s normal shape. My sisters were there for me.

Over spring break, March 10, 2003 at 9 PM at night, my mother passed away. Many of my sisters were traveling all over the country and the world…but when they heard of my mother’s passing, many took the first flight home to be with me. They came to my mom’s funeral; after all, she was their sister too.

We had another funeral service in Ohio, and again, collegians from my mom’s chapter stood by my side the entire time. Even though they were not my chapter sisters, the bonds of our sorority transcend time, space, and age.

Even now, I get sad (tears are streaming down my face as I type this)…and my sisters are there for me. They are my friends, my teachers, my councilors, my mentors, they are my sisters.

It’s terrible that sororities get the bad image that the media portrays. I’m disappointed that Cosmo (one of the most popular magazines among my sisters) is trying to uphold these negative stereotypes and discourage young college women from joining sororities.

Sororities and Fraternities give so many amazing opportunities to their members…why not look into these good things for a change?

[Pink_Bug]

WhiteDaisy128, that was beautiful!!!!