One of the great things about having summer interns is their fresh perspective on life and ministry. And the fact that they are willing to write blogs for us. 
Today's blog comes from one of our summer interns, Alex Rhoades, who finished her work here just in time to go intern at the White House. Yes, I'm sure working here prepared her to handle the pressure of the Oval Office. Thanks, Alex, for serving us here and serving the Lord there.
Rush, big sisters, chapter meetings, philanthropy, hazing, “pledges,” and “actives” are all terms associated with sororities. A staple of college campuses for over a century, the decision whether or not to join a sorority has been faced by almost every female college student. Before you start thinking that this topic does not concern you or your ministry to middle and high school girls, you should know that sororities have expanded outside the collegiate arena: Sororities are now in high schools across the U.S.
Chances are, some of your girls are members of their high school sorority. Most of us understand college sororities (and some of us, including myself, were probably members), but high school sororities differ in some ways. To understand your girls’ sorority experience, here are a few things you should know:
There is a focus on community service.
Many high school sororities require their members to serve a certain number of volunteer hours over the course of a semester or year. Often times, the sorority will arrange group activities, such as serving food at a homeless shelter or working at a nursing home, so that their members can serve the community together. This service provides a great opportunity for you to talk with your girls about Jesus’ call for us to help the poor.
There is hazing.
Though it is traditionally associated with collegiate sororities, hazing is becoming increasingly obsolete on college campuses. Due to harsh state laws and many national sororities taking a “zero tolerance” stance toward any type of hazing, new members of college sororities have found themselves in a safer, friendly environment.
Unlike college, however, high school sororities are not nationally unified, and many students do not understand the legal ramifications of hazing. This lack of knowledge and cohesion has made hazing practically standard in many schools. Thankfully, most of the hazing is harmless and includes things like making new members wear ridiculous amounts of makeup (picture a clown), requiring girls not shave for a week, or making new members wear completely unfashionable outfits. At some schools, the hazing can be much more harmful though. Talk to your girls to understand what type of hazing goes on at their school, and intervene if something you hear seems dangerous.
They focus on building relationships—for only the chosen few.
Every college freshman is given a chance to go through “Rush” (when potential new members learn about each sorority), but at many high schools, not all girls are given a chance to join. Often times, new members are invited into the sorority by invitation only, but there is no formal recruitment where potential new members can express their interest in joining. This creates an atmosphere of “I’m special” for the girls who are invited and “I’m worthless” for the girls who wanted to be invited, but were not. This may not be the case for girls in your ministry, however, because many other high schools actually have sign-ups for those interested. Talk to the girls in your small group to learn which way their high school recruits new girls for sororities, and be supportive of girls dealing with rejection.
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