While a fair number of Georgetown students claim the absence of sororities and fraternities is a major selling point for the university, there are still students to whom the world of sacred letters, ritual bonding and lifelong friendship appeals.
In many ways, the small Greek community at Georgetown fulfills its purpose by allowing an outlet for interested students without capitalizing on the negative aspects often associated with these groups. By nature, Greek life is very self-selecting. If the thought of brotherly bonding makes you cringe, you can happily glide through your time on the Hilltop without ever encountering fraternities or sororities. But if you are interested, there are groups like Adelfi that you can seek out and join.
Though not well known on campus, Adelfi, the equivalent of a college sorority, aims to attract girls looking for the advantages that come with joining a Greek sisterhood. Pop culture and Hollywood movies have gone to town with their over-the-top, bleached-blonde and fake-tanned interpretations of sorority girls, but these cliche representations fail to capture the essence of what makes such a group appealing to some Georgetown girls.
Unlike the official fraternity chapters of Sigma Phi Epsilon or Alpha Epsilon Pi on campus, Adelfi was founded at Georgetown and is not affiliated in any way with a national or international charter. While this gives us great leeway in structuring our own values, it also presents a unique set of problems. Because we aren’t a chartered sorority, for example, the group isn’t always taken seriously as a Greek organization. Furthermore, because we’ve chosen not to affiliate with an outside chapter, we’re often regarded as a group without real aim or vision.
Despite these prejudices, Adelfi’s unique origins allow us to create a sisterhood that highlights many of the positive aspects of Greek life. Just like in any other club on campus, you get as much out of Adelfi as you put into it. As a relatively small group, Adelfi offers plenty of opportunities for all members to create events and initiatives if they have the drive and time to do so.
Parties and formals are usually the most notorious aspect of Greek life because they are often the most readily visible and are often mistaken for the main focus of the fraternities and sororities.
This, however, is not the case. Over the last year, the Adelfi community service chairs have been working hard to establish a relationship with the Lombardi Cancer Center pediatric ward. Service opportunities have ranged from volunteering at the center’s annual fundraising gala to taking the patients to sporting events and trick-or-treating on Halloween. For the past few years, Adelfi has also been one of the top five teams for Relay For Life and we have every intention of continuing this tradition.
In addition to our commitment to service, Adelfi is another way students seek to carve out their own niche within the Georgetown community. Campus clubs and organizations serve to bring together like-minded individuals. Adelfi is no different. With an open admission process and flexible time commitment, Adelfi brings together girls from all different years who are looking for a way to connect with others.
ADAIRE CAREY and HILLARY ONESLAGER are sophomores in the College. Both are members of Adelfi.
