Amidst a global pandemic, sororities at Pepperdine University continue to be a staple for many, including where incoming freshmen and new members have found a community.
Sororities are navigating through uncharted waters in these unprecedented times as they attempt to recreate their sorority experiences and events online. For many incoming students who have yet to experience what Pepperdine means in-person, sorority life is a vital part of their integration into the Pepperdine community.
“I think for some students they just really wanted to feel connected and be a part of something,” Panhellenic Staff Advisor Allison Green said. “While within student life, clubs are still running, … I think that fraternity, sorority life is something that people can easily see like, OK, I’m joining this organization, and this is still solid and intact.”
Sorority leaders are working hard to ensure an enjoyable year, even if it is virtual. Three first-years said sorority life has allowed them to feel a part of a community. Green said she believes that coronavirus is helping sororities improve.
How sorority chair members are thinking out of the box to engage sisters
Grace Tota, a senior English literature major and the member development chair for Tri Delta, is planning all the sisterhood events and seeking to increase bonds between sisters.
“So virtually it’s a bit harder to do events like that,” Tota said. “Just because Zoom fatigue is a real thing for a lot of our members and that’s something that we’re taking into consideration.”
Tota still manages to plan numerous events for her sisters such as a Halloween baking night, a Family Feud night, a game night, and a Bridgerton-inspired upcoming murder mystery night. On their themed baking night, Tota instructed each sister to buy their own ingredients before the Zoom event. At a set time, all sisters tuned in to bake and talk to one another for a few hours in different breakout rooms. For game nights, Tota divides all the sisters up into smaller breakout groups depending on the games they are interested in and rotates them around throughout the night.
Tota said chapter meetings work better on Zoom then in-person, taking away the sophistication and intimidation of it, as in-person, the sorority required all sisters to dress formally.
“It’s just a nice time to have everyone kind of together and catch up and see you know what’s going on and it works,” Tota said. “I think a bit better because you’re not rushing around, and you know you’re not waiting outside. I feel like it’s a bit less formal and that makes it more fun to go to whereas on campus everyone has to dress all in black and you know you have to know the secret code to get into the room and it’s just like this whole thing.”
To further engage the new members, Tota recently hosted a Zoom event with the pledge class and their parents, presenting the new members to the whole chapter and informing the parents what to expect in the next four years.
For Tri Love Week, Tri Delta’s annual mental health awareness event, Tota and her sisters decided to host an online giveaway through Instagram where one entered by sharing what they loved about someone in the comments. When this event is held on-campus, they table to share stress balls and bubbles to share love and help students de-stress during school.
Maddi Callahan is a junior international studies major and vice president of programming for Delta Gamma. Her role is similar to Tota’s as she also oversees and plans all the sisterhood events. But unlike Tota, who has had this position for half a year now, Callahan just stepped in.
“I knew that I wanted this position for a while, just because I love planning events and I love it. It’s definitely different,” Callahan said. “I honestly think it’s harder to think of the ideas, but I think it’s easier to execute them.”
Callahan said she has found the most success in events that are more asynchronous and don’t require sisters to sit in front of a screen.
One of Callahan’s favorite events this year was a cooking class Delta Gamma held with a professional chef. All the sisters purchased the listed ingredients and Zoomed in for the lesson. As they cooked, they chatted with each other and made a “delicious cheese pasta,” Callahan said.
She is looking forward to a disposable camera event she has planned where sisters will be taking two to three pictures on the camera, and then passing it to others. At the very end, Callahan will print out the pictures, send them out, and post what other sisters are doing.
“So it’s been obviously a little different being online,” Callahan said. “We’ve still tried to plan events that are going to be inclusive to all students that are in the area and that aren’t in the Malibu area.”
Although the events do fluctuate in attendance, Callahan said there is a high involvement and excitement with the first-years as they finally get to be a part of a community at Pepperdine.
Callahan said she hopes that their annual philanthropy, Anchor Splash, a competition at the Pepperdine pool between fraternities, complete with a dance performance, will be able to happen in-person, as Pepperdine resumes classes.
Overall, Callahan said she loves what she is doing and is enthusiastic about what’s to come, whether that be virtual or in person.
A look into how various first-years are enjoying their virtual sorority life
As the freshman class missed out on their first Pepperdine experiences, many found solace in Greek life.
Zoë Gordon, a freshman theatre and screen arts major, did not initially plan on joining a sorority, but after seeing all of the excitement from her roommates and friends, she too decided to rush. Gordon said that through Kappa Kappa Gamma she’s found a community that’s made her feel wanted and appreciated.
“I think it’s provided you with a connection that you wouldn’t have otherwise got and if you didn’t rush, and like, especially since we’re virtual,” Gordon said.
Being in Malibu also helps, she said, as she gets to hang out with her sisters, socially distanced, at the beach. Gordon said she is excited for events in the future and that this experience allowed her to meet close girlfriends who will last a lifetime.
“I think it’s met all my virtual expectations because honestly I didn’t expect that much,” Gordon said.
Emily Piccirillo, a freshmen pre-international business major, said she always wanted to join a sorority.
“Even when we were still online, I still wanted to because I thought it would help me meet people in an easier way, even though it’s still all virtual because we’re not on-campus,” Piccirillo said.
As Piccirillo pledged Pi Beta Phi, she felt a sense of belonging, even though it was virtual. Piccirillo said she is able to meet and receive advice from women who are older than her, and learn more about the ins and outs of Pepperdine.
Last semester, Piccirillo got to experience a bit of Pi Phi’s philanthropy, where they help children beat illiteracy, through fundraising. Instead of the annual Pie With Pi Phis that they sell on-campus, they sold T-shirts and hats on social media to raise money. Despite the change in events, Piccirillo was greatly excited to be a part of a sorority event, or just a Pepperdine one.
With Pepperdine going virtual, freshman sustainability major Emily Torrance said she became even more inclined to seek community in Greek life. She instantaneously found a place in Gamma Phi Beta.
“They were super genuine and I had really good conversations with everybody that I met and it seemed like a good mix of people,” Torrance said.
Since joining, Torrance has even taken up a leadership role within the sorority: Sunshine Chair. She encourages attendance at meetings through themed chapter meetings, such as “dress up like a dad” night.
“Nobody in my family before me had been in a sorority so I didn’t really know what to expect going into it,” Torrance said. “But I’m so glad that I did it, I met so many new people and yeah I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”
Torrance also felt a strong connection to her sorority’s philanthropy: Girls On The Run. Usually, the chapter trains young women for a 5K run while also building their confidence. As this was unable to happen this year, Gamma Phi Beta competed with another chapter in Philadelphia to see who could run the most miles to reach the other, raising money through sponsors the more they ran.
Her favorite events are movie nights with her sisters as it is more “low-key,” Torrance said. These movie nights are often spontaneous and happen whenever a fellow sister watches a movie, as they send a Netflix party link in the chapter group chat, prompting at least three to four sisters to always join.
The pandemic’s role in helping advance sorority life and its values
The COVID-forced changes have allowed sororities to initiate and create a new perspective on sisterhood, Green said.
“So I think it’s changed even our messaging or how those of us that have still stayed in chapters talk about fraternity/sorority life that it isn’t just about the events,” Green said. “It isn’t just a social experience, it’s an academic network. It’s something that can help you in that sector.”
Green said that in spite of its remoteness, sororities have not forgotten what they are about: giving back and helping others in their community. Additionally, virtual sorority life allows members to see how important it is to have a network, and how Greek life provides that for them.
In comparison to last year, sororities have done a better job retaining members. While enrollment is down more than 18% from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020, retention is up 8%. Without a solid on-campus community, sorority life turned into a promising college experience, whether students were in Malibu or back at home.
Because of the cancellation of study abroad programs, Green also saw a growth in the number of non-first year students that decided to register.
Green even believes that going virtual is changing sorority life for the better, as various improvements have since been made, such as encouraging a stronger connection between sisters and a greater inclusion overall. Green said sorority life this year is focusing on allowing others to feel seen and heard as well as shining a light on the flaws that come with Greek life and working to improve it.
“And it’s just about community, so I think that has changed how those of us that have stayed understand fraternity and sorority life to be that we’re not just social organizations,” Green said. “We’re values based orbs where leadership orgs that there’s more to us than just our social calendar.”
Editor’s Note: Josephine Lo is a member of the sorority Alpha Phi.
Josephine Lo completed the reporting for this story in Jour 241 in Fall 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos. Dr. Littlefield supervised the web version of the story.
