Megan Davis | Rho Gamma

Hello Potential New Members!

My name is Megan Davis and I am currently a senior here at Wichita State. I am studying Chemistry for Pre-Medicine and I hope to become a plastic surgeon. This will be my first year as a recruitment counselor and I am so excited to meet you wonderful ladies! I can honestly say that going Greek has changed my life for the better. 

I decided to go Greek during the summer before my freshmen year because I wanted to meet new people. My decisions during recruitment week were for the most part pretty easy except the last night (Preference night). I was torn between two chapters and with the help of my rho gamma and another rho gamma in my color group, I ended up in the right place on bid day. My advice for you girls: Trust your rho gamma and other rho gammas in your color group, they will not steer you in the wrong direction. I believe that in the end, each woman will end up in the right chapters. 

Picking my chapter was the best decision of my life. I have made lifelong sisters and friends in the Greek community. My chapter has given me incredible leadership positions and I could not be happier. I am a strong believer in Greek unity and Wichita State has just that. 

My rho gamma was awesome and she really helped me along the way and that is how I want to be with my PNMs. The first night will be the most nerve racking because you will not know what to expect, but REMAIN CALM. Trust me, the women in every chapter are just as nervous as you! Follow your heart, pick the chapter that you feel the most comfortable with. An alumna of my chapter always said "Do not choose a chapter based on the woman you are today, choose a chapter based on the woman you want to become". 

Good luck Ladies!

Megan Davis

Service

Another major aspect of Greek Life at Wichita State University is service. Service is a combination of completing community service hours and supporting philanthropic organizations. Greeks love giving back to the community through different volunteer opportunities such as hosting philanthropy events, raising money and getting hands-on experiences with charitable organizations.

The Wichita State Greek community unites whenever a chapter is hosting a philanthropy event. It is not uncommon to see the majority of different chapters participating in another chapter’s event. Additionally, the Greek community hosts an All-Greek Neighborhood Cleanup every spring semester. Together they help paint houses, rake leaves and fulfill other household tasks for the Wichita community.

Every chapter requires a minimum number of community service hours to be completed each semester, but they always encourage women to complete more. However, community service is not limited to the organization associated with a sorority. Many of our women have passions outside of their chapter’s philanthropy such as volunteering for the Kansas Humane Society or Big Brothers Big Sisters. Completing community services hours not only boosts your mood, it boosts the mood of the community as well.

All of our chapters support one or more philanthropic organization or cause. For more information on these great organizations and causes, please visit the chapter websites.

Scholarship

Scholarship and academics is something that is held very high in our Greek community.  Greeks across the board work hard in the classroom, as well as encourage their brothers and sisters to do the same.  Because of these high standards, our Greek community always has a higher GPA then the overall undergraduate GPA at Wichita State.  The numbers don’t lie – the Spring 2013 grade report recorded the All Greek GPA at a 3.109, while the All Undergraduate GPA was only a 2.962.  Furthermore, the Women’s Panhellenic Community (the five sororities only, no boys!) was reported at a 3.210! 

Each chapter holds a Scholarship dinner or special event to recognize their members who did exceptionally well in their previous semester or year.  Also, WPA as a whole holds an annual Scholarship Dinner where all five of the chapters come together to celebrate our academic successes.  We bring in special guest speakers that help inspire us and who share their wisdom with us as we enjoy a nice meal and each other’s company.

Academic support is a huge part of Greek life – we are always eager to applaud those who have done well, but we also help those members who may struggle.  Each chapter has study sessions or hours – these are specific times set aside for members to come together and study.  Additionally, it is not uncommon to find study groups form each semester between women who have the same classes.  Sometimes those study groups even include members from different sororities and fraternities!  Our Greek community is very diverse, and many majors and classes on campus will include at least one or two Greek members.  Similar class schedules are a common occurrence among sisters and other Greeks.

School is one of our top priorities as Greek women.  We pride ourselves in having scholastic success, as well as support each other when we have a tough class or semester.  College can be a challenge sometimes, but with the support and encouragement from fellow sisters and Greeks, anything can be accomplished!

Amber Hopkins | President

Hey there! My name is Amber Hopkins and I am originally from Marquette, KS. I graduated from Smoky Valley High School and I am now a senior at Wichita State majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Right now, I am an intern with the Wichita Police Department and I work for Communities in School at Jardine Middle Magnet. 

I went through Formal Recruitment my freshman year in the fall of 2010. Going Greek has truly transformed my college years and I cannot imagine what my life would be like had I not made this choice. I have found my truest friends, my roommate, and every job that I have had while at Wichita State all because of Greek Life. 

The Formal Recruitment process started for me when I was contacted by the Recruitment Coordinator at the time. I was nervous about going to a college where I didn’t know anyone but she convinced me that going Greek was the best way to make life long friendships. I first met my Rho Gamma when I moved into Fairmount Towers; all of the Greeks at move-in were so helpful and I knew I wanted to invest my time in an organization that was so willing to invest their time in me. While in the dorms, I convinced one of our current Rho Gammas to go through recruitment with me because I knew that I never wanted to lose touch with her and from what I had heard this was one of the best ways to build the relationships I was looking for. Throughout the process she was my emotional perceiver and I was her logical thinker; for me, Greek life without her would be missing its heartbeat and funny bone. That week of recruitment goes by so fast and my best advice is start making those friendships early and bond with the women who you will soon call sisters because the women standing next to you now will soon be the women you call when life happens, good or bad. 

This is my third year serving on Women’s Panhellenic Association (WPA) and it is truly my favorite part of the year. My first year of recruitment I served as WPA Treasurer and for the past two years I have served as WPA President. Rho Gamma’s are the foundation of recruitment and I recommend you ask them as many questions as possible. They are your “in” to what chapter life is like; all of these women are highly successful chapter members and it is their goal to see you grow in whatever house you choose. Talk to your Rho Gamma and find a chapter of women that exemplify the values you seek to cultivate for yourself in the future; the best fit for you.


With Love,
Amber Hopkins
WPA President
Wichita State University

Kylee Kirchoff | Rho Gamma

Hello, my name is Kylee Kirchoff and this is my second year being a Rho Gamma. I am a senior marketing major at Wichita State. I went to Buhler High School in Buhler, KS. I am so excited to get to help PNMs find their new homes!
 
I went through recruitment in the fall of 2010. I decided to go through this process in order to meet new people. I am not originally from Wichita so I did not know many people when I first arrived. I was really involved in high school and I knew that I wanted to continue to be involved in college. I was not really sure that Greek life was going to be for me. People from my hometown were really surprised to learn that I had gone Greek. There was one other girl from my high school going through recruitment with me, so that made me feel more at ease.
 
After the first night of recruitment I was easily able to narrow down my choices to my top three chapters. The second night I was asked back to two of those chapters. After learning about each chapter’s philanthropy, I knew which chapter I wanted to be a part of. On the last night of recruitment, I only had to go back to my favorite chapter. After the preference party I knew 100% that this chapter was the one for me. I could tell that these girls genuinely cared about each other and were not just putting on a show for recruitment. We also shared the same values, which was very important to me. After joining my chapter I learned that recruitment was not that easy for most women and I am so very thankful that it was for me.
 
I did not know ANYONE who had been in a fraternity or sorority, so I did not know what to expect. All I knew about Greek life I had learned from movies and TV shows. Now I know that this is a horribly inaccurate depiction of what it is like to be a part of a sorority. I always thought sororities wanted cookie cutter perfect girls and now I know that they want strong, unique women. I thought there would be hazing and now I know that being a part of a sisterhood is about building each other up not tearing each other down. I never thought being a part of a sorority would change my life the way it has.
 
I hope you are as excited for recruitment as I am!
 
-Kylee Kirchoff

Taylor Peck | Rho Gamma

Hello! My name is Taylor Peck and I am a Junior at Wichita State University and a nursing major. I am so excited that I am a Rho Gamma for Formal recruitment this upcoming September! I cannot wait to help PNM’s find their letters and their fit at WSU.

I went through formal recruitment TWO whole years ago. Before coming to WSU I went to Wellington High School, a small town 45 minutes South of Wichita. During high school I had always been very social, I was involved in many organizations and the thought of going to a school that I couldn’t be involved and wouldn’t know anyone was SCARY. All of my friends had decided on going on different paths, a couple to KU, Butler, Emporia, and more. I was the only one going to Wichita State aside from my best guy friend who had recently joined a fraternity right after graduation. I went to a few of their volleyball events over the summer and got to meet a lot of Greeks! I loved atmosphere! It felt like I had my very own “high school group” up in Wichita my soon to be new home. I had met many girls who were in sororities and they encouraged me to GO GREEK! They told me about the opportunities being Greek had given them and the friendships they gained! I was hooked from there. 

Everything they said about Greek life turned out to be true! I went through formal recruitment and was terrified! I had heard girls say how it was “the best decision of their life” I can definitely say they were right!  During formal recruitment I met so many women that have become some of my closest friends.  Not only do you get a group of sisters in your individual house you gain over a two hundred Panhellenic sisters!

Being Greek has given me job opportunities, friendships to last a life time, has made me a better person, opened up so many experiences and best of all. I encourage everyone to at LEAST go to one night of recruitment! Being Greek is more about the letters you wear. It’s about giving back to your community, creating lifelong connections, gaining experience, and best of all having the time of your life with the best support system a girl could ask for!

Taylor Peck 

43 days!

We are less than a month away from the beginning of the fall semester and approximately 43 days away from recruitment! It's time. It's time to start preparing for the upcoming school year. It's time to decide what you want out of your college experience. It's time to think about giving sorority life at WSU a chance!

Our sorority chapters have already begun preparing for recruitment and we want to encourage you to do the same. There are so many great resources available online. Check them out and make sure to get signed up for recruitment!

www.wichita.edu/wpa

www.wichita.edu/panhellenicrecruitment

www.thesororitylife.com

Check back later this week for our next post about what our sorority chapters are centered around: sisterhood, scholarship and service!