going greek
Michelle Ly
When second semester rolled around and COVID restrictions began to be lifted, Spring Hill College decided to allow for fraternity and sorority recruitment.
Michelle Ly, a commuter from Gulf Shores, decided to sign up for recruitment. Ly shared that the reason she chose to rush was because she wanted to meet more people. “College during Covid made it really hard to find friends because most just went to class and their dorms,” said Ly. Since Ly is a commuter, the lack of social events on campus in combination with virtual learning, made it hard to be on campus. She mentioned that since joining sorority life, she has been able to establish ties to Spring Hill and also be connected with upperclassmen.
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Nala Keovoravong agreed with Pitts that joining Greek life allowed her to be more involved with campus activities, which is something that she felt there was not a lot of first semester. In addition to her sorority leading her to be more involved, Keovoravang also said, “joining a sorority really opened up my circle and now I have not only friends but sisters to guide me through college.”
Hannah Pitts
Hannah Pitts is also a commuter and can relate with Ly about why she decided to rush. Pitts shared that Greek life not only connected her with people but also presented her with more opportunities to get involved in campus. She pointed to the philanthropy events held by Greek life that have opened her circle. “Philanthropy events have really helped me meet people I never would’ve thought I would be friends with and it’s been fun having Greek unity at Spring Hill where you can be friends with people outside of your chapter,” said Pitts.
Nala Keovoravong
While the three women felt the effects of the Greek community second semester there are others who managed to find a connection earlier.
Collin Darby, a freshman from Sulphur, Louisiana, walked onto campus and felt immediately welcomed by the Greeks. Since he already knew two members of one fraternity, he was able to be quickly introduced. Darby shared that being connected with the upperclassmen allowed him to get to know people faster than other freshmen. “Because
of the way I was welcomed first semester, I knew I wanted to rush,” said Darby. By meeting upperclassmen through Greek life, Darby felt a part of the Spring Hill community.
Another individual who came into contact with Greek life first semester was Joe Studt. Studt had gotten off to a rocky start at the hill because he “basically spent the first month in isolation because of close contact reports. The delay to meeting people weighed heavily on Studt, as he
Collin Darby
commented that “the beginning of first semester was miserable, and I begged my parents to let me transfer.” Fortunately, toward the end of first semester, Studt met members of what is now his fraternity. “I think the biggest reason I come back for a second semester was because of TKE and my friends at the time.”
