Memories

I noticed that there are a couple of former Pi Phis visiting my site. I thought we “fallen angels” should stick together and it might be fun to share our experiences. I’ll go first and you can chime in if you want.

I joined Pi Beta Phi my freshman year. I was a legacy as my mom had been in the same chapter at the same college 20 years before. I grew up hearing all of these wonderful stories of sorority life from my mom and her friends, including my godmother. Naturally, I thought I’d have the same experience. Alas, it was not meant to be. The first semester of my freshman year I still lived at home so I missed out on all the fun that surrounded being a pledge. I didn’t get posters and cards on my door, I didn’t eat meals with everyone and I wasn’t kidnapped in the middle of the night. So I started out feeling a bit like a misfit. I moved into the dorms the second semester of my freshman year, but I think the damage was already done. I really didn’t relate to most of these girls. When Rush week started right before my sophmore year, I was anticipating a fun event and meeting new people. That’s when the ugliness of the group surfaced. Girls that I met during Rush who I thought were nice were branded “not sisters” so I began to see the inner workings of the group. Still, I tried to fit in. I think the biggest downfall happened when I started seriously dating a guy from a fraternity that wasn’t “sorority approved.” This guy was really smart and most of my “sisters” were hanging out with the good ol’ Southern boys who liked to party all the time. I preferred the company of my slightly geeky boyfriend and his buddies at the “smart” fraternity. While nobody came out and actually said they didn’t approve, I was encouraged to attend other fraternity events and chided when I dragged along the smart guys. Bonus was that I got really good grades that year. Upon entering my Junior year, the honeymoon with Pi Phi was over. I was angry at them for letting me down, angry at my parents for getting divorced and angry at my boyfriend for dumping me that summer. I admit, I wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around. When the school year came to an end, I asked to be considered for alumni status for my Senior year. However, I had missed the maximum number of meetings and was called in front of the group to explain my actions. Here’s where I might have nailed myself into the coffin. I was angry and closed about my life. When asked about my family situation I informed them it wasn’t any of their business. In short, I was a bitch. Not surprisingly, I was canned. I informed them they could all go to hell. The next day, I discovered who my true friends were and found out that many girls in other organizations were appalled and supportive of me. My Senior year, I lived off campus so running into many of those girls was a non-issue. The whole episode is amusing to me now since I’m a much different person. While I rarely run into anyone from college, I’m always quick to inform them I’m not the bitch I was in college. I’m much more clever now! So, what’s your story? I’d love to hear it.