Living through a global pandemic gives you a lot of time to reflect. As we begin to close in on one month since the last day we all experienced in-person classes, it’s easy to think about all the things we missed out on when the coronavirus stole the remainder of the spring semester from our pleading hands: Blue-White weekend, 55 Days of Cafe, daylong szn, and commencement, to name a few.

But with this absurd amount of time I now have to literally just walk around my house, I, as a member of a Panhellenic sorority on campus, have also started to think about what I missed out on with my sisters in particular. Here are a few of the highlights:

Big-Little Reveal

Okay, my sorority was lucky enough to have scheduled reveal two weeks before spring break, but I know some of my friends in other organizations had to reformat theirs into a virtual reveal, which sounds like the absolute worst thing in the world.

One of the best parts of being in a sorority as a new member is getting surprised with room decorations throughout the week, and then finally finding out who your big is in the big reveal. Even though it’s been two years since I joined my sorority, I remember how wanted and loved I felt when I got back to my dorm after classes every day.

My heart hurts for the girls who didn’t get to experience this, as well as the bigs who didn’t get to watch their little’s reaction in person when they realized who you were.

Initiation

If you’re not in a sorority, this undoubtedly seems like the most cult-y thing in the world. Everyone dresses up, secret rituals are performed, and oaths are made. However, although a lot of your non-Greek friends may make fun of you, this is such a special night for the new members because it’s a culmination of all of their hard work since recruitment ended.

For my sorority specifically, we had to reschedule our initiation ceremony for the beginning of next semester, and in the meantime, we’ve been trying as hard as we can to make our new girls feel close and involved with the rest of the sorority.

The initiation ceremony is a long and drawn-out process depending on how many new members are being initiated, but it’s absolutely a rite of passage that every new member deserves, which is why it’s so hard to do something like this through something like Zoom.

Chapter

I’m not saying everyone misses chapter, but it was definitely a lot easier to coordinate events and send out information when you had everyone sitting in one room.

If you’re on your chapter’s exec board, I raise my glass to you, and I understand your pain. Trying to keep 150+ students in line is hard enough as it is, but somehow making them keep up with their community service and overall involvement when we’re spread out all over the country is another ball game.

Paying Dues

Why the hell am I paying dues for what has essentially become an organization comprised of weekly emails and Zoom calls? I haven’t seen my friends in weeks, and I’ve forgotten what a frat basement smells like.

I may not miss paying money for things like formals, parents weekend, and apparel orders, but I certainly miss getting to enjoy them. April is by far the most fun month of the spring semester, and it was cruelly ripped from our grasp.

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Until Greek life (and life in general) is able to get back into the swing of things, stay safe, my friends.