Sister Christian, now the time has come

Way to go, Delta Zeta.

All the personal battles my sisters fought to get the Greek system represented as something more than a casting couch for one-night stands...

All the hours we spent planning ways to recruit bright, interesting women with something to say...

All the philanthropic programs and presentations we participated in to make our little college town, our whole world, a better place...

All pushed aside by one national council's impetuous and tasteless decision. Get ready, folks, the Greek system is about to collapse on itself like a dying star.

I'm not going to lie, when I joined a sorority at LSU, my chapter had a reputation similar to that of the DePauw DZs: a group of largely undesirable women. So many of the active members weren't motivated to study, they weren't interested in their community, they were looking to catch a good buzz and a place to spend the night. But after our initial disappointment on bid day, my pledge class banded together and, with some help from our own national council, took the reins to lead our chapter where we wanted it to be.

And it wasn't easy. There were so many tears and several tough decisions, but within four years we were reeling in the biggest pledge classes on the row. Bright, motivated, outgoing, beautiful women who I'm proud to call my sisters. They're the kind of people I would (and do) surround myself with even today. And we wouldn't have them if it weren't for the efforts of every single member who was willing to do something about it.

I have no doubt that, had Delta Zeta left the chapter in-tact, some concentrated help from their national officers could've turned it completely around. It's one thing to have a "core" group of individuals leading the charge, but as passionate as the existing membership was described as being, I can't imagine they could have hindered progress. There was no need to clean house like that - trust me, I've been there.

Instead of focusing on the alleged "negative" qualities of some of the members, they should have instead sought ways to draw out the positive qualities of all members. Qualities like confidence, friendliness...ability to hold a coherent conversation about meaningful topics. Because for every girl who is looking to a sorority as a status symbol, there are four others like me. Women who'll see through all that pomp and circumstance for the people within. People you can relate to, who you can learn from. Real sisters.