It makes absolutely no difference to me whether any of you decides to join a house this year or not. Frankly, in a sorority or not in a sorority, to me you are all just “young.” It does concern me, however, that a record low number of women at Cornell have registered to rush this year. This is probably because fewer girls than ever before are interested in joining sororities, which would be totally cool with me if I felt that they’d come to this decision after learning all of the necessary information to form an educated opinion about involvement in Greek life. Of course, I don’t think so, as I firmly believe that every girl on this campus should go through Rush (whether they are planning on joining a sorority or not). And so, without further adieu, I’ll now tell you why…since I‘m outspoken like that.

A lot of people think that sororities are anti-feminist, promoting conformism and superficiality among insecure freshmen girls looking to find a place to belong. They base this opinion on the knowledge of the Greek system they’ve gathered from sources like Legally Blonde, gossip overheard on the salad line at the Statler, and the bitter, slanderous posts written on juicycampus.com. What you may not know is that girls in the Greek system are actually not allowed to really discuss too much of their sorority life before Rush. It’s called “dirty rushing” and their house could get in serious trouble for it. That means that any details you’ve heard about the inner-workings of a sorority are either from a) someone who isn’t in that sorority and, therefore, probably doesn’t know what they’re talking about, or b) someone in a sorority who doesn’t care about getting her sorority in trouble and, therefore, probably doesn’t like it that much. Even if the sources were credible, I’m surprised that any girls with a semblance of feminist empowerment would be resigned to going off hearsay rather than seeing what Rush is all about for themselves.

Another thing you may not know is that, in addition to every sorority being different, every chapter of every sorority is different. That means that even if your sister, your cousin, or your best friend’s fifth cousin twice-removed’s aunt was in a sorority at another school, that same sorority might be completely different at Cornell. Even within the sororities at Cornell, houses mean different things to each of their members. For some, a sorority is a family with whom they can celebrate sisterhood and divine ya-ya and, I don’t know, other stuff on Lifetime. For others, it’s a way of being lazy and avoiding the apartment search by having a guaranteed place to live next year. The reasons to join or not to join a house are unique to every girl. So, no one can tell you what sorority is right for you or whether you should be in one. Even you can’t really make an good guess about whether you should join one until you’ve educated yourself a about the houses by seeing them for yourself.

During Rush, you’ll be introduced to the girls in the houses and have the opportunity to hear about sororities straight from the sisters. Of course, you can’t guarantee that every girl you meet will be entirely upfront and honest about her Greek experience, but I suppose you’d have to take it with the same grain of salt you would from hearing about sororities from someone not in one. At the very least, you’ll be meeting tons of women on this campus. Aside from all of the girls you will meet who will be experiencing Rush right along with you, a whopping 50% of the women at Cornell are involved in Greek life. For those freshmen still getting used to Cornell’s 14,000 undergrads , it’s nice to see a familiar face on your way to class, whether or not that face happens to be wearing Greek letters.

Now, I’m aware that many sororities have different requirements of their members that may not be worth it for you. But, in order to make that decision, you at least have to find out how you could benefit from being in a sorority. Obviously, I can’t speak in too much detail about other sororities, but I can tell you that, in my experience, there are some standard things sororities provide for their members. There are, of course, the social events, including mixers, crush parties, date nights, and formals. In addition to the obvious social (and potentially romantic!) benefits of these events, there’s the added plus of having an inconceivable number of photographs taken of you. So, if you’re as photogenic as I am, meaning that in most pictures you look like you’re constipated and about to get hit by a car and someone is yelling offensive obscenities at you, these photo-ops can come in quite handy if you‘d like to have just one tangible memory where you‘re looking half-decent. Aside from social events, all sororities do philanthropy, and being in one can give you multiple opportunities to make a difference. Of course, you can do philanthropy whether you’re a sister or not, but being in a sorority gives you a whole house full of girls who are willing (and often required) to help your cause. Finally, I can’t tell you the amount of comfy sorority apparel I have accumulated over the years and, as someone who really hates doing laundry, these have been invaluable additions to my wardrobe.

Rush isn’t a commitment to Greek life or a sorority in particular. It’s like taking a campus tour, except instead of having to shlep all over campus while your parents ask embarrassing questions about “the drug scene,“ you get cookies and hot cocoa just for telling someone your name and major. I’m definitely not saying you should all join sororities, but I think depriving yourself of the opportunities that Rush gives you based on nothing but gossip and stereotypes is sillier than the stereotypes themselves. As empowered women, I say think for yourselves; don’t let anyone make your decisions about Greek life for you; and don’t rush to conclusions about Rush.

Nikki Nussbaum is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Contact her at nnussbaum@cornellsun.com. Cornell Uncovered appears alternate Tuesdays.