English 101
15 October 2018
Sorority Discourse
John Swales defines a discourse community in six simple sentences. I believe sorority life reflects all six. “A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals.” (Swales, John) These goals can be unknown or they can extremely public. “A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members.” (Swales, John) Every method will be different depending on community you are involved in. “A discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback.” (Swales, John) One can say they are a part of a community, but until they actually participate they will not be a part of it. “A discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims.” (Swales, John) Each community has a certain type of genre associated with it. “In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis.” (Swales, John) Lexis is the language that each community uses. “A discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.” (Swales, John) An organization depends on the members within it. This means that there should be an equal balance of newer members and older members.
When most people think of sorority life, they think of all the drinking and parties that accompany that particular lifestyle. Most people view the girls in a sorority as uptight rich party girls. I can personally promise you that this is not the case. Before I joined a sorority, I too thought that that this is what it’s all about. It’s not. I did not know about all of the service projects I would have the opportunity to participate in. I was unaware of how much community involvement sororities participated in. I am incredibly grateful to have already experienced so many great experiences with my amazing sisters. I have met some of the most genuine women through my sorority experience. Together we are devoted to helping and caring for our community, and raising money for our philanthropy. These girls have helped to build my character and my confidence. My sisters have helped to inspire me, build me, and strengthen me. One of my sisters, Julia Bruffey, stated, “This sorority has shaped me into the woman that I am today. This is my home away from home. I have found the best friends that I never knew I needed.” I can honestly say this is how all of us feel.
A sorority is committed to academics, service, and excellence. In order to become a new member, you must participate during rush week. This is the week in which a sorority will judge whether you are capable of wearing their letters. It is commonly known that there are five things that a sorority will look for in a new member. These include: a person’s leadership potential, a real interest in sorority life, a well-rounded GPA, volunteer experience, strong values and passion. Perrin Randle, a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi, stated in an interview, “I know that rush week may seem scary, but you need to remember to trust the process. I was nervous at first, but once I sat down and started talking I realized I truly belonged here.”
Most sororities tend to have a similar set of goals. The biggest goal of all is to promote your philanthropy and devote your time to serving your community. Every sorority encourages all members to commit to having service hours. The second main goal is to provide members with lifelong friendships and to strength their shared values and interests. The third biggest goal is to provide experiences for each other to help build each other up. Another goal within the sorority is to encourage each other’s academic pursuits and to develop leaders outside in the real world.
Philanthropies are a huge part about being involved in a sorority. Every sorority has their own individual philanthropy that they donate their time and raise money for. For example, Alpha Omicron Pi’s philanthropy is juvenile arthritis. During the year, Alpha Omicron Pi will hold certain events to raise money for donations. Two examples for events are Smoke out Arthritis and Strike-Out Arthritis. Smoke out is a dinner where people will buy meal tickets and be able to sit down and listen to a live band while eating their dinner. Strike-Out arthritis is held in a bowling alley, and it is where people will get donations for every strike they bowl. All money raised from both events go towards julvillane arthritis.
Being in a sorority will provide you with so many new connections and new possibilities. Most chapters are more than 200 years old, so this means that they have a good amount of alumni that have come and gone before you. The alumni of your sorority can help set you up with your dream job, or to even get you that interview that you needed to just get your foot in the door. In the past, I have met many people that have said that their older sister has helped them get a job. My aunt, Angel Williams, was in a sorority 15 years ago here at South Alabama, and she said the way that she got her first job was that the boss was an alumni of the same sorority, but from a different college. The interview went amazing and they were able to talk about their same beliefs and values.
Sororities in general have their own sort of intercommunications. This is how they interact with each other. Each sorority has their own type of communication. There happens to be a secret code within most sororities. It is mostly an unspoken code. You will understand the codes one you become a member. There is an unspoken rule that you are not allowed to speak about these such codes. A member who tells other nonmembers about our secret code will face the Honor Board. A sorority’s lexis also goes hand-in-hand with their secret code. A lexis is the type of specialized language that is spoken. (Swales, John) My sorority uses ChapterSpot to communicate within itself and with other members. Most sororities use apps such as GroupMe, SnapChat, and Gin system for intercommunication.
Goals and values are shared within every member in a sorority. Members may have different beliefs, but they always pull together to help one another. Being in a sorority will provide you with amazing, beautiful, lifelong friendships that you will cherish forever. A sorority will teach you the proper values of respect and teach you how to service your community. A sorority will provide with a whole new network and connections for your future. Joining a sorority will be the best decision you will ever make. My sorority has taught me how to truly value myself and have the confidence that I should have had in the first place. My sorority has told me that I can do it, even when I thought I couldn’t. My sorority has taught me things I didn’t know I needed to learn and I could not be more grateful for what it has presented me with.
Works Cited
“Mission and Goals.” Office of Greek Life, Nicholls State University, www.nicholls.edu/greek/mission-and-goals/.
Swales, John. “The Concept of Discourse Community.” Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990. 21-32. Print.
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