Greek life is one of the most popular extracurricular commitments on college campuses across the country.

Linfield is no exception. The Wildcats have four sorority and fraternity chapters. Sororities include Alpha Phi, Phi Sigma Sigma, Zeta Tau Alpha and Sigma Kappa Phi. Fraternities on campus include Kappa

Sigma, Pi Kappa Alpha, Theta Chi and Delta Psi Delta.

According to the Linfield website, about 25-30 percent of students choose to join either a sorority or a fraternity.

Still, most students do not rush or get recruited for fraternities or sororities. “I did not join Greek life for many reasons. First off the money: paying for school, the White’s, the pin and the dues was just not reasonable for my bank account,” said Winter Kopperman, ’21. She also said she is curious about why certain sororities cost more than others.

Another reason Kopperman was hesitant to participate in sorority recruitment this year was because sororities don’t provide on-campus housing.

“The sisterhood, in my opinion and what I have seen, without a house can be hard to make that bond. Yes, many people have made great friends but the group does not seem to have much of an opportunity to bond as one since they all live in different places. I feel that I could easily make close girl friends without spending all of the money,” she said.

A deterrent for many girls wanting to join sororities is the lack of sorority housing the college provides, and how there seems to be an inequality between fraternities and sororities in this way.

Landon Matta, ’20, has many friends who rushed fraternities, but he still hasn’t considered it. He said some stereotypes are part of the reason.

“Just, you know, the stereotypical frat boy is not what I want to be. I don’t have experience with anyone in frats so that’s just what I think about,” Matta said. “You also have to put a lot of time into that and I don’t have much.”

He explained some stereotypes he’s heard about young men in fraternities, saying they are perceived to be “guys that party all the time and aren’t nice people.”

Some fraternity members are trying to change these perceptions.

“Greek life isn’t just waiting to go from one party to the next. Being in a fraternity is an experience that challenges you to grow as a person and to work toward something bigger than yourself,” said Kappa Sigma President Hunter Evangelista, ’18.

Ryan Blass, ’18, is the president of the Interfraternal Council.

“Some of the biggest misconceptions about Greek life are that all we do is take part in high risk activities. This is not true; scholarship and service are very important to every chapter on campus,” he said.

For some people, Greek Life even serves as a kind of safe haven. Adrian Duncan-Valdez, the Archos of Delta Psi Delta, became involved in fraternity life after a break up left him devastated.

“Having been able to forget my usual glum-freshman self, I felt invited and welcomed. That sense of being self-made, responsible to my friends, and the idea of tight-knit community resonated with me, and I never left,” said Duncan-Valdez.

According to these students, Greek Life isn’t what a lot of people see in the movies. At Linfield, the emphasis of sororities and fraternities is on the community they make.