Take a moment and consider this head-scratcher:

Imagine how different the Harry Potter series would have played out if the Sorting Hat placed Harry in Slytherin instead of the brave and courageous house of Gryffindor. If Harry didn’t join Gryffindor, he wouldn’t have met his loyal sidekicks Ron and Hermione, leaving him to fend off “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” by himself or with sub-par assistants. 

What if Michael Jordan was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers instead of going third overall to the Chicago Bulls? As a result, M.J. wouldn’t have been able to team up with coaching legend Phil Jackson and Hall of Fame small forward Scottie Pippen and win an unprecedented six NBA Championships in a single decade.

These two examples of hypothetical roads not taken illustrate the importance of being a part of a group who assist and support you with becoming successful at whatever you do. 

Any incoming freshmen unfamiliar with the University’s large Greek community should be aware that approximately 22 percent of the undergraduate population are in either a fraternity or a sorority. With the Greek community being such a thriving part of student life, I recommend that anyone even slightly interested in rushing should go to Quad Day from noon to 4 p.m. this Sunday to get a better feel for what the Greek community is about.

According to Interfraternity  Council Advisor Lauren Gress, “numerous fraternities will have tables set up with information during Quad Day, but due to sororities being forced to abide by formal recruitment restrictions, there won’t be tables for individual sororities on Quad Day.”

However, if you are a female and still interested in learning more about sororities on campus, make sure to stop by the ARC for the Panhellenic Sorority Expo from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday — conveniently an hour right after Quad Day is over. The Expo provides time for sororities to get their names out and gives potential recruits time to meet and greet with members.

One of the biggest factors that usually detours potential recruits when joining a fraternity or a sorority is having to get through a brutal initiation process.  

But according to a member of the Sigma Chi chapter at the University, the initiation process was worth it to be able to call himself a Sigma Chi for life.

Tom Walsh, junior in Business and member of Sigma Chi, said, “(pledging) was definitely a difficult and trying task, but when you finish something that difficult and you realize what you’ve accomplished, I can honestly say that it was the best experience of my entire life.”

Hailey Anderson, junior in LAS and a proud member of Pi Beta Phi, offered her advice for those on the fence about getting involved in Greek life.

“I think everyone should go through Rush and at least try it out and see if there is a house out there for you or not,” she said.

Remember, houses are not for everyone; don’t join one solely because of peer pressure. Christian Dullard, sophomore in Business, chose not to join a fraternity because most of his free time is spent at TIS Bookstore, where he sometimes works 30-hour weeks.

“I never even considered joining a frat myself,” he said. “Between my job, school, and going to the ARC to play basketball, I knew I didn’t have any time to give.”

At a school the size of the University, there are many paths to take. You can come to school and become a frat star, work vigorously toward a 4.0, become a James Scholar or all three. Regardless of if you want to join a house on campus or not, you should make an effort to go to Quad Day to become better educated about the Greek system as a whole.

Jed is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].