Sororities and PR — GVSU PRSSA – Grand Valley State University Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America

To me, public relations means building connections through integrated communications. This can be done within all aspects of society. So you may be wondering, how do sororities and public relations relate to one another?

ABOUT SORORITIES

There are 26 sororities across the nation, all governed under the National Panhellenic Council (NPC). The NPC supports its values-based organizations, allowing them to live their missions with their members providing millions of dollars in philanthropic support to dozens of worthy causes and pursuing millions of additional hours in community service.

From supporting victims of sexual assault to leading bystander intervention programs, to fighting for body-positive campus cultures, sorority women are at the forefront of solving some of the most pressing challenges facing collegiate women today. These organizations work closely with nonprofits, which utilize public relations extensively.

In addition, public relations is utilized by individual chapters across the nation through social media, event planning, press releases and more.

STAND UP TO HARVARD

You may have heard of the Stand Up to Harvard campaign as it has been a serious news headline. The campaign explains that before Harvard announced sanctions that punish students in single-sex social organizations, one in four undergraduates belonged to sororities, fraternities or all-women’s or all-men’s final clubs—opportunities protected by Title IX and the First Amendment.

Starting in Fall 2018, the members of those organizations are, in a word, blacklisted—stripped of opportunities to hold leadership roles in Harvard organizations and athletic teams and to obtain post-graduate fellowships and scholarships influenced or controlled by Harvard. This decision was made unilaterally and stamped by the self-selected corporation board which ignored protests from students, faculty, parents and organizations.

This controversy has public relations professionals working (on both sides) to communicate stances through the use of different platforms. The public is split in this circumstance as some have positive views on sorority while others have a negative view due to the college culture of partying, hazing, injuries, alcohol, etc.

THE GOOD

There is no doubt that greek life as a whole has a negative reputation across the nation due to the actions of a select few. The NPC utilizes public relations to promote the good that their organizations provide. There are hundreds, probably thousands of philanthropic efforts directly benefiting from the sorority chapters across the nation. The NPC works with all of its organizations to promote their nonprofit, The Circle of Sisterhood which supports entities that remove barriers to education for girls. They aim to fund entities mainly located in the United States and developing countries. The nonprofit hopes to help end oppressive brutality against women internationally by uplifting them from poverty through education.

Since their founding in 2010, The Circle of Sisterhood has been able to support organizations working to remove barriers to education in 25 countries on four continents, including funding the construction of 30 school builds in five countries – Nicaragua, Malawi, Nepal, Senegal and Haiti. This is just one example of how sororities are changing the world for the better.

THE OPPORTUNITIES

Sororities provide public relations opportunities for students through leadership positions and networking. In my case, as a student studying advertising and public relations, I ran for and was elected to be my chapter’s VP of Communications. This role allowed me to gain experience in the communications world through social media and promoting the chapter.

With the experience of being VP of Communications, I secured the role of Media Director at GrandPR. It went to show that the experience I had attained pushed my career goals further. In addition, during my internship interview, I bonded with the supervisor, a Grand Valley State sorority alumni about sorority life. Networking truly reigns powerful in the business world as there are thousands of NPC alumnae across the United States.

THE TAKEAWAYS

I am so grateful to be a part of my chapter, Alpha Omicron Pi at Grand Valley State University. Being a member has taught me so much about myself and has developed me into a leader. I have been able to translate my experiences into my future PR career and have gained self-confidence that will last a lifetime. Next time you hear about a sorority, I hope you think about all the good and career opportunities it provides for women at universities across the nation.

About Bailee

Bailee Vaughn is a junior at Grand Valley State majoring in advertising & public relations with a minor in Spanish. She just recently joined GrandPR and PRSSA last year and is so excited to serve on the Executive Board for GrandPR. Currently, Bailee manages her sorority's social media presence and works at an advertising agency called Our Full Attention as a social media intern. Her career goal is to ultimately utilize her skills in a workplace with a fun environment that fits her outgoing personality. Using this experience, she is ready to bring her expertise to GrandPR and push her career even further.