Dear Colby students,

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Lilly Withers and I went to Colby for the last two years. This past fall, I transferred as a junior to Elon University, a school in North Carolina with a student body of about 5,000. Unlike Colby, Elon has Greek life here with sororities and fraternities. When I was at Colby, I remember conversations occasionally coming up about how Greek life was abolished in the eighties and what the reasons were for that. Since I have been at Elon, I have learned a lot about Greek life because one of my roommates is in a sorority, and it is interesting to wonder what kind of place Colby would be with the Greek system. Having experienced both a school with and without one, I can tell you that it has a negative impact on campus life; it divides the college community rather than bringing it together.

Some of my best Colby memories were Loudness weekends, dances in Pulver or out on Dana lawn, campus barbeques, Winter Carnival and harvest dinners in Bobs and Foss. One of the best memories from last year was watching everyone take part in the impromptu slip and slide down Chapel Hill. Because these were experiences that made up such a big part of my first two years of college, I just assumed that Elon would be similar. So far, however, I have yet to experience an event at Elon like I did at Colby. There are no school dances and a limited number of fun campus-wide events. Here, most of the events are divided up amongst the fraternities and sororities.

Although every school has their cliques, it is even more obvious here, because they are larger in numbers. Only about 30% of Elon students are Greek but it really does seem like more than that. The girls usually wear their sorority pins and t-shirts around campus and it seems to be the way that people identify and group themselves at Elon. According to my roommate, there are “good” sororities and fraternities, as well as “bad” ones. To this day, I still do not understand what makes one good and another one bad, but nevertheless, the groups and the people in them have established reputations within the Greek community itself and around campus. In addition, you are required to pay dues and fees each semester to be a member. I know that during my time at Colby, I never had to pay excessive amounts of money to be involved in any campus organization.

You all are probably wondering what the point of my rant about Greek life is and how exactly that relates to your lives at Colby. As much as I complained about Colby, I now realize what a great place it is, and I hope you will always cherish it, even after you graduate.

I know Colby has its issues, and I think sometimes it is difficult to look beyond those and see what kind of community really exists. I still look at the Student Lens featured on the website, and just love seeing everyone at the basketball games, playing broomball on Johnson Pond, or enjoying the Harry Potter dinner in Foss. It is events like those and others that foster a sense of community that I deeply miss. Having experienced a college where there is a Greek life, I want you guys to know it is not all that it is cracked up to be. Be grateful for being part of a college campus where everyone can come together, regardless of any sort of affiliation to a campus club or group. Although every student may have their different interests, at the end of the day, you are part of Colby, a truly unique place that gives you the opportunity to have some amazing experiences and to establish some unforgettable memories.

-Lilly Withers