Greek life helps some students form friendships, organize time

The University of Detroit Mercy offers students the opportunity to pick from 11 sororities and fraternities, including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha and Kapa Beta Gamma.

Being a part of a fraternity or sorority almost instantly brings about lifelong friends through a formed sisterhood or brotherhood.

Giovanna DiMaria, a junior nursing program student, is part of KBG and enjoys being part of the group.

“You just instantly click with the girls,” she said in an interview. “They are so genuine and just lift your spirits.”

DiMaria is treasurer of KBG this semester, which means she’s in charge of handling all the accounting. She works with Grace Day, KBG’s president, to come up with a budget for the merchandise, formals, events and more.

Being part of the sorority requires members to average about an hour and a half per week in meetings, although they spend lots of time with each other outside of meetings. They often study together and hang out whenever they can.

Not only that, but as DiMaria puts it, the hour and a half meeting time per week is something to look forward to, and it's hardly ever difficult to juggle this aspect of her life along with school and other activities.

Day, a junior nursing program student, said there’s no pressure to try and impress anyone in the group.

“We are all just talking and hanging out as friends,” she said. “It’s always a genuine experience.”

Lydia Sboukis is KBG’s vice president. She is a sophomore and part of the nursing program as well.

She said she can be both introverted and extroverted, but has flourished and witnessed personal growth after joining the group and taking on a leadership role. Sboukis said the ongoing coronavirus pandemic made her feel even closer to her sorority sisters.

“COVID-19 made some things difficult, and not being at campus for classes often made me that much more excited to look forward to meeting with the girls for KBG,” she said.

Day says her role as president can be overwhelming at times but she still loves the job. She said it’s a great learning experience, and she can prepare for her future with the leadership skills she’s gaining.

But despite the multiple responsibilities of being president, Day said the group as a whole doesn’t bring her much stress.

“Our sorority is very laid back and has a relaxed atmosphere to it,” she said.

Most of the rush events to join KBG occur in the fall and winter, but Day said those interested should follow the sorority on social media to look for links to events or ways to meet.