G.D.I

Since I am a firm believer in the positive aspects of Greek life and don't see why anyone wouldn't want to join, I asked a non-Greek (sometimes referred to as a "GDI" or "god damn independent") why Greek life didn't interest them. Jordan Stevens, a sophomore here at Northwest, lives in a house full of Greeks. I asked her why Greek life wasn't for her and she said, "I have nothing against Greek life, I live with all Greeks but don't think I would ever join a Greek organization." When asked why, Jordan brought up most of the common stereotypes of Greek life. The first stereotype she discussed was "paying for friends". Jordan said that she would not want to spend her hard earned money just to be apart of a circle of friends. I explained to Jordan that paying to be a member of Greek life is paying to be part of more than just a "circle of friends". Being a member of Greek life is fairly costly but the money you put forth is well worth the experiences and opportunities you receive. Another reason Jordan did not want to be a member of Greek life is because "I don't like "catty-ness" and don't like dealing with rivals and wouldn't want to compete with other organizations". With this I explained to Jordan that Greek life, especially sororities, are as "catty" as you make them. Here at Northwest there are no "rivals" but there is friendly competition. The competition between organizations is in a friendly manner whether is is competing for highest chapter GPA or playing to win in intramurals. It's all a friendly competition and that competitiveness is a big reason why some people do join Greek life. After discussing all of this with Jordan, her views on Greek life changed. She said, "If I had the money, I would join!".