Bid Day is an exciting celebration during which sororities may welcome their new members. Of course, with Penn State’s very active Greek life, bid day becomes a spectacle that tends to draw attention and onlookers – this year, that included representatives from Onward State.
Onward State chose to create a video featuring the “best reactions from sorority bid day,” and frankly, I’m disappointed. Contrary to the title, this video does not contain genuine reactions of delight from the members of our 19 sororities. Instead, the members are asked misleading questions that are meant to mock sororities by playing into their stereotypes, such as “On a scale of 1-10, how much can you ‘not even’ right now?” and “What’s your favorite Starbucks drink?”
This was an opportunity to focus on the love that sorority girls show each other and welcome new members to an organization that will support them through the next few years of their life, not to play into a tired narrative that paints sorority women as stupid and “basic.” I am appalled that a woman from Onward State took time out of her day to tear down other women rather than building them up and celebrating their accomplishments, of which we have many.
In fact, Onward State posted an article in 2010 discussing how the members of Greek Life routinely earn higher GPAs than the average Penn State student. Every year the Greek community at Penn State comes together to raise millions of dollars for THON in addition to the money they raise for their own philanthropies and the hours they spend volunteering for various causes. But I’m sure the strawberry frappucino I sip on while canning is what really matters, right?
Even if you don’t like Greek Life or sorority culture, it is completely unnecessary to tear it down in such a public and lazy manner and try to call it journalism. I’m sure Katie Couric (a Tri-Delt) would be very proud.