Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
During orientation week of my first year of college, it seemed like there were people with flyers advertising Step Forward Day on every corner of campus. Like many brand new college first-years, I was eager to participate to make friends and become involved at Pepperdine.
I joyfully scanned their QR code and perused the volunteering opportunities. I coordinated with my new friends so that we could all sign up for the same activity.
Later, I decided to participate in sorority recruitment. I quickly realized that the events conflicted, and I was disappointed to learn that I could not participate in both activities.
The events conflict one another again this year. Step Forward Day takes place Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pepperdine Events wrote in a July 11 email to the community. Sorority recruitment takes place from Sept. 4-8, according to Pepperdine Panhellenic.
It is likely that I was not the only one hoping to volunteer at Step Forward Day as they have had notable attendance in previous years.
“Last year more than 700 Waves took part in Step Forward Day activities in Malibu, and thousands more alumni and current students served in different cities around the world,” Pepperdine Events wrote.
As for Greek life involvement, almost 30 percent of undergraduate women are involved in Greek life at Pepperdine, according to Pepperdine Fraternity and Sorority Recruitment. Such high participation in Greek life significantly reduces the number of students available to participate in Step Forward Day.
Both events are extremely important for student growth and community involvement.
Step Forward Day will feature 36 service projects on campus and across Los Angeles, according to the aforementioned email. Additionally, many impactful organizations are supported through Pepperdine’s involvement during Step Forward Day.
“Our featured off-campus projects include volunteering with the Los Angeles Food Bank, Hope the Mission, Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank, Urban Promise Los Angeles, and Best Friends Animal Society, among other organizations,” according to the aforementioned email.
High Step Forward Day participation rates also helps the university live out their mission of strengthening students for “lives of purpose, service, and leadership,” according to Pepperdine’s mission statement.
Additionally, Greek Life involvement can have a tremendous positive impact on students and a college community.
Fraternity and sorority members have high participation in both “curricular and co-curricular activities” and demonstrate a propensity toward “collaborative learning and student-faculty interaction,” according to The Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship.
Students involved in Greek life at the University of New Mexico have higher GPAs, are more involved on campus, and report having a strong community at college, according to the University of New Mexico. Additionally, Greek students benefit from networking opportunities and stronger social connections.
This is especially important for female students who report higher levels of loneliness, according to the National Library of Medicine. Sororities have a meaningful and substantial role in easing feelings of isolation, especially for freshmen who are adjusting to a college environment.
Both sorority involvement and access to participate in volunteering events like Step Forward Day are important to maintaining the Pepperdine community. Unfortunately, students must choose between sorority recruitment and Step Forward Day.
Other Pepperdine organizations have communicated to ensure their events do not conflict. For example, Pepperdine Panhellenic coordinates philanthropy events to ensure they are spread out between multiple weeks each semester.
Sometimes, avoiding a conflicting event can be prevented by simply checking the University Events Calendar before selecting a date.
I propose that the events are coordinated so that they are scheduled on different weekends. Alternatively, the times for volunteering and sorority activities could be arranged so that students have the ability to participate in both events.
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Contact Caitlin Murray via email: caitlin.murray@pepperdine.edu
