First-year Urielle Rubayita (left) poses with friends at the Brock House welcome event Aug. 15. She said there are many ways to develop friendships on campus. Photo courtesy of Urielle Rubayita
As a new semester begins at Pepperdine, some students participate in Continuous Open Bidding (COB), an informal recruitment process that takes place in the spring. While COB offers a second opportunity to join Greek life, it can revive the dilemma many students face as to whether or not they should attempt to find their community through a sorority.
Greek life has long shaped student culture at Pepperdine and universities across the United States, but it’s not the only path to authentic friendship. Many students said they find connection in other spaces across campus.
“I knew coming to college that Greek Life would be a big thing,” first-year Alexandra Mathis said. “A lot of my suitemates and a lot of girls during N.S.O. (New Student Orientation) were always asking me: Are you rushing? Are you rushing? But it’s just not my thing.”
Data
A majority, 67 percent, of Pepperdine women are independent of sororities, as reported in 2025 by USA Today.
385 Pepperdine women registered for rush week in 2025, Sophia Sullivan Fraternity & Sorority Life Coordinator wrote in an Oct. 8 email to the Graphic. Out of this group, only 247 women actually received a bid, and 138 women withdrew.
Sociology Professor Robin Perrin said Greek life plays an influential role in connecting students to each other and to the university.
“We are human beings,” Perrin said. “We are social beings. We thrive on connections to others. That’s where Greek life has the potential to really play an impact.”
However, there are many reasons as to why so many Pepperdine women choose to find belonging elsewhere on campus.
The Decision to Rush
The high cost of Greek life is a major deterrent for many girls joining sororities in the first place, often causing parents who can’t afford to pay the expenses to encourage their child not to partake, Journalist Michelle M. Miller wrote as far back as in a 1989 article by the Los Angeles Times.
There is a $50 registration fee for rushing any of the seven sororities at Pepperdine, in addition to the high cost of being an active member in a sorority, according to Pepperdine’s Panhellenic Association. This can range from $600 to $1,000 for the first semester of membership, Sullivan said.
Senior Katie Raymond said the financial aspect of Greek life was one of the biggest factors in her decision to remain unaffiliated.
“Everyone was talking about how it’s the most important way to meet friends, but they [sororities] are kind of expensive,” Raymond said. “I was getting really overwhelmed by the social aspects and the financial aspects, even before going to Pepperdine.”
Katie Raymond (right) poses in Firestone Fieldhouse on Aug. 31, 2022 with her current roommate Melissa Palacios (left). Raymond said they did not get close until her sophomore year. Photo courtesy of Katie Raymond
In a Graphic survey of 50 responding students, 46% said the cost of Greek life impacted their decision to join.
For other students, choosing not to rush is a way to prioritize their studies, Mathis said.
“I know I’ll find friends anyway, and make my own path,” Mathis said. “But honestly, the main thing for me was just focusing on education.”
Despite the reasons, rush week and COB can be difficult for first-years who choose not to rush, at a time when everyone seems to be finding their community, Raymond said.
“Walking around campus, it was really overwhelming seeing all the stuff going on with sororities,” Raymond said.
First-year Urielle Rubayita (left) poses with graphic staff photographer Clementine Metz (second from the left), Andi Barger (second from the right) and Elli Agobe (right) during the 2025 New Student Orientation in Conner House. Rubayita said she loves making new friends. Photo courtesy of Urielle Rubayita
First-year Urielle Rubayita said observing the stress of other students through the extensive rushing process affirmed her decision not to participate.
“It was eye opening,” Rubayita said. “I was going back and forth [about rushing], but then I saw how exhausted they [my suitemates] were when they came back. They didn’t want to talk to anybody. Part of me was glad I didn’t rush, because my social battery goes down super fast.”
Belonging
96% of 50 students who responded to the Graphic survey said they were able to find community elsewhere on campus despite opting out of Greek life.
“Most of us find our circle,” Perrin said.
First-year Cindy Chan said it was not as hard as she thought it would be to find belonging on campus outside of Greek life.
“It’s beneficial that everybody is coming in with the same mindset: I need to find friends. I need to find friends,” Chan said. “Everyone is trying to be super friendly to each other, and everybody is super inclusive, because we’re all looking for the same things.”
First-year Cindy Chan poses on Pepperdine’s main campus Aug. 11. Chan said she spent rush week hanging out with her suitemates. Photo courtesy of Cindy Chan
Mathis said because there are a majority of students not participating in a sorority, one can still find connection while other students are rushing.
“You are capable of doing it [having a social life] on your own,” Mathis said. “You just have to be willing to put yourself out there.”
Suitemates and Clubs
Some first-year students find belonging within their suites, as Pepperdine’s first-year housing places eight girls together in shared living spaces.
Chan said she spent rush week getting to know her suitemates.
“I always asked sorority girls: Should I rush? What are the benefits of being in a sorority?” Chan said. “And I always got the same answer from people — making new friends, making new connections. But why can’t I just do that within my suite? I can. I can do that elsewhere. I don’t have to be in a sorority to do that.”
First-year Cindy Chan (center) poses at a restaurant in Downtown Disney with her suitemates Sept. 27. She said some of her closest friends are the girls she lives with in her dorm. Photo courtesy of Cindy Chan
Instead of rushing, Rubayita said she found her community through intramural volleyball, the Black Student Association, the Pepperdine Africana Society and French Club.
First-year Bitsit Lakew said she found belonging through clubs such as the Waves of Silence Club and Bible studies led by upperclassmen.
“Clubs like the Africana society and the Black Student Association — those are more connected with me,” Lakew said. “There are different clubs that would connect with you on opinions on where you’re from, and that can definitely help you spark connections with the community if you feel like there’s not enough belonging, which I’ve definitely found.”
Raymond said she found her friendships naturally, through shared spaces and interests rather than organized recruitment.
“It was really important to me that my friends shared a lot of my values, and I felt like I was more likely to get that if I met people naturally,” Raymond said. “If I’m meeting people at Bible study, then we’re going to share the same faith. And if I’m meeting them at Dance in Flight, then we’re going to share the same hobbies.”
Senior Katie Raymond (center) dances with friends at Pepperdine’s 2024 Dance in Flight. Raymond said she found community through Dance in Flight. Photo courtesy of Katie Raymond
Reflection
Looking back on her time at Pepperdine, Raymond said she does not regret her decision to opt out of Greek life.
“I ended up being really content with it [my decision],” Raymond said. “Not joining a sorority allowed me to be more eclectic with the people that I’m hanging out with. My friends are from pretty different places on campus.”
Katie Raymond poses with her best friend Melissa Palacios Sept. 10, 2023 in Florence, Italy. She said their friendship grew over several years together. Photo courtesy of Katie Raymond
Raymond said not being in a sorority gave her more freedom to choose who she was hanging out with, and that she has made beautiful friendships over the years through shared experiences and mutual interests.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure for people to make friends really quickly — and I felt that too, when I was a freshman,” Raymond said. “But sometimes finding friends a little bit slower can be better.”
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Contact Annslee Mitchell via email: annslee.mitchell@pepperdine.edu