After deciding to leave her sorority at Syracuse University this past fall, Alex Purdy (‘12) made a YouTube video explaining her choice and encouraging change across the Greek system. Her video has garnered over 140,000 views since posted Jan. 27. The response to the four-minute video has been overwhelmingly positive, with over 1,300 likes. 

“I decided to make this video to share my experience in a sorority and open the conversation to positive change,” Purdy said. “I’ve always been told to stand up for what I believe is right despite the risk.”

Purdy was initially attracted to Greek life because of the long-lasting friendships that sororities advertise.

“It was appealing to hear that it’s full of women who encourage each other to be their best self, full of women who want you to develop intellectually,” Purdy said. “I also played basketball all through high school and those teams were like family to me, so I wanted to find a similar group to join.”

But as Purdy became immersed in her sorority, it was apparent that the values of friendship and personal development had been overlooked as she accounted stories of hazing inside the sorority and intense focus on appearance.

She explained in the video that she hopes to inspire change by getting others to speak up with the hashtag #SororityRevamp.

“One of the biggest problems is that women don’t feel safe speaking up,” Purdy said. “It’s about creating a culture that supports people rather than brings them down,”

However, some sorority members think Purdy’s opinion is too one-sided.

“It’s great that [Purdy] is speaking up because I bet that there are people that relate with her, but I don’t agree that all sorority life should be put in such a negative light,” University of Georgia Alpha Chi Omega member Olivia Tompkins (‘14) said. “Every sorority is different and every college scene is different, so just because she had a bad experience doesn’t mean that it is what all sorority life is like.”

Purdy explained that it wasn’t her intention to damage or misrepresent all sororities.

“I made it very clear that I was only speaking to my experience but clearly more people than me experience it,” she said.

For Whitman students hoping to join Greek life, Purdy advises that students hold on to their values as they explore different sororities and keep open minds.

“There are definitely sororities out there that are aligned with their values; it’s just a matter of finding the right one,” Purdy said.