Greek Life, Greek Myth
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 31, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 Second-year biology student Katie
Siemens puts on lipstick as she gets ready to return to
campus for an afternoon class.
By Matt Goulding
Daily Bruin Contributor
When Katie Siemens, first arrived at UCLA she found herself
overwhelmed by the size of the school.
Alone, confused and in search of a niche, the a second-year
biology student found the Delta Gamma Sorority a comforting refuge
from the intimidating numbers of the university.
“UCLA is a big campus with so many opportunities,”
Siemens said. “The Greek system showed me all the avenues
available to me. With the Greek system, I didn’t feel lost
anymore.”
Siemens joined Delta Gamma during the fall of her first year and
is now one of 57 girls living in the house on Hilgard Avenue.
“I was really worried about leaving my friends from home,
but I found girls here who I immediately related with,” she
said. “Living with so many girls, whenever I want to do
something, there is always someone there.”
Her sorority sisters, however, aren’t the only ones
providing support for Siemens in the house.
“Our house mom does so much for us,” she said.
“She buys us cold medicine whenever we’re sick. She
even made us a big mound of sushi last weekend.”
Just being a part of the house, though, wasn’t enough for
Siemens. Looking to get involved with the Greek system at a higher
level, she joined the UCLA branch of the National Panhellenic
Council, the governing body of sororities across the country, and
serves as its vice president this year.
 COURTNEY STEWART Katie Siemens, right,
surrounds herself with food and friends at Delta Gamma, her
sorority house on Hilgard Avenue. “I wanted to do something
for the entire system,” said Siemens. “It’s given
me the opportunity to be proud about what I’m involved
in.”
While she saw her position in the sorority as fulfilling,
Siemens said she grows frustrated with the some of the stereotypes
with which she and her sisters are constantly branded.
“It really annoys me that we have such a bad reputation on
this campus,” she said. “I took offense to a lot of
those columns that were written in The Bruin by former sorority
girls. You really have to make an effort to know what we’re
all about.”
Siemens was referring to a submission titled “Systematic
Sisterhood Promotes Intolerance,” by Kirra Steel in The Bruin
last fall. In it, Steel called the Greek system “an elitist
institution.” She also said sororities and fraternities
“promote racism, hate and social inequity.”
As vice president of the council, Siemens is responsible for
passing rush and house laws, participating in judicial hearings,
and in general making the sorority system a respectable force on
this campus. She wanted to show that being part of the Greek system
involves more than the stereotypical party-going.
“I want to get the Greek system more involved on
campus,” Siemens said. “We need to use our numbers to
do good things.”
In an effort to reach out to the Los Angeles community, every
sorority at UCLA takes on one major area for philanthropy. Members
of Delta Gamma have chosen the Blind Children Center, and with the
money raised through charity events, they seek to provide financial
support for the children.
Determined to make an impact, Siemens’s involvement in the
Greek system doesn’t stop here. She also serves as a
representative for GAMMA, Greeks Advocating Mature Management of
Alcohol, which looks to combat a problem not singular to the Greek
population but prevalent in many college campuses.
Many students at UCLA associate fraternities and sororities with
heavy alcohol consumption, and Siemens said she looks to dispel
this belief.
“It’s like a risk management group. We want to make
sure that everyone is properly educated about the effects of
alcohol,” Siemens said. “It’s not that drinking
is a problem, it’s making sure that all of the rules are
followed.”
This means making sure that all fraternity parties are Bring
Your Own Beer (B.Y.O.B.), that proper identification is presented
by those drinking, and that partygoers act in a responsible
manner.
Saving reputation or not, Siemens remains focused on her goals
within the Greek system and excited about the prospects within
Delta Gamma.
“People around me are so motivated. It’s inspiring
to live with 57 girls who all have a goal,” Siemens said.
“It makes it easier to come home to people who understand
what I’m trying to do.”
