Sadie Treleven always wanted a home away from home that would inspire her to continuously be a better leader. As the third generation of greek women in her family, Treleven grew up with a positive image of sorority life and became a part of Delta Gamma her freshman year.

From the beginning, Treleven, a senior neuroscience and psychology dual major with a pre-medicine emphasis, proudly showed off her letters and became a leader within the greek community. After holding leadership positions in Delta Gamma, Treleven branched out as the vice president of the Panhellenic Council.

This position helped Treleven realize the divide between different greek houses. Contrary to the portrait of kinship her mother and grandmother described, negative stereotypes often skew people’s interpretations of a greek member, Treleven said.

Founded in January 2015 by Treleven’s Alpha class, the Greek Leadership Association (GLA) is a non-governing group of greek leaders who represent the six greek councils. The organization aims to serve as an approachable resource for students and works to initiate conversation about stereotypes and bring the community together.

“Our whole goal is to build toward unification through education in our greek community,” Treleven said. “We’re ready and willing to step out of our comfort zones to initiate discussion about the stigmas we place on each other.”

The GLA frequently holds events and encourages everyone to take part — greek and non-greek students alike. They recently hosted an event examining the stereotypes students have of certain houses by covering an entire white board in those stereotypes. Actual greek members then took these stereotypes and showed how they do not fit the mold.

“It’s a start. It’s not something that will happen overnight,” Treleven said. “People need to be willing to learn about each other.”

Treleven said her experiences in greek life have pushed her boundaries and challenged her to be a role model to her younger peers. She is proud to wear her letters, representing the years of philanthropy and strong connections she has formed with reliable, empowering people.

“It isn’t just a four-year thing. It isn’t about the partying. It goes so far beyond that,” Treleven said. “If you take advantage of the opportunities that greek life gives you, you will find your way as an individual.”

Published on May 2, 2016 at 12:01 am

Contact: ghhughes@syr.edu