With Theta Phi Alpha’s initiation this weekend, the new member process for sororities at Creighton comes to a close after beginning in late January.
Part of this process for all seven sororities on campus entails pairing new members with initiated members in a mentor-mentee-like relationship called “bigs” and “littles,” with some variance among the sororities.
Most people associate bigs and littles with the elaborate anonymous gift deliveries during big and little weeks that see Kiewit, Swanson and Gallagher Halls full of with guitar-strumming singers with armfuls of Pintrest-inspired crafts and gifts for littles.
The gifts are meant to build up excitement leading to the big/little reveal, when littles find out the identity of their bigs, Arts & Sciences sophomore Kat Jones, the Sponsor Chair for Delta Delta Delta who pairs bigs and littles, said.
From a new member’s perspective, a week of new surprises every night is amazing, but the real gift is the laying of a foundation for a new sisterhood.
“Every gift had some sort of meaning and significance and it was so nice to have someone put so much effort into making sure that I had an awesome week,” said Arts & Sciences freshman Erin Connor, a new member of Pi Beta Phi. “It was just great to be receiving all different kinds of things that are important to [my big] Alexia as well as myself and it really just goes to show the true sisterhood that exists in my sorority.”
Connor first met her future big, Alexia Lorch, after recruitment over lunch.
“Our conversations were like we had been best friends for years,” Lorch, an Arts & Sciences sophomore, said. “After that lunch I knew that I would be so happy and blessed to have her as my little.”
After hitting it off over lunch, Connor said she was overjoyed when she found out Lorch was her big at the reveal.
“I screamed, I jumped, and I am pretty sure I picked her up,” Connor said. “It was so amazing to find out that someone that I already have formed a connection with is someone that will ultimately be there for me through the rest of my experience in Pi Phi.”
To understand the excitement of the reveal, one has to put into context the big and little relationship and understand the matching process.
It’s a lot like a relationship between a big sister and a little sister, Jones, a member of Delta Delta Delta, said.
“The big sister is there to guide and help the little sister in whatever she needs, not only in the sorority but also in life in general,” Jones said in an e-mail. “The relationship between a big and little is something very special and unique to every pair — no two dynamics are the same, and that’s what’s great about it. It fits you and your personality, and it’s what you make it.”
Accordingly, the process of pairing sorority bigs and littles tries to pair new members and initiated members based on common interests, hobbies and personalities.
All seven sororities on Creighton’s campus have different methods for pairing new members and actives.
Delta Delta Delta is the earliest of all the sororities on campus to match big and littles, with the sorority’s “sponsor,” or big, reveal happening 12 days after bid day. The sorority hosts events like game night and movie night the week after bid acceptance, so new members and actives can meet and chat.
During the week, new members and actives fill out the same survey about interests, hobbies and personality types while also ranking their top five choices for bigs and littles respectively.
While no process is perfect, Jones said she does her best to match bigs and littles in a way that is best for everyone.
In her own experience, her relationship with her big has been one of constant support and love, showing her the ropes in Greek life, Jones said.
And now, as a big herself, she feels the impact of her little on her is equally strong.
Lorch, a member of Pi Beta Phi, said her big has been a wealth of information support throughout her two years at Creighton, so much so that she thinks of her big and little as family.
“And for those who home is far away its nice to have a similar relationship and support system here at school,” Lorch, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., said.
This support system is a basis for sororities on this campus, Connor said.
She hopes to share this relationship with a new member next year.
“I want to give someone the experience, love, and incredible support that my big has offered me,” she said.