Alison Williams. SNN Multimedia Journalist.
Being a college student sometimes sucks. Oftentimes, you are away from home. While on your own, you meet lots of new people and you are learning how to adjust to your surroundings. So, how do you cope with being on your own?
You don’t. We were not created to walk through life alone. So the real question is how do you find a family on a college campus?
Some students on Samford’s campus have chosen to make these new families through a Greek Life tradition known as Big Little. Across campuses and throughout fraternities and sororities you can find these Big Little pairings that help lessen the burden of being away from your biological family. Samford’s Alpha Delta Pi’s Kappa Chapter recently had their Big Little reveal. The entire process was orchestrated by New Member Mom Emma Love.
ADPi’s New Member Process
Love is the first person the new members, called Alphas, come in contact with once they are given a bid. Everyone celebrates together on Bid Day and then it’s all up to Love. Love said, “I’m kind of just taking our new members through every step of the new member process. So that just includes getting them adjusted to life in ADPi and welcoming with fun events.” She introduces the history of ADPi and Samford’s specific chapter to the Alphas. She plans events so that the Alphas can meet the other girls in the sorority. Her biggest goal is to make them feel loved and at home. And a lot of that comes through the Big Little tradition.
What is Big Little?
Big Little is a group of students, girls in this instance, that are connected through their Greek affiliation but are also mentors to those coming behind them. “I guess it would start out with the little,” said Love. “If the little is the freshman, the little has a big. Then the big has another big, the little’s grandbig. So it goes little, big, grandbig, great-grandbig and it just keeps going.” This family provides another form of community and connection on campus.
“I feel like being in a diamond family in ADPi, or just in any sorority, just really gives you people that you know you can lean on and instant friends that are just kind of closer than just somebody you meet,” said Love. “It’s somebody that you know that will be with you throughout your whole ADPi experience.”
Love is not the only one excited to be a part of these families. Freshmen are excited too. “I’m so excited to like be in relationship and community with the older grades and older girls, to just get more involved, and do more activities,” said Alpha and future Little Ella Corrigan. “To just do more, I don’t know, almost have like a leader.”
In the end, students on Samford’s campus are finding ways to plug in and grow and Greek Life has found a way to make students feel like they have a home.
For more information about Big Little, check out this story: Non-Traditional Greek Families.
