Former XIO sister opens up about what sororities at CSI are all about.
By: Veronica Slazak
Kimberly McGrath walks around the CSI campus on evenings when students get out of classes. She approaches students to recruit girls for CSI’s sororities.
“My sorority recruits girls from a multitude of colleges,” said McGrath. “We accept anyone as long as they’re in school and they actively strive to achieve a goal whether that be associates, bachelors or a licensing course.”
McGrath is a member of CSI’s Chi Iota Omega sorority or XIO, for short. The sorority is a multicultural community with an emphasis on unity and academic excellence. XIO strives to provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.
McGrath was holding the position of rush chair prior to her recent graduation from CSI and was a member of XIO for two years. The sorority seeks out goal oriented students. A student interested in XIO must have a gpa of at least 2.5 to be eligible.
The process to join a sorority at CSI involves a pledge period and an additional informational session where students who rush are taught about said sorority. The students are taught why the sorority chose their letters and why they should love them too. Once this is complete, the girls are instated as sorority sisters.
XIO posts content, events and recruitment information on both Instagram and Snapchat. XIO has many events, most of which includes time spent together to watch movies. Other events include going bowling and philanthropy.
The sorority uses a lot of their time to go and raise money for awareness for things that matter to them. This includes autism awareness walks and bingo for breast cancer awareness. Many of the girls have a personal stake in this, like McGrath whose sister is non-verbal autistic
“We do a lot of things that raise money for awareness for things we hold near and dear,” said McGrath. “Our families are affected by autism, like my sister is non-verbal autistic so every year we do Color Kai.”
Most students at CSI are commuters, which means they don’t dorm at the school. Micayla Cannatelli, a recent CSI graduate, views sororities as a means to find new friends which she deemed unnecessary as she was remained in Staten Island for school.
Students can learn about XIO’s recruitment, events and general information on their Instagram and Snapchat.
“I was not interested in joining a sorority due to staying home for college,” said Cannatelli. “Sororites are for finding new friends but due to staying local, I didn’t find it necessary to join to make new friends.”
XIO caters to its members in how it creates opportunities for sisters to grow not only as people but in their professional life as well. For McGrath, to join a sorority meant to get out of her out of her comfort zone. The friends she was able to make at XIO motivated her to keep going even when she was having a hard time in her personal life.
XIO strives to create a safe and positive environment for their members. They have a no mean girl policy which extends to their recruitment practices. Their rush period does not include hazing as they are a no hazing sorority.
Sorority life as CSI is more than parties and is instead a way to make new friends. Unlike the movies, which make sororities seem like a constant loop of parties, XIO pushes their sisters to work toward their goals.
“I joined the sorority after losing a lot in my life”, said McGrath. “I was fresh off a bad relationship, I just lost a family member and I was doing bad in school, but I went to one of my first events and I started meeting people who made me want to be better.”
