Ready to hear an opinion on sorority life that may not be their own, members of all 23 Penn State sororities plan to attend Alexandra Robbins' lecture at 7:30 tonight in Schwab Auditorium, the Panhellenic Council president said yesterday.

Robbins is the author of The New York Times' best-selling novel Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities.

Pledged is a novel that investigates Robbins' experience with the inner workings of a sorority. Robbins went undercover for a year at a well known, but undisclosed, university to find out for herself what sorority life is really like.

According to her book, Robbins' findings exceeded her worst expectations. A few of her discoveries were drug usage, promiscuity, psychological abuse and eating disorders.

"I think some of the opinions [Robbins] formed ... are not in line with what sororities are all about here at Penn State," said Stephanie Kender, Panhellenic Council (PHC) president, though she said she has not read the book.

Kender encouraged people to attend the speech, however.

"I think it's really important for people to attend a speaker who may or may not agree with what sororities are about. It's better to be educated before you form an opinion," she said.

PHC Vice President of Communications Megan Moran has not read the book either but said she hopes to read it before attending the lecture this evening.

"I know that it has a bad reputation, and I've heard negative things about the book, but I don't want to comment without reading the book," she said.

The lecture is sponsored by Iota Iota Iota honor society as part of the Feminist Scholar Speaker Series.

Tickets can be picked up at Eisenhower Auditorium or the Penn State Downtown Theatre, 127 S. Allen St., and are now open to the general public. Attendees can receive two free tickets per person.