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YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D
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Good job, Corina!
I am so pleased and happy and sending you best wishes and happiness from Australia! I am delighted to read how well it is all turning out! Keep at it! You can do this! :D
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Hey everyone,
I just got back from my first ever Greek Council meeting, it was very exciting. Things went much better than I expected, and everyone really welcomed us warmly. It meant alot to me that people were so cool about us being the newest group on campus and all. And then, John was there, and he told me he had gotten a letter of recommendation for us, and there indeed was a letter from Kelly at U of Phoenix! It was so sweet, and this all means so much to me. Apparently we can now begin contacting groups that we are interested in, so starting Tuesday I think we'll be placing some calls and perhaps sending out some letters. Tonight we have an info night...we aren't anticipating a big turnout but that's just because we didn't advertize much, so hopefully next weeks will turn out better. More later! love, Corina |
that's great Corina!!!
Good luck with your info night!! Have a great weekend! :) Amy |
wow...you have more firey lets get it down because we said we would attitude of anyone i have ever met.
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amazing
You are doing an amazing job...
keep on keeping on. we are proud mmcat :D |
Let us know how the info night goes!
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Corina,
Great job on everything. You're taking all the right steps. I'm a colonization coordinator for Tri Sigma and understand the work that goes into this. Just wanted to say that I know Jean Mrasek and she's awesome! She's the right person to be in contact with to become part of an NPC sorority. I have to put my plug in for Tri Sigma, even though we all go through this process together. You can always check us out at http://www.sigmasigmasigma.org Keep everyone updated and good luck!!!! Interfraternally, |
yikes!
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Yikes! Did he read my letter to everyone at the meeting?! :o (well, hey, if it gets the job done....) ......Kelly :) |
do you need more help???
let me know...
i'm there. there are a lot of letters in my belt. mmcat :cool: |
Hey everyone,
No Kel, he didn't read it out loud to everyone, he showed it to us privately later :) MMcat, if you cared to write a letter, I would be more than appreciative- every bit helps right?! The info night didn't go particularly well, but that's only because we didn't advertise enough. We've gotten a couple calls and emails, so we're having another info night this Wednesday. I'm excited! Thank you thank you thank you to everyone! |
ok fill in the uneducated here...does an "info" night mean that you get to talk to people from national groups like for example Delta Gamma or AOPi?
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They were just trying to have prospective members come to find out about NBO. Like an informal rush event. That's what the info night was :)
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dzsaisgirl is right, the info night just involved girls coming out and getting a basic schpiel on NBO, and all that fun stuff. We're anticipating a better turnout at the one we're having on Wednesday night...I'll be sure to keep you all posted! I'm so nervous that NPC won't want us, I wish there was something more I could do. Oh well. Thanks everyone!
Corina |
let me know particulars
corina,
e-mail me the particulars of who to write and where to send it and don't worry. who would turn you down? cheers mmcat@aol.com :) :p :cool: |
I guess thats what I was asking - in the wrong way.
Somewhere you said you were getting info from nationals? Like does that mean you will affiliate this year? |
Well, from what I understand, Nu Beta Omicron is going to be featured in the early February NPC newsletter that goes out to all the NPC sororities. From there, interested GLOs will contact us, and we will then schedule times to meet with them and figure out who is the best match. I would love it if we could affiliate this year, but that isn't necessarily a reasonable estimate. The whole process takes up to a year usually I think, I'm not sure. But of course I will keep you all posted. Apparently as of now I can contact sororities that we're interested in, so I'm trying to figure out a way to do that. We have several top choices, so I'm not sure how to word any letters to them. I'll figure it out eventually I suppose. :) More later!
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Hey everyone,
We just had our second and more succesfull info night! 4 girls showed up, which is alot compared to our previous quota of zero. I feel like things went pretty well, and I'm super excited! Yay me! love, Corina |
applause, applause!:D Big pat on the back to you, Corina!
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Good Luck!!
Good Luck with all your events! I've been following this thread since the beginning and have loved reading about all your exploits. I too, at one point in time had wanted to found a new sorority on campus, and then I found my home- THETA. My years with Theta have been the best years of my life. I just graduated and look forward to many year of active alum service, I hope you find this with any house you affiliate with. I'm in contact with Nationals quite often, I'm planning to be an Advisor for a chapter and hope to be on the National Board someday, if you need any advice from another California girl, please e-mail me!
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SLOTheta congrats on your recent alumni status. I have been an alumni of theta for about a year and a half. I am very active with the theta chapter that i went alumni at. Seems I can't walk away...lol. Anyways I have been an advisor for my chapter for a few weeks and I love it. I am the new member advisor and it is the best way to give back to theta what it has given you. My experiences with theta where some I will never forget adn I will cherish in my heart forever.
Again congrats on your recent alumni status. loyally, thetagurl |
Wow.... I just spent the better part of last night reading this saga, and I am so incredibly touched and impressed with the support, love, and encouragement you are all giving someone you don't even know. It's amazing to me, and further highlights the reasons why the bond of sisterhood is so powerful and special. I am so glad that I joined Greekchat too.....I've met the most wonderful people here. :) :D
Corina - I can't wait to hear more updates on the affiliation process. You've put in an immense amount of effort, and years from now, members will look back and be as proud of their founder as we are! For a lack of better words...you ROCK! Let me know if I can be of any assistance. ;) Greek Love, :D Carrie |
there you go
four at the information night...
you are on your way. keep it up. mmcat :p |
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I can't wait to start going to meetings, and hopefully I'll be a part of Alum Panhellenic also! Loyalty in Theta, Nancy |
Wishinhopin, I just read this start to finish -- I'm hooked! Go NBO!
You are amazing. Any girl on your campus would be lucky to join your group...I would snatch you up in a heartbeat if you were on our campus. I'm so glad you are sticking with it...my experience in the greek system and my chapter was BY FAR the most meaningful and memorable part of my college years. I would love it if you all added Pi Beta Phi to your list of potential NPC's to affiliate with, although you really can't go wrong with any of them! Pi Phi is an amazing national organization and we have many strong chapters and alumnae on the West Coast and in California. Best of luck -- I can't wait to read what happens next! - Pi Phi Alum |
PiPhiERDoc, I alerted our nationals months ago but they said they were overextended with the new chapters at Loyola Marymount and whichever school Colorado Epsilon is.
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where are you wishinhopin?
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Must...have...update.......feeling.....very...weaa aaakkkk.......
Please, tell us how you are doing :) |
I am so fucked. My sorority is falling apart. We're not allowed to put up any flyers or advertise at all for new members because of a paperwork mistake with the student organizations and advicing resources office, that wasn't even my fault. Thus, how will we get new members? Beyond this, I am actually now losing sisters. Remember the shirts I bought? Well people don't like them. And they refuse to wear them even for one day even though I told them that they didn't have to pay for them. Tomorrow is Greek letter day at UCSC and everyone is supposed to wear their letters to show pride in their organization. But Jen and Gail do not like the shirts, thus they refuse to wear them even for just one day. I told them that they could either wear their shirts, or leave the sorority. Now I feel like a big huge bitch. And a failure as president. I can't recruit new members or even have meetings in any place on campus, so there's no way for us to get new members, and now I'm losing members because I offered this ultimatum as somewhat of a test of their dedication. I realize that they don't like the shirts, but if they aren't willing to make this small sacrifice, how can I have any faith in their desire to make the larger sacrifices (ie time commitments, reevaluating behaviors in accordance with NPC guidelines) in order to become a functioning sorority? I know we said we wanted to "Never Be Ordinary", but I apparently did not make it clear what I meant. I meant that we would never be an ordinary sorority in that we would not adhere to the negative stereotypes (ie, sorority girls are ditzy or only accept people based on superficial characteristics). I did not, however, mean that we were going to be a group with no rules or regulations, and only a sorority in that we had a name with Greek letters in it. So now I am totally freaking out because my life is already complicated enough without this to deal with. I don't know what to do. What NPC group is going to want only four girls? How am I supposed to get more if I can't even let anyone know about my sorority? I feel like crap because I really love Jen and Gail and I know they have the potential to be awesome sisters, but I don't know how else to make them see that just because they don't like something, doesn't necessarily mean that it won't happen. I am all for having democratic decisions, but them refusing to wear their shirts indicates to me that they aren't willing to show pride in their organization, and beyond that, I spent a whole lot of money ($300) on those shirts, you'd think they would be willing to wear them for one day as a favor to me. Isn't that what sisters are supposed to do? I don't know if I'm even making sense anymore, I need to go. I would love input from anyone right now, I feel awful. Sorry for the cussing, I'm really worked up.
love, Corina |
Aww hon, I'm so sorry things aren't going your way. If I were you, I would sit Jen and Gail down for a real heart-to-heart about where you envision your sorority going, and what you are all willing to commit to doing in order to get it there. Don't freak out quite yet - it's possible that these girls had a momentary lapse and will realize how dedicated you are to this cause, and follow you on your way to making this dream a reality. I know you've put a lot of effort, money, and heart into this sorority. Your story so far is something to be *very* proud of. You didn't take formal recruitment as the only possible means of becoming Greek - you took the initiative and (even if you can't see it right now) things are happening. I promise that things always look worse in the middle of the storm - give it a moment or two to clear and you'll figure things out. Until then, get in touch with the Greek Life guy (sorry, forgot his name) and your other sisters to see where you stand, and how you can recruit new members. These setbacks are temporary, I promise, and if you don't give up, your situation will improve! You can do it - we are all hear to listen and give great advice. I know everyone else will chime in with a lot more advice (it's late so this may not be too coherent or helpful!).
Corina, I really wish I knew how to fix this for you immediately. I know you're frustrated, and I can't blame you. All I can say is that you've come too far to let this die now. Give it a little time and a little more effort - you've got the heart and commitment to make this work. When your sisters and the potential new members on your campus see that, they'll respond to it, I'm sure. Good luck and keep us posted!! :D Love, BrownEyedGirl |
Corina, I too am so sorry for the obstacles you are facing. BrownEyedGirl, I agree with everything you said, everything.
The most important, is to sit down and talk with your friends and tell them what you have said here, but try not to say something that would make them feel guilty. It could be that your friends are a little insecure about wearing letters at his point in your efforts. Be gentle with them and understand they have feelings they may be unable to express. Have the four of you sat down as FRIENDS, and talked about ideas to meet others in a more casual way? You may want to devote some time to getting out there and meeting as many new people as possible. You can find the most interesting peple at work outs, on the rec fields, the plays. Your roles at this stage are more like ambassadors for your vision. It is a slow process, but you are tackling the problems in a very mature and dedicated way. I may very well be wrong, but I feel the missing ingrediant (for where you are now) is getting others interested. People won't come to you yet, you must go to them. Why not have each of you bring one NEW person (i know you could find two) to a fun campus event or meet for a movie. Just hang out and sprinkle in the conversation what you all are doing. Just be sure yo make friends first-no hard sell. Just an idea that you can keep building on. |
Please don't quit! I've read this entire thread and you've come so far, it would be awful to give up now. So don't do it. I really think those girls are acting a little immaturely by refusing to wear the shirts, though--they're just SHIRTS. Would it kill them to wear the shirts for one day? It doesn't matter if they like them or not. During rush last year, my sorority made us wear these shirts that I really really hated (it was soooooo thin, and it looked bad on me), but I wore the damn thing anyway--twice! To me, it's about showing support for my sisters.
That said, I think word of mouth would be about the best way to go about getting new members. A lot of our members that we got during out COB-ing days were friends of friends of friends...you get the picture. I think you'll be in a lot better shape when you hear something from Panhellenic, especially when everyone hears you really are going to go national. |
Well, Jen and Gail are officially out. We talked and we're all friends and everything, but they're definitely not in the sorority. It sorta makes me wonder what kind of judge of character I am...anyway, now today I have to call the Student Organizations Office and beg them for the ability to put up flyers and have meetings on campus. Beyond this, I don't know what to do. Do I need to notify nationals and tell them that we only have three/four members? I'm not sure where Celeste stands on this whole thing- we totally want her in but she might not be down for it. She seems really into it though. My sisters (all two of them) wanted me to call her last night but I explained to them that if Celeste declined a bid from us I might just have a complete breakdown and give up, I was so not in a position to handle that then. If I'm told I'm definitely not allowed to do any of these things in terms of advertisement, I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. I feel like I've harrased all of my friends so much already, I don't know who else to go to. It's so frustrating. I just feel like I'm not strong enough to do this- it's sooooo much harder than I expected and it completely drains me of my energy you know? I'm not giving up but damn am I exhausted. Plus, Gail bought a whole bunch of cookie and cake making supplies for us to have a bake sale with, and both girls want their money back for their paraphanalia, but we aren't allowed to fundraise at all so we have no money, so I don't know where we're going to get the money to pay her back except from our own pockets. Which means me pouring more money into this thing that just feels like it's going down the drain. I'm sorry if I'm being depressing but I am really feeling lost right now.
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Just a quick note before I go to my meeting. I would explain to these girls that you spent 300 dollars on the tshirts - knowing fully that there was no guarantee that you would have enough bodies to wear them. They also took a gamble when they bought the bake sale stuff. They are being petty, and you dont owe them a dime. They bought the stuff as members for the sorority, and in my opinion the stuff belongs to the sorority - if anything i would give the stuff back to them - they shouldnt expect cash. stand firm - and dont worry about giving them cash, unless you told them point blank "buy this stuff".
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Spread by word of mouth. When my fraternity was still an interest group, they (the old guys) met in a study lounge, and just recruited people they met in class, from dorms, at parties, etc.
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First off, it's just money. Worrying about that evil stuff will ruin your life, just like it's viciously torn to shreds the any real value left in the vast majority of society.
I'm completely serious. I don't mean to sound trite at all. With all of the possibly terrible things that are liable to go horribly wrong at any moment, worrying about money (that you don't/wish you did have) just takes too darned much energy! Misery is optional! Things you CAN think about. How to keep looking forward. Let the "shite" fall where it may, you've got to keep your sights set on the prize. As far as Gail wanting her money back, just pack up all of the things she bought and politely let her know that she is free to come pick them up and return them at any time. If she didn't keep a copy of the reciept, SHE's outta luck. Her foolish accounting is not your problem. ****Note to you: obtain copies (multiples) of reciepts for ALL goods that become sorority property to keep on file! For advertising: ask your professors if you can make a short announcement at the beginning of class. Give an email or phone number to contact for more info. Figure out some target organizations to make short announcements at. Think of organizations that would have the kinds of women you're looking for/would be interested in your org. Campus women's groups, Student Govt., Service orgs., Athletes Councils, Dorm councils, etc..... Most student orgs will allow outside groups to make a short presentation/announcement at their meetings. For fundraising: if you're resourceful enough, and want it bad enough there's nothing that you CAN'T do. You can sell candy bars (the big Cadbury's bar kind, bought at the grocery store for $1, sold for $2). I guarantee if you invest $20 bucks a peice and just start carrying a box of em around with you and sell 'em in class, on the way to class etc., that within the week (with re-investing a percentage of the original profits) you can make a HUGE profit on your original investment. Go door to door in established neighborhoods (ie: ones with families). Let people know that you're funding a new student group for women on campus that's aims are __________. You could even use a percentage of each sales to start a nest-egg for your chosen charity. ie. 10% of each sale will go to Children's Cancer Charities, while the rest will be used as developmental funds for our organization. You can contract out to stuff newspapers for a route in the mornings, or sell produce (roadside or door to door)for a local grower, or make crafts for the already established organizations. Along that line, try making a mid-term/finals survival kit that contains stuff like pens, pencils, scantrons, granola bars etc. that you can market to campus organizations to buy in large quantities for their membership. For that, take orders FIRST!!! Then, make them up & deliver. The possibilities are ENDLESS! It's time to get uber-creative!! Luck isn't all it's cracked up to be, but sheer endurance and willpower will get you through every time! YOU CAN DO THIS!!! |
Hey everyone,
alright, I've calmed down significantly and I think I might even survive. No promises though! Anyway. We met with four girls tonight, (who we already knew), and sat down with them to have interviews. They were all really cool, and we asked them what their interest was in NBO, and how they felt about being in a sorority. They all had really wonderful answers about wanting a family away from home, being part of something different and not like the stereotypes, supporting one another through sisterhood, etc etc. So we're extending bids to them tonight. I know this seems sudden, but I had a great gut instinct about them, and already I feel like they'll be better for our sorority than the girls we lost. I love them and they're wonderful friends, but I don't think they would really function well as sorority sisters. So anyway. I also called and harrased the student organization people, and they're going to let us put up flyers, hold meetings, and potentially even set up information tables. Mary (who is now the president of Gamma Phi, the one who's been helping us sooo much) told me that we really really really need to stay on top of NPC- ie getting everyone we know to send letters of recommendation, calling for updates regularly, and getting in touch with the groups that we're interested in. So I told each of my girls to go online and check out the websites for each org, and report back to me by Monday with one GLO that they clicked with. I made sure to tell them to look at philanthropies, mottos, creeds, purposes, goals, colors, mascots, badges, etc etc etc, anything that will give them a good idea of what a sorority is all about. From there we're going to narrow it down to five groups that we want to target (so to speak). Then, we'll send out letters to those five organizations, get in touch with chapters and alumni groups in the area, and just basically work really hard to get our name out there. So if anyone has any thoughts on how else to knock the proverbial socks off of NPC, please let me know. Thank you for reminding me of how far I've come with this- I think sometimes I expect sorority life to be exempt from the ups and downs of regular life- setbacks like this help me to remember that there will be rought patches and accomplishments, just like anything else. So that's all for now, more later! love, Corina ps: all the new members love my shirts....so there! |
ps: all the new members love my shirts....so there!
HA, HA!!! There you go! Sound like you got around your "bump in the road"! Excellent idea about the one girl/one sorority research! Honey, all can say is you are one heck of a fighter and fighters ALWAYS survive! Heck, they FLOURISH! Are you keeping a journal on all this? You are making your own place in history. |
Hang in there Corrina. You are awesome!!! It sounds like you have more interested women now. Just keep on believing in yourself and your goals and you can do it! I know exactly how you feel about pouring your heart and soul into something. I'm an alum of my chapter and we're fundraising for a sorority house (we will occupy in August 2003) and I'm the major person involved (i.e. - feel like I'm doing everything and am totally winging it). I'm rooting for you big time!! You are an inspiration!
Martha |
I'm so glad that you're feeling better. Hang in there. You're doing great! :D
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