I have to say that I am completely apathetic when it comes to AI. If an organization chooses to offer membership to women out of college, then what business is it of ours? I think at certain times, if a woman has done a tremendous amount of service to an organization, and is NOT a member, extending her a membership offer is a wonderful gesture.

I don't think anyone here has a problem with AI as you just described it.

I agree Valkyrie. If it's not OK to broadcast it over the internet on the IHQ's OWN WEBSITE, what makes it OK to post it on a random message board?

I didn't say any one did--sorry if my previous post sounded accusatory, I didn't mean for it to--I think I'm still subconsciously annoyed with my students from this afternoon (crazy day at the school where I teach). :p

No, it wouldn't be better than asking in person. But if a woman invited to AI particular group wanted to ask online and that particular group made the information public, it would be okay to answer online.

Maybe it would create a flury of AI interest in that group from crazy people, but if you have to be invited by the group to AI, the nuts still aren't going to be able to join.

Yes, and she could also do so.... in that particular group's forum!

See how there is still no need for an AI subforum?

Sure, but there is information that could go in one with no harm as well.

If the information is on an organization's website, a woman interested in AI with that organization can find it there.

If the information is not on an organization's website, a woman interested in AI with that organization has no business knowing it, unless a member she knows in real life chooses to share that information with her.

There are many reasons why a woman wouldn't have been able to join in college. Maybe her college didn't have sororities. Maybe she had to work a lot or do ROTC to pay for college. Maybe she didn't have the opportunity to go to college. Maybe Greek Life was miniscule at her campus or at the time, and she is just starting to realize the benefits of sorority membership now. I understand that there is a difference between these cases and someone who was released from the most competitive chapter and will do whatever it takes to be an XYZ. I think that the former cases are perfectly valid reasons to have not affiliated during college, and if a woman is truly outstanding and deserving of AI, the sorority will approach her. The latter is what upsets people, including myself.

Because we live in a time of Oprah and Dr. Phil, where people cannot keep things to themselves until such a time that is appropriate -- they need to air all of the laundry (dirty or not) that is going on in their lives.

Regarding Ritual...
 

I have seen, with great detail, the bid matching process during formal recruitment, discussed by many members of man of the sororities on GC. Details on different schools, what types of girls they are looking for, who they aren't, putting girls in touch with local alumnae so they can get recommendation letters, everything.

I don't see anything THAT detailed being discussed with AI at all, and I have read these boards very thoroughly.

They seem to be limited to such questions as, "Does XYZ have AI? I'm really interested in that GLO.", "Do I contact the national or local chapter?", "If I previously turned down a bid, does that matter with AI?", "I got a call/letter/e-mail/ we have set up a meeting."....that sort of thing.

I am not in a sorority, so I don't know what the initiation rituals look like, but I highly suspect that having conversations answering questions that I listed above wouldn't exactly be classified information.

I just don't see the harm in discussing in generalities.

I haven't been around that long, but considering there appears to be thousands of people on Greek Chat and only about a half-dozen who keep expressing an interest to shut the AI forum down, if your nationals truly don't want AI discussed on GC...wouldn't the best way to support this is just not post in the AI forum?

Just another .02

I think it has been mentioned before that RUSH and AI are two completely different things so to compare them is inaccurate.

Adpiucf made a wonderful point in some other thread that NPC sororities do not mainly recruit in the alumnae world. Recruitment is done at the collegiate level.

AI is not the "wave of the future" when it comes to recruitment - it is an exceptional circumstance in which a woman is offered membership because the alumnae organization pursued her due to outstanding community contributions/contributions to the professional world/contributions to the sorority.

It is one thing to tell a pnm where she can get recs, what is appropriate to wear, how NOT to behave, etc so that she can go into recruitment and find a mutual match in Sorority World. This information is not membership selection in any sorority. It's common sense. Don't go into Sorority Skit Night wearing a bikini and talking about how you slept with 65231265 guys in high school.

Furthermore, membership criteria is spelled out for pnms on most of the sororities websites or Greek Life websites. You can't have a 1.0 and expect to get invites from all the houses. You need to understand the financial implications of joining a sorority. You need to understand that a sorority will also take up some of your time. You need to understand that by joining a sorority, you will likely have to do philanthropic work. Once again, no membership selection top secret stuff here and this information is readily available on credible websites.

It is quite another thing to ask about the "requirements" of AI for sororities on an internet chat board, WHEN THAT INFORMATION IS NOT EVEN AVAILABLE ON THE HQ'S WEBSITES. I think that is the bit some people are just not getting.

If it's not on THEIR websites, why the hell should it be here? And who's the say the information posted by anonymous internet users is valid anyway?

It is nobody's business what my or other sorority's policies are on AI except OUR OWN.

And while there are thousands of registered users on GC, only a very tiny percentage of them even post on here to begin with. Most of the "regulars" are actually posting in this very thread

but it IS on some IHQ websites
 

Information is on some sites GLO sites, but some folks might not know where to look and look for that info. here.

The same thing with rush and college members. Many school sits have information about dress, finances, etc, and yet, people still ask and answer here.

Some information is kept off IHQ website because it's ritual, and I think some is just left off because it would be difficult to maintain on all the chapters.

I suspect most members can tell the difference between what is ritual and what is common knowledge. When in doubt, they could ask a national officer.

Just remember that if you go with the "Is it on the national site" as a standard, you're going to really be restricted in what you can say in other forums on GreekChat as well.

For example, I don't believe my group's website (or any others group's, for that matter) addresses whether a new member who quits has to turn in all items with the letters on them when she quits. And yet, such a conversation is taking place right now in another thread. If you apply the "if it's not the webpage, it shouldn't be discussed" rule, you should be demanding that that thread be locked. You aren't. Why not?

There's a thread about "no recs," when you should write them, and who can write them.
There are several threads about affiliation with different chapters. Why would these issues fall under a different standard than AI?

If it is on some websites then why go to an internet chat board to get the same information?

AI is not rush. Period.

AI is selecting members to invite into their sisterhood. (Which means it is "Membership Selection").

Membership Selection is not to be discussed outside the chapter room walls.

GC = outside chapter room walls.

If an alum chapter wants Suzy Q to be a member of their sorority, they will ask her. If she accepts, then she can ask THEM whatever questions she wants.

Suzy Q should not go knocking on the virtual doors (i.e. GC) of all the sorority houses asking if they will take her since she has already graduated college or turned down a bid or couldn't go to college or didn't have any of the cool sororities on her campus.

Nope
 

Parts of AI are membership selection.
Not all of it is membership selection.
You are clearly trying to apply a different standard to discussions of AI than you want to see elsewhere on GreekChat.