Not true.

I stand corrected - which group has honorary memberships?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Sigma Delta Tau has some kind of honorary membership. But this article doesn't sound like that to me. It sounds like they're CELEBRATING her initiation with a lunch.

Maybe a ZTA can comment on whether or not the organization offers honorary memberships?

You know, I would bet that the Council of any NPC group can issue a waiver to do anything they want...and if they did this here, what a wonderful way to do it!

What a wonderful story, love it. Great move by the collegiate chapter, good to hear someone going out of their way to make something like this happen!

this!

They might have waived a college requirement, but I don't see how her experience is any different than anyone who pledged, dropped out of school, and became an instant alumna. (Keep in mind this was 70 years ago!!* Rules for joining any sorority weren't quite as stringent as they are now, from everything I've heard.)

Unless ZTA initiation lasts for a week or includes a triathalon, I'm sure she could get through it. :)

*Saying that WWII was 70 years ago makes me feel REALLY freaking old.

We do! And they are men!

It doesn't really matter one way or another if she is an AI or an honorary member. I think I just had it in my head that AI required a 4-year degree. I didn't know that individual groups could waive that requirement, seeing that it is an NPC agreement that they can not waive at the collegiate level.

There is no NPC requirement that you HAVE a college degree only that you be enrolled in pursuit of one. You don't lose your membership because you quit school before you get your degree. You become an alum when you leave school - with or without a degree.

Exactly. The girls who pledge as first semester freshmen and then transfer/drop out/what have you are still alumnae, even if they were only active collegian sisters for 2.5 seconds.

No doubt every group that does AI has different requirements. A college degree is not required for Gamma Phi - and as has been referenced before, those who pledge and initiate as collegians are full-fledged alumnae whether or not they receive their degree before leaving college as long as they are in good standing with the chapter.

I know some fraternities had something similar to AI after WWII - initiating men who had been pledges but left before initiating because they went to war. I don't know the current state of AI-type programs for IFC or related fraternities. Gentlemen?

I feel like that kind of defeats the purpose. We don't initiate at the end of four years after all. I get the 'put in the effort and don't get the results' feeling and all but...

The guy who ran the training I just took put it like this, he'd rather train his potential leaders and have them take that training elsewhere than have them learn nothing and keep them. In this situation, better to have the alumnae members, who have at least a chance of reactivating or being active alumnae than to not have them at all OR keep new members dangling around without initiating.

How nice of ZTA to initiate her and how wonderful of her daughter to share her mom's story.