I agree with Nicole....

As soon as I finish the OLAP chapter website our chapter will be sending the info to Karen Ing so she can add our link....As far as local land chapter we have a SCC webpage via geocities ( except the webmistress just went inactive status) and it is not linked to BSP webpage nor is there an iapparent interest to do so...It will challenging to change the "way they have been doing things" ;)

And MoxieGrrl.

I'm glad to see that you are pursuing Beta....how far are you in the process now?:)

michelle

Our website hasnt been updated in a while...

www.geocities.com/clarionbsp

Michelle - Clean out your mailbox, girlie! :)

To answer your question, I've given my name to Headquarters to be placed on the memberhship list. Other than that, I've been trying to learn as much as possible about Beta before being contacted to rush!

I have been a member of BSP for two years now. When I first joined our chapter, we were down to just 6 members. My first year, our president , Robin (who had brought me in), brought in 3 more members. Two of my other sisters each brought a new member in too. This past year, I brought in 2 new members and one of them brought in another one. We also had a sister transfer in and we're now up to 15! We also have several prospects that we will be inviting to our fall rush party.

How did we do it? When Robin brought all those members in my first year, I noticed that she told everyone she met about sorority. I started doing the same thing and I tell everyone about all of the fun and wonderful things our chapter does. Our chapter ranges in age from 25-45 with most of us being 30-somethings. We are very active and BSP gives me a chance to get away from the kids and have some grown-up time. Thankfully, dh is very supportive and understands that I need some time with the girls every now and then. :)

With programs, we are fairly informal. Whoever is hosting the program meeting has to come up with their program. At our last progam meeting this year, I found the colors of BSP and the traditions that go with them on the Strawberry Patch. As I finished reading each color, we discussed our chapter traditions and what we would like to add. At Christmas time, one of our sisters talked about chocolate and candy making. At another meeting, a sister's dh who is a truck driver, talked about safety while driving around semi-trucks. Figure out what you are interested in and then tell your sisters about it. That is what makes the best programs! :)

Jenn

Hi, Jill.
Just so you know, the school where we are doing the FV doesn't have a Greek system either. The chapter will not be a campus organization at all...just a community chapter like most Beta chapters. We are simply focusing on the campus as a place to advertise and promote BSP. My chapter isn't a campus organization either...although all of our members are students.

Erica:D

Sorry to crash your board but I saw that no one answered DeniLin’s questions. NPC stands for the National Panhellenic Conference. From the web site, www.npcwomen.org, “National Panhellenic Conference, founded in 1902, is an umbrella organization for 26 inter/national women's fraternities and sororities. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alumnae. Members are represented on over 620 college and university campuses in the United States and Canada and in over 4,800 alumnae associations, making up over 3.5 million sorority women in the world.”

The member groups are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Phi Alpha and Zeta Tau Alpha.

AI is shorthand for Alumna Initiate or Initiation depending on the context, person or process. It describes a woman who becomes a member of an NPC group but does not meet the criteria for joining as a collegian. Criteria for joining this way vary from group to group. Here is a thread with some useful information – “My Advice to Prospective Alumnae Initiates” http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...threadid=20287

I too thought about becoming a Beta but things didn’t work out.

Strike 1 - When I was a student worker one of the ladies in my office was very active Beta. She did stuff for Beta ALL the time when she had a few minutes to spare. There was no doubt in the world where her heart lay. I dropped hints all the time that I was interested but she brushed me off. I got the hint that I wouldn’t be right for her chapter because I was so young. I was 21 and the member nearest my age was 35. However, she did not attempt to get me involved with one of the 6 other chapters in town or even suggest a FV.

Strike 2 – When I moved here, I became involved with Newcomers Club, www.newcomersclub.com. There are several ladies in NC that belongs to one of the 8 chapters we have in town. Although their PR is excellent, in the paper at least weekly, they approach only those they want into the chapters. I then turned my attention to Epsilon Sigma Alpha, www.esaintl.com. I saw it as a way to start from scratch because there isn’t a chapter here. I also really like their philanthropy.

Strike 3 – I joined AOII as an AI and became completely immersed in AOII Land. I have been an officer ever since I joined. I am currently the VP of my chapter and delegate to the local Alumnae Panhellenic Association (APA). I am also in the process of getting another APA started.

I truly love AOII, but the only reason I would join another women’s organization is if there is something tugging at my heart. PEO Sisterhood, www.peointernational.org, has a chapter here and I have been invited to their fall open meeting. What I like about them is that they fully support women’s higher education. They own Cottey College, www.cottey.edu, which is a two-year, independent, liberal arts and sciences college for women.

Wow, sorry that was so long.

Edited to add that I am an Alpha Phi Omega brother too. Pledged and Initiated in Spring 1988.

aopirose, thanks for the rundown of the NPC :) You know you are da bomb! :D
Sorry the woman from Beta blew you off! :(

Thanks, Jill1228, and you're welcome! GC is one of the best places to come for information and I'd just thought that I would share.

I am sorry that things didn't work out with BSP either but things happen for a reason.

Thank you aopirose.

Expanding Beta Sigma Phi to younger women
 

Your chapter can do a service project of starting friendly ventures at local colleges to get women ages 18-30 to join Beta Sigma Phi. I am thinking of doing that with my chapter because I live on Long Island NY and there are not many chapters left. At our Founder's Day celebration, we only had three chapters participate. That is all that is left in Suffolk County. I am the youngest member (31) in my chapter of well experienced Laureate Members! There is one Masters chapter and only one ROJ chapter in Suffolk County. We need more chapters! I think we should establish Nu Phi Mu chapters at all colleges, or at least try.

Sandi
New York Laureate Alpha Beta, Rocky Point

http://www.betasigmaphi.org http://www.geocities.com/slaidlow72/...?1057979997262

Bump.

oh I so totally agree with bumping this.

JAMIE ADD YOUR 2 CENTS! I know you have em!!!

One thing Ive noticed about BSP which I think I have mentioned before in here...

ORGANIZATION and SUPPORT

The international organization lacks just that... organization. Emailing Intl. does absolutely nothing and they a lot of the time, arent timely in their response. I have, however, been in touch with some fabulous women at Intl. Some organizational problems are: Conventions, the Website, Paperwork.

MOST of these problems could be simply solved by exactly what EVERY OTHER ORGANIZATION does... self govern. ALL NPCs are self governing, other organizations like BSP are self governing. Members make the decisions, not the company. Employees are not people living in the area, they are volunteers spread throughout the country - mostly unpaid work - who do it because of their devotion to the organization, not because they are paid. I do not believe that an organization that is run by a company is going to be sympathetic to the problems that the members are facing. They are NOT hearing our problems.

There is NO support for new chapters or established chapters. The chapters that survive, I believe are surviving by luck. They find the members and do well with the SKILLS that they have on their own - not because BSP is helping them. Each of these chapters could have become their own organization due to the drive and determination of their members, not because they are a chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.

Intl., like I said before, should send representatives to help with new chapters... especially places like Pittsburgh where it is HARD to convince women to join an organzation.

The dues need to be raised - not to beneift the company, but to benefit the chapters... and not to make the torch prettier or better, but to make the chapters better and stronger.

Read all of my points in this thread, they remain the same in my mind.

I love Beta Sigma Phi, but to me it really is becoming something that is just a small portion of my life - I volunteer for Phi Sigma Sigma and I see my benefit to society, through our service and philanthropy and my benfit that my work does for the sisterhood - the alumna and collegians.

ugh, thats the end of my rant for today.

I love you, Ali.

Lack of self-governance has been one of the biggest peeves I have. It sucks to know that no matter how hard you work to change, IT WILL NEVER MAKE A DIFFERENCE. If we want to exist in 20 years, International is either going to have to get with the program, or turn control over to elected sisters who are willing to do the work.

Lets do it - me you and Jamie can govern BSP! Woot! But the older members - from what we have seen here - wont listen to us.

Hi Ladies,

Yes, of course I have my two cents!!! I have to reiterate points that Ali has already said. We need self-governance (and yea I'll serve on National Council, count me in!). We need more support and better recruitment tools. We need more help from International (not to say they aren't great b/c they are!)...why isn't BSP seperated into smaller districts where it is easier to help the chapters be the best they can be?
Ali is right. There is absolutley no support for new chapters. No phone calls, no checking in. No sisters calling from established chapters. It's very frustrating.
I also want to mention that the older sisters don't want to make way and allow the younger members to come in and take over higher positions. One of the reasons I AIed was because I wanted to serve National and with collegians which is something that you can't do with BSP.
It's amazing..there are so many BSP pins on Ebay all the time. Most NPCs have groups that rescue the pins. Where is ours? Is there a lack of pride within BSP that so many members are leaving?
BSP is dying a slow death. I love this organization and I know that BSP has the potential to be so much more. The current situation is frustrating and disheartening.
I hope that we can create some solution to make BSP better. I'd love to help organize a conference to find solutions. Ali, are you with me? We can organize for next summer. What do you think?
Beta Love to all my sisters!
Jamie