DPhiE does a big/little program but also...

Our founding class (42) did "twins"
We do secret sisters called Guardian Angels - it is a good secret sister program where the goal is to make a new member feel inspired and supported through cards, notes, candy (looooow cost ways), as opposed to big sisters who spend $$ on gifts for little sister.

The "reveal" on finding out who your GA is is sooo amazing!

Denise

When my chapter was a local sorority, we used the big sister/little sister terminology. You found out who your big was on the same day as pledging. (We were a small sorority, so all the pledges had met all the sisters and vice versa during rush, and that was enough conversation time for us to be paired up.)

When we became part of AEPhi, we were told that it was entirely up to us what terminology to use, except that we could NOT use big/little or mother/daughter because it implied that the big was "superior" to the little/new member.

We chose the following:
- Alpha sister: Usually whoever preffed the new member. Gives her little gifts for the first week or so of the NM period.
- Epsilon sister: Usually someone the NM doesn't know as well. Gives her little gifts for the next week or so.
- Phi sister: Equivalent to the big sister. Gives her the $$$ gifts like lettered sweatshirts etc.

Informally, we still used the terms big/little, though (shhh ;) )

Denise - Love the guardian angel idea!

I've always wondered how DG determined that big/little sister was better terminology than mother/daughter. It seems big/little has the same power issues that mother/daughter could.