bump

we aren't allowed to drink in letters in public... but certain times are ok...
basically... we're always representing our organization.... especially in letters, so we try to act appropriately... and if a sister doesn't... then she is reprimanded...
we only "expel" someone for violating our vows as sisters that we take when we get in, i.e. telling our secrets and rituals, or stealing.. iguess being convicted of a felony...d epending on the felony i guess too... we don't have nationals, so it's rare but we determine these things on a case by case basis

Do not cuss in your letters, do not smoke in your letters, do not drink in your letters...or anything else "unladylike". That's the "in stone" rules we're given. (Not that you would actually get in trouble for those things, unless you are caught drinking underage...it's a respect thing.) Is that what everyone does? No. I'm sure that International would appreciate it if no one in our chapter smoked, no one drank underage or to excess, no one had sex, no one cursed (I won't with my letters on...which is why I don't here...but...), etc. but this is college. That is totally unrealistic, I don't care how "goody two shoes" your chapter is.

Every now and then we need a good Purpse review. Mostly though it boils down to this...
1. Respect. Respect your sisters. If you know there is one single sister (and since most of us actually have over a hundred thousand, chances are there is) who would not drink underage, wouldn't have sex, or wouldn't, say, get naked in a public place, you shouldn't ever do it with your letters on. Here we remind everyone that since it's a small campus could they please keep shady activity to themselves (letters or not, people know who is who), but at a large school there's probably less concern in that area. It's about understanding what would be considered appropriate based on founding principles and then trying to live up to those, at the very least when wearing letters.
2. Common sense. That's all, just common sense. Don't do incredibly stupid things...you hurt YOURSELF too.

I'll say this...you're more likely to have to leave if you stop showing up, consistently miss payments without a good excuse, refuse to bring up your grades and basically stop being a sister than if you get into "trouble" of some sort, unless you're like dealing crack out of the chapter room or something. Then it's a holla and goodnight. I think it's just smaller campus culture and unless you are doing something that's just really hurting your whole chapter you'll get a second chance...we're all small and it's hard to turn your back on someone without a damn good reason.

Here's an example of what I think you were looking for, James.
I was an alumna advisor, and one of our collegians was in trouble for having sex with a fraternity member on the fraternity's pool table, and another incident in a phone booth. When pulled up before standards, she said that her sex life was none of our business. Usually true, I replied. But when everyone, including your advisors, knows of your sex life because it is being conducted in public, then it is our business. Everyone at this small school knew she was a Gamma Phi, and she was hurting the entire sisterhood by her blatant disregard for the sorority's reputation. She stormed upstairs, with me following close behind to get her badge.
The problem wasn't that she was having sex. The problem was she was doing it on the Sigma Nu's pool table. And in the phone booth. And God knows where else . . .

It can all be boiled down to this:

Never do anything, in letters or out, that would give a GDI a bad impression of either your sorority or of Greek Life in general.

I disagree somewhat with the alcohol issue becuse it leads to worse problems.

If there is a sister who drinks herself into belligerence everytime she goes to anywhere that has alcohol in 100 yards, then on top of that, does things like disrobing in public, or becoming too public with her myriads of fraternity men. And everyone knows what group she's in, then yes I'd want to be able to get her out because her drinking makes her poor judgement ridiculously worse and people will associate her with her group and if I'm apart of that group and I don't do anything but stay home and study and help my mom then I still am labeled as "ho" or "skank" and people will laugh as I walk by in my letters when I've done nothing. The line has to be drawn somewhere. But it still definitely depends on the campus.

it's interesting that the question about fraternity men hasn't taken off - my brother said that with regards to wearing letters (encompassing appropriate behavior), they've been told you can't be doing any of the five 's's while wearing them:
showering
sex
sleep
stupid s**t (including public drunkenness)
and he forgot the fifth

but i feel like he makes it a point to ensure that all his public conduct, even when he's on duty as an RA, or at work, reflects well on his fraternity because they're trying hard to compete with the other groups on campus since they're the smallest, don't rely on sports teams for their membership and have no house, so every little bit counts is the impression i get from talking to him

This interests me, if only because you kicked her out. I'm not saying she was a shining example of a good sorority woman, but I'm surprised you didn't give her a chance to rectify her behavior. Yes, she went off on you, but most people will when they're embarrassed like that.

It may have been a little harsh, especially if she was a good-standing member of the chapter in other ways.

This wasn't her first rodeo, as we say. She had been in trouble many times before - this was just the straw that broke it.
ETA - I double-checked, and she actually quit - thus the run upstairs, and my following her to get her badge. I think that had she been properly ashamed of herself, and pled for mercy, promising to keep her sex life PRIVATE it would have been one thing - but she didn't.

Oh. That makes a lot more sense. Gotcha.

Happen to have her number?


I KID!!!!

Like use the term GDI? :rolleyes:

That set aside, I have huge issues with this statement. I was active at a small, very conservative campus, where I served as the president of College Dems and engaged in some pro-choice activism. I am sure that gave many people on campus a bad impression of my sorority. Are you implying I shouldn't have done it?

LOL, Banditone. :cool:

With regards to the GDI, while in some areas it's seen as a negative, it's not always. Some "GDIs" use the term because they're not Greek but hang out among Greeks, etc. My mom has paddles.... er... "wall plaques" from guys who were GDIs and put Gamma Delta Iota on the paddle.

When was this?
I know a woman was featured as a centerfold and mentioned she was in a sorority. I believe it was ZTA she is apart of. She never mentioned specifically. I also believe she was a collegian at the time.