Oh yes... :) Back to November...

Our local had a ceremony for the semester after you initiated where you would receive your own badge. Your big would ask your parents, boyfriends, friends on campus, etc. for cards/presents for you, to show you that there are people outside of the house who care for you as well. When the big contacted these people, she stated clearly that you were not to tell the girl about what was going on.

A few days before my pinning ceremony, as we called it, my boyfriend said, "Oh yeah, a girl named Christin sent me a Facebook message asking if I wanted to buy a present for you. I just ignored it." I was angry for so many different reasons. One of the reasons that he didn't like sororities was because of all the secrets that we had, and he didn't understand why it was such a big deal. That's why he didn't keep my big's message a secret from me. Also, the fact that he wasn't going to put in any sort of effort for this special occasion in my life was incredibly disappointing. Then, he didn't even have the courtesy to send her a response.

Pinning came, and my parents had bought me a beautiful sapphire ring (at my big's suggestion, who had received jewelry from her mom for her pinning), and my friends wrote cards to me. There was also a vase with a dozen pink roses on the table, and my big said, "The roses are from your boyfriend." I was very surprised, but I also didn't believe my big, sadly.

When I talked to my boyfriend later that night, I questioned him about the roses. He repeated that he had ignored the message, and he didn't tell Christin to buy anything for me. Christin later told me that when he didn't respond to her, she wasn't sure what to do and guessed that he was just too busy and either never got the message or forgot to respond.

A few weeks after the incident, we broke up.

Awww..your big sis is soooo sweet!

Nice Move! Sorry....I'm a little jaded. :)

Waiting for Mayo.....

I never mentioned it in the story. ChiO actually sent us a letter back to tell us that they weren't interested, or else they would have gotten first dibs. The local's founders were the last class to initiate into ChiO in 1992, plus their pledge educator. Wanting to keep their newly found bonds of sisterhood alive, they formed a local sorority and wrote all of the rules and rituals. From what I have heard through the generations, our rituals were "very ChiO".

I think I knew that ChiO has a symphony, but just forgot it at the moment. Come to think of it, I must be forgetful in general because Alpha Chi has one too. Duh. :(

I will have to see if I can find my digital copy of the ZYS symphony. I have a printed one that is in hinged 5x7 frame with my AXO symphony on my desk at school.

I can't imagine being initiated into two groups. Do you have a preference toward AXO versus ZPsiSig ritual? You don't have to tell us which one you prefer if there is....I'm just wondering. I know I'd compare the two if I were in your shoes!:)

I'd love to read the ZYS symphony...cuz SAI has one too!

And, AOII--I definately have a preference. SAI and Phi Sig are so different in so many ways. There is a ritual that speaks to me much more over the other.

But, I love them both in different ways for different reasons...it's hard to explain.

Mayo presented to us on a Saturday afternoon. They made a presentation to us and the campus community at the same time, and then we all stayed afterwards to have a conversation more tailored to the chapter.

The presentation was general information about Mayo and its history. Nothing terribly exciting happened until the general community left. They had everyone move their chairs into a big circle so it would be less like a presentation and more like a conversation. They asked us questions about the campus, why we thought recruitment was difficult, and so on. We asked them our questions about alumnae initiation (and they said that they would take all of us, minus anyone already initiated into another NPC group, of course), the transition, the colonization process, and anything else that we wanted to know.

One unique thing about Mayo was that they brought two women with them. One woman was an alumna initiate from a long-standing local chapter that they had colonized some time ago, and the second woman was from that chapter now. They talked about how they preserved the history of the local and still displayed items with their letters on it. Our chapter advisor made them tear up when she asked if they would be okay with us having a "transition" ceremony to pass the baton.

We were impressed with Mayo, because they seemed to really care about the chapter and keeping our traditions and honoring what we had accomplished in 12 years. They did appeal a lot to our emotions, but we liked the women that we met. Mayo had been my favorite while we were doing our research in the previous semester.

We still had two more presentations to go, though. Mustard, our favorite, was up next...

That's really cool that they incorporated those women from the formerly local chapter. I think it relates a lot more to you guys than the first group. (Relish?)

That is like opening a Christmas Present a week early!

We are courageous. We charge forward where others would be timid. We are not afraid of the way others may view us. We are not afraid to create from nothing a sisterhood which is strong enough to last. We face the challenges of our lives together, knowing that if one of us should stumble, there is a sister nearby to lift her up.

We are strong. We stand proudly in the face of those who do not believe in us. We gracefully accept defeat knowing that we will return, for that is how we were born.

We are diverse. We are actors, lawyers, biologists, architects, singers, and engineers to be. We realize our pursuit of academic excellence will lead us to personal excellence. We may not always see things the same way, but we are willing to compromise. We discriminate only against those who are selfish, motivated by hatred, and are unwilling to grow. We realize our diversity only makes us stronger.

We are beautiful. We know that beauty comes from within, and we recognize this beauty in everyone. We know it also comes from self-confidence. We strive to bring out the best in each other and in those around us.

We are friends. We are there for each other. We are secure in knowing that we have shoulders to cry on, arms to hug us, and smiles to share our joy. We share a trust that cannot be broken.

We have a simple purpose. We are here to show other that we are not afraid to be ourselves. We are united under a common name. We wear out letters with pride. We are not just the sisters of Zeta Psi Sigma. We are Zeta Psi Sigma.

Beautiful, Klk! What great roots to come from!

/hijack
Gosh, this has inspired to me to want to show some sisterhood pride! Here's SAI's symphony.

Sigma Alpha Iota Symphony
-To study and practice the goodness of life, the beauty of art, the meaning of music.
-To sing the song of sincerity and universal peace.
-To speak the words that build, that bless and comfort.
-To play the harpstrings of loving kindness, tolerance, appreciation, and genuine gratitude.
-To strive for the joy of simplicity, for the noble, to be faithful over a few things.
-To listen, to be still and know the harmony from within.
-To falter never in seeking loving service, wisdom, and understanding.
-In a word, to be loyal to Sigma Alpha Iota and her teachings; to find joy, hope, inspiration; to remember that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" and "whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men."
-And again to practice.
-This is to be our Symphony.

~Esther Requarth, Nu

I was going to highlight my favorite lines...but I love them all so much...I couldn't pick!

/end hijack


WAITING FOR MOOOOSTARD!

At one time I might have had a preference, but the two rituals are so radically different that it's almost impossible to compare. Both sets of symbols hold special meaning to me. (In fact, I'm planning on getting two tattoos this summer... one of a peacock feather and one probably of three stars. :) )

The differences really are interesting, and I would love to be able to do some sort of research project to compare many different groups' rituals, even though that's impossible.

The Symphony of Alpha Chi Omega
To see beauty even in the common things of life
To shed the light of love and friendship round me
To keep my life in tune with the world that I shall make no discords in the harmony of life
To strike on the lyre of the universe only the notes of happiness, of joy, of peace
To appreciate every little service rendered
To see and appreciate all that is noble in another
Be her badge what it may
And to let my lyre send forth the chords of love, unselfishness, sincerity.
This is to be my symphony.
~Celia McClure, Delta

Has always been my favorite. Mmmhhmmm. Just a fabulous line.

And, I <3 the founding of Alpha Chi--if you couldn't have guessed that from my current affiliation. :rolleyes:

Yes, good move on that part. Sorry if it caused you any pain, but you seriously sound like you don't need that kind of an a-hole boyfriend.