Interested in AI
 

Hi Everybody!

I'm a recent Seven Sister Alum (2013), and as such we were not allowed to have Greek Life on campus. I am currently seeking a 2nd Bachelor's and attempted to rush. I was informed near the end of the process that I could not be extended a bid because I am no longer considered an undergrad.

There are a couple of sororities that I am interested in, but I am open to exploring options not available at my local U as well. I was wondering if anyone has any more detailed information on the process for any of the sororities. The 2 I have found interesting so far have programs for AI but do not actually list the process or much information on them on their websites.

Do you know any NPC members personally?

Yes, I have former colleague who is an alum from the sorority I am most interested in, and another sorority high on my list was the one whose VP of service mentioned AI and said they would love if I was involved with them and would like find out more information from her headquarters on how to help me.

Also, there is a sorority colonizing on campus and they have expressed interest in helping me through AI and even potentially having me serve as a potential advisor.

With all the options as an AI I want to make the most informed decision possible. Therefore, I would like to know how individual sororities go about AI. I was going to do Junior League but the city I am in is a southern city where I do not stand a chance at Junior League without being a legacy.

The women you know should be able to give you the group specific information you need. Policies vary.

Typically AI is an honor bestowed on a woman who has contributed to a sorority without thought of self-benefit. Again, policies vary, so I'm not the voice of authority for all sororities.

Personally I do not see how you could be an advisor without any prior experience. But I don't know where you are, so again, that could be the way things are done.

ETA: if memory serves we had another poster recently who was seeking a 2nd bachelor's and wanted to join a sorority.

Are you sure? Have you contacted the JL? Most of the leagues welcome membership inquiries.

Yes I have contacted the JL, the JL and I know several members, the yearly quota is met almost entirely by women who are appx 3 generation JL members at the least.

They suggested the advisor role as the new colony will not have upperclassmen, and they would like to have an older woman involved. I should mention I am non-traditional. I'm not soccer mom old, but I'm considerably older than the traditional college student.

All new colonies have upperclassmen. A group that would come to campus and choose only freshmen and sophomores to colonize is optimistic at best and foolhardy at worst. I'm curious who the "they" are who gave you this information.

I honestly would not choose that as a venue to AI - colonies need advisors who are experienced in Greek life. You might also find yourself serving as a warm body - i.e. you're only there because the group needs someone in close proximity to the campus and the real advising/involvement is being done across the miles.

Your former colleague is probably your best route to an enriching AI and sorority experience.

AI is not like rushing as a traditional college student. You will have a much better chance of being extended the opportunity by working with the alumnae that you already know. This is not a situation where you contact numerous organizations and pick & choose. Good luck!

If you are at the major university where I think you may be located, I can say that the Junior League in that area can be really tough to join if you are not already a member brought in there or elsewhere. I say this as a member of the Junior League. It is concerning that you are already picking and choosing which sororities are your top choices for AI as you also consider being a colonization member. There are other avenues of approach to meeting lovely women of your age/ experience at this university. Consider checking out the other groups on campus that may not be Greek. Also, talk to your friends because they sound like they know more about AI than you realize. Good luck.

I tried looking into Professional Fraternities,

Unfortunately, we lack a fraternity for my track!

Are you interested in NPC sororities? NPHC sororities?
Most JLs I know that are associated with Association of Junior Leagues International don't even use the term "legacy." Most simply require a form to be filled out and a recommendation by a current or sustainer member, and their "process," so to speak, is quite different from sororities.

I used that term because it is the best I know to describe it. The one here consists of members whose mother and grandmothers had been members. They will not even accept women who move from other cities where they were JL members. A woman I know from NY who moved here for work, has been trying for over 2 years! And she is a NYC JL member! And a very accomplished professional in her field I might add.

This is definitely not NPHC.

Maybe I am just feeling particularly bitchy today, but I don't understand the, "I didn't get a chance to rush because I was on vacation....couldn't get off work...had a boyfriend/parent who didn't like Greeks...didn't have any money...didn't think it was important...went to a school with no greek organizations, but now I am 25, 30, 42... and I really, really want to be in a sorority. How can I AI?"

Can't you make friends, find significant volunteer opportunities and have meaningful relationships without trying to re-live your college days with different decisions and outcomes? Sorority membership is for a lifetime. True. Membership as an alum is different from membership as an active. Membership as an AI initiate is different still.

These posts where people are shopping for a GLO like they shop for drapes make me stabby and I should definitely quit reading them.

I agree with the ridiculous excuses of having a boyfriend or going on vacation but, the OP did explain she had attended a Seven Sisters college which does not have Greek Life. She wants to contribute to an organization now as an adult to give back to the community and make long-lasting connections. I'm generally with you on the cranky-crabby train when OPs come here acting entitled but, I would have to say that I do not believe that is the case with this poster.

I should probably feel differently from an NPHC perspective, but this post has me lowkey stabby too. Though I understand the "my school didn't have greek life" sentiment, sometimes the ship has sailed. It would be different if, as an adult, you had a lot of friends/colleagues who were affiliated with greek life or social orgs like Junior League, DAR, The Links or Top Ladies of Distinction and you were interested - birds of a feather and all.

But this "I missed my opportunity and now I need an in to fulfill the prophecy" vibe? No.

Is it okay to shop for a GLO during NPC recruitment but not through NPC AI?

Lots of ways to do that. Lots.

Many times a group will initiate alumnae during a colonization when adequate numbers of alums are not living in the area. I strongly suggest you talk with the women you know in NPC groups and express your desire to pursue AI. They can best direct you. Or, alternately, contact the HQ of the groups and work it from that end. They can connect you with the appropriate person in the area.

Yes.

This obviously isn't directed at Titchou because she's just stating a fact, but I wonder how effective a strategy that really is, especially at really heavy duty colonizations?

It's one thing to initiate the graduated members of the local that is being colonized or the grad student that's been there for 3 years, both of who know how the campus works, but Susie from 15 miles away who has no ties to the campus and no direct knowledge of Greek life at all...I don't get it. I know that sometimes you're Laura Ingalls alone in the middle of the prairie and you have to do that to try and grow, but isn't that the time to reach out to the alumnae you already have and see if they will step up? Better yet shouldn't you make sure you can do that BEFORE you accept the invite?

And yes I know some of this can be ritual related.

In the case of our chapter, most of our alumnae initiates were mothers of colony members or new members of the first few years. We also had a professor who served as our advisor who was an AI. (This was at a small, rural school though.)

My question to the OP is: why? There are countless opportunities to volunteer and make meaningful connections in the community that don't involve NPC membership. The OP hasn't brought anything to the table; she is a very recent college graduate of a Seven Sisters school (which made the hair on my neck raise up, not sure why it was necessary to add that qualifier, there are many schools without Greek life… so I guess I'm a little stabby too).

For those with their "stabby" tendencies out, Seven Sisters schools have strict rules against fraternization. They started in the early part of the 1900's when the "societies" as they were called there, began to gain too much power and control over student government and involvement in campus life. They were essentially outlawed, and in many cases "orgs" now have to follow even more strict rules.

Yes, the women from my college are my sisters. I have great connections to them and will for the rest of my life. But, I am now in a new city far from the majority of my former classmates.

I find myself in a Southern city, where even at my age, sorority affiliations are key to the social stratification. Have you ever moved to a new place as an adult? It is very difficult to approach and meet new people. Scratch that it is near impossible.

Furthermore, I never said I was trying to relive my college years. I actually took a year off my senior year because I realized I had lost my passion for what I was doing (after a family tragedy). I went back and finished what I started. Now, I found something I love (a new career field) and I am trying to change directions.

I didn't make mistakes. Not the kind you are thinking of at least. I was a non-traditional student. I went to college at 26, after having dropped out of high school due to financial difficulties and needing to work full-time. I was a straight A student at the time. I thought that my family's problems would never allow me the luxury of going to college. I spent 9 years raising the money to put myself through school.

What do I have to offer?
16 years of real-life working experience, I have suffered loss, illness, and happiness, I have a very successful career in which I worked very hard to prove myself (STEM), and a few short years ago, I was named one of the top 50 students in the country based off my grades, community involvement, the innovative service projects I created for my fellow classmates, and for my lecture series at a community college on how hard work and determination can change. I compiled all the information for transfer students and non-traditional students at the college I was at on how to transfer to a top tier University from a community college, and which ones offered scholarships with requirements and recent fin aid package amounts to help students see that opportunities were still there. The results you ask? I attended a community college in a low socio-economic area of Chicago where less than 35% of students even graduated, and the highest degree by an alum was a Master's. In my graduating class, 3 students will be conferred law degrees this Spring, and one just started at a Dental College. In the class after me, one student went on to Harvard and another to the Business School at Georgetown. I'd like to think I inspired those students, but I don't have to, they regularly send me e-mails, cards, and messages that tell me how much of a difference I made in their lives.

If you ask me, I would say you are the ones who have your priorities wrong. If it's a lifelong commitment then why are you the ones constantly referring back to college? I am the one who wants to join after college, missing out on the "fun" stuff that you all do in college like bid day and big/little, and I want to do is join a group where I can be of service, where I can be respected as an equal, where I can meet women of all ages who can serve as friends and mentors. And, if I'm the one acting entitled, why does the term "Seven Sister" bother you so much?

Yes, I'm aware it's a different situation as an Alum and as an AI. I've belonged in several organizations in the past, and I have even created my own ways to give back to my local communities regularly. But, I'm in a new place, and I miss having a Sisterhood. Making connections with people is not at all easy as an adult because most people here are from the area and have friends they have known their whole lives.

I feel that as a woman who has come as far as I have, it is a logical move to want to become an AI initiate. I have worked hard in my life to accomplish many things that you women take for granted. I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have been given and I feel the desire to give back in the same way.

All I can say ladies, way to keep the Hollywood sorority stereotypes alive.

QFP.

We are so Hollywood.

https://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/...elta_Delta.png

I guess I'd be interested to see what my alumnae associations are like in the deep south. Even the most active of chapters I've been involved with took a long time to make good friends because we would get together for an hour or 2 a month. If there were a local collegiate chapter, maybe it would be more often than that because of chapter business. But still, it is nothing like the weekly commitment/contact of a group like JL, or Exchange Club, Lions Club, etc. I made friends more quickly in a networking group I belonged to because we had lunch once a week.

My sorority does seem more enthusiastic about AI lately, probably because of our rapid expansion lately, but I don't think the social/connections aspect of membership would be met with that kind of AI. It would really be more about service and making friends over the extended long term.

Have you looked at joining Beta Sigma Phi? That would seem far more logical to me than seeking AI.

^ I was about to suggest this. OP, please PM me.

You know, I'm almost embarrassed to admit this but, I completely forgot to suggest that too. OP, please do consider Beta Sigma Phi. I am a member of both an NPC sorority and Beta Sigma Phi. Both are great organizations and I helped another young lady learn more about BSP. Good luck!

AI is not going to solve this problem for you.

I mean, it could. Where the OP is located, Greek affiliation can be very important. I get why she would want to get involved. As you noted, there are other avenues of approach. We can help her look for them since she is clearly not as well-versed as us. I think Beta Sigma Phi would be a great resource.

I will say that I am the first one to jump on an OP if she comes here crying because she didn't get her "top" choice, "first" choice, or chose to suicide because she didn't see herself in those "other" chapters. I really am the first one to jump on that because it irritates me beyond anything. This one I get though. OP went to a an all-girl university and may have felt she missed out on something. I didn't take her post as trying to relive her college days or trying to go Greek because she was "too good" for any particular chapter that she now realizes she shouldn't have been so harsh. She genuinely wants to find sisterhood and connections. I admire that and believe that AI, should she do this, can be a great avenue of approach for some people.

thatheles, you already have the connections you need. Move forward in those circles and not on here on GC. You already know what time it is here.

And since you find yourself in a Southern city, religion is of great importance. Perhaps you can find a church that will help satisfy this need.

The main issue, beyond what many other posters have said, is that for most NPC groups, AI is not something that is done a lot. It's a special situation usually for someone who has a connection (daughter, close friend, etc) who pursues it for the person. It's not the sort of thing where the woman pursues the membership. You need to wait for it to come to you. Many women come here wanting something they didn't get in college. That is absolutely not the purpose of AI. I certainly understand your situation, but being a 50 year member of my group and having witnessed many AI situations, it really doesn't sound like you are in a place where that could happen easily. Sorry if you think being honest with you is fitting the Hollywood stereotype but I am just trying to be honest. AI is usually to fill a need within the alum group - 9 times out of 10 as an adviser for a collegiate chapter. Sorry if you thought it was otherwise.

What is the NPC Unanimous Agreement on Alumnae Initiation?

There isn't one.

well, there isn't a need. The UA already says you can't join two NPC groups. Collegiate recruitment is covered as well. Since AI is unusual, there really isn't a need for another UA to cover it.

FYP.

I think we'd all be a little less stabby if she wanted to pursue AI someplace where sorority affiliation isn't going to do squat for her socially.

On another note: when did this STEM acronym become a thing? If you studied biology, say you studied biology. If you studied engineering, say you studied engineering. It bugs.