New Colony Questions!
 

I was so excited to hear that a new DG colony is going to be established at NC State University in the fall! My mom was a DG at Akron State University (Eta Chapter) and I've grown up hearing stories about her experence. I am very excited about rushing DG but I do have a few questions that I hope maybe some of you can answer. Since I will be a junior here I am very interested in trying to get some sort of leadership position in the chapter, but I have no idea how those will be selected. And since there is no current chapter here, how will Rush work? Will we rush with the other PanHel Sororities on campus? How will the first pledge class be selected since there are no current sisters? It's all so exciting and I can't wait to see things up and running, I just don't know how it'll all work...has anyone here been a member of the Charter Class of your DG chapter! If anyone can answers any of these questions, or just give advice to a new chapter, please do! :D

Re: New Colony Questions!
 

Welcome to the Delta Gamma Forum! I am not an expert on Delta Gamma or expansion by any means, but I will do my best to answer your questions. First of all, if your Mom is a DG, make sure she does a Recommendation Form for you for Recruitment because you're a LEGACY! :D
The sponsor form can be obtained here . Your Mom can probably find out where to send the Recommendation form either from the Anchora magazine or by emailing the
Director of Expansion

I am not entirely sure how rush would work, but I would think that you would go through and meet all the other houses too, in addition to Delta Gamma. Since Delta Gamma is the new group on campus, what would likely happen is the Delta Gamma Expansion team would come to your campus, do a presentation about Delta Gamma and perhaps hold a philanthropy party. They will also interview potential members and then decide who would be invited back to the next event. If you are interested in holding an officer's position, I would definitely state that during your one on one interview. Be careful to be gracious and not be presumptious, but I think it would be fine to say, "If I was to be extended a bid to membership in Delta Gamma, I would be very interested in serving in a chapter officer's position". Ultimately though, it is the membership (i.e. your peers) who will elect the first chapter management team.

I got this information out of my Anchora magazine, since DG recently installed new chapters at Spring Hill College & St. Louis University! GO DG!!

By the way, I looked at your school's Greek page and it looks like there are 5 other NPC groups: Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Zeta, & Sigma Kappa & Alpha Delta Pi. Please let us know how rush turns out!

Colonies
 

White Daisy
What an exciting post to read! I am a member of Eta Theta at Saint Louis University! We were just given our charter(meaning we became a chapter) in November of 2001. So we spent last semester bein a colony. I am a junior myself and as soon as I found out DG was coming to SLU I wanted to be a part of it! So many things will happen for you in the next year! Email me at penninek@slu.edu! I would love to share my experiences so far. I am the Vice President of Panhelleic and have a lotof things to share!!!!! Cant wait to talk!!!!

itb...
Elizabeth
penni02@aol.com

Re: Colonies
 

Liz, that is so great to read! I am happy that you have been through the colonization process as you can tell us first hand what happens! My chapter just turned 10 in 2001! It was very exciting!

YEA! i'm so excited to hear from a legacy....especially one who's mom is an ETA! i do not know a whole lot about expansion either considering my chapter is extremely old, however, we did go through a fraternity assisted COB last semester so i do know the process of the interviews and how we decided what women we wanted to be the next Eta members. i totally agree with cutiepie by saying that you would like to consider being a chapter officer but i'm sure that'll come up eventually when the chapter begins to grow.
good luck with everything and if you ever need any information about anything....let any of us know. we will always be here to help!


Delta Gamma
Eta Chapter
University of Akron

Just wanted to drop a note and say hi since I am a member of the first offical pledge class of Delta Gamma Eta Eta Chapter at Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL!! This was my freshman year and I had said forever that I would never join a sorority, but when rush came around for us in January, I couldn't help but feel completely at home and one with the girls who became my sisiters. I am so happy that Delta Gamma came to our school. The girls who worked so hard to make this happen deserve so much credit and congrats because we only had two offical soroities (Phi Mu and Tri-Delt) before our we received our charter in April of 2001 and they didn't make it too easy for us, but we're getting established quickly. And we couldn't do it without the constant and loving support of our Alums. And to the girls in Reno who just received their charter, WAY TO GO!!

LITB,
Colleen Erin

Thanks for joining us here at the DG forum!
 

Colleen,
Welcome to the DG forum! :) I remember reading in the Anchora about Spring Hill being established as a colony, and then the next Anchora issue talked about the installation of HH chapter at Spring Hill College! That is so great!

Now that the newest chapter is Eta Iota at UN-Reno, I wonder where the next colony will be? I am very curious...I guess we'll all have to watch the Anchora for the latest updates! :D

I think you should go for it, WhiteDaisy! :) Being a Delta Gamma is one of the best things in the world, and being a charter member of a chapter is like icing on the cake. I can tell you this because I am a charter member myself, of Eta Eta chapter at Spring Hill (the same chapter of Colleen who posted above - Hi Colleen! :) ).

I know that being a member of this chapter will be forever rewarding to me, and I definitely want to recommend it to you. More than joining a sorority that is already established, working through the colonizing process will give you (and your new sisters) the abliity to mold your chapter into whatever you want it to be. It is not the easiest thing I have ever done, but there have been plenty of other Delta Gammas that have helped us immensely along the way. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then being a member of a colony is the thing for you. You'll never forget the experience AND you'll be one of the few Delta Gammas who get to attend their chapter's own Installation (where the colony recieves the "title" of chapter).

I hope you'll be a sister one day soon! Good luck! :)

Jennifer

PS - You will be eligible to be an officer during colonization, but (as said before by someone else) you are elected or appointed by the rest of the colony.

Yay! Recruitment for the NCSU Colony begins Sept 23rd. I can't wait! A lot of girls held out of formal rush hoping to get picked up by DG! It's going to be so great! I hope I will get selected! I know that if I am given a bid I will do everything I can to help DG get a good start here!! Any tips anyone can offer me? If you are allowed and all?

That's so exciting! More DG's close by to where I live!

Okay, just got the schedule for the start of the NCSU colony. Sept 24th will be an info session, 25th will be interviews, 26th will be a preference party (150 or so girls will be invited), and the 27th the first pledge class of NCSU's DG Colony will be announced!!!! There will be 120 girls invited to join! I'm so excited (so is my mom!). It's such a fun thing to share with her! Wish me luck! Hopefully soon, I'll be on my way to being one of your sisters!! :D

Thanks for the update! GOOD LUCK and please keep us posted!

Some tips: if your DG Mom has not already filled out a Recommendation form for you, please ask her to do so. She should be able to get it off of the Web, or out of the Anchora (the last issue or the one before had it in there).

As for any tips.....well, I think you could look at our website and maybe get to know a little bit about Delta Gamma. Where was it founded, who were the 3 founders, the philanthropy, etc. Also, you can ask your Mom to share any non-secret stuff with you about Delta Gamma - this will show a sincere interest in Delta Gamma. In your interview, you can explain that your Mom is a DG alumna, and you have grown up hearing about DG, etc. (In short, show that you that you keen, enthused about Delta Gamma, etc.)

As for tips...well, I think virtually all sororities look for women who have a sustained, sincere interest in the organization, and are seeking friendship, sisterhood, a chance to get involved and give back to the community, that kind of thing. Also, what is very important is maintaining your grades and also being financially responsible, which means that you agree to pay your dues each year to the sorority, etc. That is about all I can think about right now. You sound like a very keen, enthusiastic potential new member! Best of luck!! I will cross my fingers for you! :D

PS I found this little tidbit on the web from NC State:
http://www.ncsu.edu/greek_life/weeklyupdate.html

I'm here getting info about colonization in general (I want to do DZ at UF), but my mom was a DG at Bowling Green in Ohio, and my Grandma was one at Akron (Eta chapter) and my aunt was one at Syracuse! So I think DG's are great!

Starting up a new colony is going to take a lot of leadership, so during your interviews make sure to let them know that you're interested in getting involved in CMT (DG's exec board). I'm sure they'll be happy to know that you're ready to jump in feet first and make the chapter great.

CMT = Chapter Management Team

Another Question
 

Okay, I have another question for you lovely DG ladies...NEXT WEEK starts the colonization process of DG here at NCSU. There are so many girls interested and I'm so excited about it all...on the National DG webpage it lists the schedule as follows (which I have already posted here):

Okay my question comes at the very last part...does the initiation/installation of Eta Kappa chapter of DG mean we will get a charter then (if I'm offered a bid, of course) or just become full sisters? When does a colony go from being a colony to a chapter? Isn't it with a charter? Sorry if these are really stupid questions...I asked my mom but since she was from an early chapter (go Eta chapter), she didn't know how the new ones worked...Thanks for all of your help! I really do appreciate it!

I'm pretty sure that installation = charter. and charter definitely = chapter.

Recruitment starts TOMORROW!! I'm so excited! I'll start a thread in the RUSH forum tomorrow sometime so everyone can follow my adventure!!! Thanks for all the advice that many of you girls have given! Especially to Ciara and the other Reno girls (if any of ya'll get to see this)!!! I'm so excited!

That's wonderful! I will be crossing my fingers for you!

I GOT A BID!!!!!!! Just in case some of you are not following the thread in the RUSH forum...I got a bid this morning!!! I'm so excited!

I already posted in the rush thread, but congratulations! I'd love to hear your progress throughout the colonization process.




Wouldn't it be touching if CJ's mom could come to her initation?

Congratulations CJ on being invited to wear the Golden Anchor!
I am so excited for you and your mother!

Congratulations on becoming a part of the DG colonization team! Sounds like you will be a great person to help with that and to gain new members from now on. I hope your experience with DG is as wonderful as mine is right now. Good luck with colonization and again, congratulations!
:)

CJ where have you been?! How is everything going with colonization? Your family? Update us!

Oops...see below...

I'm here, I'm here. I have been super busy with school work, family, boyfriend, and DG! Things are going well. Our colony has about 100 women who are from all different backgrounds! There are some that would fit the "sorority girl" mold wanting to party a lot, others that are really interested in Well Aware, some that can't wait to get into some philanthropic work, and some that are just there for the sheer joy of having an amazing family. We are electing officers next week and I'm pretty torn. I really want to run for president and I think I have the leadership and knowledge to get the Eta Kappa Colony off the ground. The major problem with this is that it would obligate me to live in the house. I lived off campus my sophomore year and live off campus this year as well. Our house will be ready in January and will house 40 women, including the president and 7 VP's. I don't know how I feel about moving back into a roommate situation with dorm-like rules. My boyfriend isn't too thrilled about me living in the house either, and this DG thing has been pretty hard on him, but so far he's been understanding and is trying to be supportive. I don't think he would support the idea of living in the house, and I feel that he deserves some sort of compromise since he has been so supportive, even if he doesn't agree with it all. And since our officers will serve from November - November, if I'm elected, will I have to sign up to live their my entire senior year too, even if my office runs out in November? The other consideration is that I am VERY interested in web page developement. So I am interested in being the Director of E-Communications, which is all around new to DG. I have a bit of experience in web page developement and think that I could do a great job at that. Probably better than most of the other women in the colony. That position would not require me to live in the house, which is appealing. I don't know that I would be interested in too many of the other positions, possibly VP Membership or Director of New Members, but as is apparent, President and D. of E-Comm appeals to me more.
We have had two colony meetings so far and are working on our New Member Persuit books. It's pretty exciting. We have three groups: bronze, pink, and blue. And these groups meet through out the week for lunch, study sessions, and campus events. So we have had lot's of opportunities to get to know each other. Yesterday we were given our Twin sisters. I'm so excited! My twin is a beautiful sophomore named Kristy! She is a legacy too, which is fun and she's also from the area as well - which I'm sure both of our mom's will take advantage of!
Oh, this is getting long. My mom is doing okay. It's been pretty hard on the family in the past few weeks. Her cancer is very aggressive, there is no way around it. For the next two months she will be on a biological treatment - Femura, which is some hormone that slows the growth of the cancer. After that they recommended weekly doses of chemotherapy using a different regime than was used last time. Down the road there may be some experimental things they can try. They have no magic cure for this type of cancer. All of this is very sad, but we must remember that we are never given anything we can't handle and that at any time one of us could be killed in a car accident. We must cherish the time we have. I feel bad for my father as he is so in love with my mom and hates seeing her in this pain. He is a university professor and has rescheduled all of his classes for Tuesdays and Thursdays so he can be home with her on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays. I only hope that one day I will be blessed to feel this same love for someone. My boyfriend has been amazing through this whole thing and is an awesome piller to lean against, as have all of my friends. My brother is a year older than I am and is a senior at UNC- Greensboro. He doesn't seem to show much fear, especially in front of my parents, but he called me when we found out the cancer had spread to make sure I was okay and to tell me that he was hurting a lot as well. I have an amazing family. And now I have 100 sisters locally and over 180,000 nation wide to support me. All things are possible.
I'm sorry this was so long, I feel like a huge weight has been taken off of me by writing all of this out. I really am excited about how the HK colony is shaping up. Just a little concerned about the officer positions...I have to make a decision by Thursday so the next few days will consist of a lot of thinking. Thank you to everyone for all of their support through out this entire process...with DG and with my family.
DG love and mine,
Carolyn Joyce

White Daisy-

It sounds as if things are going great! Congratulations again, and please do keep us filled in on how the process comes along.

As for running for offices, I think if you feel you'd be the best person for the Director of E-Communications, and that there may be others that could handle the presidency just as well as you could, then maybe go for the Director of E-Communications? I say this because it sounds as if you have some reservations about being President, and that position would definitely take away from your free time with your boyfriend which sounds very important to you. The fact that you want to be an officer and contribute to the chapter in any way you can is wonderful, and being President is not the only way to do this. But, then again, if you do feel as if you are the best person for the job and are willing to compromise how you feel about your living situation and etc., then I say go for it! It's ultimately up to you and what you feel would be best for your current situation...

Best of luck regardless, and I can't wait to hear what you decide!

White Daisy,
I am so sorry to hear about your mother. Please know I will keep her in my prayers.
I am very excited to hear that your colony is off to such a great start! I joined Eta Delta during its first year....it is really neat to see how far a chapter will come along in just three or four years! Good luck to you all!
DG love,
Mary

Thanks for everyone's well wishes. I was elected Director of E-Comm tonight. I am very pleased...this next week will be busy on working on it all so it can be up and running ASAP!

Well - it's amazing how time flies! This Saturday is Inspiration and then Sunday is Initiation and the Installation of the Eta Kappa CHAPTER of Delta Gamma! I'm so excited! My mom will be at my Initiation and at the Installation. For the Installation there is a HUGE dinner and celebration with the presentation of the charter and everything! I'm so excited that we have made it this far!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! And I'm so happy to hear that everything is going so well. I wish you and the Eta Kappa chapter of DG continued success and all the best wishes in the future. But you're off to an amazing start... :)