"New" Pledge from C.O.B.
 

Hello! I am new to the forum as well as Greek Life! I'm a transfer student from a CC to an average sized university. I took a chance with C.O.B. (which I didn't even know existed) because I missed rush. I was extended a bid last night and excepted. I was wondering if someone could lend some advice as far as National Panhellenic and the sorority I am pledging which is Sigma Kappa!? The idea is hard to accept that I can be invited to join after 3 meetings (informal) yet most girls go through formal rush which is so structured? Do greeks do COB to meet their quota? I was only able to meet this sorority because I felt comfortable and right at home off the bat. What do most people wear for their "whites." I feel as if I should know so much abd learn but I guess I am just worrying. I have questions about Big Sis/little Sis too and are there all types of Greek organizations ie social, professional. Thanks for all your help! =)

Nothing too tight, nothing too short, nothing strappy and nothing too casual. A short-sleeve or long sleeve dress in linen or some other semi-dressy fabric, or a white suit, are good choices. Make sure there is no colored trim on it (it should be as simple and classic as possible). Basically, pretend you're going for a job interview at a company that wears nothing but white. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif

Congratulations on your bid! If you have any other questions, just ask your sisters.

My best friend is a Sigma Kappa! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif Congrats on your bid http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif I'm new to all this too, so I really can't answer any of your questions... sorry. But I just wanted to say congrats http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

I just realized I went a little overboard on the smileys... lol.

Hi Kimmi!

Sigma Kappa is at my school too. What school are you at?

Formal rush used to be only three days long here; so you shouldn't be worried about having only met the members three times before they gave you a bid. It's actually a lot easier to get to know a girl during COB.

COB was created so that chapters can fill quota or total. BUT they don't just start offering bids to anyone. They're still picky. It's just as special as getting a bid through formal rush.

The fact that you were comfortable with them right off the bat says a lot. Can you imagine how comfortable you'll feel around them a month from now!? http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Whites=solid white dress, white hose and white shoes

If you don't already own a white dress, ask the chapter if you can borrow one for your pinning. Then ask a member to go shopping with you for one. They'll know exactly where to find a good selection. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif Also, ask if off-white/cream colored is acceptable. Some chapters will let it slide and some won't.

There are lots of different types of Greek organizations. You could join a social, professional, academic, honorary and a service GLO.

We can answer all your questions to the best of our ability, but don't forget to utilize your Pledge Mom and all the actives. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif They'll be the most accurate with their answers.

Good Luck! Keep us posted. There are a few unregistered Sigma Kappas that pop up on here occasionally, so keep you eyes open for them.

Feel free to email me with any other questions. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Whites=solid white dress, white hose and white shoes


AHHHHHHHH!!!!! NOOOO!!! DON'T wear white hose!!! Wear nude (natural depending on your skin color) hose. It is like my biggest pet peeve when people wear unnatural looking hose (white, blue, green)--especially when you will be dressed head to toe in white. You don't want to look like a big ol' icecicle!

Just look natural! You would NEVER wear white hose to a job interview, so don't wear it to rush or as your "sorority whites".

Besides that, I say take SoCalgirl's advice for all it's worth. Absolutely ask about cream and see if you can borrow a white dress. If not, white's not in season, so check out the sale racks at the department stores.

Whew! Had to get that out! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif Good luck!

I know several GLOs that require the white hose for pledging and initiation.

Hey thanks a bunch for your advice! It really helped me out? Are you in a GLO? I attend GVSU in Michigan. What about you? Is Sigma Kappa not at many schools or something because I got the impression from you it was at yours. What is the purpose for all white besides it being special? Do you know what frats do? What is the purpose of a big brother. Do you think it is only natural to still have doubts and question why pledge even after you accept the bid? I am excited but still have all these feelings, it's scary in a way because it's a major comittment! Thanks for everything! =)

Thanks Daisy!! What GLO are you in? So did you just rush this semester too? I have tons of questions too, so don't feel like you are the only one. Do you ever have doubts, I do but i guess that is only natural. I guess all you can do is go and get to know your sisters and keep an open mind that it all takes time! =)

Okay, I know this is going to sound retarded, but someone educate me because this irks me.

What the hell is up with sororities and images?

I just read like 10 replies on what to wear to rush to make the best impression.. who gives a ****? Any Greek group should care about, is this person going to be an active part of the chapter? are they going to exemplify what we believe in? are they going to do their best to further our presence and ideals?

Who gives a ++++ if you wear white hose or not? What the **** is wrong with sororities?

Sorry for the angry message, seeing this stuff makes my blood boil. I know so many sorority girls that are so **** phony and don't give a *** about the sisterhood at all. It's all image and whatnot. That's **** up. This just backs up my claim that sororities should go through a non-structured fraternity rush. Since sororities don't have to worry about fading out of existence by not getting any new members, they can focus on how their image is. A fraternity actually has to worry about getting hardworking, good brothers, not just pretty boys who will attract women.

Someone enlighten me as to what I'm missing.

[This message has been edited by PnguinTrax (edited October 02, 2000).]

You're missing the point, boy. Nobody cares what you think, especially when you use the language you did. We're unimpressed.

To the person concerned about sorority and image:
I will answer your questions, just to help clear you up.

The women's questions about what to wear for 'whites' is a very valid question. Sororities wear white not out of image concern, but out of respect for the ritual the sorority was founded on. My particular sorority requests that women wear white dress or skirt, white hose and white shoes. It is also recommended that you cover any tattoos, and wear little to no makeup or jewelry. Ritual is not a fashion show, but a very serious event. The idea is not to impress those around you, but actually to be pure and simple. Sororities do not do their ritual for image, but for the beauty that lies INSIDE of each of us, and therefore request that everyone be uniform on the outside for these occasions.

Hey, Joe...

where you going with that gun in your hand? (sorry - force of habit)

But seriously...

Would you wear your grossest sweats, a backward baseball cap and your "coed naked barhopping" t-shirt to a job interview? Or for that matter, to a rush party? No, I don't think you would. You would wear your nicest things for the occasion. Also, females have many more fashion choices than men. That's why there were so many questions about what to wear. A guy can basically wear khakis, sweater & button-down and be good, but there are a lot more variances in female dress.

Microbiomajor hit it on the head with her response regarding white and ritual dress. Believe me, we sure as heck don't wear white because it makes us look stunning, cause with a lot of people it doesn't.

Try and look at it this way: last year at rush, there was a guy that rushed pretty hard, hit most of the houses, but there was once catch: he dressed pretty ratty, on purpose. He did this to weed out the superficial fraternities that wouldn't talk to him based on how he looked. At our house, we looked twice at him, but we have a rule that we don't care about image - we care about people. We talked to this guy, and he absolutely BLEW OUR MINDS. We were desperate for this guy. We got him, initiated him, and he turned out to be one of our brightest, most dedicated, hardcore brothers ever. This guy would have gotten bids at every house he stopped at if they just talked to him, but almost every house ignored him based on what he looked like. We ignored his image, found out who he was beneath the ratty clothes, and got an awesome brother as a result of our efforts.

I know sorority rush is different, but can you kinda see where I'm coming from?

Not with your attitude & language, no! I can appreciate seeing the beauty within, but wearing ratty clothes to a job interview won't get you very far! As for wearing whites, blacks, blues, greens, etc, why do you even care? You aren't in a sorority/fraternity for women so leave us be! You obviously weren't posting in peace while trying to learn like the majority of us on here do! We're super happy that you don't care about image - now go have a sprite!



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"Alpha Chi Omega - If you only had 2 wishes, what would your second one be?"

I thought it was a relatively lucid post.

Quote:

I can appreciate seeing the beauty within, but wearing ratty clothes to a job interview won't get you very far!

Absolutely not, I agree. The point is, a sorority and a job interview are completely different. You're trying to compare apples and oranges. Yes, a company looks at appearance as well as ability, but a GLO shouldn't be concerned with appearance and professionalism nearly as much as a big corporation with a public image to protect. What public image does a sorority have to protect? The image that college age 18-22 year olds have? With corporations, priority 1 is image, priority 2 is ability. With a sorority, if you keep those same priorities, what do you have? A bunch of eye candy with no real agenda to further a cause. And then where will you be?

Quote:

As for wearing whites, blacks, blues, greens, etc, why do you even care? You aren't in a sorority/fraternity for women so leave us be!

So males are not allowed to participate in female-oriented discussions in order to gain understanding into the femail Greek experience? I thought my post made a farily lucid point, but I digress.

Quote:

You obviously weren't posting in peace while trying to learn like the majority of us on here do!

How so? Not an attack; merely a question.

Quote:

We're super happy that you don't care about image - now go have a sprite!

I can't tell if dealing with you is hard because you're angry at my alleged posting of "secrets", or if it's just because you're some stuck-up sorority girl trying to vainly relive her glory days vicariously through undergraduates.

You probably should have gotten hazed more.

Oops..

femail = female

in my post above.

How embarrasing from a state spelling-bee champion, huh?

Joe,
I don't know what kind of fraternity you're in but in MY sorority, we treat our process like business. From the time a girl is pinned in our sorority until the time she becomes an official member and after, everything is treated as business. Sure we have our fun moments, but when it comes to learning about our sorority, it is business. It is NOTHING to be taken lightly. My sisters and I do not take giving away our traditions, etc like it is just random a** info. Therefore, it is very important that the women we select will be able to handle dealing w/ our business. Of course we realize we are in college and we're going to have fun. That's a PART of college. The other part is taking care of business: getting good grades and trying to graduate so that you can get a good job. Therefore, in my sorority, we believe that it's important to help each other prepare for the other part of what college is about and that's succeeding in and out of college.
Also, if you didn't know, there are many sororities out there that are incorporated (Inc.), mine included. That means they run their sororities similar to that of a corporation. So while you may think that a sorority and a job interview are not related, I beg to differ. Many sororities conduct interviews during the Rush process. Therefore, becoming a part of a sorority (especially one that is incorporated) is very much like going on a job interview. In that case, the women will have to dress as if they are applying for a job. With my sorority, because we function like a corporation/business, we look for women that can handle business and who will truly WORK for the sorority while in college and as an alum.
It's important for an interested lady to look her best during this time. I mean, who wants to give the impression that they are sloppy, aren't clean, or whatever else by the way they're dressed? A woman wouldn't get a job working for any corp that way and she wouldn't get into my sorority that way either. That's just the bottom line.

[This message has been edited by ZChi4Life (edited October 02, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by ZChi4Life (edited October 02, 2000).]

http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif Thanks for my laugh of the day! As for being hazed more - I wasn't hazed AT ALL. PERIOD! So maybe you shouldn't have been hazed and shouldn't be hazing now...just an assumption I'm making seeing as how you felt the need to assume I had been hazed!

As for the secrets - your name says it all. You are a nobody with no real secrets about any group (which have been backed up by several sources).

As for my being some stuck-up sorority girl...I consider it a compliment coming from someone like you who has utter disregard for the rituals of GLO's.

I am not hard to "deal" with - check my other posts - if I disagree with someone, I make my point...HOWEVER - most people on this board don't post using the language you use and trying to be insulting.

I know so many sorority girls that are so **** phony and don't give a *** about the sisterhood at all.

And I know so many frat boys that are phony and don't give a *** about the brotherhood at all. Please go find somewhere else to be a pest - you have heard all you "need" to know here. You say you look for hardworking brothers yet you try to insult me by saying I'm "trying to vainly relive her glory days vicariously through undergraduates" - why don't you think about the fact that I love AXO and I'm an active alum because strong alums make a strong chapter!

By the way - what frat are you "associated" with? Or are you really greek at all???

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"Alpha Chi Omega - If you only had 2 wishes, what would your second one be?"

Wow. Never thought I'd actually see that written in all seriousness. Especially not from someone who's not an undergrad.



I respect ritual -- just not everyone else's. Sorry.



My original post to you was in no way insulting -- I was really irked and couldn't understand what the point of the discussion was, so I inquired. It was not an attack on you, it was a direct inquiry into the attitude of sorority girls. ZChi4Life was nice enough to shed some light on the subject, and I am greatly in debt to her for that. Just because you got offended doesn't mean it was done on purpose.

And by the way, just because someone uses the word '****' or '***', doesn't mean that,

a.) they are trying to insult you
b.) they are a bad person
c.) their views should be ignored.

You may not like those words, but ***damn, that's the beauty of free speech.



Is this directed at me? If it is, what exactly is your basis for saying I don't give a **** about my brotherhood at all?



Maybe. Maybe not.



Those two things have nothing to do with each other. I can look for hardworking brothers, and at the same time, point out that you are trying to vainly relive your glory days vicariously through undergraduates.

Extreme analagous statement: "You say you want to write a book, but dammit, YOU EAT PEANUT BUTTER!"

See the silliness of your statement?



I thought about this, but just couldn't seem to bring myself to care about it.

<sigh>

Yes, I am Greek. No, I'm not an associate. Yes, I am initiated. No, it's not some ****** non-social fraternity, like the "band fraternity," or the "fraternity for management majors" or the "fraternity for married and/or divorced people" or the "fraternity for people with a cat" or the "fraternity for people who learned to tie their shoes before age 7." It's a national, social, collegiate fraternity. No, I don't post rituals because I didn't get bids at those houses. Yes, I care deeply for our ritual. No, I don't give a **** about everyone else's ritual.

[This message has been edited by PnguinTrax (edited October 04, 2000).]

Why must people be so nasty?

The first thing is RESPECT. Joenobody you have been rude but then you wonder why people have a negative reaction to you.

Secondly, you said that for most businesses ability is second and for sororities it needs to be first. Being that I am in a sorority, I think that both focus on ability and appearance at the same time. As most people know "you only get one chance to make a first impression". Whether it is right or not that is how it is. As people, we are more comfortable with those of use who appear to take care of themselves. The belief is that if you'll take care of you, then your business will also be in order.

As far as sororities being petty when it comes to appearance, rituals are important. If you knew anything about culture (which sororities and fraternities are deeply rich in)you would know that garments and style have varying and significant meaning. For many org. being dressed alike is important for unity, organization (not cluttered), and newness. Don't knock it until you know it. You are just mean to say that you don't respect other people's rituals. You don't have to care about them but you should respect them. That is the problem with most people in this world. They don't want to give respect but they want it. I personally like the fact that we (in my org.) expect a standard. NO one says that looking "shabby" means that you are not capable but when you are out representing your org. people won't say "wait let's not have an opinion of him until he speaks" they'll (fairly or unfairly) formulate an opinion upon seeing you. That is just the world. The only way to get along may not be to like each other but at least respect each other. We can't want our opinion fairly considered but then not consider others.

Before you get upset think about it. I KNOW it has to make some type of sense.

I just wanted to make a quick note: when sororities talk about wearing 'whites' it is during ritual with women they have already selected. I know that discussion has strayed from the original question to appearance in general, but I wanted to make this clarification.

2nd note: No one should ever be hazed in the first place. Maybe fraternities still have that problem, but I can speak for my school in that our sororities are very anti-hazing and I was treated with nothing but love and respect (and showered with gifts!) during my pledgeship, and I hope every other women has the same experience!

Since this topic has digressed so far from the original posting (ie. what do I wear for ritual when the attire is specified as 'whites')and has become insulting and offensive to some members of this forum, I am closing the topic.

If the use of profanity was not intended to be understood as literal, I see little sense in using it.

I cannot phathom why an initiated Greek member would respect their own ritual, but noone else's. Mine is not to reason why, BUT if you cannot show proper respect for your fellow Greeks, well, I regret your lack of understanding.

In addition - there are no "real" Greeks and "fake" greeks (ie. professional fraternities). There are just Greeks. I'm sure that many years ago when all of our organizations were started, they were either welcomed or looked down upon. That does not give us the right to belittle members of organizations to which we do not belong.