Membership: Nomenclature, semantics, etc...
 

Ok, y'all, I have a question. What do you call a person whose membership was revoked by their national office who continues to pose as a member of the organization? Would you still call a member who'd had her letters snatched by nationals "soror/frat?" How do you handle such a person?

As far as I'm concerned, they are PERPS! How DARE you continue to masquerade as a member when you have CLEARLY been ousted??? :mad: For WHATEVER REASON, you don't DESERVE to wear MY letters. :mad: Wear the OTHER ones you got FIRST. :mad:

So, my FELLOW GREEKS, what do y'all think?

Ideal, does this topic bother you? lol :p

I'm not sure how I would treat someone who is not recognized at the national HQ, hmmm... lemme think about it..

If she has actually been expelled, then I no longer call her soror, because she isn't one. And if she is still wearing the letters, then yes I consider her a perp. But if she is just suspended, she is still my soror. I will tell her she is wrong for wearing the letters during the suspension, but she is still my soror.

Co-sign with LadyGreek. Also, if she's not active for non-disciplinary reasons, she's still my soror. Life has its twists and turns.

If someone was expelled from my organization... hmmm... That means that they had to commit a SERIOUS misdeed. I know that my organization is a SERIOUS matter, and a SERIOUS misdeeds could place my organization in a compromising situation. If someone was expelled from my organization then I would no longer be able to consider them a soror. Being inactive or suspended is not comendable, but as my soror I would support them until they were able to get back on the right track towards service to all mankind.

ttt
 

Has anyone had any personal experience with this? Do people not want to share?

I have to be real. No one can take away the love that I have for Alpha Kappa Alpha. It is truly in my heart. For that reason, I would never do anything to jeopardize my membership. But I can maybe understand (not really, just trying to play DA) how it would be hard to let go of something so dear. Can you blame them for not being able to let it go?

Point of clarification...
 

Re: Point of clarification...
 

No, the person to whom I am referring was a member and was expelled. In answer to your second question, you have to do something PRETTY BAD to get expelled, y'know what I'm sayin'? I mean BAD, as in UNTHINKABLE. I say put them out. Because regardless of what they know, they no longer DESERVE to be a member and reap the benefits of membership. GET OUT!!!! :mad: Think before you act. Then you ALREADY have members who can't keep their mouths shut anyway. :rolleyes: So discontinuing expulsions wouldn't help in that regard. *sigh* It's sad, really, that someone would do something to warrant getting kicked out. I feel as though I'm about to go off, so I'm going to stop right here.

Yeah, I know, but its just sad to me that someone will know all of my information and not BE a soror. :(

Me, too, sister, me too. I PRAY it never happens to a soror that I know personally. How hard would THAT be?? :(

be selective
 

I think someone who was expelled and still wearing the letters is sad. Accept that you are no longer a part of the organization and move on. After all, if they had no respect for their letters when they had them legally, then don't wear them now. Also, if the person is crazy and has problems then he/she will have problems elsewhere in his/her life, not just with the GLO.

Not to philosophy too much, but, I think that this is where we as GLOs must be VERY SELECTIVE on who we let in. Get to know the people who want to join your org. When I came through you had to have 30 hours, so basically you were pledging your sophomore year. I hated the wait at the time, but it was good in that an org had a year to check out prospective members.

Not to offend anyone, but when I hear of lines of 30 or more, I really question the criteria the chapter is using to let people in. This is where the chapter may suffer because I think it would be difficult for the MIP chair to effectively monitor all pnms. If you have 40-50 people on line and one or two are wacky and your MIP calendar is short ( a week to a month), then that may not be enough time to weed them out.

Re: be selective
 

You've hijacked my thread!! LOL I agree with everything you've said in paragraphs 1 and 2. Last paragraph though, I have to disagree slightly. If you have 150 black people on campus, then a line of 40 would be a lot. But if you have THOUSANDS of black people, HUNDREDS will show up for information, 40 is selective. It's all relative. Also, people need to be weeded out BEFORE any type of MIP activity. *sigh* Why you tryin' to go there, sigmadiva? Hijacker!!! You know this is another thread. And probably somewhere on GC already.

But you can repeat that first paragraph. Bold it. Italicize it. Underline it!!!!!!!!!!! Shooooooooooot.......

I'm sorry..
 

I had no intent to hijack the thread. You got me thinking and I could not stop!!!

Thank you for the explanation of having 40 people on line. I went to a historically white univeristy (97% white), so the thought of 40 people being on line is like all the Black people on my campus being on line for the same org. It boggled my mind :eek:.

Speaking of boggling minds and such:

I'm sure it boggles minds when they see 1 or 2 on a line CONSECUTIVELY! :eek: :o And that's at an HBCU!

Lines with 30 or more DIDN'T start with MIP. I've seen where undergraduate lines in the early 80's (1983 to be exact) had more than 45. No, it wasn't an Alpha Kappa Alpha line, either! :p

My thoughts...
 

Having 1 - 2 people per line could be due to several reasons, but the underlying issue is probably because of poor recruiting strategy by the chapter. An important fact that was drilled into us when I was on line is that you are ALWAYS rushing, even when you don't think so. That is why a member of a GLO must always be on his/her best behavior. It is hard to be good all the time, but we must try. You never know who is looking at you and wondering if they want to join your org. YOUR actions could make the difference.

Another reason for low line numbers is that some people don't have the mentality of sheep. You know, if one falls off a cliff then the others will follow without thinking. Somewhere in that mass of sheep is a gazelle that turns and goes a different way.


Now that I understand how lines can get big (40- 50 people), I personally think that more than 30 is too much. I've read posts here in GC from WGLO sororities where chapters can get so big that they become click-ish (sp?) and not every member feels the bonds of sisterhood. I think that taking 10 -15 per 'pledge class' is enough. You still have a lot of people, but it is not so big that you can not bond.

Enough of the hijacking
 

Sorors and SF's, if you wish to continue discussing sizes of lines, please do a search and post it in the appropriate thread. This thread is NOT about that.

Move on...

true story...
 

referring back to the topic at hand...hoping it aint a hijack:p The name has been changed to protect the victim/suspect.
(Sorry it's long)

I personally knew a young lady (we'll call her Tina) who had a process for xyz, and before her pinning, the advisor told her and her dean, that their national headquarters was unable to extend membership to her due to incorrect calculations of grades. The dean decided to go ahead and pin Tina, and keep the situation quite until the graduate chapter could be established, and Tina would be a chartering member. As far as the chapter, the campus, and other members of the Sorority, she was a soror.

The sorority took in a line the following year, but for whatever reason, didn't put Tina's paperwork through with the new girls, so for 2 years (and for 2 lines), Tina walked around with letters, doing service with her chapter and sorors, went on road trips, and finally graduated and moved to another state and city. In her new state and city, she is reppin' her organization with the up-most, hanging with her sorors, going to social events, stepshows and what not. She meets a older chapter member and they bond, she tells her "prophyte" her situation and asks for help. Well, her "prophyte", let it slip to some other sorors about Tina's situation and well, all hell breaks lose:( .

Tina was assulted, both physically and verbally. Her phone didn't stop ringing, she got hate and threat emails. She was sought out by the president of the grad chapter and was brought in for "talks". It went as far as the Regional Board and I think they have a case pending on her, I haven't kept in touch with her.

It's one thing to prep, or do something horrible and get expelled, but for Tina and folks in her situation, how would you feel finding out that they aren't real?

Re: true story...
 

How is Tina not a perp? She should have never been pinned in the first place, she didn't even meet the STANDARDS to join the org!!! She's ghost, which to me is the exact same thing as a perp. If Tina was SMART, she would have known that she wasn't a nationally recognized member, and would not have been galavanting around reppin' something that she was not. Process/pin or no process/pin. She instead would have been trying to join a graduate chapter. And why tell that you aren't real?? And if you KNOW that you aren't real, what EXCUSE did you give for running around in 'nalia and carrying on?

The Dean should have never pinned her. This is exactly how we end up with these crazy situations in our organizations. People need to use better judgement. That's just my .08.

Tina
 

Hmmmmm!

1. How would Tina be a 'chartering member' of the grad chapter without having membership in the organization?

That doesn't make sense.

2. Tina knew she wasn't a full fledge member and wouldn't have all the rights and privileges as such....so why would she walk around likes shes a member....especially if she wanted to do the 'right' thing.

3. That's why one shouldn't get caught up in this mess........we tell you the way we do things, but you do something else and then try to get mad at US. I don't like what happened to her (the abuse)....but she was never a member! She's a dang perp!!! What Tina needs to do is give the name of the 'individual' that thought she should be 'made' any way so she can get the 'boot' as well!!! When are people going to learn that they are not BIGGER than our organizations!!!!

Now we are criminals??!?! :p
 

hijacking...wtf!

Ladies,
 

please believe I agree with all you both said.
I remember trying to explain to Tina how wrong she was for her action. We had numerous agrurments about her situation. We stop being friends because I use to tell her she shouldn't be reppin' what she really aint. But her attitude got the best of her.

She was a fake, not matter what her dean said or what her advisor said they would do to help her out. The advisor, along with Tina, were going to take in a line to charter the grad chapter and though Tina wasn't an official member, she was going to bring these ladies in and her name would be on paper along with the new ladies.

I never understood why her paper work was never re-submitted with the 2 lines after her.

Maybe in other organizations....
 

I can only speak for Alpha Kappa Alpha.....but in order to 'charter' a line....you have to be a member.

Are you stating that members were going to charter a chapter and when they had their next line she was promising to be on it...

If not...the whole thing doesn't make sense. Usually, you can't be a 'charter' member of organization you are not a part of yet....

How does that sound....Yeah...I'm going to be on a 'charter' line of XYX...but I'm not a member...

Re: Ladies,
 

Maybe she never had the grades? :confused:

Re: Re: Ladies,
 

No ya'll she had the grades, at least her last year, she was just waiting for the grad chapter to be chartered.

Like I said, this is a ture story. If you were in the DC area during the summer of 99' you may have heard about it.

When it happened, some of her "sorors" started speculating on my membership (since we were roommates and hung out togethere) :mad: :mad: please believe, that was shut down quick fast and in a hurry.

So, if she had the grades, what prevented her from making it legal? Did she think she could easliy slip through the cracks?

21 questions
 

Ok, help me understand a little bit more, lol. If there was no grad chapter chartered, where was the advisor from? Or were they trying to charter a new graduate chapter (in addition to the already existing one)? This all sounds real suspect. Or maybe not, I guess every org operated differently. But in Alpha Kappa Alpha, the advisor comes from the sponsoring graduate chapter. So the advisor was in on her pinning, too? She needs to get the boot as well.

How they just gon' assume you were a perp, too? :mad: Naw, I mighta asked to see your financial card, too, lol. ;)

This is a trip, ain't it? I feel like callin' treblk on the phone, get to the bottom of all this, lol. Because wouldn't that be something important to remember? How could they leave her paperwork out with the next line??? It just all sounds real suspect.

Re: 21 questions
 

Its all about checks and balances. Multiple forms and a lot of signatures. I can understand a perp who, out of the blue, shows up to the greek store and buys stuff to wear. But, if those who should be in control are not, then that is a more serious issue. The same is true for SGR. The advisor comes from the sponsoring grad chapter. I was an advisor and I made sure every young lady had her paperwork in order.

Unfortunatly, people want to do what they want to do and not follow the rules when it is sooo much easier and better in the long run if you do it right the first time.

Just to note: I do keep my financial card in my wallet. Right next to my Sears card. ;)

clarification
 

Ok, let me clear some things up.

Her advisor was with another chapter and with 2 other sorors, wanted to charter another grad chapter.

They left her paper work out of the lines that came after her because no one besides her and her dean and advisor (I think her line sisters all knew too) knew. Her dean graduated and moved to another city, so couldn't do anything for her. If she tried to stick her paperwork in with the new girls, then questions would be asked and what not. It seemed better to wait on the grad line.

If Tina never moved out of state, she might have become a "real" soror, because the new grad chapter was chartered in 2001.

ideal, girl you can PM me if you like. Like I said, this is in the past, but it did happen.

Re: Re: 21 questions
 

So do I.

Still sounds fishy....
 

If the grad advisor knew the deal.... why couldn't she speak up....She's a grown ass woman ain't she...

And seem as though the prophyte would have left word...what, once you leave a chpater...you never look back.

The killer is her line sisters.....what the heck!!!! They had the power of the vote....did they just not want her either.

This just doesn't make any sense. Sorry!

I know this is repeating some of what was previously said...oh, well.:p

If I knew of someone who was expelled from the sorority, I would not consider her a soror. If she tried to act as if she still was in the sorority, I'd consider her worse than a perp! Unlike a perp, someone who was expelled knew what she had. She also knew what she was doing when she let it slip away.

Like was said, someone would have to do something really bad to be expelled. Anyone who would risk her pearls and jeopardize the existence of the organization as a whole has no love in her heart for the sorority. She is more concerned with keeping up appearances than with learning about and developing a greater appreciation for something that is larger than herself.

Re: Re: Re: 21 questions
 

My financial card is behind my driver's license, so that I don't forget it and it's always on me.:D

:confused:
 

Where else would one "store" it?