My AI search!!
 

Hey everyone! After reading the other stories about alumni initiation, I decided to start my own! I didn't get to rush in college-after my first semester I had to come home, due to financial problems, and went to community college. I have a couple of family members who went Greek, as well as my fiance and his whole family! I always regretted not being able to experience this, so I decided to try now! I contacted 2 groups:

Group 1 responded, and have told me to get in touch with the alumni chapter in my area (the only problem is, I can't find the phone number or website!!)

Group 2 has not replied yet (maybe they are busy over the summer?)

I don't know if I should contact any others? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Best of luck to you Jenn! Please keep us updated! I hope you find the home of your dreams!!! :)

This is so exciting! There are so many PNAM's here!!! :D

Re: My AI search!!
 

I contacted 2 groups:
Group 1 responded, and have told me to get in touch with the alumni chapter in my area (the only problem is, I can't find the phone number or website!!)
If you don't have the phone no. or website of your local alumnae chapter, this may not be "publicly available". You may wish to ask the HQ for it. If the HQ will not give it to you, this may be their of discouraging "strangers" from appoaching alumnae chapters and and proposing themselves as a prospective candidate for alumnae initiation. But I would still ask and see if you can get the contact no. for the local alumnae chapter. Ultimately, it is the local alumnae chapter who will decide whether they wish to have you for a sister or not.

Group 2 has not replied yet (maybe they are busy over the summer?)
Hmmmm...give them a few weeks and follow up again.

I don't know if I should contact any others? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
I would wait and see what happens with 1 & 2 first. Also, besides contacting ones that "speak" to you, I would look into who has alumnae chapters in your area. You may absolutely love XYZ sorority, but if their nearest alumnae chapter is 150 miles away from you, this may be difficult to participate in from a logistics standpoint.

You didn't specify which groups you were interested in (and I understand your wanting to be discreet). If you had any further questions, feel free to PM me. :)

I also added you onto the "Roll Call" thread

You mentioned that you have a lot of family with ties to GLOs. Maybe they would be able to assist you with access to alumna club information.

Yea!! I'm happy to welcome another PNAM. Good luck with your search. There are many wonderful people here who will help you.

Lizz (PNAM tinydancer)

Thanks for the advice everyone!! And CutiePie, thanks for adding me to the list-I feel so special!!:D

Anyways, this may be a silly question, but how do I find the alumnae chapters in my area? Do I go to each org's website and check? Or is there another way?

Welcome Jenn!
Good luck hon! Keep us posted

I love all of our GC alum, and you PNAMs are just awesome! But do you know how much it kills us to wait SO LONG to find out where you end up?!?! You guys only have to wait a couple weeks to find out about us PNM's homes when we start rush threads. ;)

I'm kidding. It does drive us batty trying to figure out the groups, but I know the waiting is hellish for ya'll! Good luck, and I hope you find your way home!!!!

Thanks for the advice everyone!! And CutiePie, thanks for adding me to the list-I feel so special!!:D
I was happy to do it! You're welcome! :D

Anyways, this may be a silly question, but how do I find the alumnae chapters in my area? Do I go to each org's website and check? Or is there another way?
I would go onto the sorority's HQ website. There should be links from there. In many cases, it might say that there is an alumnae chapter in (for example) Cleveland, Ohio but there might not be a website or contact information posted. This is likely for security, (anyone can go on the Internet and potentially view this) so many sororities are no longer publicly posting the names and email addresses of the alumnae chapters and stuff like that (or it may be password protected & available to initiated members only, so you would need to type in your Membership No#., etc.). You may need to contact HQ and explain that you would like to contact the alumnae chapter in your city, etc.

An excellent point..I would try to avail yourself of whatever potential "Greek networking opportunities" that you have.

Damn, I am Glad to be a CO-MOD on this Thread!!!

Why would one ask, DAH, it is so great to see PNM,s ,On looking to join!!

I want to thank all of the people and members who are doing such a Fantastic Job!!

Damn, I almost wish I was a PNM!! Well, Almost:D

Goodest Luck to each and everyone of you!

Be it known, You will find Help Here!!!!!!!:) :D :cool:

I am the oldest and biggest cheer leader on site!:D

Jenn,

Good luck with your AI quest.:D

Or it might just be that they don't have a website.:) As is the case for a number of our chapters and IH doesn't post the contact info for the reasons you mentioned.

Another thing......
 

If any PNAM's need alumnae contact info for us, feel free to contact me.

Good luck. Can't wait to read the updates.

Carolyn

I love reading these stories!!!! Good luck with your search. be sure to give us updates. :)

Good Luck!

This is almost as fun as the recruitment threads!:D

Thanks so much to everyone for the kind words and support!! You guys are awesome!

I know someone said to turn to family with Greek ties, and here's the situation with that:

Cousin is in a GLO that doesn't do alumnae initiations.
Fiance's mom is a member of Group 2 that I contacted-she is so nice, and I know she would help me.
Fiance's sister in law is a member of a GLO that does AI, but I don't know her that well, we don't ever really talk, and I would feel kind of awkward asking her about it.

One of the girls who is going to be a bridesmaid in my wedding is a member of Group 1, and I know she'll help me.

So far, I'm going to email Group 2 again next week, if I don't here from them this week. I've emailed Group 1 to get the alum chapter in my area info. I'll keep you guys posted!!

From what you describe above, JennRN, Group 1 and 2 sound promising. If you wanted any advice or insights, feel free to PM me.

JennRN,

I am sure that you can see by the support on GC from ALL Members of All Soros. that No Matter which Greek Ogr. YOU may A I with, The Important Thing is that you do if you so desire!:)

This is no different than when in College on Recruitment Week, you see many and have to decide on only one!

As you can see, there are many Ladies who support you know matter which Soroity you may have the Privilage and it is to associate with as they are all great!:cool:

You have the support from the Fraternity Men Also!!!!!

Go and good luck!!!

Keep us in the loop!:)

Welcome!
 

Jenn,
Congrats on your decision to go AI. I am an AI and it is one of the best decisions I made. I hope you find a good home.

I always think it best to look at groups where you know someone already--that helps when making connections. But if it doesn't work out with either of the groups you've contacted, I would also encourage you to use the information here and look at other groups as well. You never know what you may find!

Don't be afraid to pick up the phone either. Call the HQ if you need more information--people are usually more willing to immediately help someone over the phone than through an email.

Best Wishes,
Heather
Delta Phi Epsilon AI

Hi Jenn!

I just wanted to say welcome to the PNAM club! :)

Firstly, I was wondering what the "RN" in your username means; are you a Registered Nurse?

Secondly, I also wanted to say "way to go" for deciding to pursue alumna initiation!! That's awesome!

Like Jill, you seem to have some great opportunities in front of you. Though I think it's awesome that both your friend and your fiance's mom appear to be willing to help you, you might want to let each one know about the other. In other words, your friend might try and pull some strings to get you invited to an event while your future mother-in-law is doing the same. If you eventually feel drawn more to future M-I-L's sorority, and your friend didn't know you were working with another group, she may be surprised and hurt. So, just make sure that both your friend and your future M-I-L know that you have interest in more than one group. :) At any rate, sounds good so far!!

If you want to PM me to chat about your PNAM adventures, feel free to do so!

PNAM,

.....Kelly :)

Ok whats going on so far:

Group 1: I found out that the alum chapter in my immediate area is inactive, but I spoke with their HQ who put me in touch with an alum chapter 15 minutes away, and I emailed the president of that chapter.

Group 2: still no word. I sent another email to their HQ.

And then, on a wild hair, I contacted 2 more groups!! I don't know why, but here's whats going on with them:

Group 3: out of office until tomorrow.

Group 4: the coordinator of alum service emailed me back and explained the process. She then put me in touch with another alum coordinator who can help me if I don't know any member of Group 4(I don't)-sp I emailed her.

Now I'm hoping to meet with someone from the alum chapter of Group 1 soon! And just waiting to hear back from my emails!!

Sounds promising, Jenn! :)

I hope you hear some positive news soon...don't give up all hope give them a week to respond back then if no response email the GLOs of interest again (HQ and alum contact. If posible the contact person for the region you live in).

I contacted the regional person after getting that info from the HQ (new !st choice GLO)...I meet w/ chapter advisor on Friday for lunch....that meeting date took me almost 7 weeks to get -- persistence (sp?)patience has it rewards.:D

Michelle

Jenn, best of luck! :) Groups 1 and 4 sound very helpful.

PNAM- Adpi
 

Anyone looking to become a PNAM for Adpi in the Twin Cities, MN area can PM for info....

Jen

Hey guys, you have to help me!! Here's the problem:

Group 1's alum chapter president(from my area) emailed me back and sent me a list of events that are going on this summer that I can come to (yay!! so excited!!) She said she looks forward to having me join her chapter (woo hoo!! even more excited!!)-but here's my problem. I keep trying to download the newsletter, but nothing comes up!! I'm seriously computer illiterate, and it's a PDF file (??) -do you download that differently?? When I try to download it right now, all that comes up is a white page with black blocks on it-no words, no nothing. What am I doing wrong??

Also-I'm going to email her back and try to start coming to events ASAP-do I need to meet with her prior? Or do I just like, show up at the events, like, Hi here I am, PNAM!!

Slightly panicked, but otherwise ok....

Congratulations, Jenn!

You probably need the Acrobat reader to view the file. You can download it here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Best of luck to you!

Ok, crisis averted-thanks to SisterMadly for her advice about Acrobat!! And to GeekyPenguin for offering her help too!

Anyways, I was able to pull up the newsletter, and there are 2 events I can attend:

1) is at a musuem-movie, you can bring picnics and blankets. my questions: what do i wear to this? would this be a good oppourtunity to meet the alums and get to know them if we're watching a movie?

2) is a baseball game, and you can bring spouses/signifigant others. should i bring my fiance-it's not like he'll know anyone there??

Ok, crisis averted-thanks to SisterMadly for her advice about Acrobat!! And to GeekyPenguin for offering her help too!

Anyways, I was able to pull up the newsletter, and there are 2 events I can attend:

1) is at a musuem-movie, you can bring picnics and blankets. my questions: what do i wear to this? would this be a good oppourtunity to meet the alums and get to know them if we're watching a movie?
How about a summer dress or maybe a cute top and capris?
I guess you can talk to them before the movie or afterwards? Bring something yummy in your basket to share...you can bond with people over food.

2) is a baseball game, and you can bring spouses/signifigant others. should i bring my fiance-it's not like he'll know anyone there??
Hmmm....I would bring the fiance. He can talk to the guys about sports and you'll have a better time probably too. Also, if people know he's your fiance, then you can talk about when your wedding will be, etc.

I would first see if other people are bringing significant others. When we surveyed our chapter about doing "couple" events, they didn't want to. They consider Gamma Phi to be a "just the girls" thing. I would guess, some men are coming, but you might be surprised.

I would suggest wearing capris to the picnic/blanket thing -- easier to be lady-like!;)
And I would not want to bring fiance -- yet -- let the alums get to know YOU first before your fiance is in the picture

Just my two cents!

OK, heres an update:

Group 1: I called the alum chapter president and told her that I would like to try and come to the event on June 27th at the museum. Just waiting for her to call me back.

Group 3: Their alum service coordinator gave me the name and email of the alum chapter president in my area. I emailed her and told her that I was interested in learning more about them and possibly participating in some of their summer events.

That's about it! I'm nervous about meeting Group 1-do you guys think I should see if the president and I could like, go to lunch before the event??

I think that would be an excellent idea! If if she says no, which I couldn't imagine, at least it would show interest!

I love all this AI stuff...I am going to try SO hard to get my mom to do it next year.

I'd agree too on lunch............

Well, I wrote a long message last night, but it got erased, so now I have to do it again...Grrr....anyways, here goes, and I apologize in advance if it's lengthy!!

Group 1: I talked to the alum chapter pres yesterday, and she is so nice!! She told me alot about the group: appearantly in my area there was one alum group, and then in November, these girls split off from them to form the alum group in Raleigh. All the girls are around my age, either engaged or married-like me! She told me that, unfortunately, alot of people are out of town, so Friday's event might get cancelled-but that there is still the baseball game in July, and also a book club meeting in July, which she invited me to as well. And she encouraged me to bring my fiance to the baseball game-and then offered to carpool with me to both events, so that I'm not wandering in like, who is everyone?? She was really nice, very friendly-and very informative!! She said that if I like all the girls, and vice versa, and I feel like I "fit", then she and I would sit down together and discuss what the sorority is about, the commitment, the bonds, etc-basically stuff I would learn in a pledge period. And if I feel comfortable and ready, then we could proceed with AI!! I am so excited to meet her and the other girls, and start going to their events!!

Group 3-I also talked to the chapter pres yesterday, and she was very nice too! She told me that, since it's summer, most people have crazy schedules and vacations, so they don't have many events-which I would expect. She told me about the group-the age range seems to vary with some girls having just graduated from college, and some people being married with kids. She said that she would keep in touch with me, and let me know when any summer events come up, but said that most of their events are from Sept-May, and then invited me to the September one. So, I look forward to hearing from her, but also am sort of bummed about not being able to get involved now. But like I said, I know it's summer, people go on vacation, and I understand that ut's hard to get people together.

So thats it for now!!

That's great news, Jenn! It sounds like things are going well with both groups! :)

That's sounding good! I am in the same boat as you are with the group that does not meet in the summer. It is really hard to wait!!

Girl, I am feeling your pain too! http://superbabies.homestead.com/files/agree.gif
Going thru the same thing now...folx on summer vacation! G-d gimme patience and I want it NOW! http://superbabies.homestead.com/files/lol3.gif

Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but here's an update:
I have an event tonight!! Woo-hoo!! It's with Group 1, and I am so nervous-and so excited! I've been getting Group 1's emails each week: mostly about the summer events and also about community and health issues. Needless to say I am really excited to meet the girls-there are going to be about 6 girls tonight, and some are bringing signifigant others(the president of the chapter encouraged me to bring my fiance along too, so I am). So, I will definately let you guys know how tonight goes!!

By the way, the Guessing thread cracks me up!! I will say that some of you have made a couple of correct guesses, whether it's about groups contacted, or about groups I'm leaning towards......;)