Game: How well do you know your sorority?
 

Okay, in anticipation for recruitment to begin, I want to try to quiz myself on unexpected questions that girls might ask.

I have heard stories about unprepared rushers. (This is pathedic, so don't laugh too hard) One year this particular girl came through and asked everyone in her rotation group what year our chapter was founded - and every girl gave her a different answer which showed that they didn't know their chapter well. I want to avoid this. So I am going to start...

What year was your chapter founded? Delta Pi - 1970

What other questions can you think of that we should know but because of that, we really don't think about it and when put on the spot we forget?

Zeta Theta-1979

The national philanthropy--it's something many people get confused, at least in my chapter. Technically it's our National Foundation, but women will say it's "Domestic Violence Awareness," when that's one of our central altruisms. Just a little nitpicky thing that can look bad when a rushee asks five different sisters and gets 5 different answers.

Theta Mu- Dec. 4th 1994

Our Philanthropy: The Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. But a lot of sisters will say the National Kidney Foundation. Which is what our foundation benefits but officially its the PSS foundation. Sometimes its confusing to explain the difference so I can see why some sisters do that.

I know a question a chapter should go over, so they all can have a mutal decision on:

How much time does Sorority take up?

Sometimes it can be misleading if a PNM is told something for example 'oh we have one meeting a week and we have at least one schedule philanthropy a month' Which isn't ture with us. also We all know you get what you put out of it. Sorority takes a lot of time (well spent, and lots of fun i might add! I know I wouldn't change it for anything in the world).
Also if a chapter down plays the commitment then sometimes that can be the type of attitude new sisters will have and these attitudes will guide a chapter's future so thats not cool.

Epsilon Xi - Feb 24, 1968
Philanthropy - Ronald McDonald House (which I always try to remind people to explain what that does...not just say it...since too many people connect it just with a fast food chain)
Time Commitment- meetings, events, and what you put into it

The question I have seen women stumble on is - So do you guys just party a lot?

My response always to this is there are 4 points to adpi: Service, Scholarship, Sisterhood and Social...Social is only one part of what makes our sisterhood wonderful.

alpha delta chapter - 1926 at ole miss
-Philanthropy- Childrens Miracle Network
-Time commitment- Depends on your commitment you can chose to spend as much or as little as you need on any given week. Meetings are only an hour or so one day a week. However there are 3 meals a day 5 days a week at the house which are optional.
-Do we party? Well I usually say that we have a lot of fun date parties and swaps and we like to do fun things but that's is definitely not the only thing we do.

-For some reason PTMs always ask me why I chose to join Phi Mu.

I hate getting this question because I always think that any answer sounds cheesy because these girls don't yet understand how close you become to all of your sisters. I usually tell them that I just knew that it was the place for me or something like that.

ginger

questions
 

When a pnm asked me why I joined my GLO, I used to tell them that, allthough every GLO at my university is geat in its own way, this one made me feel right at home. Just by seeing the building, the active members and feeling the mood. The home-away-from-home thing really is the most important and it makes your story much more personal then telling all sorts of objective facts about your org. As a pnm I got a house tour at XYZ and the only things this girl told me were facts about her org, nothing about her feeling for it.
I also used to stress all the different opportunities the org has. There are tons of commitees you can join, so except partying and just attending functions someone else has organised, you can really DO something! (Hell, you can fill 25 hours a day with organizing, planning and doing other things for your org ;) !) Partying doesn't even begin to describe it!

Beta Epsilon chapter - 1995 (I was there ;) )
National philanthropy - Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Time commitment - weekly meetings, rush-related activities, and activities in support of the big annual charity fundraiser are the minimum, but there is so much more going on, including social activities, other philanthropy work, committees, offices, etc. You get out of it what you put into it.

How about this - What local charities or philanthropies do you support? My chapter supports the General Israel Orphans' Home for Girls - this was the philanthropy of the local sorority my chapter was founded from. (A lot of my sisters say "orphanage" instead of "orphans' home" - this was drilled into us as a big no-no.)

Ontario Gamma Chapter: 1996

National Philanthropy - Links to Literacy, Arrow in the Arctic (Canadian), Arrowmont


I also think that if you're an international sorority, let the PNM's know that.

tnx
 

Theta Nu Xi was founded at UNC-Chapel Hill on April 11, 1997.

Other common questions"
-What does your sorority stand for?
-What type of things do you do (social, service)?
-How long is the pledge process (time committment)?

Year of founding - Alpha Chi Chapter, September 7, 1991

Philanthropy - Internationals: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders and the D Phi E Educational Foundation. Local: The Women's Center

Time: a meeting every week, plus one or two events, not all of which you need to be at; 3 weeks in the spring for recruitment work week and recruitment; as someone else said, you get out of it what you put into it, and if you do the minimum, you probably won't get as much as someone who does more like serve in a position and comes to most events.

A question that comes up on my campus ALL the time, due to the fact we have five locals and five NPC sororities is: What's the difference between joining a local and joining an NPC sorority?

Oops, I forgot this one too: Are you required to live in the house, and if so, for how long?

AND, how much will this cost!

How do you all mangage to get along? (I have trouble w/this one, it is hard not to be blunt...)

Cost is a BIG one!! and where all the dues go to. and how to justify why yours costs more than the other two (we have a local with $25 dues/semester...it is in their constitution which needs a unanimous vote to change it...)

i know it seems kind of weird, but i've gotten a lot of:

what other sororities were you interested in?

...it always catches me unaware and i usually just respond that all of the chapters on campus are wonderful and i have friends in every house, so i was open to all of the possibilities, but AXO was where i found home

Theta Eta 1987

Our philanthropy can get confusing because we have 4 of them.

gerontology- we visit retirement homes and have a senior citizens prom

Alzheimer's disease - we are one of the top three contributors to the alzheimer's foundation and we participate in the local memory walk every year.

Inherit the Earth - we usually participate in Earth day and we have also been doing Christmas in April with SAE (we repair houses of less fortunate people)

Maine Sea Coast Mission - our first philanthropy - we were founded in Maine and each year we send supplies and toiletries to fishermen living on small islands off the coast of Maine.

When girls ask us about our philanthropy they get an ear full.

I also get the question Did you get your first choice?

Epsilon Theta- 1987

When I was a pnm I was being rushed with another pnm and she asked one of my now sisters: "so when we leave, how do you remember us?" that was kind of a stumbler. no one really wants to get into the details of rotations and rush practices and MS.

but that doesn't really relate to my chapter.

I think a good thing to know is "how and why was your specific chapter founded"

My chapter was founded by a group of SAE little sisters in the 80's because my campus had only one NPC sorority at the time (Chi Omega), and they wanted to expand greek life for women on Oglethorpe's campus as well as turn their close friendship into a sisterhood. Tri Sigma was chosen through the standard NPC extension presentation process and brought on campus in 1987. Our closest ties were to the Rho chapter at Florida State University, they helped us out alot with the installation process. They are now unfortunately closed :( .

Oh that is a good one! I know we wanted to see a lot of money we raised from our philantrhopy go to the school so people could see it in action on campus, and then we wanted to donate within the community.

I need to check with our VP Philanthropy and see where the money went! I wouldn't have a clue what to say if I was asked besides "Uhm, some went to the campus and some went to the community."

Let's see about some of the rest...

Philanthropy - Service for Sight (helping the blind)

Time Consumption - If looking from the outside in, you can see how much time being in a sorority takes up. But looking from the inside, you see the time is actually spent doing many things. For example some people study in the chapter room, or some girls go to the movies or something, we do different kinds of community service, and we have meetings. Even though this might seem like too much, my first semester at USM I had enough time to drive home every weekend and still see my family. I grew out of that eventually, but the time you spend with sisters doesn't seem like long at all, and there is still plenty of time left to do other things. If you ever need to miss a meeting because of family or something, there are always ways to work things out. Being in a sorority shouldn't feel like a job, it should be something that you want in your life - and if you look at it like that you won't mind spending time with the people you love and the people who love you back.

Do We Party - We do have social events and enjoy going out, but we also have many other great aspects that make being a DG great. We do community service, we have sisterhood events which are like HUGE slumber parties, and no matter if we are at a club or just sitting around in the chapter room, we always find some way to have fun.

Why I chose DG - During the time I went through recruitment, I would get so nervous going to different party rounds. Whenever I came into DG I just felt so calm and relaxed. I just felt like I didn't have to feel nervous around them. It also seemed like I would make the biggest fool out of myself whenever I was in DG - but it ony made the people I talk to laugh. I think all the other sororities at southern miss are great, but with DG I just cliked the best. I could just see the girls I talked to as my best friends, and people I could be laid back and silly around.


Feel free to critque me on my answers. This is my first time, so if these aren't good answers tell me now! hahaha

I just thought of a good question - How much does it cost to be in your sorority? I heard this rarly gets asked (because we have a pre-rush book that goes out to the girls with all of the panhellenic dues), but there is always that one girl who wants to hear it from your mouth.

what makes you different from the other groups on campus?

what activities occur during pledge process?

so do you guys fight????


and what fraternity do you usually hang out with????


marissa

hHHhahaa!! I couldn't imagine asking those questions during recruitment.

Do you guys fight - Well, it would be a lie to tell you we don't, but just like Sisters, in the end we'll end up giving eachother a huge hug and then go to get ice cream at the Marble Slab and talk about how dumb we were.

Fraternity - I have no clue what to say here. How do you change the subject from this?!

I wish I had a nickel for every time I was asked this!!


I used to say that we were equal opportunity when it came to fraternities!

This is an excellent thread! Now I have some excellent questions to ask that might make me a bit more memorable.

Actually, some of these are real good questions to ask. Like their founding, where the money they raise go, and maybe even ask what their favorite part of ABC sorority is. Asking questions like these instead of, "Where do y'all party?" will show the sorority you really care about learning about them - and not just parties. I know if a girl asked me the more meaningful questions about my sorority, she would definitly stick out in my mind as opposed to the girl who only talked about parties.

I know I can't really afford the cost of the sorority, but I really want to do it. Is there an installment or financial plan?

At UofM every sorority house has some kind of payment plan for those who may have problems paying for it. Plus as we all know many offer scholarships.

Chapter Charter: Alpha Beta- December 1, 1922

National Philanthropy: Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation which includes Juvenile Diabetes Research

Time Committment: Your new member period, a sorority can take up much of your time. You will be expected to attend a certain number of functions and also your education classes. After your new period is up, the sorority takes up however much time you want it to take to. Hopefully a decent amount because you'll love it.

Partying: We party just like anyone else on campus. But we also are involved in sports, community service, attend lectures and etc. Parties are just one lil aspect of sorority life.

Why I Chose: I chose AGD because it was a new house, the advisors said we could run it the way we wanted to and all the girls and alums were fantastic. Plus we have a gorgeous house.

Local Charities or Philanthropies: We dont have an established one, however we do service for a ton of different organizations around town.

Span: We are an International Women's Fraternity

New Member Process: 8 weeks beginning in Oct. and lasting until late Nov. early Dec.

Local vs. National: No difference except our organiztion is on a National board with 25 other orgs. that set standards, rules, policies, etc. that we have to follow. Also that we have chapters spread all over the country and Canada, while most locals are either statewide or just at that school.

Cost: Dues will be the most your first year, because of paper work at our HQ, badges, pins and initiation. After that they are lower, except when you live in the house which is about $5000 a year.

Getting along: You're not always going to get a long with everyone, thats natural. Yes, we have tifs here and there like anybody, but even when we're dsyfunctional we still look out and care for each other. :)

Other sororities: Alpha Phi, and Sigma Kappa (b/c my friend was rushing it at another school). I liked those too, but something just stuck out about AGD. No regrets.

First Choice: Nope, but like I said...no regrets!

Why and How: You got me on this one ;)

Fighting: 40-60 girls living in a house...you tell me ;)

Fraternity we Hang with: All, but we seem to love Theta Xi (back in my day)

What makes us different: We are a small house, so we tend to know each other better. Plus we have a diverse group a girls from different ethnicities, economic backgrounds, etc.

Stole UMgirl's idea! I actually need to brush up on answering some of these question for next semester!

Chapter/Sorority Founding: February 14, 1989

Philanthropy: Breast Cancer Awareness

Time Committment: Honestly, we are very laid back about time commitment. As much as everyone says this, it's the amount of time you are willing to put into it. However, the time and effort you put into FGP will be worth it.

Partying: We do our fair share of partying. However, we also do our fair share of community service, studying, participating in Greek activities, and other outside activities.

Why I Chose: I chose FGP because I didn't feel like I had to impress the sisters when I met them. Many of the other chapters on campus are wonderful, but I just clicked really well with FGP.

New Member Process: 6 weeks

Why join a local?: It's where I felt the most comfortable. Honestly, I really like knowing each and every one of my sisters personally. Though I am in a national Christian Womens' Service Group, the bonds are different compared to the bonds I have with my sisters in FGP.

Cost: Due to the fact that we do not have a house, dues are substantially lower than that of other sororities on campus. Of course they are a bit more your first semester, but that pays for things such as pins, badges, and other New Member dues.

Getting along: We usually get along with each other very well. Of course conflicting personalities will collide from time to time, but not without a happy ending.

Other sororities: AXD. As much as I like this sorority, I still feel that FGP is my home.

First Choice: No, but I followed my heart and it led me to FGP.

Why and How: Why? My pledge sister. She is the reason I decided to join Greek life, never the less FGP. We're complete opposites. However, had it not been for FGP or the Greek system as a whole, we probably would have never become friends or even sisters for that matter! How? I went through informal with a few sororities on campus and FGP was where I found my home.

Fighting: lol! Usually not. I hate to sound cheesy, but we don't really fight. When we do it's quickly resolved.

Fraternity we Hang with: We tend to be partial to DU, but we are generally equally opportunity when it comes to fraternities.

What makes us different: First of all, we're the only local GLO at Kent State University. Secondly, we're a small chapter. If you like to get involved you have many opportunities to play really big roles because of those 2 reasons. Also, we kind of play by our own rules or that of Kent State University's because we do not have to answer to a national advisor.

Re: tnx
 

Wonderful Questions:)

I think we should also touch on our National Philanthropy. I know when I went thur, I never asked any questions about this.

Also
What made you chose Theta Nu Xi out of the other organizations on your campus?

For Founders: What made you decided to start a chapter of Theta Nu Xi?

What I asked when I went through rush (recruitment) I asked the sisters who rushed me, "what does it mean to you to be a sister of XYZ sorority?" and "what does XYZ mean to you?"

questions to ask or be prepared to answer
 

are new members allowed to wear letters?
**make sure you explain** it is important to some women to be able to show that they are proud of their affiliation right away

what kinds of sisterhoods do you have?
this will show how sisters interact and how often they interact outside of chapter meetings, philanthropy events, and mixers. it's important to hang out with your sisters outside of those 3 activity types

how close are you to your sisters?
of course everyone is going to have the same answer to that question ;)

then there are the classics that always get asked. like:
are you required to live in the house/on the dorm floor?
how big is your chapter?
can you be involved in other campus organizations?
what would happen if i decided to study abroad?
how much are dues/new member fees?
what's your grade requirement?
how often do you interact with other greek organizations?
**these are important questions too, but i heard them at every party last fall**

Talk about being memorable...in a good way! In the fall of 1999 we were looking at rush applications, and there was a picture of a girl sitting in a locker! It was such a cute picture, and we ALL remembered 'the girl in the locker'! She DID go DG, and just finished her year as president! Being memorable CAN be a good thing!

aj

Well while sending a pic of yourself in a locker may sound memorable some...We hate getting cheesy pics like that. This sounds bitchy but we make fun of pics like that. It just seems unnatural. One year we got a pic of this girl wearing Ole Miss stuff from head to toe..I mean we remembered her but not in a good way. She became known as Miss Ole Miss. We get those kind all the time...girls leaning against a big "2001" or something. Those kind just seem cheesy to me. I would choose something a little more natural. But that's just me.

Also while asking some of these questions may make you memorable...I wouldn't overdo it. These girls want to get to know you as well. Let them ask questions. I know I have always hated feeling like I am being drilled or interviewed about my sorority. Some of these questions are important, and most of the time you won't have to ask these questions. During the first round you will probably be filled in on most of the stuff...they will tell you about thier Philanthropy, etc..at least we do that kind of thing.