my glo's image on campus
 

hey all.....

When I joined my sorority, I set out to bond with my sisters and become a leader in the group. I also thought it'd be a chance to help me become a better person. I have worked so much on those parts of sorority life and for that reason am thrilled with my affilliation.

However....I feel my glo's rep on campus is causing me to lose out on some of the fun experiences of being a sorority girl. Basically, I want to meet more of the fraternity boys and become closer to some of the other sororities on campus. Some of my sisters don't care about this goal, but I do. It feels like I'm fighting an uphill battle to help break out of the chapter's stereotypes.

Like I said before, the girls don't seem to care about branching out, but I do! Sometimes I get so annoyed that I wish I was part of another GLO. (As a member of the schools NPC e-board, I get to hear about all the other events on campus..and I would love it if our chapter had the enthusiasm to do the crazy/fun things the other groups do.)

What can I do to help change an image when I don't think I even have that much backing?

in_the_zone

More Info Would Help!!;)


Pig in a Poke dont Get it!:confused:

I want to protect my privacy so I will be vague, but I'll try to make my concerns more specific.

Basically, we seem to be out of the Greek Life loop. I don't feel that the guys are very interested in hanging out with us. I also know that the trash talking about other sororities can't be a good sign in terms of how we connect with the sorority. (How are we supposed to connect with other sororities if our leaders refer to some other groups as whores).

My expectation was that my affiliation would lead to more interaction with greeks in general, but instead, the sorority would rather just be with each other and not give much effort to put themselves out there.

By the way....girls are hesitant to join because they wonder what our purpose is...besides just being a clique who hangs out together.

Bottom line...I hate this. I know our school isn't as greek friendly as some of the big south/midwestern schools, but it would be nice if we as a group actually felt unity amongst each other rather than be a clique who no one cares to know.

hope this helps.

~in_the_zone

Girls are silly!:D

PM Me and lets talk!

I am not a True Ogre!!!:cool:

I get what you are saying - I wish groups could be more unified on our campus too. There's definitely a lot of issues, and some groups in particular are very isolated.

If no one else in your group but you is willing to make an effort to change things, you are really going to be fighting a battle, but that's great that you see the worth of the battle. Maybe you see the benefit more than others in your chapter (and maybe even realize the image your chapter has more than they do) because of your involvement on the inter-group board you mentioned. If you could somehow get more members involved in things like that, then it might help encourage them to want to do fun inter-group activities.

Good luck :D

Take attractive girls, take fun girls who can drink a lot and are fun at parties, and mix with top tier fraternities. Start at top 2nd tier and work your way up.

Not much to it beyond that.

Sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place. I think you are going to have to lead by example. Can you go to some of the events solo (or maybe a sister or 2 would go with you)? Maybe if your sisters start seeing how much fun you're having, friends you are making, etc , they will want to get in on the fun too. Also, I would hate for you to miss out on everything because your sisters refuse to go. I realize you can't go to another sororities mixers, etc, but I was thinking of the all-Greek events.

Keep your chin up and don't let their fuddy-duddiness get you down. Good luck!!

I'm not in a PHC org and I don't know anything about your org or your school, but in my sorority, we have to do a certain number of socials, a certain number of philanthropies, a certain number of fundraisers, a certain number of cultural/educational programs, a certain number of sisterhood events, etc. One way that we found really effective to get to know other orgs in our council was to do joint philanthropies or joint educational programs. If your sorority also has a minimum number of philanthropies or educational programs you have to do, maybe you can try to sell them on the idea of doing it with another GLO. Tell them they'd be killing two birds with one stone. This isn't going to involve any extra time or effort...it's not like these are additional events that they have to go to but rather they would have had to go to these anyways. Basically, sell them on how this would have tons of benefits and no drawbacks and no additional work other than calling up the philanthropy chair of a fraternity or sorority. And if the fraternities, at this point, don't really want to make time for your sorority in their social calendar, this could be a great way to still get to do something with them (if they're also required to do a certain number of philanthropies or educational programs) and maybe if things go well, they'll see that you're a cool bunch of girls and want to do socials with you in the future.

in_the_zone

How many members does your chapter have?

nary a one
 

nobody said a word about getting good grades, networking,
or some other things we blab about during rush week to tell
the folks how great we are.

define an image of girl you want in your chapter and black ball everyone who doesn't fit in. Or throw rad mixers.

Re: nary a one
 

You're going to improve your grades by hanging out with other groups on campus and doing more joint events? :confused:

I don't follow your line of thought here.

Re: my glo's image on campus
 

So since you didn't say "all" and you're the only one who cares about this, I'm guessing that there are others in the sorority who think as you do?

Band together with them and make an effort to go to events, get your name out etc. Eventually you will begin to attract women who are of the same mindset.

And don't be negative about it to the women who aren't interested....that will only make them dig into their shells even more.

damn...I just opened pandora's box...but in the interest of making my sorority better I am going to run with it. Also...with 06 formal recruitment approaching, the time for image improvement is now, if we want to raise our numbers as they are not as high as we all want....about 2 dozen now....

So the good thing going for my group is that we are genuinely diverse. We don't have a "type" that we look for, its all on a case by case basis and selection is based on who really wants it. Another good thing is that I am in one of the two cliques who is up for being dynamic and getting out there (but our 'power' is limited cos of how the power structure in our group works). Some of my fellow clique mates are really working to project a good image, and I'm working in the sense that i'm on NPC, and will be going to one of the chapters philanthropies later this week. I have also tried to maintain connections with the fraternity guys (I've met a handful of IFC guys). I'm cute so I thought that would be enough, but apparently there are so many cute girls who actually do socials with the guys that the guys assume they don't need to bother with my group.

I don't have much faith in the social chair at this point...her record seems to be lacking. We'll see how the new girl does.

Since I am not going to change the girls, I figure I have two options...recruit like crazy during cor and put myself out there...any practical suggestions for how I can do this when I don't have much backing and when our reputation isn't as great as it should be?

Anybody else not buying this? I vote for troll.

:eek:

Honest question: Why now? Is this a recent issue that you're looking to change? Otherwise, what inspired you to join this chapter? What about them compelled you over the other sororities?

Before you go about recruiting new members, you as a chapter must assess yourselves and how you want to grow. If the majority want to remain a chapter that keeps to themselves, you're not going to really be able to branch out. If the majority are interested in self-improvement, I'd then recommend that you have a sisterhood retreat where you set goals and establish a calendar of deadlines to meet those goals, as well as committees and chairmen to help work toward the completion of those goals.

By setting timelines and actively engaging chapter members in bringing about change, you will meet your goals and establish the positive mindset in the chapter that you are seeking.

Have you spoken to your advisers about this concern? More than likely, they can assist you with developing a PR campaign to improve external chapter image, and morale, as well as goal setting for the chapter as a whole for the year (IE: Target GPA, recruit X members at formal recruitment, attend 5 other GLO philanthropy events, etc...)

One thing that you really need to do in order to branch out is stop being in 'cliques' with in the chapter. It's ok if you have girls you prefer to hang out with but before you branch out and have your reputation improve with the other chapters on your campus, things withing your own chapter has to be delt with first. I agree with adpiucf have a chapter retreat in which the chapter as a whole will set goals and figure out what they want for chapter.

After that I would suggest maybe planning some socials with another sorority and two fraternities, or philanthropy project, or something. Go to events put on by other chapters and make friends.

Put this in big font. Print it. Post it. And live by it.


Seriously though

join other orgs. on campus. you meet other people and it gets the sorority's name out there. people get to know you as "concerned sister", not just a member of abc sorority. membership in other orgs. makes for a more interesting and well rounded member and also looks good on a resume.

attend and support other philanthropy projects on campus. wear your letters when you do. people, in turn, will begin to think what a great bunch of girls you all are, always supporting other greeks events, and you all will be having fun doing so.

if you have a chapter house and dinner is served there, invite a sorority over for an exchange dinner. basically "x" amount of your girls attend dinner at the other sorority, and the same number of the other sorority attend dinner at your house. have your best rushers be the hostesses for the other sorority-they will be able to make your guests feel at home and they will go away with good feelings about your sorority. invite a different sorority the next month. when it is working well with the sororities, invite a fraternity over for dinner.

one day a week wear your letters. sit togther in the student union for lunch or coffee.

does your chapter have a sisterhood chairperson? someone whose role it is to foster good will and plan events just for the chapter? ask her is you could help her plan a sisterhood event-something interactive would be best. play 'the newlywed game", pictionary, cranium, have an olympics day-some event where sisters can be RANDOMLY paired off, so that they are partnered with someone they might not ordinarily gravitate toward, and an event where they have to interact and learn something about their partner. play "abc" bingo-draw a bingo board and fill in different things in each square. for example, in square one, put"someone born out of state", square 2,"someone with the same color car as you",square 3,"someone with the same major as you", etc. print off enough copies for everyone to have a sheet, and let them go. we did this at a recent officers training(we advisors even played) and we had so much fun we did not want to stop. have a small prize for the winner. these games encourage team work, cooperation and you find out things about your sisters you may not have known!


for grade improvement-divide the chapter into several groups, as equally proportioned as you can, and assign each group a name. assign each group a leader(preferably someone with a high gpa) who will keep track of study hours and test scores. the leaders job is to report on a weekly basis to your scholarship officer. each group is trying to achieve the highest gpa amongst the groups at the end of the semester, and the winning group is treated to a pizza party by the other two groups. again, this is encouraging team work, and grade improvement.

finally, do things that are fun and instill sisterhood. if you all look happy and like you are having a good time, people will want to get to know you.

This thread has been heavily edited. Please stick to the topic at hand and leave racial and sexual orientation slurs out of it. thank you.

Thank You amycat!

This is a person who has requestd help not sly/snarky comments as it were, so act like it is Your Organization who may be in the same situation.

We have all been there in one form or another.:(

If an image sucks, then it's because of the people that are part of the organization. An excellent example would be as follows: A sorority full of girls that go home with guys after one drunken night to consumate their relationship will convey an image of sluts. Or, perhaps, a fraternity of guys that is constantly sniffing and getting nosebleeds might be considered cokeheads. It is crystal clear, image = a representation of the members of your GLO.

Okay. Did you even read the thread?

off topic

"David Allen Coe" sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on it. Wasn't he on "In Living Color" back in the early 90's?

/back on topic

That's David Alan Grier. David Allen Coe sings, "You Don't Even Call Me By My Name."

Oops! lol Thanks, Tippie!

Tippie got something right.

It's really hard to change a chapter's image on campus, especially if you have members that don't want to try. (been there, done that) Even if every single one of your members sign on, the rest of the campus doesn't change their opinions easily. For example, if one GLO is known as heavy partiers and they then go completely dry, the rest of the campus will still think of them as partiers. Often the results of an image overhaul won't really kick in until after a college generation, meaning when the current students graduate.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Even in a small chapter though one person can't do it alone. You need to have a core group that not only agrees with you, but are willing to work for change. It's most effective if those people are officers too.

Then sit down and take an honest, possibly even brutal, look at your current on campus rep and why you have it. Then devise a plan of action to change things. Since you haven't really provided specifics, it's hard to give specific suggestions. You need to present, or maybe sell is a better word, this action plan to the rest of you chapter. Not everyone will agree and some may even try to undermine it. But you can't let that deter you. One of the best things you can do though is to recruit like minded new members.

As I said, it's going to take alot of time and effort but it can be done. Keep in mind though that you may not be around to reap the benefits. Your only satisfaction may be that you made things better for those that followed you.

One thing to remember about chapters too - image can change with each new member class. Each time you bring in a group of new women (and especially as others graduate) they have their own ideas of what the chapter should be like. You know what you want the chapter to become so you need to recruit like minded women.

In the five years since my chapter was founded I have seen it change. Sometimes I've wondered about the changes and the image the chapter may have on campus. Yet within a few months of that they would have a new group of women who bring something different to the chapter and the image has changed again. All I have to say is that so far at the five year mark I love where I see my chapter has been and where I see it going.

Carolyn

My previous post on promiscuous women and drug abuse was an extreme example of how anegative image can be conceived. However, Zillini makes a good point that changes in the campus-wide image of a GLO takes a great deal of time, and the good standing members of today might be around to see their hard work pay off. Also, the national image of a GLO can be both beneficial or detrimental. Utilize nationals to aid in your efforts to add to the positive image you have begun to create. I'm not a fan of nationals at all, I think they stick their nose in the business of chapters when it doesn't belong. But I will say, that they can be helpful if their power and resources is used correctly.

Hey...sorry for the delayed reply. This has been the most intense part of the semester so I've been studying like crazy.

As one of our advisors pointed out, we really need to fix the inside before we fix the outside. I am trying my hardest to be friends with everyone, even if they are not in my clique. The hardest thing is that over the course of the semester, gossip about me has gotten back to me. It's horrible cos how am I supposed to respect those girls who say crap about me?

Despite that garbage, I'm trying to emulate an older sister who projects a positive image. I want to do my best to create a happy atmosphere for the new girls so that they won't feel completely overwhelmed by the dramas that go on in our group.

I'm just going to keep my head up, wear my letters, and do my best to project as postive image as possible so that I know I am doing my part. As far as recruiting girls to take on a similar role...crossing my fingers :)

I didnt read everyone elses' posts so Im sorry if this was already said.

Do you guys have paired events? Like do you pair up with a fraternity for homecoming or any other philanthropic events? A lot of times if you pair there will be get to know eachother events. (Pi Phi doesnt have mixers-I-national rules) If there are not planned events, plan one and invite the other chapter and encourage your sisters to go. I guess the way I've made friends in other orgs is just through class and when i lived in the dorms. I didnt really party with them until after I knew them. I personally would rather have a friend that's a friend when Im sober than a friend that's only a freind when I'm drunk. But anyway, and the new pledge class will determine where the chapter goes, I agree. When I pledged our image and chapter in general was a lot different, now I'm like one of the oldest in my chapter and the younger girls really do guide where you're headed in terms of what kind of chapter you have. I think all chapters kind of move in cycles, like some times they're the party girls and sometimes they get the best grades, and sometimes they're the prettiest, etc. I would bump your image for recruitment. make sure all of your sisters look nice, and be more selective when chosing the new girls. For some reason, I've noticed that no matter what the chapter is like, if it seems really hard to get into, the girls get more interested in being there. Probably b/c they dont want to end up in the sorority that just "takes anyone."
One thing that I would keep in mind ALL the time, this is something our social chair said just a few weeks ago b/c some of our sisters are upset that we aren't doing more events with other groups and getting to know people better.
You can look around and see what XYZ is doing when it comes to who they hang out with and how they get to know other orgs, but remember, you are not an XYZ, you're an UV and you do things the UV way, not the XYZ way. If you want to do things another way then maybe you joined the wrong house.

Another tip: talk to your social chair and see if she can plan an event that will envolve other orgs, or if other greeks come to your philanthropic event, make them feel like you guys arent closed off, make a good impression on everyone outside of your sorority.

You should do a blood and gore goth mixer with an abstract noise band and sell mason jars of pigs fetus' to raise money to send poor kids on tour with Slipknot.

Totally agree with this!

I was always frustrated with this as an active because at Bama, every chapter has a stereotype, and quite frankly, it sucks.

I knew to look past it and get to know girls and guys individually, but a lot of the pledges out there will just listen to what their pledge director has to say about a certain chapter and it will stick with them.

My chapter is (still!) the youngest sorority chapter at UA, so we've had to deal with a lot of stereotypes over the years. But starting around the time I pledged (in '01), the girls started getting really active on campus again and representing themselves really well. It's been a mountain to climb, but the results are definitely starting to show.

I think if you just get your girls to basically throw themselves out there, you'll get the results you want. Whether it's coming up with a fun philanthropy project that involves all the Greeks on your campus, scheduling a joint party with another sorority, holding a president's roundtable, getting some of your most outstanding members in campus leadership positions.... you'll get the results you want.