New Member Period
 

What exactly do NEW sororities do with their new members (pledges) during their new member period? I know that in established sororities you're supposed to teach them about the history of the organization buuuuut we were just founded like a month and a half ago so there isn't much history yet.

Any ideas/suggestions???

How about an education about how/why you were formed?

Time/opportunities to learn about the active sisters?

Community/philanthropy projects?

[In NPC sororities, the new member period isn't entirely composed of learning history, that would be boring! Sororities incorporate lots of other activites to help new members get to know the other new members and actives, learn more about Greek Life in general, and develop a love for the sorority.

Some ideas:

*Sigma Iota Theta Jeopardy (Actives v. New Members) It helps make learning history fun.

*Puzzle Night (each new member decorates a puzzle piece and they all fit together to become their new member class puzzle)

*Big-Little Week & Revealing (that's a must)

*Initiation Week activities (every day of the week leading up to initiation, plan a different fun activity for the girls like a Spa night, ice cream sundae night,etc.)

Sisterhood Retreats/Weekend were always my favorite when I was a collegian. To me, that's when I got to know more about the NM class and it was always a fun time.

I was in the first new member class of a local sorority, and we definitely had enough to do to fill several weeks. Now, this was back in the day before risk management was such a big deal, but here were some of the requirements of the class.

Learn history and Greek alphabet
Meet one on one with each active to get to know one another
Plan a community service project to do with the actives
Conduct a fundraiser
Plan and host a new member/active party
Plan a mixer with another group
Play a practical joke on the actives* probably wouldn't fly under current hazing doctrine
Participate in daily study hours* as required by college
Meet with big sister once a week

Since your group is so young and you have only a few members, I would suggest you plan your program so that it isn't "us" and "them" but make it a point to have team builder activities that involve everyone, current and new members alike. At this stage, you should be trying to build a cohesive membership through your new member programming.

You might also consider focusing on your founding values--one each week. So if sisterhood is a value, that week you will spend time with one another, visit another sorority chapter at another school, learn about Robert's Rules of Order together etc. If your values are philanthropy, then that week have a speaker from an appropriate organization do a session about the cause, hold a fundraiser etc.

Good luck!

I think as the Alpha pledge class, you might also want to encourage them to help you grow the organization and shape its development. From step two, there are so many directions that you can go into as a group, and the early classes are just as, if not more, influential on the direction your sisterhood takes, than the founders.

Remember how important Alpha class is in terms of how you represent yourselves to the campus and community. It can be the best or worst marketing that money can't buy.

Good luck, and with an open heart and strong intentions, your sisterhood will thrive.

I'm really shocked with how open some of you are about your membership process.

Well, chalk it up to differences.

When I come across posts like some found on this thread, I feel like I've read something I wasn't supposed to.

Here are some ideas:

The greek alphabet
Your constitution and bylaws
Songs, mottos, creed, etc.
Why you were founded, etc.
Mini interviews with the active members, so eveyrone gets to know eachother
Bonding time for the pledge class
Making class T-shirts
Learn about what each officer does and requirements


I hope those helped.

Obviously you want to make sure that your new members are educated on their organization before they are initiated but don't worry about trying to fill every moment with information. It's easy to have a couple of cram sessions and then run out of things to teach. Instead you can make the remaining time focus on building the bonds of sisterhood and showing them what it's like to be a functioning part of the sorority.

My organization has a fairly long pledging process (one semester) and during that time pledges create a mock executive board, do fundraising and other things around campus. This way they have a good idea of what jobs they're suited for.

Another idea which is popular across our campus is to hold a scavenger hunt with clues about members of the sorority. It makes pledges work together and it's a fun way to let them know more about their potential sisters.

Be careful about scavenger hunts. They may constitute hazing.

new member process
 

these posts are really helpful.... i too am looking for ways to make learning about my organization a little more interesting... i know my future sisters look foward to becoming a part of my family but i dont want to steer them the wrong way, or over whelm them in any way...
Thanks,

I know that some NPCs don't allow scavenger hunts anymore. Personally I don't see how it could be hazing, but I can see how it might be a risk management issue.

When I was a pledge, my Frat Ed advisor said that they did scavenger hunts in the early 90s. When IHQ found out, they weren't too pleased.

Locals can do scavenger hunts if they want as long as they're not doing anything illegal. They don't have to answer to a higher authority.

Thanks everyone!!! We are initiating our first class on April 18th :) We wanted to do it sooner (like this month) but things didn't work out the way we wanted them to. We are sooooo excited about this whole process!!!

We were definitely thinking about doing a scavenger hunt. I don't see how a scavenger hunt would be hazing, but then again it must depend on your college, the girls, and what type of scavenger hunt. It's kind of sad how some of the most harmless activities can be considered hazing!

How do you create class tshirts? Would you just purchase plain shirts and have the girls decorate? Any ideas re: this would be really helpful b/c I love this idea!! :D

Thanks again for all of your ideas, they were all amazing...i wish we could use them all!!!!!

It might be a fun activity to make class shirts. Get your shirts, paint, rhinestones, etc together...grab your sisters and your new members, some great chic flicks and have a great time bonding and making shirts.

The reason that scavenger hunts seem to be frowned upon and seen as hazing is because usually the new members are encouraged to steal things or get things that are impossible to get, or encourage illegal activities. The difference between doing a scavenger hunt with your church youth group for fun and doing one as a pledge is that most pledges are made to think that they have to bring back these items or they won't become members. Church groups

I think when its something related to your history and your members it's okay (that's just my opinion...you may want to check with your administrators and/or advisor on anything you think is iffy) And as long as you stress that the objective is to work as a group to accomplish a common goal.

If you want to do a scavenger hunt for specific items, try forming groups made of both active and new members, with a prize for the winning team. This helps the actives get to know the new members better, and helps the new members work as a team with the active members.

hope that helped.

I've personally always loved scavenger hunts, but I think a problem can be that they start out ok, but later turn into hazing. Like five years down the road, they start making the nm's search for inappropriate things.

Good luck with everything. I am very interested in your group's development. I was a charter member of my org (although I joined right after they stopped being a local), and I am from RI and went to URI. There aren't too many RI threads here, it's nice to hear about a school I'm actually familiar with!

Before I started going to my college scavenger hunts were frowned upon because it was encouraged to get drunk as you went around campus (yeah, because that makes it easier to find what you're looking for...). With a local sorority it's not that big of a deal, just keep it quiet if you want to avoid being harassed. People are also more willing to accept it if you go through and plant everything you want the girls to find, this way they're not "stealing" from other people.

Another twist on scavenger hunts
 

When you enter a national park, have you ever seen a sign that says "Take nothing but photographs; leave nothing but footprints"? You can apply that same idea to a scavenger hunt.

Instead of making a list of things that the teams must bring back, you should arm each group with a digital camera and make a list of pictures they must take of each other at different places or doing different things. Ideas: washing a car, shaking hands with the university president (clear it ahead of time), carrying grocery bags for someone else at the grocery store, at the campus library, etc. Make the list long and spread out and the time limit tight so they couldn't possibly do them all. At the finish line, have an official "referee" count up how many of the photos each group snapped (either by downloading them onto a central computer or just by flipping through the memory on each camera) and declare a winner.

That way, you don't run the risk of someone taking something they shouldn't. Plus, you get some great photos for your scrapbook or website!

We usually leave it up to the pledges to decide what they want to do with thme. Some classes have got together designed them and ordered them, some have done iron on transfers, others have puff painted and all that jazz. It's just a really fun activity that the girls get to do together as a class.

We also ask them to wear them on days we wear our letters around campus and so forth. It's an activity that's good early on to get them bonded. Hope that helped.

I LOOOOOOVE the idea of taking pictures of different things/activities!!!!:D

We did a scavenger hunt and tee-shirts, and they were two of the most fun activities we did during pledging.

In terms of important things to have in a pledge program, I've gotta say that I think the most important aspect of my group's NME was that we were required to spend practically all our time together as a pledge class. It might seem awful at the time, but it really makes you bond with your pledge sisters, which (I think anyway) is sorta the main point to pledging.

Awww your initiating your Beta class the same day we're initiating ours. That's really awesome. :)