Gifts...PLEASE help
 

Hello!
Our daughter has recenlty joined the Pi Beta Phi Chapter at her University. I got a letter this week about her upcoming initiation. Our family will not be able to attend as it is over 6 hours away and we work and her siblings are still in school. ANYWAY...the letter asked parents to write a letter describing my daughters accomplishments, also we "could" send flowers and a gift. So...I get that this is an important event but I am clueless as to what to do.:confused:
I have never joined a sorority and no one in my family has ever been in a sorority and I don't know anyone who has ever been in a sorority.
Pardon the pun, but it's all "greek" to me. :o
I need to know what is a traditional gift to give? Also, should get a gift for her big sis? Maybe she needs to get a gift for her big sis? Is there anything else I should be doing that maybe no one is telling me directly, but is more of unwritten expectation?
I have to say I am glad she joined, however I did not expect it to be so much work on my part..... :eek:
Maybe there is a "Sororities for Dummies" book out there I could buy.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Beth's Mom

Hi- I too am a Mom of a new Pi Beta Phi. And like you it is all greek to me. But I have learned a lot reading this website. I sent my daugher some sweatpants with the sorority letters on them and a really cute key chain. These were both from somethinggreek.com. They have tons of greek related items.

Since I am also new to all this I don't know what would be considered a customary gift for initiation or whether you need a gift for her Big. My daughter has just been involved for a week or so and we haven't heard anything about initiation. I hope some of the more experienced posters can help you.

You can go to the national website for Pi Beta Phi and check out their store, Phi Pi Express. They have some very nice jewelry. I was thinking of getting my daughter the pearl bracelet with the Pi Phi silver charm. They have many items so maybe you will get some ideas.

If you don't get any replies here go to the forum for sorority recruitment as there are many more posters there. So far my daughter is really loving Phi Pi but I am concerned as it takes up so much of her time. Maybe things will settle down after a while.

Good luck to you and your daughter!

My chapter doesn't do gifts for bigs--the bigs get gifts for the littles for initiation though. I'm sure this is different in other chapters, but it's what I know. When I was initiated, my mom got me the arrow charm on pibetaphi.org for my charm bracelet. I know other people who got lavaliers or some of the other jewelry on the pi beta phi website. However, if her chapter is like mine, she might get a lavalier from her big. Check out the pi beta phi website, they have some gorgeous classy jewelry on there!

I would do jewelry, as well. Depending on your daughter's taste, you might want to get her a bracelet or lavelier necklace or a dangle for her badge. Flowers are nice, but they don't last; give your daughter something that she will always remember her initiation day. If I had a daughter, this is what I would buy...
http://www.pibetaphi.org/fusebox/htd...8364b8497f.jpg

http://www.pibetaphi.org/fusebox/htd...000-1201730407

We never did gifts for bigs, but a nice card from the initiate's mother would be a great touch. If you really feel a gift is necessary, maybe something nominal like a Pi Phi picture frame.

Flowers could be nice, since carnations do last longer than other flowers. Jewelry-wise, bigs in my chapter typically only give lavaliers, if anything, so depending on the norms for her chapter, jewelry could be a safe bet. Maybe you could get in touch with her big so you don't buy something that her big already bought her. I have no idea what you have in mind, price wise, but from piphiexpress, if I were a Pi Phi, I would want these:

Arrow Ring, $100 (under official jewelry)
http://www.pibetaphi.org/fusebox/htd...d8dbd78dad.jpg

Silvertone Wing, Arrow, and Heart Necklace, $15 (under fashion jewelry)
http://www.pibetaphi.org/fusebox/htd...5c8b9b1a22.jpg

Arrow Tote, $12
http://www.pibetaphi.org/fusebox/htd...6d490bafd5.JPG

I just had to post a picture of this badge. Everyone ooh and ahh.:)
http://www.pibetaphi.org/fusebox/htd...3ae87b1c62.jpg

ETA: Don't sweat that you can't come to initiation. Initiation is ritual, so you wouldn't be able to see her initiation anyway, barring some norm at this campus that parents come afterward(??). The only time I've ever heard of family coming is if a legacy is being initiated, in which case, the legacy's member relative would attend.

^^ my roommate has that badge, mine has emeralds and pearls.

Thanks for all your replies! I didn't know for sure if parents/families were traditionally expected to attend initiation or not. The letter I got was not really specific on that...well, really didn't say anything either way. So I had planned to send flowers, I will order blue & wine colored carnations (hope I can find a place with that combo). I went ahead and ordered her a bracelet, here it is:

http://www.pibetaphi.org/fusebox/htd...3be91caf1c.jpg

Hopefully she will enjoy it. I will ask her the name of her big sis and maybe send her a thank you note with a Target gift card.
Thanks again for your help.
Beth's Mom

I think you picked well! I would have loved to have received that. My parents got me a lavaliere and a set of nice letters after I got initiated.