I miss my sorority
 

I went through rush in the fall, and was a new member for the first semester. I had a big, learned all the necessary things to become initiated, and became very close to a lot of the girls. Throughout the semester I was homesick because I had moved 4 hours away from home. At the end of the semester I decided to transfer to a school back home. They did not have the sorority I was pledging at my new school, and here none of the sororities seem to fit me. I now want to go back to my old school and continue my initiation process, however I do not know if this is possible. I signed papers when I left, but I cannot recall what the terms were. If anyone knows anything about this, please help! Remember I was not yet initiated into the sorority, just a new member. Thanks for your help

I would say your best bet is to contact HQ of the sorority to where you were a new member. They could tell you if you are able to continue with that sorority.

I can tell you that it's my org's policiy that bids are extended for a calendar year. We had two cases this past semester that received bids in the fall, but were unable to finish the process because of personal issues. During our spring recruitment (informal), they came back through recruitment. But there was no turning them down, as their bid was still active.

Beware, though! This may not hold true for all orgs!

We had the same thing happen for a few girls while I was a collegian, my sister-daughter included.

Chapters can terminate a new member's pledgeship for whatever reason, right?

Not AST. We are not allowed to revote on new members.

It's not necessarily a "oh, I changed my mind about this girl...let me change my vote."

What if a NM doesn't fulfill financial obligations? Doesn't pass her NM test (generally speaking, since a lot of sororities have them)? She's a rotten NM who causes harm or damage to the chapter? Or, in the OP's case, decides to leave school prior to initiation?

I can see a pledgeship carried over to the next semester for the first two, but if she leaves school and intends (at that time) not to come back?

I might be wrong so of course the best thing to do would be to check with the chapter president and/or adviser, but...

I would think that the slate would be clean for both cannon37 and the chapter she pledged. I think she needs to be extended another bid to rejoin. She is free to go through recruitment and join any chapter that bids her, and the chapter is not bound to give her a bid.

I say this because when a woman pledges a chapter without initiating into it and then transfers, she is eligible to go through recruitment at her new school right away. The "you can't go through recruitment for a calendar year after signing a bid" becomes null and void when the woman transfers, so I don't see why the bid at the chapter at her first school would still be good.

Aside from her chapter's policy, wouldn't Panhellenic need to be invovled, as well? If the chapter filled her NM spot with another NM, or is over total, they may not be able to add her to thier roster, even if the sorority's policies state that the bid is still "active/open."

As violetpretty said - her pledge to her sorority was broken when she transferred. If the chapter's at total then yeah, she's SOL.

I think this must be a campus rule.

Do NOT go to HQ. This might sound mean and I don't mean for it to, but they have more important issues to deal with. Talk to the President of the sorority (or membership director maybe) and they can talk to the appropriate HQ person. (Inter)Nationals have advisors for every department of sorority life and you might not necessarily know who to go to. Also like has been mentioned, the President would know if they are over total and what not.

Agreed.

Question answered, thread over :)

I'm sure it's possible. But your reasoning for saying that?

Now that the OP's question has been answered, please allow me this PSA: all of you who are about to go to college, or who are freshmen thinking of transferring because you're homesick, please don't do this! I know what it's like to be homesick - I was way homesick my freshman year, too - but the good thing about homesickness is that it's almost always very temporary. You will get over it once you find your new life at college. You can always go home at winter and summer breaks, but it's best that you learn now to be on your own, away from the family and friends you've been with all your life. I'm so disappointed by so many of these stories of college students, especially girls(!), transferring back to the hometown college because they got afraid. I actually think a huge part of college is living away from home, and by that I mean living far enough away that you can't just drive home on the weekends. You chose your first college for a number of reasons, and I just think you'd all be made stronger if you saw it through the transition. Don't be a wuss! And seriously, four hours? I hope you're talking about by plane, because four hours driving is nothing...I can't even drive across my state in four hours.