Question on written exam for new members
 

Greetings fellow greeks!

Establishing a foundation for future chapters is not easy. Keep up the good work everyone.

Now on to my question, placing all your sorority's or fraternity's practices asside, if you had to develop a new written exam for new members, would you find yourself placing more emphasis on local or national questions?

National focus. Although a new member should be proud of their local chapter, everyone is a member, first and foremost, of their national. By creating pride and a sense of responsibility for the national organization, you help create active alumnae that work for the national organization, first, and the local chapter, second.

Local chapters need assistance and active alumnae, too, but you need your new members to realize the scope of the organization and how their individual contributions benefit the whole.

I agree
 

PnguinTrax said it very well. I definitely think that if you raise a sense of pride, dedication, and loyalty on the National level, all of that can only trickle down to the local level. I think that everyone needs to have that in order to bring those characteristics to the local level. The National leadership is there to lead those in the chapters, not the other way around. So yea, I agree w/ Barbara 100% on that.

I also agree. National information is very important to know and understand, especially with matters dealing with history and founders. The GLO was based off of the national info so it's important to know it. I think local level information should also be addressed during pledgeship, but I don't know if it should be on the test. I guess it is up to the individual chapter.

HERITAGE!!!!
 

Your Chapter if goes National, should NEVER forget its Heritage as that is the foundation on which you whole Chapter rests!

I now have in MY possession ALL of the Pictures and information from the Founding of the local I started and unforuntally only a miniscul amount! To much has been lost and is very saddening to the original 14 men who worked so hard to make it go!

I know LXA beleives in keeping the history as they require a Badge and pledge button from each group that affiliates with them. There are only 2 sets of mine, they have one and I have one. I donated it back to the House and because of trouble, I took them! They want to know when I will give them back and I said when I feel the time is right! That is how strong I felt for what I and 13 other young men did to get to where we are after 36 years.

National heritage is of course number

National heritage is of course number 1 - i mean, you've gotta know the history of your organization before you can appreciate being initated as a member of it. However, knowledge of your chapter is also very important. THe more you know about your own chapter, the brothers, the executive board, founding fathers, etc., the more you realize that this is YOUR chapter, your own personal piece of a larger organization

National heritage is very important but I also think that it is hard to remember. We take our national exam every year and it is so hard to remember all of the info.

mix
 

Personally, I think you need an even mix regarding national and local history. From working on a national level with my own organization, I can tell you that people tend to feel loyalty to their chapter first. That is what they know, that's their personal experience with and vision of the fraternity. (When you get your fraternity magazine, what do you turn to first? News of your chapter, and if you're an alumni, news of your old college chapter, right?)

So obviously you need to incorporate your national history into members' education. Try and draw parallels between the 2, show members how the 2 connect.

As Barbara said, having loyalty to the national organization is important. To do that, get them involved. Many of our national committees have (and some require) collegiate members. We send 1 college member / chapter to our national convention (we are still small & can do that ;)).

The two histories are equally important; you wouldn't have the chapter without the national, but the national wouldn't continue to survive without the active chapters.

You've got to teach them to respect both, that the two aren't entirely separate from one another.

Both are important - we're tested on national history, but we learn our local history during the pledge period and beyond, it's a big part of bonding with our chapter members after we go over and meeting sorors from the chapter afterwards.