Hi there!
 

Hello all, my name is Dawn. I'm a jr at the University of North Florida. I'm a non-traditional student, I'm in my 30's, I've had my kids, I work full time, etc...Now that my kids are nearly grown I started to focus on myself and my goals. Having gone back to college and finished my AA I transfered to my new school (UNF) and discovered that there aren't any Sororities geared toward women like myself, a market I think that is vastly underserved. In fact, I was told I could join a regular sorority as an Alumni Member, and the thought of that just doesn't satisfy me. While I waited until later in life to begin my college career, I don't believe that my experience should be any less rich.

I've determined that the best way to get what I want is to found my own Sorority specifically for women like myself. I don't even know where to begin and so here I am. Researching the internet and talking to people...it's as good a start as any. So that is my introduction. I hope to learn a lot from you all.

There are already community-based sororities - look into these before beginning a new group of your own. Restricting membership to only students in your situation will limit your potential membership pool considerably.

You may be surprised at the number of women in a situation similar to mine who are out there looking for a better college experience...and limiting the potential membership may be sort of one of my points. A community based sorority is not quite the same thing as a collegiate sorority, and lets face it, most sororities don't really treat the Alumnae members like they're worth much. I've read the posts here. I am looking for the experience you all are getting, only geared toward women my age. I don't really see anything wrong with that.

At any rate I have an appointment to meet with the Greek Life Advisor on my campus and we shall see what happens.

good luck!

Just off the top of my head, I think Beta Sigma Phi would suit your needs.

Dawn, it's not that there's anything wrong with what you're saying. It's just that this is "I want to start a local" season, and we've heard it all before. There are organizations out there for you. Maybe not on your campus right now, but asking them to go onto your campus or in your community is not impossible.

If I can read between the lines, you are looking for community, sisterhood, involvement, and above all some fun that you didn't get to have in your late teens and 20's. You can find that in community or service based sororities. Because of their more limited scope of purpose I think they are more open to alternative students. Maybe an Alpha Phi Omega or Phi Beta Psi can jump in hear with your two cents.

I do wish you the best of luck.

And you know this how?

Do you expect to have date parties and mixers with the fraternities on campus?

If you're looking for an organization that caters to "non-traditional" women, you also have to expect that the experience will be non-traditional. If you're an active alumna in an already-established sorority, your experience should mirror what it seems like you're trying to accomplish.

Echo what MC said. I have enjoyed my alumnae involvement in BOTH of my sororities immensely.

Yes! I personally enjoy my alumnae involvement in Theta more than I enjoyed my membership as a collegian!

To the OP: I am also a member of Beta Sigma Phi that has been mentioned here. Quite a few members in Beta Sigma Phi are currently in the type of situation as you are. I found Beta Sigma Phi after college as a way to meet more people and for the social aspect. My collegiate sorority did have a local alumnae chapter in my area, but was not very active so I sought more and Beta Sigma Phi filled that void. While I have since started an alumnae chapter in the same town as my alma mater, Beta Sigma Phi continues to be a big part of my life! I would highly recommend that you look in to it. If there isnt a chapter in your area, but are interested in starting one, then International HQ will be happy to help you with the process!

I could be wrong, but I thought she was talking about those who were initiated as an AI when she said '...sororities don't really treat the Alumnae members like they're worth much'. Since she claims to have spent time on GC reading up, she's likely to have seen some of the more heated threads in the AI forum. If so, that might be why she feels justified in making that claim. Just a guess, though.

While this could very certainly be the case, it's a bit like using WebMD to diagnose yourself with a brain tumor and then attempting surgery on yourself.:p

I think you're right, AlphaFrog. And, sadly, I think your scenario would have a better ending.

OP, if you're still reading, DubaiSis and knight_shadow have already said what I was planning to say. It's not bad that you want experiences similar to what traditional college-age sorority women have, but you're not going to get it at this point. That's not a slam against you at all - I hope it's not taken that way. Good luck finding what you're looking for!