How do I find a lost sister?...
 

Hi I am an active member from Alpha Xi Delta. I have recently saved a vintage quill from ebay. I hate to see quills go to people that do not value the significance and meaning behind the golden quill that has been passed down to many young women for over 120 years. With this purchase, I was given very little information regarding the true owner of the quill. All the ebay seller was able to provide was that it is from the mid 1960s, from the Alpha Omicron chapter, which is Hunter College. It came with a gavel and a skeleton key dangles. I figure that this sister was the in charge of finances and the president of the Alpha Omicron chapter of Alpha Xi Delta in Hunter college during the 1960s. There is a number on the back that states, "38-480." I just would like to know who this exceptional woman is and would like to inform her that her quill is saved by an Alpha Xi Delta. How can I get this kind of information? Can any of you ladies out there help me? This quill means so much to me. Thank you.

Headquarters should be able to tell you who that member number belongs to. You can email or call them.

Sorry to crash but.... Keep in mind that the original owner of your rescued quill either sold it because she desperately needed the cash (in which case, hearing from you directly might be embarrassing to her) or it was sold by her heirs when her estate was liquidated. The only way she'd be thrilled to hear from you is it was stolen or truly lost, but that is unlikely.

Still, I understand your desire to know who the original owner was. I rescued an OPhiA badge from that site a couple of years ago. It was from an estate liquidation sale and the middleman couldn't tell me anything other than the person who passed away had lived in Kennesaw, Georgia. From the attached chapter guard, I knew it was from our Alpha Chapter (way up in OH) and dated to around 1970. Unfortunately, we don't routinely have our badges engraved so I couldn't trace it any further than that.

Best of luck!!!

[/crash]

see I'm curious of the same...the one I just won on ebay is supposedly from the 1970's, from the Alpha Rho chapter as it has the guard. no dangles or anything. I suspect the owner might still be alive but it makes me sad to think likely sold it for money or worse, her kids inherited it and sold it. Makes me so glad to have a daughter who is also Alpha Xi so she will treasure my items too (she's not legacy because we were initiated on line together), I just hope my granddaughter will honor our legacy to her someday.

I think that's wonderful you rescued the quill! That was the reason I decided to buy one too, while waiting for mine to come next semester when our chapter gets everything in

Remember that to many of us our membership is truly FOR A LIFETIME, but for others it's 4 years of fun and memories and that's all. It would seem unlikely for a president to feel that way, but who knows? She might not have any negative feelings at all about giving it away/selling it because it really didn't mean that much to her. Not saying that IS the case, just that there are a variety of reasons why a person may surrender her quill, some sad and some merely apathetic.

Are there any HQs that buy back badges for gold value from people who resign their membership?

I would think that most organizations require people who resign or are expelled to return their badges. That's the case with KD.

I know many organizations have that policy, but I've always wondered if they are able to defend it against a legal challenge.

That's why new member agreements and contracts are a great thing. Yes, I realize that many years ago, they may not have been in place, but they are now.

How often someone is pursued to give back their badge is a different story.

One of the chapters I advised put it in their bylaws that if a member wants to quit, and claims that she "lost" her badge and therefore are unable to return it, they are charged a $200 fee that they must pay before they are allowed to sign their resignation paperwork, or the original cost of the badge, (whichever is higher) as a negative financial incentive to "lying" about losing your badge just so you can keep it. If you really lost your badge before you decided to quit, sucks to be you, you should have cared about your items a little bit more. If you're lying about losing it just so you can keep it and not return it, you'll think twice about that lie since you'll have to pay that fee again. Most ladies decide that the badge, to an organization they no longer want to be a part of, is not worth shelling out that much money again just to keep it.

And if you try to not pay, well, we'll just send you to collections once you're eligible to be suspended for financial deliquincy. Since we've implemented the policy 2 years ago.... it's not been an issue, so I guess it works.

I know a lot have this policy, but I was wondering if there are any that are more proactive in getting them back - like Amanda's story, but nationally.

Wow, these girls ain't playing. Good for them!!

I've got nothing valuable to add here, except Hunter College barely has greek life anymore. Wouldve been cool to see an active greek presence in NYC!