I-Week
 

Hi girls. I'm the Phi Director at the Delta Lambda chapter. Next week is I-Week and while our chapter has some fun traditions, I think I'd to mix it up a little, if not this year, then next year. Do any of you have some fun I-Week activities/ceremonies at your chapter you'd be willing to share with me? I have a folder in my filing cabinet, but all the ceremonies and activities appear to be about 20 years old and kind of out dated. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Do you have the "Love, Honor, Truth" Ceremony? It is kinda cheesy, but it is a good way to set the mood for the week. Each day has a theme for us (love, honor, truth, sisterhood, home) and each carnation sis gets a different active to write her phi a note about the theme.

I do have the Love, Honor, Truth Ceremony. We've never done it before, but I was planning to use it on the last night. Is it better at the beginning?
How does each of your theme nights work?

Some chapters use it the night of initiation, before sending the phis to bed. Be careful, though, there are a few phrases that make everyone laugh (something about a dog catcher), so change any parts that may ruin the serious mood. The theme is just for the letter that the active writes to the phi. The night before initiation, we have the phis come over dressed up, thinking there will be something really serious, and then we surprise them with an impromptu. One night, every carnation sister calls their phi at like 3:00am, and we all go to IHOP (noone is required to go, but most of them do, and it is really fun). Do you have pledge dads? I am not even sure if we are allowed to have them any more, but it is a fun thing to do.

We are currently in I Week... We use the Love Honor Truth ceremony the night before Initiation. We keep it serious, and we then send the girls to spend the night together. Our I Week system doesn't really change... on Monday we do something called Mug and Web. I don't know where we got it, or if any other chapters do it, but if you're interested, email me. On Tuesday we do the Touch Creed, on Wednesday we send them to do a collage of the Creed (helps them learn it for Initiation), and Thursday is LHT. On Friday (Initiation Day), we meet for lunch at noon, then send them to hang out, while we start the set up for Initiation. We all meet for dinner at five, then send them to watch Steel Magnolias, and Initiate around eight. I was Phi Director at one point, now I am Treasurer. I'd be happy to answer any questions for you! My email is littlemonkey01@hotmail.com. Make sure you put something in teh subject line telling me what it's about or I'll skip the message.
Love In Our Bond,
Jen

I know this is old, but....
 

We had these beautiful letters for each day of inspiration week. The big sis would make one letter of phi mu to hang on her little's door and give her a small gift and these beautiful letters. If anyone is interested, I can pull them out of my scrapbook and send them to you. I remember receiving them as a Phi and I was so touched by the sentiment. Each day also had a meaning....I am trying to remember, but the only ones that are coming back to me are M= Memories and U= Unity.

We did this:

Plaque night. Little sis gives her big sis a plaque or paddle with each of their names & the date; big sis gives her little a nickname. (Mine was "Jac-que-lantern" -- I was a pumpkin for Halloween and did a crazy pumpkin dance at our mixer.)

History night. Phis present a skit on the history of the sorority or the chapter.

Inspiration night. Each big and little exchange a poem or quote they've found that they feel represents what the sorority/sisterhood/etc. means to them.

Memory night.

Unity night.



Love you girls!
~ Jacquelyn.

Ok, first off, what is the TOUCH Creed? I'm interested!

We do I-Week like this:

P-Purpose, Pizza Night
H-Happiness, Heart Day
I-Involvement, Ice Cream Night
M-Mystery, Mug Night
U-Understanding, Unity Night

We have these AMAZING inspirational notes that each Big C-sis gives to her little. I don't know where they originated, I do not think that they are just our chapters, (in fact I thought they were used by all of the chapters! DUH!) Each day, the big leaves a letter (physical--like a painted wooden letter, or something that they can frame and make pretty) corresponding to what day it is (P, h, i, m, or u day) with the note. Every phi's note is the same, but the Big C's sometimes add something personal inside the card) BTW, if anyone wants a copy of the notes, I will email them to you.

Anyway, after the 5 days of I week, the phi has all of the letters, and 5 inspirational messages that gets her ready to be initiated. If the girl has gotten wooden letters, then she now has pretty letters to put on her mantle or something.

As for the events that the girl does, every night the big and lil c-sis's go do something with that night. So for Pizza night, on P day, they go get pizza together (many times a big group goes together.) on H day, the big C gives the lil C a heart (many give a heart pin box to the Phi so she'll have something to put her badge in) , I night, they get Ice cream together, M night, the Mug ceremony (see below) and then U night, we have Unity night, where all of the Big/Lil C-sis's (and other members, if they want) have a huge sleepover in the suite. Then we have a day off and Initiate on Sunday.

Mug night-- Every Big C. makes 2 mugs (either buys 2 mugs and paints them, or buys 2 identical mugs) and then at the "ceremony" we do this corny, but sweet, mug thing that describes all the parts of the mug, relating it to the parts of our sisterhood (our phi director has it, if anyone would like to see it I can get it). We fill everyone's mug before the ceremony with Pink lemonade (or other non-alcoholic beverage) and at the appropriate time in the ceremony, you give your lil C. her mug, you intertwine your arms, and drink the drink. We also do the Love Honor Truth ceremony either that night or on Unity night.

It's lots of fun, while helping the girls get serious about Initiation.

Maria (pinkyphimu)....
 

Maybe this will bring back some memories...I don't know if these are the same from when you were a phi but the letter decorations now all have same the meaning and phrase chapterwide.

They are:

P - Purpose "Great minds have purposes, others have wishes" - Washington Irving

H - Happiness "The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for" - Allan K. Chainers

I - Individuality "The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes of it" - Anon

M - Memories "For today is but a memory and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every tomorrow a vision of hope and every yesterday a memory of happiness" - Anon

U - Unity "Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world"

Claire,
Those were definately the ones we used. We also gave these type written notes to our littles. I am totally sad to say that I don't have the letters (P-H-I-M-U) that my big made me. Someone ripped them off my door after initiation!! Do you still give the type written notes, too? This is when I am sad that I live so far away from berg!