collegiate alum
 

i originally posted this in the AZD forum, but think i might get better response here....

i know in my chapter, 5th year students are automaticall alum. is it hard to be an alum before you "should" be? i dont know what im really asking, but i guess i was just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation or if they knew someone in their chapter that was in the same situation. sorry if that makes no sense whatsoever....

I am in the same situation. Phi Mu does not recognize "5th Year Alumna Status" or anything of that nature -- the idea being, you are a Phi Mu for life, and if you're still on campus, you should be trying to contribute to the sorority as long as you are able.

I left school last year for a number of reasons, and will be "blue forming" later this year (a form which "makes" you alum without actually going through the ceremony. For the record, I wish I'd gotten to do the ceremony! The form is, of course, blue.) I intend to go back to school in about a year, but I will already be an alumna.

I don't plan on reactivating as a collegiate for many reasons -- some of which being, by that point, I'll be 24, and have very different priorities than some of my new 17 year old sisters.

I do feel, however, that I can contribute in MANY ways to Phi Mu as an alumna attending a college with a collegiate chapter. It's not Phi Mu or Not Phi Mu. It's just a matter of Collegiate Phi Mu or Alumna Phi Mu.

You obviously know Alpha Xi Delta is for life. Maybe now it's just a matter of figuring out how you can best serve Alpha Xi and how Alpha Xi can best help you.

additionally -- try the best you can to not let guilt get in the way. A lot of sisters will be pulling you towards the chapter, and your family or boyfriend may be pulling you toward alumnahood.

In the end, you chose Alpha Xi Delta. It was your decision and yours alone, and obviously it was a great one -- you found the best place for you. I think it's equally important to not let others' opinions get in the way of this decision. It's still between you and Alpha Xi.

I wrote a provision into our bylaws that allows a 5th year member to declare early alum status. They can also declare it for military service and marriage (or for any other reason in which 3/4 of the voting membership will approve it).

On one hand, yes, you're a Sigma Nu for life. On the other hand, examine the chapter as a business. You don't want dead weight around. I'd rather see folks go alum early than turn in their badges (as a new chapter we're concerned with building a strong alumni base). The provision has served us well. I can safely say that there are some folks out there who can still call themselves alums because of it (rather than "ex-member").

The financial aspect of it: early alums are not eligible to join the alumni chapter and by HQ are still considered active. They do not pay dues, they do not attend social functions without permission. They do, however, pay insurance. No way around that one.

We also have a provision in our bylaws for 5th year seniors (a VERY rare thing at my school), but ours allows them the option of going alum or staying active (since we live in a University-owned lodge, this is okay). We actually have more people staying active than going alum; the traditional reasons for going early alum, like marriage and military service, are very rare at my alma mater. Usually, it's people doing a dual BS/BA who want to remain active. It has worked well for us, because those tend to be the people who were the most active in the house.

Due to a lack of communication, we never got our alum ceremony. :( I feel too young to be an alum!

My first roommate in the house (I was a junior at the time - she was a sophomore) bit off more than she could chew class-wise and flunked out of school. She came back the semester after I graduated. She could have been active if she wanted, as she was still a soph class-wise, but she needed to concentrate on her studies so she stayed alum. Everyone was fine with it - she came to big events like bid day and made sure to meet the new pledges so they knew who she was (this is something that can be hard if you go alum in school). Pretty much the main thing is keep the lines of communication open - let them know that even though circumstances prevent you from being fully active, you still support them.