Sigma Alpha/AGR relations
 

Hey! It's Allison from LSU. I was just wondering how are the relationships between the Sigma Alpha and AGR or Farmhouse chapters on your individual campuses.

We don't have Farmhouse here at LSU but we do have an AGR chapter. Lately we've had some problems between our chapters but we're getting them all worked out. The two exec committees sat down tonight and talked about working things out. I think the meeting went really well. Anyways...does anybody have any good ideas of how the members of the two organizations can get better aquainted?

I'm open to ALL ideas. THANKS SO MUCH!!! Y'all have a great week!!!

Allison

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~A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition~

Hey Allison,
This is Jamie from Alpha Zeta! We've had problems with AGR also. They are very leinent on the alcohol policy and we aren't. They haven't wanted to plan things with us at all because they can't drink at the mixers. We're trying to get things worked out too!
We're doing homecoming with them next semester and have a mixer planned for 2 weeks. I think the only way for us to work with AGR is to do stuff with them, and they have to be willing. We need to be together though--we both love ag!
Keep me posted on any ideas ya'll have!!

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The light of sisterhood will always light your way!

Hey Jamie!! Thanks for replying. How's everything at Tarlteton? I'm so glad y'all got to come to regionals. Anyways...just a little background info on our problems with AGR. Like you said...there's the whole alcohol problem but our AGRs are willing to work with us on that and not have alcohol at functions. Our biggest problem is bringing personal issues between maybe one AGR and one Sigma Alpha and then involving the whole group. There's been a lot of bad blood for the past couple of semesters between us because of personal problems.

I guess that gives me another question to ask. This is for anybody. When there is a girl in your chapter and she's having problems with a frat or just a certain frat...How involved should the sorority get? I know we're sisters but should we get involved in her personal life? I will back my sisters until the end but I'm afraid of getting the sorority too involved in personal problems and BS.

As far as ideas for mixers and exchanges go...I was thinking this morning about a St. Patrick's Day party or an April Fool's Day party or something. At this time, I just want our Sigma Alphas to get to know the AGRs better. Like you said Jamie...we should be working together and getting along.

Alright...I've rambled on enough. Talk to y'all later!!!

Sisters,
Allison

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~A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition~

Hi Ladies,

Another suggestion would be to get the two groups together for an ag-related service project or professional speaker (food after it always helps the mixing!).

The Psi Chapter has good relations with both AGR and Farmhouse. In our AG dept.we all know each other and get along really well. Farmhouse invited Sigma Alpha to their Halloween Party and during Rush this semester we hooked up with AGR for a schavenger hunt since we both rushed the same week. There were 4 in a group 1 AGR and Sigma Alpha member and 1 AGR rush and 1 Sigma Alpha rush. This seemed to work very well and gave everyone a chance to meet. Were planning the same event for our next rush. hope this helped.

Hey! Just thought I'd let everybody know that things are going more smoothly between us and AGR. The two exec committees sat down together and talked out a lot of the issues. We've even set up a couple of exchanges with them so we can all get a little more acquainted with each other. We're talking about working together on recruitment ideas.

Oh and by the way...Phi Mu here at LSU held a Man of the Year contest this past week and one of the AGRs was in the contest. He ended up winning 2nd place. We made him a banner and now it's hanging on their house!!!! We're making baby steps at bringing that gap. Thanks for all the help!!!!

Allison

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~A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition~

I'm glad to hear things are better!! We have a mixer with AGR on thursday and it should be great. Our main problem is that members used to hang out with the AGR members all the time, now we don't even know their new members. I think just spending time with them--especially Homecoming next year will help things. Love,
Jamie

We get along great with the AGR and AGS houses here at WIU. They are even hosting our cookout for our regional convention and cooking for us also. One suggestion is to have an educational with them. We are having an educational with the AGR on the topic of alcohol in two weeks. It's a lot of fun and you learn from it at the same time. We also have recently done a social with each house. We did a white trash trailer bash with the AGR and had a mystery date event with the AGS. Just keep asking them to do things and they should respect the fact that you can't have alcohol at events. Our guys do.

HI! I am from the MSU chapter. We have both farmhouse and a AGR here. A few years ago we really didn't do much with them, but then we started to plan things and invited them to be part of them. For example when we had a College of Agricultural Faculty get together we asked them to be part of it and things grow from there. Now we have our rushes and their rushes due activities together and we invite them to fun things like etiquet (spell?) dinners and such. I guess the key is just to keep inviting and after you have had some fun together then bonds will start to form. Don't get discouraged though. Keep asking. That's really the only advise that I have. I hope it helps!

Here at Penn State, we have AGR, Treehouse (Tau Phi Delta), AZ and DTS. We dont do anything with the AGR chapter. Relations between us and them have died since most of their members are not ag majors, as well as some of the brothers having grudges against Sigma Alpha sisters. We do a lot with AZ and Treehouse, and have great relations with them. Our DTS chapter talks to us but there isnt a lot of stuff done between the two of us.
Our relations with AZ and Treehouse have become a lot better in the past few years because we do homecoming with AZ and we have a Dance Marathon here at Penn State and we do that with Treehouse. Doing these large university events with them has enabled sisters to get to know the brothers and the brothers to get to know the sisters.
That is all from PSU.

Lauren

Hey,

We have both a Farmhouse and AGR chapter here. We have had problems with both since long before I was a member. Part of it is personal problems between members, part of it is the farmhouse AGR rival. At our last Executive committee meeting, we decided that we are going to try to sit down and talk with the executive committees of each organization and try to resolve some of our problems. This will lean more towards the balancing out of functions together etc. Right now we have no social functions with the AGR and no philanthropy functions with farmhouse. Hopefully this will help bring us all closer together.

Casey_W Iota

The Nu Chapter at CSU just co-hosted a bar-be-que with AGR for our ag awareness week. Our Ag Council organized the week in which different Ag organization sponsor activities. We had it at the AGR house and served hot dogs and hamburgers, coleslaw, beans and chips. We charged $2 per plate for non-members. There were well over a hundred people there who were not members so we got a lot of good publicity. During the dinner our members got to meet the AGR members, and the whole thing only cost us around $70 (the two chapters split the difference). There was no alcohol, of course, so we registered the party with the office of greek life and got brownie points with them too, as they are trying to implement a dry greek system policy. The event was good all around for us.

What a great event! Good idea. Sounds like the kind of thing the various ag GLOs could hold on different campuses.

I am in the Psi Chapter (MTSU) and we have both Farmhouse and AGR. Although we get along with both groups, honestly, AGR is a little more professional (better organized), therefore we get along best with them. Just wanted to throw out the idea of having an easter egg hunt in the spring for the Frats. We did one for AGR this semester and it turned out really well. Good luck!



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KT Mabry