[amanda6035]

Oooh, oooh, ooh, me me me!

I sent you a PM, but you didnt reply so I dont know if you got it.

The best word of advise I can give you as a colony member is to "have patience." And trust me, it's much easier said than done (just ask my advisor, AXiDTrish)

I dont really know what you're going through "right now" because when I became a member (I wasnt part of the original interest group) I saw the fliers on campus and I went to an info session one week, had an interview at some point and by the next week I had pledged. So I dont know what you're going through right now, but I can tell you that once it happens you're gonna be in for the ride of your life.

I dont know what kind of stuff you're allowed to get from other chapters. Eventually, you'll start writing your documents (code of conduct, bylaws, merit system, stuff like that) and your ELC will explain what all of this is, so no need to panic. But I do remember that she gave us examples from the other AZD chapters that are kinda close by to us. However, if it's allowed, I'll see if I can send you our documents as an example that you can use to start writing your own.

You'll learn ALOT your first few years. Some rules work, some dont, some things need to be changed, some dont. It's all a learning process. I think I might have said this in the PM to you, but I wont lie, there will be times that you'll want to rip your hair out and scream. But it makes you a stronger person, IF you stick with it. (DONT let the fact that some girls wont love it as much as you do stop you from continuing forward with it...that's a lesson I'm STILL trying to learn right now.) When I joined I was a hot head fresh out of the military who was starting school as a 22 year old freshman who couldnt even understand why the heck she was considering joing a sorority. Again, ask my advisor how my attitude has changed. I'm still a hothead =) but I know when and where to control it and let loose now (well....at least for the most part, anyway).

The best part is YOU have the opportunity to start and set traditions and standards. Instead of conforming to someone elses, you establish your own. Also, you'll see that Alpha Xi Delta is incredible even beyond the local level. Colonies are special. They have the "important" people who take a special intrest in them. One of the national vice presidents (who lurks around here from time to time, though I havent seen her on in a while) emails me on a semi-regular basis just to see how we're doing. She even came to several rounds of our formal recruitment this year. I love when I meet a new sister online or in person. One day over the summer, I went to a statewide recruitment workshop with the girls from GA State and West GA Universities. We all wore our letters that day. Well, after I left, I went shopping with my mom. I was in a Goodies dept store, when this girl comes running up to me and said "OMG are you an Alpha Xi Delta?" because she saw the letters on my shirt and we had a great conversation. I found out that she was a sister from Jacksonville State University over in Alabama, but she was home for the summer.

Sisters from all over the country are an amazing thing. There was this one time on a message board (not this one) where I had written about a not-so-positive experience my chapter was having, and these girls, literally, from all over the country swarmed in and gave me some awesome advise, and ideas, and cheered me up.

You'll have so much pride out of being a colony member. Sure, other chapters might be "more established" than you for a while, but I've had sisters of those other chapters tell me "I wish I had the opportunity to be a colony member. How cool that must have been!" And the day you receive the news that they are going to install you will be one of those fondest memories you'll ever have.

Just out of curiosity, how many girls do you think you're going to colonize with? What's the intrest level looking like? We're a really small school, so if you guys are bigger than us, you might need to get some advise from someone who knows a little more about how bigger chapters work....

Good luck to you, if you ever have any questions, email me, send me a PM whatever. Let me know if you need anything.

~Amanda