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MIP
Excuse me for coming in as a non-Greek and putting my two cents in. I felt as if I wanted to comment because the topic interested me a whole lot. For those who have read my previous post before when I was outted about my mishap back in 2001 due to someone posting a PM I sent them, you can see why I commented here. I am very aware of the MIP process. Especially pertaining to one particular organization and how it works. There is a big controversy with certain members of organizations who feel that being 'paper' is not the right way to go which leads to you not being respected by those individuals and lacking pertinent information pertaining to your organization. Trust, I know this first hand. A lot of my friends are Greek and know my situation. I know their stories as well. Anyway, MIP is what it is. However, we all know that hazing/pledging still does exist. I have a friend that just went through her MIP process, received her letters, and was asked if she wanted to be pledged to continue her knowledge process. She called me and asked me what to do. I told her no. I educated her that she is already a recognized member. Anything that she doesn't know, she can obtain the information via her sorors or another source. To make a long story short, she ended up not learning a whole lot of information about her organization within that short period of time. She knew nothing of the unofficial symbols and what they stood for. She didn't know how to hold her hand sign and barely knew the handshake. She didn't know important points of the history of her organization. Hell, she didn't even get her history book for over 3 months after she was pinned. With all this being said, she felt that she did not want to attend any sorority functions. What if she was to be challenged by a soror and was not able to answer a question? That is a very uncomfortable feeling. However, she is learning all things she has lacked via MIP. She is becoming more comfortable and more educated daily. However, you have to find open-minded people within an organization that will teach you things you have missed out on that they may feel you should have learned during your process. She has ran into some of her sorors that felt she should have learned this information in MIP, and they wouldn't educate her. Yep, that's sisterhood all right. All in all, I feel there is nothing wrong with being paper. You'll earn respect as you go along and continue learning for the rest of your life. After all, you are joining the organization because you are fond of its foundation/principles. You shouldn't join it because you don't want to be paper. That's just a term people made up. You will still be part of the organization. Don't let the stereotypes of the organization make you. Let your morals and good deeds help make the organization.
Good luck OneLovve in any and everything that you are trying to achieve. If your heart is really in the organization, it shouldn't matter how you make it in nor what chapter you go through. If that really matters to you, then you should rethink trying to join. If not, you shouldn't let anything/anyone discourage you.
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