[violetgeek]

I talked to my sisters several times over the next few days. The only explanation they ever gave me was that the Oaks had more legacies than bids and had to cut a good number of their legacies. I personally knew of 3 others, including the girl dating my friend, so I understood intellectually, but not emotionally. I was devastated – what was wrong with me that only the “bottom” chapters on campus wanted me? I had always been very confident in my abilities and now I was doubting myself.

I had a COB offer from the Sycamores and was told they really wanted me, but I turned it down.

I decided I would just have to rush the next year and tried to get as involved as possible on campus. On my floor there were 7 Gingkoes, 4 Oaks, several Spruces and several Palms. The girls next door had gone Red Bug and Dogwood – both their first choices. The Oak/Gingko legacy got a bid to Gingko, so I guess there had been some type of mistake made! As the semester progressed, I became friends with all of the Gingkoes and Red Buds on my floor, and various Dogwoods and Sycamores. But, only one of the Oaks and she roomed with a Gingko. My friend who dated the Oak legacy had his heart broken when she dumped him. She told him she had to focus on getting all the Oaks to want her in their chapter and she wouldn’t have time to date him.


Second Semester starts and in Mid-January there was an announcement. There would be informal rush and all chapters would be participating! There would be one night of formal parties that everyone had to participate in, then personal invites to informal meetings. My roommate encouraged me to participate, so I signed up.

The formal parties were very short – maybe 30 minutes. There were maybe 45 girls going thru – only one party for each chapter. When I went to Oak I talked to the sister of the one Oak I had been friends with (she had not come back to SECU for 2nd semester) and a freshman whose older sisters had been in the chapter with several of my sisters. They were very nice to me and in the back of my mind I still hoped they were interested. At the other chapters the girls I was friends with came and talked to me and made me feel welcome.

The next morning I received a phone call from the Gingkoes inviting me to go out for ice cream with a group and I accepted. As I walked to class that day, I saw a girl walking a head of me and I remember thinking – she looks so confident, I just want to be like that. When I went to the ice cream parlor, there sat the same girl – she was a Gingko! I had a great time and all the girls were really nice. That night my roommate and several other Ginkgo friends sat me down and asked me if I would accept a bid from them – they point blank told me that I wasn’t like the Oaks and that I would fit in perfectly with the Gingkoes. I told them yes, and the next night I joined 4 other girls as new Ginkgo pledges. I had a great time as a collegian and loved my chapter. But I have to admit, it was always nice to beat the Oaks in a competition!

While I would have liked to be greek sisters with my biological sisters, I don’t think it would have made us closer in the long run. Unless they learned some earth shattering tenant in their group that makes me less of a person because I don’t know it, I don’t think just being members of the same GLO would change our relationships. And, time has proven that I have a solid connection to my GLO. I have been very active an as Alumna. I have lived in several parts of the country as an adult and I have been involved with Ginkgo Alum groups – I found sisters for life.