I am sorry that you are going through this. It is very unfortunate, and I wish that you could have seen this type of "personality deficiency"
before you joined your organization. Although I really have not had to deal with this situation, I will put myself in your place in order to give you a little advice. I think it sucks that these women are behaving in this manner, however as a member, it is now partly your problem. I say this because I feel like If people discount their sister's behavior and say nothing to them, They will probably go on thinking it is okay. It's not. They are an outside reflection of your organization at all times, and they need to realize what they are doing makes them look bad, and is automatically assumed to be part of the character of your house. That in turn can adversely affect the type of people that want to join your organization at your school. Since they respect you enough to make you a part of the sisterhood, respect the sisterhood enough to say something to them. I know it may be hard, but there are tactful ways to do it. If they still do not change, at least you will know that you tried, and they will know from one of their own that someone has a problem with their behavior. I have been a member of a BGLO for almost 10 years, and I come from an extremely close knit chapter. I am not used to having to deal with 100's of personalities at one time in our chapter (We usually only allow a maximum of 10 people per line) so we have a tendency to protect our image and relationships with each other a little differently. I think that hootie has a good idea with Chi-O courtesy. Even though this should be a given, I know it must be a little more difficult when you are dealing with 100's of women in the same house, as opposed to 25. Maybe you guys could adopt something similar. Also, I don't know how you do Chapter meetings and rituals, but sometimes it may help if your house reads aloud from your rituals or sorority history books at meetings. Sometimes hearing an excerpt of the wonderful history that you are a part of can remind you of how important it is to keep the history alive. Many of our founders (all organizations) went through ALOT to accomplish what they did when we were all founded 10's of 100's of years ago, and sometimes a little reminder of that history and legacy doesn't hurt.
Do your best to live up to your expectations, and I am sure that someone will be inspired by the benefits of being a good sister like you. If not, remember that all XYZ's won't become your friends, and all your friends won't become XYZ's! Good Luck Greek Cutie!!!
Jennifer B.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Theta Epsilon Chapter - Spring '91
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