Hi all,
I know some women who have daughters entering college this year. These are wonderful and articulate young ladies who would make great members of any sorority. So, yesterday, I posted to our group listserve that, if any of them was thinking of joining a sorority, that I was happy to answer questions. I also added that, if anyone was going to go through recruitment at a college which had a Gamma Phi Beta chapter, I would also consider writing a rec.
Right. So today I got an e-mail from one of the listserve members. This young lady is a girl from India who happens to be on the listserve. (we only have 2-3 international subscribers) She was e-mailing me asking me to clarify what I meant. She was wondering if I meant writing recs for attending a university.
Of course, that's not what I meant, so I needed to explain it to her. Especially since she implied that she might be applying to a US university.
I found myself a bit stuck because, what do you say to someone who literally has NO IDEA what a sorority is about? I mean, we do occassionally get people on here from England who are thinking about rushing. However, they have a general idea of what Greek Life is and we only need to help clear up a few things for them. This girl is from INDIA.
I was sort of stuck for what to say, so I said the following. Keep in mind that I really tried to make it basic - I wasn't about to launch into a discussion about "rho gammas", bid matching or anything like that. Yes,
I know I didn't explain local sororities; and some may argue with me about the concept that recs will give you a better chance at getting a bid. Remember I was trying to keep it simple and use language and concepts I thought she'd understand. Do you think I did ok?
.....Kelly
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Hi Jenny!
Ah...ok, allow me to explain. The recommendation letter I was suggesting is not for application to university, but for a particular kind of club we have at American and Canadian univerisities. I don't mean to write so much, but it is very hard to explain this!
A "sorority" is perhaps best described as a social club for women students at university. The word "sorority" comes from the Latin word to mean "sisterhood". Similarly, men are able to join a "fraternity" - which comes from the Latin word to mean "brotherhood". Fraternities for men and sororities for women are most often distinguished by the use of Greek letters in their names. For example, my sorority is named Gamma Phi Beta which are the letters G, F and B in Greek.
There are many different kinds of sororities - some are national or international. That is, they have chapters on many different university campuses in the United States and Canada. Sororities are great to belong to because they provide lots of opportunities for students. Not only do they provide social opportunities (to have formal dances, go to sporting events together, go see movies together), but they also support academic achievement, leadership and participation in service to the community through charitable projects. Also, many sororities own big houses which give members the opportunity to live there instead of a university hall. Many people consider a sorority to be like having a "family" when you are far away from home.
Each sorority has its own colours, a mascot (like a bear, dove, or turtle), a symbol (star, moon, diamond), and a flower (rose, carnation, pansy). Also, each sorority has a special pin that only members wear (also called a "badge") made out gold - the pin often has jewels on it. Usually, each sorority has a different charity that they raise money to support.
Joining a sorority is voluntary - the university does not require anyone to particpate. It is the same as if a student wished to join the swimming team or the chess club. However, unlike other student clubs, not everyone can just sign up to be a member of a sorority. One becomes a member by participating in a process called "recruitment". The interested students will go around to visit each of the sororities on campus during a week, usually in the fall term. Because each sorority has its own "personality" and its own requirements for membership, not everyone will fit in to a particular group.
Sometimes, if a student knows someone who is an older sorority member who has graduated from university already, this can help them have a better chance of receiving an invitiation. So, if we know a young lady who wants to join our sorority, the alumna members like myself will write a letter to the sorority at the university the girl wishes to attend. That way she will receive just a little bit more attention from the sorority during the recruitment week. This is what I was posting about on the listserve.
The students decide which sororities they like, and the sororities decide which students they like. Then, at the end of the week, the student will receive an invitiation to join from only one of the sororities. If she accepts the invitiation, she will become a new member! Once a new member, the student will participate in lots of fun activities with the other girls who also were invited to be new members. During those few weeks, everyone will get to know each other and about the sorority's history, goals and their charity projects. Finally, if everyone is still happy with their choice, then, at the end of the training period, the new members will participate in a ceremony called "initiation" to welcome them as full members. The ceremony is special because the new members will learn secrets about the club that people not in the sorority do not know. Secrets such as what the Greek letters of the name mean, why the symbol was chosen to represent the sorority and so on are told to the new members during the initiation ceremony.
It all may seem very silly, but it is a very, very, old American tradition. I hope I helped explain!
Are you thinking of attending an American university? Most universities here don't require a recommendation letter. If they do, they'd probably want them to be from your school teachers regarding your academic abilities. If they do ask for a personal reference (and not just one from one of your teachers), then I'm sure any of the ladies on the listserve would be eligible to write one for you. I just happen to be a university administrator, so, if you have questions about US universities, I am sure I can help.
Best Regards,
.....Kelly
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