Retention within sororities

[seminole dad]

Could anyone on the list let me know what percentage of girls that rush sororities remain four years. I'm a father whose daughter is thinking about rushing at FSU in Aug 2005. I have looked around this site including the Rush and Rush Stories forum.
Also, I would be interested to have any input regarding sorority housing. After reading the booklet from the office of greek affairs and reading these forums, it seems to me that most sororities are set up to encourage the girls to live in the sorority house. It also seems to me that there is a big difference between being in a sorority and being in residence versus living elsewhere. The possibility of being in residence and if so when could be a factor in the selection process. Also, do most girls even want to live in residence. I realize that this is a lot of info to think about, but any input on any issue would be really appreciated.

P.S. I read the posts by seminole mom 14 regarding her daughters rush in fall 2004. It was really good. Maybe I could do something similar for my daughter. Also, I don't really know how I found this site, but it is great. I appreciate all of your wit and intelligence. Thank you much in advance for any input.

[STL Kappa]

Welcome! I admire how interested you are in the possibility of your daughter going through rush. My parents' attitude was "You get to move into your dorm early if you rush?? Great!" And that was the end of the conversation... at least until they had to start writing checks...

First of all, maybe you could clarify what you mean by "remain four years"? I'm not sure if you're looking for the percentage of women that remain at the university for four years or in the sorority for four years. (Honestly, I don't think there's really a "percentage" for either... there are variables such as the school, and the sorority.) I can, however, tell you that in my experience in a sorority chapter of over 200 women, only one has chosen to disaffiliate from our organization. (And she didn't elect to do so until her junior year.)

As far as housing, the answers to some of your questions may depend on the rules at FSU. For example, at my school, most freshmen are required to live in residence halls so women who join sororities do not move into their chapter's house until their sophomore year and only live in the house for 1-2 years before moving off campus. If you're interested in knowing when the sororities would expect a new member to move into the house (immediately vs. sophomore year, etc.), you could e-mail someone on the panhellenic council at FSU and I'm sure they'd be happy to help. (Lauren Lowrey is the president at FSU and her e-mail address is LaurenMLowrey@yahoo.com)

It didn't matter if I "wanted" to live on-campus as a freshman because I didn't have a choice , but looking back I think living on-campus, whether in a residence hall or a sorority house, is not only a great experience but really helpful academically. (Just having the ability to run down the street to a professor's office if I had a question or walk to a help session can make an incredible difference as opposed to living off campus where commuting back and forth can be a hassle so classes sometimes suffer...)

I'm not really sure if I helped at all or even answered any of your questions... but there's my two cents!! If you have any other questions just post away!

[PhoenixAzul]

My sorority house was right across the street from my dorm both years (and will be this year, I'm moving into "dorm apartments"). Personally, for me it was a question of "can I afford rent every month?" vs. "can I pay housing every year". The housing worked out fof me because my sorority has no live-in requirement (when you only have room for 5 girls...). Plus there was something to be said about making friends outside the sorority and having a good time in the dorms. I love my roommate from this year, and I'm so glad she and I are staying together in the apartments, and she has no intention of being greek, which is refreshing because she can talk me out of my hysteria when I get upset over greek things. I hang out at TD a lot...sometimes I'll be coming back from class and just make a detour and end up sitting on the couch eating pizza for 4 hrs. I dont think it makes you any less connected to the sisterhood. But at the same time, if she decided to move in to the sorority house in the future, make sure she evaluates the living personalities of the other residents! One of the main reasons I didn't move in was because my living style doesn't jive with a lot of other people and I'd really like to not piss off my sisters when I get up at 4AM.

[FSUZeta]

dear seminole dad, as you can see from my greekchat name i am from fsu. i am an alumna. i lived in my sorority house for 3 years-actually 4, because my dorm roommate(whom i did not know prior to moving in to the dorm) and i did not get along very well. i don't know what i would have done, if i had not had the house to escape to.

most sorority houses house between 50 to 75 some odd sisters, membership is around 130 to 170 girls. for the girls lucky enough to live in, they have breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared for them at least 5 times a week, with continental breakfasts on the weekend mornings. some serve a sunday lunch and some serve a saturday brunch. those members living outside the house are expected to eat lunch and dinner there, but are excused if they have class conflicts. there are cooks to prepare the meals, a housemother to plan the meals, supervise the staff , maintain order and serve as surrogate parent. there is a staff to clean the common areas of the houses.there are probably more than enough members who want to live in, that those that choose not to, do not have to.

at least at my house, executive officers(president, v.p., secretary, treasurer, panhallenic, ritual, house manager, risk management, etc) are required to live in, then girls that want to live in qualify by accumulating points thru out the previous year. they get points for their grades, their campus activities, attending philanthropy events and other things. room assignments are also determined by these points. most houses have rooms dedicated to study that are quiet rooms, and have computer hookups and computers and printers in them.

it has been determined that living in a sorority house is usually cheaper than apartment living and is much safer. strangers cannot just stroll into a sorority house, but often they can go up to an apartment front door. your daughter will not have to worry about driving to campus if she is living in a sorority house. she is just a few steps away no matter which chapter she joins. living in the house helps her stay in the swing of things and she gets a good idea of the pulse of her sorority. she can only live in a dorm or sorority house once in her life-she can live in an apartment the rest of hers if she chooses.

i have a daughter who will be a senior in hs this year. last fall i took her up to tallahassee to visit my sorority house (we had driven by many times but never popped in). i knew one of the officers in the house and she showed us around. we got the full tour, and as luck would have it, the chapter was holding their crown classic football tournament that weekend, so she got to see how the chapter runs a philanthropic event and she met lots of the girls. that night we went back to the house and amy(our hostess) showed us their recruitment video and talked to my daughter about joining a sorority. girls kept knocking on her bedroom door to see if amy wanted to do something with them(she had just broken up with her longtime boyfriend the night before). that's another reason to let your daughter join a sorority. they look out for each other and there is always something going on and someone to do it with. my daughter was able to see what sisterhood is all about, by seeing these girls coming by to make sure amy was okay-and she was!!

and as we alums all say. while our collegiate years are fabulous, our alumnae years are too. being a member of a sorority is an avenue to employment networking and mentoring; an immediate connection with a group of women when you take a job in a new city.

i hope that you will let your daughter participate in recruitment. the chapters at florida state are all awesome and i am sure that she can find her "home" with one of them. she should secure recommendations to all the chapters. if you have any more questions about recruitment at florida state, i would be happy to try to find the answer for you. you may pm me. best wishes. lisa

[doves95]

To add on... Im not sure about FSU but many schools if you daughter is interested in moving in the spring of her sophomore year, some sororities can work with campus life to allow her to get out of her residence life contract to do so with out any penalties.

[seminole dad]

Thanks to all of you that have replied. You're giving me more insight into the process and the lifestyle. With regards to my daughter, we have already set her up in Dorman hall for this year. I guess I'm kind of a micro manager by checking on everything for my daughter. I have spent countless hours and trips to FSU. This was after countless trips to several schools to pick a school. I'm still digging into things. I figure that the more information that I get, the better chance my daughter will have in school. Also, I think that being in a sorority is a great part of college life. The girls (I mean women) that I know that were or are in a sorority are a class act. Back to housing. I think that it is a financial bargain if you can live in a sorority house. After looking at the greek rush booklet, I see that some are a bargain even if you are not in residence. This being said, I am not necessarily looking for a bargain. I am only looking for what is best for my daughter.

With regards to rush, she already has two or three recomendations. It seems to be a tall order to get recomendations from every sorority and I don't really see us doing it since we're in a small town in SW Fl. Thanks Again!

[seminole dad]

Also, please excuse my ramblings since this is basically my first time replying on a forum. We all know that children are the only sure way to get parents out of their comfort zone.

[adpiucf]

Seminole Dad-- your daughter CAN get recommendations for all the sororities! She should talk to those women writing the 2 or 3 recs for her and ask them if they have any other sorority friends from other organizations that they still keep in touch with. She can meet with them via phone, email or in person for an interview with those alum who can then write her a recommendation.

Also, visit www.npcwomen.org and inquire about the closest Alumnae Panhellenic to your area. This is a local body of Greek alumnae women who support collegiate recruitment and greek life-- they can help your daughter to get the recommendations she needs. For FSU, recs are highly recommended as there are a lot of PNM's going through sorority recruitment! Recs help her stand out and be a little more prepared.

Invite your daughter to check out this site and go through the "rush" forum for basic advice and to ask her own questions.

You're a great dad to want the best for your girl!

[seminole dad]

Dear Adpiucf, Thank you for your response. I suppose that it is possible to get the recs. However, what good is a rec when you have only spoken to the person on the phone. Probably better than none at all. The recs that she has are from people that she has known for many years or from people that have known our family for years. She has been trying to get in touch with an Adpi girl from UF that she has danced with for several years. The girl has offered a rec for a couple of years. However, when the time comes, people are busy. Also, does the rec need to be on the official form. Thank you. I'm sure that you are a great example of the girls that are "First, Finest, & Forever"

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

For us, they do need to be on the official form which is VERY easy for members to get. This has been said a number of times, but most people want to meet the woman they are writing a rec for before they will write it. However, you might be surprised how willing people are to hook a woman up with someone near her who is willing to write the rec.

Also, I agree with adpiucf, ask the women who already wrote recs if they know women in other orgs. They probably do.....

[carnation]

Originally posted by seminole dad
Also, please excuse my ramblings since this is basically my first time replying on a forum. We all know that children are the only sure way to get parents out of their comfort zone.

LOL, which is why my jock husband has been found in ballet shops and at cheer competitions over the years and now wears "Chi O Dad" and "AOII Father" T-shirts without a qualm.

[FSUZeta]

in reply to dove95, at fsu the houses will be full and the earliest she might be able to live in the house would be her sophomore year. the sororities will hold their room lotteries or do whatever they do to determine who lives in the house well in advance of the end of the school year because housing(university dorm, private dorm or apartment) contracts have to be signed so early in the new year. and each chapter will explain in detail to their members how their room lottery works

[Tom Earp]

seminole dad,

Just from a Guy Stand Point and having been envoled with My Fraternity for 40 Years, there is a whole lot to think about!

% as you asked about are totally unknown. But, isnt there always, Greeks expect a lot more out of Members than just being an Independent.

1. They Must Keep Grades, most Important, to be Initiated and stay Current as a Member of the Chapter.

2. While a Member, they will learn how to interact with others of the same thinking.

3. They will hold an Office, maybe, and learn resposibility.

4. Greeks will have a higher GPA than normal independents.

5. There will be interaction with fellow Members who have been in those classes.

6. Life after 4-5 Years for a Member of a Greek Letter Organization is and can be never ending.

7. Life upon Graduation will possibly lead to Net Working with Fellow Members or Members of Other Greek Letter Organizations. It is a Plus as Many Recruiters admire what Greeks do for their Members in not just Grades but training so much more about growing up, learning how to run a Business, (Yes A Greek Org.) is a Business.

A. Budgets, Planning, Working together as one to get Jobs done, Whether it be social or Charitable Events, and there are plenty.

Let me put it this way, every Brother of Mine always touts Greek Organizations and many have Wives and Daughters of Greek Organizations. Dont get any better recomendation than that!

[TSteven]

If you have not already, you may want to check out this site. Lots of excellent information may be found here.

The Alumnae Panhellenic of Tallahassee