Please help?

lstohl · #1 08-19-2008, 04:15 PM

I am rushing this year as a sophomore. I am already planning on studying aborad for fall and winter quarters of next year when I am a junior. Since I am a sophomore with a lot of friends in panhel sororities I know they all have one person in the new class pair with a girl from the previous class to be big sis/lil sis. If I join, then I am gone next year abroad I will miss rush. Are girls allowed to study abroad and miss rush? Will I not have a lil sis? No one has been able to answer cause its such an odd question and no ones asked before. Anyone have experience? Please help!

KSUViolet06 · #2 08-19-2008, 04:19 PM

If you go abroad right after you get a bid, you are obviously not going to have the same experiences as all of the girls who are not going abroad. You can't do Big/Little Sis and such when you're not even there. You most likely won't even be able to be initiated with your class, since you aren't going to be there.

I'll be honest, you might want to re-think rush if you're going to be gone for a year. It doesn't make much sense.

lstohl · #3 08-19-2008, 04:21 PM

thank you for the reply. Actually I am rushing this year and going abroad next year - I would miss out on being the "big sis".

lstohl · #4 08-19-2008, 04:22 PM

I was just curious how chapters handled this =)

KSUViolet06 · #5 08-19-2008, 04:23 PM

Well, you actually have to GET INTO a sorority before you can worry about taking on a Little Sis.

AlphaXi_Husky · #6 08-19-2008, 04:24 PM

You're putting the cart before the horse here. Before you start worrying or trying to figure out issues with being in a sorority, you should worry about actually getting into a sorority. Depending on what school you attend, and even with friends in sororities, going through recruitment as sophomore can be very difficult.

nittanyalum · #7 08-19-2008, 04:25 PM

Could you just take a little when you're back your senior year? And I agree with KSUViolet, you're thinking way too far ahead, just focus on getting a bid first.

lstohl · #8 08-19-2008, 04:56 PM

thanks for the replies - and I do understand rushing as a soph can be difficult even though I have close friends in chapters. Thanks again

eringobraugh · #9 08-19-2008, 05:35 PM

I rarely post on here anymore but always find myself lurking through the recruitment thread this time of year (I am a recruitment junkie like many on here). Anyway, I wanted to respond to this question because as finance adviser I deal directly with the members who are studying abroad each semester.

Studying abroad is becoming very popular at many campuses, and more and more sororities are working with their members to make it possible because so many are interested in going abroad at some point (a big discussion on this topic was brought up at our national convention this summer). I can think of 2 members I've known within the past few years who have pledged as sophomores, studied abroad part of their junior year and come back to be active seniors. I think they wore even more active than the typical seniors because they had missed a year.

They could not take offices, but they were very active members before going abroad and when they got back. Yes, those that are abroad miss recruitment (but are not considered "active" members for the semester they are gone anyway so it's excused). If you are there for your senior recruitment, there is no reason you wouldn't be able to take a little sis then.

I do think you need to focus on first getting a bid and joining a sorority first, but don't let your desire to study abroad be a reason not to try! HTH.

irishpipes · #10 08-19-2008, 05:48 PM

Because all of the Irish screen names need to post here, I'll add that going abroad is very popular at the chapter I advise, and from a financial perspective, it stinks. The chapter counts on the income from the members they recruit, and if they aren't there, they aren't paying. I know that's not happy-happy-sisterhood information, but these organizations are businesses too. (Not that the PNM needs to concern herself with that. That's the chapter's concern. But, there's more to membership selection that just if the chapter likes you.)

eringobraugh · #11 08-19-2008, 06:13 PM

Oh, ITA financially it becomes a nightmare to have too many girls all want to SA. Especially when planning your budget or trying to make sure the house is full. We have had some luck getting a few girls who SA to sign contracts to live in the house the semester they get back, which has helped a little. A lot of them like the idea because they know they have housing secured before they even leave is one less thing to stress about the in the short time they have between getting back to the states and starting school again. But this doesn't always work out, and there is the issue of those who leave the house after one semester to SA in the Spring leaving a vacancy...now that is another topic completely!

Zillini · #12 08-19-2008, 07:15 PM

I agree wholeheartedly about budget problems members studying abroad can cause. Throw in a few unexpected financial inactivities and it's time to tighten the sorority purse strings. For many actives/officers it's a real wake up call to learn that just because there's money in the budget doesn't mean there's money in the bank. It's even worse when they realize that pretty much the only flexible budget is social.

PeppyGPhiB · #13 08-19-2008, 07:28 PM

At my school about 60% of the students study abroad, and for the most part they go during their sophomore year. So, it's very typical for the sororities to be missing most of their sophomores every year. We didn't have houses, so it didn't really impact us financially, but I would say that it can cause problems with recruitment if your chapter has more members abroad than others. But I think you should go through recruitment this year, then cross that bridge when you get to it.

AlwaysSAI · #14 08-19-2008, 07:39 PM

We had a girl pledge Phi Sig a few semesters back. She notified us that she was going abroad the following semester. It's in our national bylaws that you cannot get initiated if you know you are going to go inactive the following semester. We loved her! I couldn't wait for her to be my brother. But, per our bylaws, she had to depledge.

The financial burden of going abroad ended up being too great and she never did go.

Keep in mind that things happen and circumstances change.

lauralaylin · #15 08-19-2008, 07:49 PM

I've worked with campuses that didn't count abroad members in their numbers, so it really wasn't much of a financial strain. It would be another spot to fill, but at least it wasn't an empty spot that the chapter was holding for the abroad student. I think the issue depends a lot on the campus.