create a social sorority

[cristinasmile]

I posted this message to another section of this message board. I'm not sure where it belongs.

I am very much so interested in starting a social sorority chapter at my college. How does one go about doing this? Does one need to find a chapter to be affilated with to call it a "social sorority"? Is this process different than starting a regular sorority chapter?

[Betarulz!]

The term "social sorority" is just a way to distinguish between the different types of Greek lettered organizations that exist (service GLO's, and honorary ones as well).

When you think of a typical sorority you more than likely picture a social sorority, with a chapter house, parties, intramurals, formal recruitment and so forth.

there are 26 National sororities affiliated with the North American Panhellenic Council, and they would be termed social sororities.


So in answer to your question, a social sorority is no different than "regular sorority chapter" in the typical connotations of a sorority.

[cristinasmile]

The sorority I want to create is strictly social. We won't have a house, and there won't be any alcohol involved. I know some campus' may allow that, but my campus is a dry one. There is one dorm on campus that allows alcohol in your room, only if your 21. The purpose of the sorority (that I want to create) is for a social kind of one. Organize social activities within the community of Newton and for the campus.

I'm not ready to go affiliate my sorority with the big guns. We have chosen a name, and it is not taken.

[absolutuscchick]

I think that it is awesome you want to start your own sorority. It will be alot of work, but if you are really committed you can definitely make it work. I think that it is important that you have someone in the greek life office at your school or maybe someone who is an alum of another sorority who can advise you in everything that you do. At USC, in 2000, we had girls who did just that, started their own sorority, and now Alpha Gamma Gamma is its own sorority, has had the highest gpa out of all the sororities on the usc campus since 2002, and is an associate member of Panhellenic. I wish you all the luck in the world!!!

[archangel689]

I'm a chapter founder. I'll give you the piece of advice I give everyone who wants to start a fraternity/Sorority: start a local, not a national chapter.

Why? Becauase at least at my school, locals have certain benifits:

1. You can vote how you like in IFC/Panhel without your national strong arming your vote on certain issues (we have had trouble with this in our IFC).
2. Dues are cheeper (all locals dues are 100-150% cheeper at duquesne). Overall it costs less.
3. No national convention bullshit to attend (which costs money).
4. You get the recogonition of a FOUNDER of an alpha chapter of a sorority/fraternity. This is probably the BIGGEST reason why.
5. Your national isnt trying to override the alumni board and tell it what to do...
6. You dont have consitutional limits placed on you (ie: you can write your consitution without having to worry about national clauses saying you cant do this or that).
7. It is a much more of a learning experience... you don't get the same amount of learning going on if you have national officers comin in and recruiting entire floors of dormitories for your group in like a week. (like one national on our campus did--our national made us do all the work by ourselves)

8. No Restrictions on Pledge programs... some nationals require that pledging be no less then 6 weeks... on average at duquesne, pledging is much shorter for the locals (and way more effecient, and less taxing on the group) then the nationals. One local's pledging is 7 days, one is four weeks.

[mmcat]

wishinhopin's rush thread. she started her own sorority in california.
good luck.

[cristinasmile]

I'm wanting to start a local chapter, not apply to be a national chapter. I looked up some already exisiting sororities, and I like what Sigma Kappa stands for and represents. I have chosen a name. The name of our local sorority (not affiliated) will be called Sigma Kappa Epsilon Pi. I have checked one of the sites that has a list of names that have been taken, and the name we (my friend and I) chose is not taken.

I took some notes from a website about starting a local sorority, and I've begun brainstorming.

[meridionaleDG]

Originally posted by cristinasmile
I'm wanting to start a local chapter, not apply to be a national chapter. I looked up some already exisiting sororities, and I like what Sigma Kappa stands for and represents. I have chosen a name. The name of our local sorority (not affiliated) will be called Sigma Kappa Epsilon Pi. I have checked one of the sites that has a list of names that have been taken, and the name we (my friend and I) chose is not taken.

I took some notes from a website about starting a local sorority, and I've begun brainstorming.

How could you know what "Sigma Kappa" represents when it is in their secret ritual (key word secret).

I don't think you understand the things like Sigma, Delta, Chi, Tau, and other letters are just that - letters. These letters actually stand for greek words which translate into english and in turn gives the chapter a purpose and a meaning.

When you say you like what Sigma Kappa represents, so you used those letters - unless you know Sigma Kappa's ritual, then you don't know what they mean.

What others are saying is pick something that means something to *you*. Like if you want your sorority to stand for "peace", you would need to find the greek word for "peace" then take the letter from the greek word to use it as an abbrevation. That way only the people in your group will know what that particular letter stands for (which is what makes all sororities different). You are working your way backwords. You can't start with letters, you must start with words or phrases that mean something to you.

"peace" in greek is "eirini" - so you can take the first letter and use Sigma in your name to stand for peace. Of coarse you never tell anyone what the Sigma in your name stands for - but that is how sororities and fraternity founders create letters for their org - by the words they stand for.

Edit: http://www.kypros.org/cgi-bin/lexicon/ <---go there and play around with different words that are important to you. Translate them from English to greek, look at the first letter of the word - and there you go! A meaningful letter!

[MoxieGrrl]

Originally posted by meridionaleDG
How could you know what "Sigma Kappa" represents when it is in their secret ritual (key word secret).

When you say you like what Sigma Kappa represents, so you used those letters - unless you know Sigma Kappa's ritual, then you don't know what they mean.

Wow, a little harsh, eh? I think the point she is trying to get at is that after educating herself on the NPC sororities, she liked everything she learned about Sigma Kappa through their website and how they represented themselves there.

cristinasmile: While founding a sorority can be frustrating, stick with it! Best of luck to you!

[cristinasmile]

Originally posted by MoxieGrrl
Wow, a little harsh, eh? I think the point she is trying to get at is that after educating herself on the NPC sororities, she liked everything she learned about Sigma Kappa through their website and how they represented themselves there.

cristinasmile: While founding a sorority can be frustrating, stick with it! Best of luck to you!

I'm not trying to emulated SK in anyway, shape, or form. While us who are creating this believe that the women of Mount Ida are represented fully by SK's mission statement, this does not mean we are going to rip off SK and call it our own.

And as for the letters being meaninful, whatever the letters are, they should be meaningful- yes.. to the Sisters who founded it.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by cristinasmile
I'm not trying to emulated SK in anyway, shape, or form. While us who are creating this believe that the women of Mount Ida are represented fully by SK's mission statement, this does not mean we are going to rip off SK and call it our own.

And as for the letters being meaninful, whatever the letters are, they should be meaningful- yes.. to the Sisters who founded it.

Why don't you try and become a colony of SK then? I'm sure there are lots of other mission statements you could make up that would make you UNIQUE. You don't just take a mission statement because you like it.

[cristinasmile]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
Why don't you try and become a colony of SK then? I'm sure there are lots of other mission statements you could make up that would make you UNIQUE. You don't just take a mission statement because you like it.

We are calling SKEPi as a women's club not sorority as of now.

** hopes to become a sorority in the future **

My $.02 worth...

If you are so adamant on creating a women's social club, rather than a sorority, I would respectfully suggest that you NOT use greek letters. If later, you want to affiliate with a national sorority, then adopt Greek letters which are meaningful to your organization.

When you say a women's social club... are you meaning that you wouldn't have some of the things that make a sorority different? ie. rituals, initiation, selective membership, etc. Right now it kind of sounds like you want to start a sorority with greek letters and just not call it a sorority because your school won't like it

[archangel689]

Ginger, I think you're right on the money with the "sounds like you want to start a sorority with greek letters and just not call it a sorority because your school won't like it ."

This is fine. Call it a social club, call it whatever, do whatever you have to to placate the university and shut them up. Some universities are demented about this type of thing. I've looked at your schools site, and I'd have to say that it should be relitively easy to start a local at this school, no other sororities, no Panhel to deal with, and no Office of Greek Bullshit.

You just got to steer clear of any crap the university might give you.


---

About your choice of letters:

Firstly, I think you should wait until you actually have around 5 girls before you even consider picking the letters, or symbolism behind them... they are just as much founders as you are, and this is a group decision, it's not YOUR sorority, it's "our sorority." If you cannot accept this, do not start this project.

One time, we were deciding on local letters... and Jon wanted to use something like Gamma Tau Chi... and I asked him what we would be telling people during ritual... "that the founding president simply liked the letter gamma and tau chi came from animal house?"

I think you need to think futher into your letters then this, as a group. I personally would have a problem with a four letter designation since it relates you to those sorority life whackos.

-T

[archangel689]

Originally posted by Betarulz!

there are 26 National sororities affiliated with the North American Panhellenic Council, and they would be termed social sororities.

So in answer to your question, a social sorority is no different than "regular sorority chapter" in the typical connotations of a sorority.

Beta, I may have miss interpreted what you said? Are you suggesting local sororities are any less of a "social sorority" then those in the North American Panhellenic Council?