Encourage Each Other

ilovemyglo · #1 07-21-2001, 11:01 AM

I talked to a girl from the Alpha Chapter last night. They are having some problems she said with low morale and low numbers. One usually equals the other. They aren't having fun and things are getting harder and harder for them! So I talked to my president and everyone in our chapter is going to write a letter to their chapter with encouraging thoughts and words to help them through this tough time. Just some info that backs this story up:
My chapter was there two or three years ago. When Ijoined people were turning in their badges because they weren't having fun and they hated how business like it was. After some time we as new members saw this and weren't standing for it. In the end we realized that we had no fun because we weren't letting ourselves! Our advisor saw things differently than we did, so in the end she stepped down. Since then we have a new advisor who has put spirit back into us. She encourages us and lets us make our own decisions about the chapter even if she doesn't agree she would rather us learn a lesson than try and tell us what we can and cannot do. She is patient and endearing to us. That changed everything. Last fall we had 20 women returning after everyone went alum. On a campus where most houses have 70 or more that was tough! We now have 42 members (and growing!). We are expecting at least 20 through rush! There are women who want to COB AGD because they don't want to be anything but an Alpha Gam. We have other chapters tell us they are jealous of how close our chapter is! We took that time that was hardest and developed it into sisterhood time. We bonded with each other and that shines through to the women coming through. We are rising on our campus and by next spring should be as big as the other sororities on campus!
I know how the women at Alpha must feel. It is hard being on alert or probation. Because you feel like you are being punished when you are working so hard for your chapter. Please, I ask you to encourage them right now. They need our love and support. And also, if you know of any other chapters that are having a difficult time for what ever reason, send them an encouraging letter. I think we may make it a tradition that every month we write letters to a different chapter telling them about us and telling them what AGD means to the women of Theta Iota.
Love and Loyalty, Sarah

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"...and love her for her womanhood."

alphagam4me · #2 07-21-2001, 11:30 AM

sarah,
i would like to know who you spoke to and how i might be able to get in touch with them b/c my chapter (alpha alpha) is only a few hours away from them and is really interested in going to syracuse to help them out with rush and stuff like that. please let me know as soon as possible b/c i would love to do whatever i can to help. thank you in advance!
LIEP,
fara

#3 07-21-2001, 02:09 PM

Sarah,

Do you have their address? If so, I know my chapter would love to help out!

Sandy

ilovemyglo · #4 07-21-2001, 08:11 PM

The girl I talked to was named Tiffany and she was really sweet and really concerned about their chapter.. They are located on Comstock Ave in Syracuse but I don't remember the exact address. I looked on the net but can't find it!! Anyways, please remember to keep them in mind and alphagam4me Please email me because I don't want to post her email here! Loyally, Sarah

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"...and love her for her womanhood."

[This message has been edited by ilovemyglo (edited July 21, 2001).]

JennyAlphaGam · #5 07-21-2001, 10:23 PM

Sarah,

I love your idea!!! What a great way to let others know how many people they are connected to out there....that they aren't alone and truly surrounded by sisterhood. I was just chatting with my friend Melissa about how awesome Alpha Gam's sisterhood is and then I signed on to see this post.

Thank you for being so caring and thoughtful!

Loyally in Epsilon Pi,
Jenny

33girl · #6 07-22-2001, 12:50 AM

Sarah and Fara -

I just clicked on the post and wanted to tell you how wonderful it is to see the true meaning of sisterhood in action!! It's so great that you are reaching out to your sisters across the miles. It really does make a difference.

#7 07-22-2001, 12:54 AM

Sisters,

I checked our Convention Directory, and this is the address provided for their Chapter President, so I'm going to assume that this is the address for the Alpha Chapter house:

Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Chapter
709 Comstock Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13210

Again, great idea Sarah...I'm going to work on my card right away!

Sandy

alphagam4me · #8 07-22-2001, 11:36 AM

thanks sarah...i emailed you so just get back to me whenever you can.

ees125 · #9 07-23-2001, 08:12 AM

I can only imagine how Alpha chapter feels...before I became an alum we were having similar problems (Alpha Mu chapter). Two years after I left, IHQ came in and decided it was time to do a reorganization. All current sisters became alum, and the chapter would get new sisters two years from now and start fresh. I do not see how this is going to help, when there are 20 other sororities at PSU. Phi Mu recolonized several times at PSU and has always had problems with numbers...everytime! Any words of advice. When the reorg begins I want to help out as much as possible, but I am not sure how as an alum.

JenAGD · #10 07-25-2001, 04:38 PM

Sarah,
I am also going to send Alpha chapter a card from our chapter. Should I say that I heard they were having problems or just make it a general "best of wishes...you're surrounded by sisterhood" kind of thing? Thanks for your help

Jen

KEZ-AGD · #11 07-25-2001, 06:51 PM

I am also going to send a card from the Zeta Upsilon chapter. We had a tough time this past semester - so I really know how difficult things can be.

ASUalphagam · #12 07-26-2001, 02:24 AM

I luv the support all of you guys are showing eachother through here. It was my first visit, and I'm hoping to be back more and to chat often with ya'll. Our chapter is in the same boat as alpha right now, and your letter and the support of all the chapters was encouraging to me, and wil hopefully be to the rest of my chapter as well.
Loyally,
Andrea

#13 07-27-2001, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ASUalphagam:
I luv the support all of you guys are showing eachother through here. It was my first visit, and I'm hoping to be back more and to chat often with ya'll. Our chapter is in the same boat as alpha right now, and your letter and the support of all the chapters was encouraging to me, and wil hopefully be to the rest of my chapter as well.
Loyally,
Andrea

ASUalphagam, welcome to Greekchat! I really hope you do stop by more often. We love it when a new sister finds her way to Greekchat!

The card to Alpha chapter is going out tomorrow morning. It's funny--I started writing the card...I finished it...and I couldn't stop. I found myself writing to several other different chapters! I wish I had a 112 or so pieces of stationery so I could write to every chapter to wish them good luck with Fall Recruitment!

If you gals also feel the urge to do this, the most recent issue of the Quarterly came in handy with the different chapter mailing addresses.

#14 07-27-2001, 03:32 AM

As someone who went thru the whole recolonization process, let me tell you...ALUMS can do alot! If it werent for some of our alums, I dont know if we would have come as far as we have. There is some stuff that they couldnt help us with b/c it had been a few years since many were actives, but they helped us to their fullest and it was definately worth it.
With you being an alum, that means you know what your chapter needs better than anyone else. We love all out LC's and appreciate what they did for us, but they were trying to make our chapter into what there chapter was/is. As most know what works from one chapter isnt necessarily going to work for another. Especially if you're from a small one trying to work with a large one. In order to "compete" or stay alive with the others on campus we just couldnt do it. Our alums noticed and took over. We still had the LC's but the alums did most of the job. And its probably the best thing that could have been done. They were there when AGD was huge on campus, so they knew what was needed.
What you can do is volunteer your time like they did and if you held an office, show them how that office works to help the new girls get off the ground. Tell them the kinds of things that you did on campus. Or if you dont have enough time to do that become a Pearl Sister. There is plenty that you can do

ees125 · #15 07-27-2001, 06:05 AM

What is a Pearl Sister?