Membership: Nomenclature, semantics, etc...

Ideal08 · #1 05-22-2003, 06:19 PM

Ok, y'all, I have a question. What do you call a person whose membership was revoked by their national office who continues to pose as a member of the organization? Would you still call a member who'd had her letters snatched by nationals "soror/frat?" How do you handle such a person?

As far as I'm concerned, they are PERPS! How DARE you continue to masquerade as a member when you have CLEARLY been ousted???

For WHATEVER REASON, you don't DESERVE to wear MY letters.

Wear the OTHER ones you got FIRST.

So, my FELLOW GREEKS, what do y'all think?

nikki1920 · #2 05-22-2003, 09:34 PM

Ideal, does this topic bother you? lol

I'm not sure how I would treat someone who is not recognized at the national HQ, hmmm... lemme think about it..

ladygreek · #3 05-22-2003, 11:02 PM

If she has actually been expelled, then I no longer call her soror, because she isn't one. And if she is still wearing the letters, then yes I consider her a perp. But if she is just suspended, she is still my soror. I will tell her she is wrong for wearing the letters during the suspension, but she is still my soror.

Steeltrap · #4 05-23-2003, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ladygreek
If she has actually been expelled, then I no longer call her soror, because she isn't one. And if she is still wearing the letters, then yes I consider her a perp. But if she is just suspended, she is still my soror. I will tell her she is wrong for wearing the letters during the suspension, but she is still my soror.

Co-sign with LadyGreek. Also, if she's not active for non-disciplinary reasons, she's still my soror. Life has its twists and turns.

mela3 · #5 05-23-2003, 12:57 PM

If someone was expelled from my organization... hmmm... That means that they had to commit a SERIOUS misdeed. I know that my organization is a SERIOUS matter, and a SERIOUS misdeeds could place my organization in a compromising situation. If someone was expelled from my organization then I would no longer be able to consider them a soror. Being inactive or suspended is not comendable, but as my soror I would support them until they were able to get back on the right track towards service to all mankind.

Ideal08 · #6 05-27-2003, 09:56 AM

Has anyone had any personal experience with this? Do people not want to share?

I have to be real. No one can take away the love that I have for Alpha Kappa Alpha. It is truly in my heart. For that reason, I would never do anything to jeopardize my membership. But I can maybe understand (not really, just trying to play DA) how it would be hard to let go of something so dear. Can you blame them for not being able to let it go?

BirthaBlue4 · #7 05-27-2003, 04:32 PM

Would this person fall under the category of "renegade"? From what I understand, this person is someone who started a process and learned pertinent information and then dropped for whatever reason. Would the person you're describing fall under this category?

I was wondering the other day, if you expell someone, they know EVERYTHING about your organization. What safeguards are there to keep them from spreading all we hold dear? Is it better to keep them and suspend them or something so they're still in, knowing what they've done, or risk kicking them out?

Ideal08 · #8 05-27-2003, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BirthaBlue4
Would this person fall under the category of "renegade"? From what I understand, this person is someone who started a process and learned pertinent information and then dropped for whatever reason. Would the person you're describing fall under this category?

I was wondering the other day, if you expell someone, they know EVERYTHING about your organization. What safeguards are there to keep them from spreading all we hold dear? Is it better to keep them and suspend them or something so they're still in, knowing what they've done, or risk kicking them out?

No, the person to whom I am referring was a member and was expelled. In answer to your second question, you have to do something PRETTY BAD to get expelled, y'know what I'm sayin'? I mean BAD, as in UNTHINKABLE. I say put them out. Because regardless of what they know, they no longer DESERVE to be a member and reap the benefits of membership. GET OUT!!!!

Think before you act. Then you ALREADY have members who can't keep their mouths shut anyway.

So discontinuing expulsions wouldn't help in that regard. *sigh* It's sad, really, that someone would do something to warrant getting kicked out. I feel as though I'm about to go off, so I'm going to stop right here.

BirthaBlue4 · #9 05-27-2003, 05:18 PM

Yeah, I know, but its just sad to me that someone will know all of my information and not BE a soror.

Ideal08 · #10 05-27-2003, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BirthaBlue4
Yeah, I know, but its just sad to me that someone will know all of my information and not BE a soror.

Me, too, sister, me too. I PRAY it never happens to a soror that I know personally. How hard would THAT be??

sigmadiva · #11 05-27-2003, 05:33 PM

I think someone who was expelled and still wearing the letters is sad. Accept that you are no longer a part of the organization and move on. After all, if they had no respect for their letters when they had them legally, then don't wear them now. Also, if the person is crazy and has problems then he/she will have problems elsewhere in his/her life, not just with the GLO.

Not to philosophy too much, but, I think that this is where we as GLOs must be VERY SELECTIVE on who we let in. Get to know the people who want to join your org. When I came through you had to have 30 hours, so basically you were pledging your sophomore year. I hated the wait at the time, but it was good in that an org had a year to check out prospective members.

Not to offend anyone, but when I hear of lines of 30 or more, I really question the criteria the chapter is using to let people in. This is where the chapter may suffer because I think it would be difficult for the MIP chair to effectively monitor all pnms. If you have 40-50 people on line and one or two are wacky and your MIP calendar is short ( a week to a month), then that may not be enough time to weed them out.

Ideal08 · #12 05-27-2003, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sigmadiva
I think someone who was expelled and still wearing the letters is sad. Accept that you are no longer a part of the organization and move on. After all, if they had no respect for their letters when they had them legally, then don't wear them now. Also, if the person is crazy and has problems then he/she will have problems elsewhere in his/her life, not just with the GLO.

Not to philosophy too much, but, I think that this is where we as GLOs must be VERY SELECTIVE on who we let in. Get to know the people who want to join your org. When I came through you had to have 30 hours, so basically you were pledging your sophomore year. I hated the wait at the time, but it was good in that an org had a year to check out prospective members.

Not to offend anyone, but when I hear of lines of 30 or more, I really question the criteria the chapter is using to let people in. This is where the chapter may suffer because I think it would be difficult for the MIP chair to effectively monitor all pnms. If you have 40-50 people on line and one or two are wacky and your MIP calendar is short ( a week to a month), then that may not be enough time to weed them out.

You've hijacked my thread!! LOL I agree with everything you've said in paragraphs 1 and 2. Last paragraph though, I have to disagree slightly. If you have 150 black people on campus, then a line of 40 would be a lot. But if you have THOUSANDS of black people, HUNDREDS will show up for information, 40 is selective. It's all relative. Also, people need to be weeded out BEFORE any type of MIP activity. *sigh* Why you tryin' to go there, sigmadiva? Hijacker!!! You know this is another thread. And probably somewhere on GC already.

But you can repeat that first paragraph. Bold it. Italicize it. Underline it!!!!!!!!!!! Shooooooooooot.......

sigmadiva · #13 05-28-2003, 04:33 PM

I had no intent to hijack the thread. You got me thinking and I could not stop!!!

Thank you for the explanation of having 40 people on line. I went to a historically white univeristy (97% white), so the thought of 40 people being on line is like all the Black people on my campus being on line for the same org. It boggled my mind

.

AKA2D '91 · #14 05-28-2003, 05:47 PM

Speaking of boggling minds and such:

I'm sure it boggles minds when they see 1 or 2 on a line CONSECUTIVELY!

And that's at an HBCU!

Lines with 30 or more DIDN'T start with MIP. I've seen where undergraduate lines in the early 80's (1983 to be exact) had more than 45. No, it wasn't an Alpha Kappa Alpha line, either!

sigmadiva · #15 05-29-2003, 05:12 PM

Having 1 - 2 people per line could be due to several reasons, but the underlying issue is probably because of poor recruiting strategy by the chapter. An important fact that was drilled into us when I was on line is that you are ALWAYS rushing, even when you don't think so. That is why a member of a GLO must always be on his/her best behavior. It is hard to be good all the time, but we must try. You never know who is looking at you and wondering if they want to join your org. YOUR actions could make the difference.

Another reason for low line numbers is that some people don't have the mentality of sheep. You know, if one falls off a cliff then the others will follow without thinking. Somewhere in that mass of sheep is a gazelle that turns and goes a different way.

Now that I understand how lines can get big (40- 50 people), I personally think that more than 30 is too much. I've read posts here in GC from WGLO sororities where chapters can get so big that they become click-ish (sp?) and not every member feels the bonds of sisterhood. I think that taking 10 -15 per 'pledge class' is enough. You still have a lot of people, but it is not so big that you can not bond.