Rush at UCSC - Page 47

valkyrie · #1 06-05-2002, 01:15 PM

Sooo...it looks like AZD could invite some but not all members of NBO to join? Am I understanding that correctly?

wishinhopin · #2 06-05-2002, 01:18 PM

That is my basic understanding...which makes me really nervous, but at the same time, I feel like all of my sisters are my sisters for a reason, and I have confidence in all of our abilities to impress AZD!

FuzzieAlum · #3 06-05-2002, 01:24 PM

This has been discussed before ... in reality, AXD would only not invite NBOs to join if a) their grades were below the minimum (in which case the girl in question could get her grades up and join later) or if b) AXD found out something dreadful about the girl (she's wanted for murder in six states). The truth is, rejecting a member the group has already accepted is likely to not sit well with the other girls, so AXD wouldn't do it because she wasn't "pretty enough" or involved enough or something.

While I am biased of course, Corina, I hope you all end up as part of whichever national org seems to suit you when it comes down to time to decide. But the work won't be done when you get that pledge pin ... you will have to learn about a new org all over again, and your sisterhood will be tested as you rapidly grow. I feel confident that you can meet all these challenges, of course. You've already gotten over the biggest hurdles - making NBO a real, viable organization, and getting nationals interested in you.

Just think, in large part because of your efforts, girls who come to UCSC in five years will have a real choice in sororities - they won't have to go through rush with only one sorority to choose from, and the Greek world at USCS will be much stronger for that.

maggieaxid · #4 06-05-2002, 02:15 PM

I think FuzzieAlum is right on the mark with how AXD does things. I agree, they may only not accept a woman from NBO if her grades are below the required 2.25 or she did something absolutely terrible, or has conducted her self in a improper manner in front of the sisters that are colonizing. For example: there was a sorority colonizing on my campus when i was a sophmore, and they rejected these 3 girls because they showed up at one of their events and were like "do we have to do a philanthropy?", and were totally un interested in things that were not related to drinking and fraternities. They weren't offered bids, but i think thats totally understandable.
I think, however, that you may also want to prep your NBO sisters for the fact that when/if AXD comes or any other NPC sorority, that they will be recruiting members that may have never been interested inNBO and may not be at all, but in the end all of you will become sisters. And sometimes that can be a problem.
Now, do you know if AXD will also be including members of your other local in their colonization? I don't think they could turn them away if they expressed interest.

wishinhopin · #5 06-05-2002, 02:35 PM

Hi everyone,

I am a little nervous about the whole concept of being sisters with a bunch of girls who I have never met before. I think I feel wierd about it just because I've put so much effort into this whole thing, and then people can just come out of nowhere and be considered on the same level as us or something. I'm worried about what it might do for the unity of our group, and I think I just have some personal ego issues going on. It would be hard for me to accept that I could (and most likely would) be replaced as president by someone who did absolutely nothing to bring AZS to our campus. But that's something I will deal with and get over, I care too much about all of this for something like that to stop me. I don't think that Alpha Psi is at all interested in AZS- we had a sortof agreement that members of NBO wouldn't express interest in Alpha Phi if they came to present (which I don't think they are doing), and they wouldn't express interest in AZD. But, you never know. I don't have a personal problem with them, and I trust that whoever AZD chooses to be sisters will be great people. This whole process just raises so many questions for NBO. All along, we've wanted to be different from other women, and now there's a potential of our dream not working out like we planned. What if AZD wants all of us and then a bunch of other girls who we don't feel like we mesh with at all? Do I just give up on what we've worked so hard for? That's going to be a tough decision. Or, what if something like half of NBO really likes AZD, and the other half doesn't at all? Do I decide to give up on this dream I've had for so long in the name of unity? It's complicated because NBO was formed specifically to go national- and if not everyone wants to be a part of that decision, I think it's going to cause some issues for us. But, I addressed all of these things in the last meeting we had, and I think we all have a good amount of stuff to think about and process before we actually have to make any big decisions. I'm really trying to keep reminding myself that things always work out the way they're supposed to. It's just going to be difficult to relinquish the control that we have had over who we choose to be with and what we do. But that higher assistance is just what we need and want in a lot of ways. I think I am stressing too much right now over basically nothing. More later if anything happens- I still can't get in touch with John Holloway's office! I need info from him before I can do anything else and it's driving me insane!
love, Corina

aephi alum · #6 06-05-2002, 03:01 PM

I'm a little surprised at AXD's colonization procedure. When there's a local sorority already on campus that has expressed interest in going national, I thought the national took all women in the local (except those who don't make grades or are ax murderers or something), and ONLY the women in the local; then it's up to the new colony to rush in new members and get up to chapter size. The colony gets help from nationals, but it's the colony members who vote on who is invited to join.

That's the way it worked when my local sorority became a chapter of AEPhi. We met as a group with some AEPhi national officers; both groups decided it was a good fit; and we thus became a colony of AEPhi. It was then up to us to hold rush and attract enough new members to get to chapter size.

What does NPC have to say on the question?

maggieaxid · #7 06-05-2002, 03:33 PM

i could be totally wrong, but i think if they come, they can take whoever they want to....i am sure there is someone out there who knows more though.

FuzzieAlum · #8 06-05-2002, 03:52 PM

As far as having a whole new group of women being your sisters - that happens all the time - that is, when freshmen rush and join sororities. Suddenly you're thrust into this big group that you really don't know that well. Your situation is a little different, though, because the news girls will be joinging you, not vice versa.

I know when I joined AXD, they had only been a chapter for about two years. So almost all of the original colonists were still around. What I noticed primarily was the diversity in women - they hadn't chosen each other but been chosen (they hadn't been part of a local previously). So there were girls who partied a lot, quiet studious types, etc. If they had gone through formal rush they might not have all chosen the same sorority. But having been chosen by Alpha Xi Delta gave them a strong bond. They were all working together to form a new sorority, a strong one different than any of the other groups on campus. That's a bond that's pretty strong.

Also, UCSC is a pretty decent-sized school. I bet that most of the new sisters will be people you didn't even know about - folks who maybe didn't know about NBO, and girls that NBO didn't know either. But I bet most of them will be wonderful additions - not girls you would have rejected before now.

The fact that AXD has expressed interest in NBO means they feel you are the kind of women for them. That should tell you what sort of potential members they are looking for - women like you. Now, I'm sure there will be a sister or two you can't stand - the same thing will happen in any sisterhood, even when you have a voice in who is chosen.

But - honestly - how selective AXD will be in choosing new women will have to do in large part with how many women express interest. Let's say they want the colony to be 30 people, and 35 people sign up. They might reject a few, but basically everyone will have a good chance. If instead 100 girls show up, AXD can be a lot more selective about picking women they believe in. (Although they still won't be too selective re. NBOs.) So getting the word out there, picking new sisters who you want now, will have a direct impact on who your colony sisters are.

I don't know if any of this helps ... and I don't know why AXD's policy is to recruit to size initially rather than letting the group do it. I can give you my speculation, but that's all it is: That way the chapter starts off without a size disadvantage. Generally, a colony has several checks against it - no house, no reputation, being viewed as a threat by others, having few experienced leaders - and this is a way to remove one obstacle in its way.

rushqueen44 · #9 06-05-2002, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by aephi alum

What does NPC have to say on the question? [/B]

NPC upholds each member group's right to selective membership.

I would guess that AXiD recruits rather than having the colony do it because those women technically aren't initiated members, and therefore can't offer bids.

FuzzieAlum is probably right as well - if you start as the smallest on campus, then you're already behind the eight ball.

33girl · #10 06-05-2002, 05:14 PM

It also might have to do with the amount of resources the sorority has nationally. A smaller sorority they might say "keep going till you have XX members, then we will colonize you" simply because they do not have the womanpower to do the interviews and such.

The only time I can recall the national coming in, interviewing & picking girls on our campus was when one of the groups closed the chapter and immediately recolonized. The other 2 NPC groups who came in waited till the local groups got to 30 or so on their own (quota was 50) then they made them a colony. They did rush and everything the same as the established sororities.

From what you have passed on, it kind of sounds like A Xi D is looking at this as a from the ground up expansion rather than a colonization of an existing local.

bruinaphi · #11 06-05-2002, 06:16 PM

I think that it is important to remember that AZD has the right to choose their members and that they can choose not to pledge members of NBO if they feel that the women don't fit in with the chapter image they are trying to create. In order for a colony to succeed it is critical that the group have the right reputation and members from the start.

On a side note, my impression is that most NPC groups will treat a colonization as a ground up colonization unless the local has been there for a long time, is established and is competitive. Otherwise, it is the same as from the ground-up.

aephi alum · #12 06-05-2002, 08:20 PM

Hmmm... The local sorority I was a member of was less than 2 years old when we became an AEPhi colony. It may just be AEPhi's policy to accept all members of a local regardless of its age... not sure.

I did appreciate the fact that we were allowed and encouraged to hold formal and informal rush and choose our own additional new members, rather than national officers choosing them for us. AEPhi did ask us to recruit to a total of 25 members (up from 10) before we could be chartered.

I should note that my fellow chapter founders and I were initiated as soon as we completed the new member program, even though we were still officially a colony. I gather this is unusual... but I'm not complaining

Silly question..... NBO hasn't been around very long. If AXiD only chooses to accept only some of NBO's sisters, what's to prevent the new colony from turning around and extending bids to the rest?

Aphigal · #13 06-05-2002, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by aephi alum

Silly question..... NBO hasn't been around very long. If AXiD only chooses to accept only some of NBO's sisters, what's to prevent the new colony from turning around and extending bids to the rest?

Not a silly question! Well seeing as there are only 9 members of NBO and only 8 are active I would guess that they would be outvoted by any members of the new group. It could happen but I guess that AZD national would also discourage it and the colony would probably have tight supervision for the first year.

Corina I don't want to upset you but AZD can refuse to take any member of NBO and frankly don't need to give you a reason. Yes they may reject only on basis of grades and standards/morals but the fact is she really skirts around the issue in her email. Maybe it would be better if you could wait till Fall and get extension presentations from more than one group. There are sororoities that will agree to take NBO lock stock and barrel.

I am not trying to say anything bad about AXD because every chapter I have run across is very strong. I just want you and all your sisters to understand ALL your options. Who knows if you make that one of your selection criteria and AXD really wants to come on they may agree to it.

Peaches-n-Cream · #14 06-06-2002, 12:19 AM

I know when I was in college an NPC sorority was colonizing a local sorority. From what I recall, the local had existed for about five years before going national. They held rush and offered bids saying that although they hadn't been in the local sorority, they would be founders of the chapter. About one third of the founders were not from the local. That might be similar to what AZD wants to do at UCSC.

rushqueen44 · #15 06-06-2002, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aphigal

Corina I don't want to upset you but AZD can refuse to take any member of NBO and frankly don't need to give you a reason. Yes they may reject only on basis of grades and standards/morals but the fact is she really skirts around the issue in her email....

...Who knows if you make that one of your selection criteria and AXD really wants to come on they may agree to it.

You are dead on in saying that they don't have to take everybody and they don't have to give Corina a reason. But, I think from what I've read that AXD has made their intentions very clear. They pretty much have said that they won't necessarily take everyone.

Corina - I would be careful with that last bit of advice if I were you. Adding a qualification like that will not open up your opportunities - it will shut a lot of doors. You can't tell a GLO who they have to take - many GLO's will be put off by that and immediately tell you they are not interested.

I don't really think you should get all worked up about this, Corina. AXD may just be preparing you for the possibility that they won't take everyone. You said before that you have faith that your NBO sisters are quality women - if that's the case, then AXD is sure to see that! Don't sweat this!

Have any other groups committed to present or are you only looking at AXD right now?