Social Affiliates?

[HaleyKD]

I am an initiated member of a Panhellenic sorority, and I transferred schools to one that does not have my sorority. I KNOW the I cannot become a full sister of any other sorority, BUT I have heard about something called 'social affiliates' and I was wondering if anyone had any information. It would really help me out.

Thanks

[KSUViolet06]

I have never heard of this and I have been a sorority member (and national volunteer) for quite some time.

What did this person tell you about this supposed "social affiliation?"

That you can attend social events of a sorority you're not a member of because you transferred to a school without your sorority?

If so, that is false.

As far as my sorority goes, socials are for the members of that chapter who pay dues.

I'd imagine that the same is true for the other 25 NPCs as well.

[33girl]

This existed back in the 80s...but any chapter who did it today would be on very thin ice with risk management (even if it was a non-alcoholic event). The rules regarding insurance, etc are just so much more stringent nowadays.

I also think it was more fraternities than sororities. Even back then, if a random KD would have asked if she could come to our mixers, unless she was a chapter sister's bio sister AND everyone else LOVED her, I think we would have fallen over ourselves tossing her out the door. Guys are way more laid back with stuff like that.

Your situation sucks, but if you choose to stay at your new school, your NPC career is done. Period.

Of course, if your school has local sororities, you can join one of those. I would be straight up with them about your KD affiliation, though. The last thing you want is for them to find out from someone other than you.

[FSUZeta]

Your situation sucks, but if you choose to stay at your new school, your NPC career is done. Period. 33girl

her collegiate experience is over, but her alumnae experience is just beginning.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

This existed back in the 80s...but any chapter who did it today would be on very thin ice with risk management (even if it was a non-alcoholic event).

It seems to have disappeared along with the "orphaned Greek" groups. Often, larger campuses would have an organization (or two -- one male and one female) for transfers who were Greek but whose chapters weren't on campus. For purposes of things like Greek week and social events, the orphan Greek group was treated like another chapter.

[33girl]

I realize that she has years and years to be an alum, but I honestly think that's cold comfort right now. She wants collegiate activities, not alum activities. Even if it's a young alum group (25 and under) they're at a totally different place in life and in the sorority experience. It's sort of like saying "you can always AI" except she's already I'ed.

[dekeguy]

My Dad tells me that back in the 60's Social Affiliates were fairly common among fraternities and while less so among sororities it was not unusual.
Social affiliates were never allowed to attend ritual or private meetings that were considered confidential but were welcome at any other functions. There were normally two types of social affiliate. One was a student at a nearby university that did not have a greek system or did not have a chapter of the fraternity that the SA wanted. The un-affiliated SA would pay a sort of reduced dues like a pro-rata for parties and events and was welcome at just about anything except as mentioned above. Sometimes the un-affiliated SA would be initiated right after graduation if he had been considered a good supporter and participent. While he was not a brother he was seen as a sort of "first cousin" and could become a full brother if the chapter wanted him and International gave its blessing for initiation after graduation.
The other type was more like what you describe. Someone who was Greek but had no chapter either at their current university or any nearby university. This was a more informal thing and the affiliated SA could be given a standing invitation to hang at the house and attend parties and such. This type of SA paid no pro-rata dues but could kick in to feed the kitty for any function's expenses.
Dad said that he got the impression that among sororities it was often, but not always, a deal where girls who had known each other in High School or had some other connection would be be invited by their old friends to visit and after a few such visits if the rest of the chapter was comfortable with the visitor she would be encouraged to be an affiliate. Not unlike a COB process but not leading to initiation.
In any case, the SA status was not the norm and the huge majority of members entered under the usual procedure.

[RaggedyAnn]

The other thing you could do is reach out to your local alum chapter. It will be a different experience all together (maybe 1 event a month?), but at least you would have some interaction with sisters.

[DrPhil]

Wise people contact their regional and/or national entity to ask such questions instead of asking Greekchat. Research whether or not a such thing happens for YOUR organization. Even if it is lesser known or less common, that doesn't mean it is formally forbidden. If it is formally and/or informally forbidden, find that out and try to understand why.

NPHC orgs often have members from other campuses attend collegiate chapter events if it is not against chapter or national policies (national trumps chapter) and there are no risk management issues associated with it. For campuses where the NPHC org does not exist, it is not uncommon for members to find a nearby collegiate AND graduate chapter to continue some level of activity and keep their "presence in the pipeline." The particulars depend on the organization's policies and procedures.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Wise people contact their regional and/or national entity to ask such questions instead of asking Greekchat. Research whether or not a such thing happens for YOUR organization. Even if it is lesser known or less common, that doesn't mean it is formally forbidden. If it is formally and/or informally forbidden, find that out and try to understand why.

The thing is, it really would not be up to KD, but up to the sorority she would be "socially affiliating" with. The only larger entity that could give her an answer is national Panhellenic, who could access the policies of all 26 NPC groups to tell her if any of them permit this.

She's talking about going to mixers and other sisterhood functions. Even if it was something completely non alcoholic - say, taking a bus off campus to go and help with a Special Olympics event - the insurance for the groups only insures members of that organization. She could never be a member, therefore if the bus wrecked and there was a nonmember riding, it could throw the whole insurance policy into jeopardy.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The thing is, it really would not be up to KD, but up to the sorority she would be "socially affiliating" with. The only larger entity that could give her an answer is national Panhellenic, who could access the policies of all 26 NPC groups to tell her if any of them permit this.

She's talking about going to mixers and other sisterhood functions. Even if it was something completely non alcoholic - say, taking a bus off campus to go and help with a Special Olympics event - the insurance for the groups only insures members of that organization. She could never be a member, therefore if the bus wrecked and there was a nonmember riding, it could throw the whole insurance policy into jeopardy.

Ummmmm...she's talking about just affiliating with any NPC group just for shits and giggles? I don't get the point of doing that.

Hmmm. I thought she was talking about finding another KD collegiate chapter that is not on her campus. Like, transferring to XYZ College that doesn't have a KD chapter and finding nearby ABC College that has a KD chapter that she can be socially affiliated with (but not be financially active because she doesn't attend that college)

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Ummmmm...she's talking about just affiliating with any NPC group just for shits and giggles? I don't get the point of doing that.

Hmmm. I thought she was talking about finding another KD collegiate chapter that is not on her campus. Like, transferring to XYZ College that doesn't have a KD chapter and finding nearby ABC College that has a KD chapter that she can be socially affiliated with (but not be financially active because she doesn't attend that college)

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

I'm sure a nearby KD chapter not on her campus would welcome her, as in AnotherKD's example, although it really depends where her new school is.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

I'm thinking from an NPHC perspective, so pardon me because I don't see the conundrum here.

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

Not true at all. At least from my experience.

[ChinaBuffet]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

I'm EL, I'm a Pi Beta Phi and I love my sisters, my letters, and our values. I am deeply committed to improving my community through service. The school I went to has a chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha service sorority, and my junior year I went to their "rush" event, I figured that it would be like my business fraternity just service based. When I got there, I saw how close their sisterhood is and how much fun they have together. I also found that their chapter runs almost exactly like my Pi Phi chapter except they do more service projects each semester. They have social events, formals, rituals, everything! Right then, I knew I couldn't join. They were a "real" sorority and I'd already found my sisters.
I graduated, and then just recently decided to go to another school to get a second degree. This school is a commuter campus and has 1 NPC sorority and it's not Pi Phi. When I got here, I desperately missed my sisters. I need that fellowship, but the sorority here has low numbers and there isn't a need for another social sorority. Then I decided to focus on volunteering; I browsed the university website and didn't find a single service organization! Then I remembered back to that day I went to the ESA recruitment. I researched their organization and requested information on their website. The very next afternoon I got an email. Tracy Swanson (who is an Alpha Phi) literally did all of the foot work. She contacted my school's student activities office, she talked them into letting me set up a booth at the activities fair even though ESA wasn't established there, and she put me in touch with ESAs in my state that could help guide me. They showed up to help at my booth. 20 members of the other collegiate chapters , a former international president (!) and the state president came to my first call out meeting. They were very excited to have a new chapter and have been so supportive ever since then. This meeting was in September, we affiliated with the university in November, and we chartered our chapter in January. It was all actually a surprisingly simple process! Tracy said that it can be done in as few as 2 months.
These girls are not my Pi Phi sisters and will never replace my experiences in my chapter, but our sisterhood is really just as strong! I cherish ESA’s symbols and meanings just as much as Pi Beta Phi’s. What's so fantastic about ESA is that they have no requirements of their chapters, all of them do things differently, and some of their chapters don't even do ritual! Chapters are encouraged to develop symbols and meanings that are important to them and incorporate them into the initiation ceremony.
Because the only experience I have with a sorority is with Pi Phi, my chapter does a lot of things like NPC sororities (I don't know any other way). I try very hard not to do anything exactly like my chapter did them, I've twisted things to make them uniquely ESA, created things that I'd never done before, and used a lot of input and ideas from my other charter members who know nothing about how sororities function. When we meet up with the other collegiate chapters in the state and we swap ideas, we always integrate things they do that are ESA tradition that we didn't know about, and they find things that we do that they want to adopt. They have a week of rush parties followed by pinning (sound familiar?) that increasingly become more formal as the week goes on. Our chapter does the same thing but probably with a little more NPC influence.
We are brand new but I feel like because of my experiences, the overwhelming support of the other ESA chapters in our state and our national HQ, and the dedication of my new sisters, we are starting strong! ESA can be anything its founders want it to be, it can be all service, all social, or a mixture of both! Women, not letters make a sisterhood.
Maybe you could find another type of college sorority or even a community based sorority to join. When you find the right one, just like with KD, you'll know you found your new home! PM me if you want more info, even though this went on for miles as it is!
epsilonsigmaalpha.org
esaintl.org

Good luck! I hope this helps. You will find sisters again, even if it's just a friend that sits next to you in biology!