Conservative Upbringing/Sorority Interest

[Indy1795]

I come from a deeply religious, conservative family. To them, anything outside of the realm of the church was a sin. I was not allowed to wear pants, make up or jewelry. I was even forbidden to watch Soul Train! I considered pledging as an undergraduate, but fear that my parents had instilled in me made me back out.

Now that I am a married mother of three and have matured more, I see things quite differently. I am interested now more than ever about joining a sorority at the graduate level. I just want to know from those of you who might have had a similar background to share your thoughts and opinions.

[Senusret I]

Just for clarification, you're talking about black Greek lettered sororities in particular?

[Indy1795]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Just for clarification, you're talking about black Greek lettered sororities in particular?

Yes I am. Sorry for not being clear.

[Senusret I]

No apology necessary, you're new.

Basically, enjoy GreekChat. You will find a lot of answers by just looking around and reading old threads. Be sure to read the threads at the top of EACH sorority's specific forum. They will usually say something about "membership questions" or "read this first."

In short, most people will not discuss membership questions specifically on GC, but there are various threads in which you can participate that will be helpful.

[Indy1795]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

No apology necessary, you're new.

Basically, enjoy GreekChat. You will find a lot of answers by just looking around and reading old threads. Be sure to read the threads at the top of EACH sorority's specific forum. They will usually say something about "membership questions" or "read this first."

In short, most people will not discuss membership questions specifically on GC, but there are various threads in which you can participate that will be helpful.

Thanks for the advice. I am not trying to gain secrets, just general information. I wouldn't dare disrespect any organization's privacy guidelines. I have pretty much narrowed down my choice...there were only two in my mind to begin with. Now, I have to make myself acquainted with the active members of the sorority I wish to join. I have close family members and friends who are members, however they are ALL inactive at the moment. Just my luck!

[Senusret I]

I have a few friends who have been in your position recently. I will try to recount their stories in case it helps:

One friend lives in a major northeast city and has a notable occupation. She's in her early 30s, single, no kids, and has lived in this city for about two years. She is active in various causes and a well-known civic organization but (in my opinion) she's not exactly active in causes which introduce her to a great deal of other black women like her. She's almost too high-faluttin' to be able to meet "regular people" at this point.

However, her patience is paying off. I actually introduced her to a very active member of a different sorority who was able to put her in touch with members of the sorority she is interested in. Slowly but steadily, she is making the connection to active members that she seeks.


Another friend of mine moved back to our hometown about a year ago. She stays pretty busy with work and various social events, but I wouldn't say that she does a lot of charity work (as my other friend does). She, like my other friend, was doing everything right on paper: contacting the graduate/alumnae chapters through their websites, asking to be put on mailing lists, etc. But in the case of both (I forgot to mention earlier) the chapters didn't have up to date websites with chapter events on them, so it was hard to meet members.

Well, for my friend here, she met members through me who were inactive and was having a hard time being connected to active members. At some point, a bell went off in my head and I remembered that a young lady I knew was a member of one of the grad chapters here. I sent a facebook message and come to find out my acquaintance is the president of that chapter. She asked for my friend's info and she has been invited to public events ever since.

Each sorority (and fraternity) will be different, and in no case will it be easy. But if you do have close family members and friends who are members then it's really just a matter of asking them to continue to provide you introductions and pathways to active members.

I hope that's provided some general guidance on how to use your networks to your advantage.

[Indy1795]

Very insightful.