Who intitiates colony members?

UFRushee05 · #1 09-21-2002, 12:36 AM

Ok, this is a sort of random question...

I am rushing(recruiting) WHATEVER!, Delta Zeta @ the University of Florida...It is a colony. I was wondering...Who exactly initiates colony members? Are you automatically a "sister" or is there a new member period? Because you aren't really a NEW member, you're the ONLY members! DO you have to wait to get a charter to get initiated...and how exactly do you "earn" your charter. I am sure Delta Zeta will reach campus total this semester...Greek life is HUGE at UF and there are over 500 girls signed up to interview...I believe they are accepting 150 or so, I think the avg. house size is 156 at UF. Sorry for all the questions...but if anyone could help me out...I'd really like to know!

THANKS!

Much Future GreeK Love and All of Mine~UFRushee05

33girl · #2 09-21-2002, 12:52 AM

The colony as a whole has a kind of pledge period where it has to complete certain colony requirements - things like getting a certain number of women, participating in campus activities etc.

The initiation of members is done by (usually) a team of national volunteers and alums and collegians from other chapters. After the colonizing sisters are all initiated, the charter is granted.

PsychTau · #3 09-21-2002, 12:52 AM

here's how AST does it.
The colony members are picked (or a local is picked) and all paperwork done. The women then go through the pinning ceremony (where you get your new member pin) and begin the new member process just like any other chapter. They have alumnae, colony advisors, and traveling counselors teach them everything they need to know about AST, including the history and how to take care of all chapter operations. During this time, the colony can recruit additional members. After the colony has completed certain requirements (which are different for each sorority, but the colony is told what the requirements are), National Council and Staff come for induction weekend, in which all the women are Initiated, Charter is awarded, gifts given, banquet and general celebration ensues!!!!

Of course, this isn't the detailed version, but you get the idea!!

Good luck, and keep us posted on how things go!

UFRushee05 · #4 09-21-2002, 01:46 AM

Glad to see night owls like me up..

Thanks for the quick posts! This is really helpful.

Anyone else?!

Much Future Greek Love and all of mine~UFRushee05

aephi alum · #5 09-21-2002, 11:10 AM

Here is what happened with my chapter...

A couple of national officers and a traveling educational consultant (TEC) came in for a weekend and did our ribboning and pinning ceremonies. The TEC then stayed with us for several weeks and oversaw our new member education. Meantime, we continued recruiting new members, held a charity fundraiser, etc. After about 8 weeks, we were initiated by national officers and sisters from a nearby chapter. We were still a colony at this point, since there were only 11 of us and AEPhi didn't want to charter us until we had 25 members.

The following fall, we got 11 new members through formal rush. We saw to their new member education. When the time came for their initiation, the national president and some other officers came up to do their initiation and our chartering ceremony. (Even though we only had 22 members, they chartered us anyway

)

Betarulz! · #6 09-21-2002, 12:33 PM

Is simply reaching a set number of initiates really all that is required for the granting of a charter???

It can be very different for each GLO. For Beta Theta Pi, the power to grant charters is solely vested in the quorom of delegates at our annual national convention. Requirements include having a certain number of positions filled on alumni boards, writing the bylaws and constitution for the colony, and becoming a part of the campus. Usually, the founding fathers will go through a pledge period where they, like everyone else are taught the songs, lore and history of Beta. After completion of this they will be initiated by members of a nearby chapter, or alot of times they will (if feasible) road trip to our Administrative Office and Hall of Chapters in Oxford, Ohio, and be initiated by our Alpha Chapter and Educational Consultants.

Colonies usually take about 2-3 years to get their charter, however if they are in an area with a lot of Beta alums, they may meet the requirements earlier.

CutiePie2000 · #7 09-21-2002, 02:02 PM

A great question.

With Delta Gamma, they will have the Expansion Team from Executive Offices do the initiations.
(usually the Director of Expansion, and some of the Chapter Consultants)
Also, if there is a nearby Delta Gamma Collegiate Chapter (like a 2 hour or less drive away), those collegians will come and help out too.

There are a number of DGs who were exactly in your shoes, so I will PM them and ask them respond as well, since they lived the experience!

Optimist Prime · #8 09-21-2002, 03:00 PM

Eta Chi Chapter at Mason (GMU)

33girl · #9 09-21-2002, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Betarulz!
Is simply reaching a set number of initiates really all that is required for the granting of a charter???

No, there's LOTS more, but I didn't want to get into it too deeply as every group is different.

doubleblue&gold · #10 09-21-2002, 07:05 PM

We're pretty simiilar to what has been written here. When we colonize, the new member period starts. It's time spent learning basics about our sorority and the colony sets dues and fees and writes bylaws. Also to get to know each other, advisors (appointed by Headquarters) and alums. After paperwork and minimum 8 week period is completed, then our National Council okays installation----which is done by national officers, alums and nearby collegiate chapters. I have been involved in installing a new chapter and it's an exciting time!

WhiteDaisy128 · #11 09-21-2002, 10:02 PM

I am going through the same process at NCSU with Delta Gamma. Here is our schedule (it starts so soon!!!! yay!!!) - Sept 24th - info session; 25th Interviews; 26th Preference Party; 27th Bid Day. They will be offering bids to 120 girls. And the weekend of November 16 and 17 is initation/instillation. The girls will then become full sisters, and receive their charter...
Like CutiePie said, there is an expantion team here from national headquarters handling most everything...and then the lovely Duke DG's are helping out a lot too. But it's the expantion team that gets to decide who gets bids and exactly how they want things run...

Tom Earp · #12 09-21-2002, 10:26 PM

I am not realy sure what you mean.

When We became a Colony of LXA, We wereInitiated by a Chapter from another School. This ment we were Brothers of LXA!

After that, we Initiated our own Recruits or New Associates.

Once Your are Initiated, then you should be able to run your own ship and Initiate your New Associates.

It would be a hardship for a Chapter to come to your campus to do a Ritual for you each time you have a new class!

PandaOnProzac · #13 09-22-2002, 01:10 AM

I was part of a colony and what we did was we were initiated by our advising chapter which was from UCLA since they are only an hour away.

This year they still help us out a little bit. The advising takes two years to complete even if we are a full chapter.

Optimist Prime · #14 09-22-2002, 02:41 PM

How it works for us is that a different chapter came to do ritual, which initiated us into Theta Chi. The next day the IHQ folk, along with the other chapter, installed us as a chapter, and installed our officers.

EM1840 · #15 09-23-2002, 05:42 AM

hey UFRushee05, best of luck with all the interviews this week for Delta Zeta. i've got a bunch of friends doing it too.