Drop

BabyP · #1 03-17-2004, 05:01 PM

one of the pledges dropped, she was really dedicated but too overwhelmed with class (one which is statistics) and hurt her shoulder recently which affects her signing. She just emailed me she is sorry but she has to drop but she still wants to join next semester. I dont know what to do now. What should I do about the sister who was supposed to have her as a little sister?? I hope it doesnt decrease the morale of the group and the group is still motivated and moving on strong.

chideltjen · #2 03-17-2004, 05:20 PM

Girls will drop. It's a part of being in a GLO. Life happens.

As far as the lil sis/big sis thing goes... well that's just a risk you had to take when you signed on for a little. There have been girls in my group who have been thru 3-4 littles. They either have just 1 or no lines going now. If she spent a lot of money... oops, can't really do much about it now.

And morale... well like I said, it's part of the process. Let the girl come back next semester if she is willing to. Don't pressure her into it next semester cuz then she'll just feel uncomfortable. When someone leaves, you pick up and move on to make your sisterhood stronger.

SiggieJilly403 · #3 03-18-2004, 02:50 AM

This is something I'm actually afraid of. We're going to be the beta chapter of a local sorority officially...SOON. We're pledging in a few weeks...and then we're the founding members of our group. With only 8 other girls...if anyone drops...that puts us at a very big disadvantage. I can't imagine only having 5 people and running a whole sorority. We're not going to recruit until fall...and I'm worried already that 1 or 2 of them will drop or decide to do it in the fall. I guess all I can do is try to keep us all together, be supportive, and work with everyone as much as possible. I just dont want anyone that may not be AS dedicated to keep the group down. We have an amazing group of girls, and I really don't want to lose any of them.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Rio_Kohitsuji · #4 03-18-2004, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SiggieJilly403
I can't imagine only having 5 people and running a whole sorority.B]

Hon, we once only had 2 sisters run our sorority! But hey...we're now at 11 and we're getting bigger

Just because you have low membership don't give up, RUSH RUSH RUSH!!!

BabyP- I would just let her drop w/o grief and let her come back next semester. Question though, how do her pledge sisters feel about this decision? Remember, next semester they'll be putting her through just as much as the active sisters now, if they are resentful against her it could cause big problems.
On the subject of the sister who was to have her little...was this her last semester? If it is, have another active that will have another chance give up her little for the sister. If she will be back, just give her a little next semester, or if someone has a plethra of little's have them give one up. It happens all the time here, that way our lines are now properly managed.

BabyP · #5 03-18-2004, 11:30 PM

Never mind, she changed her mind, she was worried about her school work..... since she didnt miss any meetings or assignments, it is okay. By the way, she is an older student, i think you call them "returning" students.......

adpiucf · #6 03-21-2004, 12:11 AM

Here's some ideas that may help you with your new member retention.

In new member sessions, our new members would take weekly quizzes based on the material they were learning, to help prepare them for our written initiation exam. At the end of each quiz, there would be a little survey; ie: On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best, answer the following questions--- I would rate my relationship with my [Big] sis as _____, I feel that I able to prioritize schoolwork ____, etc. Or fill in the blank answers, etc.

If there are challenges with big/little, the new member coordinator can help resolve that, or if the new member is feeling overwhelmed. If school priorities are making the new member feel that she doesn't have time for the sorority, help your new members by holding a workshop on time management-- maybe give them all planners with your letters on the front (these can be great homemade gifts!) and you can pencil in key sorority dates.

Another way to help integrate your new members, so they don't feel so overwhelmed--- make sure that all your dates (meetings, rituals, etc.) are established prior, and the new members are aware of these dates so that they can schedule their school, family and personal obligations accordingly, too. I know that not all of the locals like to disclose these dates, but it really does help lessen the stress level and helps your members learn time management. You have the luxury of being to able to amend your rules and traditions more quickly than we NPC's when you see something might not be so effective! I envy you that!!!!

Also, you might want to put a cap on your new member sessions-- maybe they can't exceed 40 minutes, and there will be no more than 6 sessions. Maybe you can incorporate an open discussion or craft into each session-- something with takeaway value that allows the new members to bond, and also leaves them with something to take home that they can keep to remind them of that special bond. Invite your initiated members to new member ed to help teach songs, history, etc., so the new members get to know the older members.

Above all, try to encorage sorority unity above new member class unity. Integrate your new members into chapter life as much as possible. You will have less cliques to worry about, b/c the pledge classes won't be competing with each other-- instead, there will be one harmonious group working toward the same goals.

Good luck!!!

SigPhiSunshine · #7 04-08-2004, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rio_Kohitsuji

Hon, we once only had 2 sisters run our sorority! But hey...we're now at 11 and we're getting bigger

Just because you have low membership don't give up, RUSH RUSH RUSH!!!

BabyP- I would just let her drop w/o grief and let her come back next semester. Question though, how do her pledge sisters feel about this decision? Remember, next semester they'll be putting her through just as much as the active sisters now, if they are resentful against her it could cause big problems.
On the subject of the sister who was to have her little...was this her last semester? If it is, have another active that will have another chance give up her little for the sister. If she will be back, just give her a little next semester, or if someone has a plethra of little's have them give one up. It happens all the time here, that way our lines are now properly managed. [/B]

i know how you feel, we were tiny when i joined but in 2 semesters we upped our membership 12 girls which is a lot seeing how a normal pledge class size for us is 2 or 3. it was awesome when we found out that we got 6 girls this semester and the ast's only got 4 and its their alpha chapter here at emu. a lot of girls pick ast here just for that reason, so needless to say, we were stoked about that one.

BabyP · #8 06-10-2004, 04:15 AM

update: a total of three girls dropped since the beginning but we are still friendly and they still keep in touch and want to know when our deaf events and other things also and if we need support or help in anything........I dont like how some greeks bitch the person aka blacklist the person who dropped. These people can be valuable connectins!! We have four strong girls who became sisters!!!

SigPhiSunshine · #9 07-14-2004, 08:25 PM

we had one of our ladies drop a week before initiaition becuase of family problems. it was my little sister and i was kinda upset about it but she wants to come back more than ever. this just goes to say you shouldnt shun people after they drop, you never know who might want to come back.

Shima-Mizu · #10 07-23-2004, 07:58 PM

When I first joined, we had 13 girls in my new member class. The very next day after Bid Day though, one of the girls dropped. The 12 of us stayed through the full way though. The only times we were ever upset was that she didn't take her door decorations down after deciding not to join, and she happened to be in all of Bid Day pictures, which we didn't get until sometime after initiation. We still talked to her though and are all on good terms with her.

CarolinaCutie · #11 07-23-2004, 08:06 PM

This is why I am glad that we can officially pledge girls up to 2 weeks after Bid Day. Yes, I am sad if one of them drops, because then we don't have full quota, but I'm even sadder if we have to consider them depledged. I don't want anyone to leave, but if they are going to do so, I'd like for that to happen BEFORE they get a Big Sister, before they've received lots of gifts, before they've attended most of the semester's social events, BEFORE they get initiated... sorry if that's a harsh opinion. The later the pledging date is, the more time they have to think it over AFTER Bid Day, come to grips with their financial situation, talk to their parents, etc.

ETA: I posted this before I realized it was in the Locals forum, but I think most of what I said still holds true, perhaps even MORE in a smaller group. It's a very detached way of looking at it, but the resources we have in our organizations are precious and it is hard to give them out to people who end up not giving back