Defense of Alumni Initiation Sub Forum

[adpiucf]

I have observed that PNMs who come on GC and detail their recruitment experience as it happens on GC typically end up with piss poor outcomes. There can be 2 reasons for this:

1) They reveal too much about themselves, people "out" them and/or they make it too apparent that their personalities online/comments may be indicative of how they are IRL. Which can be taken negatively or someone just has an ax to grind.

2) They are oddballs who have more friends online than IRL and can't present themselves well in a social setting.

I think the same can be said for AI. We caution PNM's to use discretion. I know how much some love to read these exciting stories-- it reminds us all of a time when we were rushing and looking for the right fit for ourselves. Or we want to relive the excitement through these women's stories. But that's pretty selfish of us. There's a lot to be said for privacy and discretion.

I know that my GLO doesn't want to make our AI program a highly publicized practice outside of educating our existing members of the program and encouraging them to nominate women for membership through AI. We're not embarrassed or ashamed-- AI's are mini-celebrities in our sorority! That's because it is such a special circumstance and they can share their story with our members to influence them positively and encourage them to seek out women in their communities, their mothers or aunts or sisters for nomination.

AI is not recruitment. When it becomes recruitment, this sub-forum will be useful. Right now, GC is the top site to talk about Greek Life. Although a small % of the population is Greek, although an even smaller % remain active as alumni/ae, and although a very, very small % of Greeks even know about AI, the activity in the AI Forum on GC gives the impression that AI is a common part of our sorority practice. And that is bad viral marketing for the GLOs (the majority) who view AI as a special-circumstance occasion.

Again, I welcome AI's as SISTERS. I just don't think we need to broadcast this process until such time that our respective grand councils open up alumnae membership to recriutment and interest meetings for PNAI's. Until that time, I'll happily support my sorority's AI process through the proper channels of communication. This forum is not one of them.

To my knowledge, this post in no way launches any personal attack, ridicule or harrassment and does not violate the TOS.