Quote:
Originally posted by sairose
When I was pledging, one of the priveledges of membership we had to learn was to be esteemed as a fellow Greek by members of all other Greek letter organizations. However, I don't feel like the social GLOs, at least on OUR campus, really consider us Greek. But we very much are. We hold SAI and its ideals dear to our hearts and we cherish our sisterhood. SAI was founded in 1903, so it is as old as many of the social GLOs. But my experience with other Greeks is that they look down on us and one girl even told me that we weren't "real" Greeks. This made me very angry.
My question is this. To those of you in social frats/sororities, what is your view on the music GLOs? Do you really consider us Greek, and why or why not? Be completely honest, because I really want to know.
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I've been reading this thread with great interest, trying to sort out my thoughts. To start, I am an SAI as well as a Kappa. I think SAI is a great organization, but I had a VERY negative collegiate experience. I guess the question of whether SAI and other music GLO's are considered on the same plane as NPC, etc. groups varies from school to school with the attitudes of the members of both groups.
I went to a school that houses one of SAI's oldest continuously operating chapters. It is one of the few Midwestern schools with a conservatory of music, music in general is a pretty big deal there. I joined Kappa first, at first I did not have the grades to get into SAI (but I worked my butt off and pledged a term later). I had always planned on joining SAI because my best friend is a Sinfonian, and from the start I considered it to be something completely different from Kappa. Kappa was for social promotion, SAI existed to improve my life and the lives of others through music. At first, things seemed ok. As time went on though, the divisions between the two groups, as well as SAI versus the other two NPC groups on campus, widened.
I think it all started when a girl I'll call Ellen wanted to pledge. During Rush, we were going down the list of girls who expressed interest in SAI, talking a little bit about each from her biography. No, nothing bad, just "she plays in the band but she's actually a biology major," things like that. The VP-Rush, when she came to Ellen's name, got really excited and said "Oh, she's so excited about joining SAI because she had a really bad experience during [NPC] rush." I should have left right then, for that was a sign of things to come. The truth is, Ellen was only interested in one group, and when they cut her before pref, she started bad-mouthing her rush experience rather than give the group that DID invite her back a shot. She passed this attitude on to all of her friends, a group of about 10 or 12, none of whom rushed NPC. Those 10 or 12 stuck together a lot, and as juniors held all the major positions in the group. As more NPC women joined SAI, the chapter began to divide between those in NPC groups and those who thought they were snobby elitists. Once they were in positions of power, they began to speak in a very holier-than-thou tone regarding not only the NPC groups, but the women who were members of both. They considered themselves more dedicated, better members, etc. This caused a rift that is still there three years after I graduated. Many members of both NPC GLO's and SAI took alum status early, because they feel the same way I do. They didn't want to deactivate because they respected SAI and what it stands for, but they were too uncomfortable in the group.
Today, that SAI chapter does all it can to tell the world they are not anything like an NPC group, and I really think it goes too far. As an example, DG approached SAI, asking if SAI would put together a team for Anchor Splash. All the NPC and NIC groups put together a team, and so did some residence halls and the Outdoor Recreation Club. SAI said "Oh no, we're a professional organization, we don't do things like that," and ignored DG's response that Anchor Splash was open to all groups on campus, and that it was for their philanthropy. Yet SAI is not above having formals. Sinfonia basically goes along with whatever SAI does.
The short version: I do not consider SAI to be on the same level as Kappa. One is certainly not better than the other, they simply exist for different purposes. Should SAI's be considered "real" Greeks? I think so. The ancient Greeks were enamored with music, I think they would be pleased that SAI exists and does what it does. Since I am in both, I can't exactly consider myself my fellow Greek
, but do I think the different orgs deserve the same amount of respect? Yes. Maybe I am the dissenting voice because of my personal experience. A DG at my former school might tell you that she does NOT consider SAI's fellow Greeks because of the way SAI acts when it comes to NPC groups. Think about how the groups regard each other on campus, and it is there the answer to your question lies.
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