ceremony for alumni on founders day?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by LambaLady

we just want an event for the alumnae that will bring them back together- but not just have a drinking alumnae event, you know? we think it would be great to bring that back into the chapter room and have a ritual/ceremony with something after like a luncheon or something.

Originally Posted by LambaLady

ive had our ritualist look for anything about a reaffiliation in our files but she cant find much so ill have to do some digging.

any ideas?

AST’s Rededication ritual is probably my favorite (besides initiation). It’s nice to have a ceremony that doesn’t involve scrambling, trying to get everything ready and perfect for the new members. I’ve always looked at it as a way to not only celebrate Founders Day, but to remind ourselves what it means to be an AST. We would always invite the alumnae; then have an alumnae dinner following the ceremony.

If your organization has one of these ceremonies, I would think that it would be prominent in your ritualistic materials (although, I could be wrong). Have you asked your advisors if there is any such ceremony?

If there are none, there are many other things that you could do that don’t involve a ceremony and/or drinking.

VandalSquirrel’s idea…

If that's too elaborate or not doable, maybe an activity or presentation about what makes DPhiE important to these women, and reacquainting women with DPhiE and how they can be involved locally and nationally to constantly have a feeling of "affiliation" until the next alumnae event.

… was definitely a good one. There doesn’t have to be an official ceremony, but something fun and meaningful can easily be done.

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

You get monthly emails? I received a printed invitation to IRD in the mail last week which resulted in a case of the vapors and retiring to my fainting couch to recover. I think the invitation was the result of a conversation with an alumna where I shared the lack of communication/invitation from the local collegiate chapter. I haven't moved in four years, or changed my email address, name, or phone number, and IHQ contacts me on the regular. IHQ sent me an e-vite to an alumna meeting at the house, even. I figure that some sister says she'll email, call, text, and never follows through, or it is on facebook and I'm not that into facebook. I refuse to attend any event without a proper invitation, and I only expect three a year. Initiation, IRD, and Feast of Roses, and Initiation and Feast of Roses could happen again in the spring. We have a lot of silver squirrels locally, so written invitations aren't an outdated expectation. I always know when events are, I just don't go due to a conflict or lack of a real invitation sent in a timely manner.

Is contact with alumnae on the decline? Or have collegiate chapters always struggled with this? When I was active, my chapter was SMALL, so our contact with alumnae was minimal, as 10 people trying to run a chapter was a challenge. But we still invited them to formal, initiation, and an annual alumnae dinner… and we sent out mailed invitations for all of them… even if we could barely afford it. Meanwhile, I just received an e-vite for formal. For FORMAL! I think this one event, at the very least, should elicit a mailed invitation. Especially because I “lost my e-vite in the mail” for a few weeks, as it was hiding in my inbox, buried between Facebook and Greekchat emails, which I usually ignore. People love getting snail mail when it’s not a bill, magazine or junk mail… and after you graduate, that’s pretty much all you get.

I also retreated to my fainting couch with smelling salts tonight as I was looking at a chapter webpage where alumni was used more than once, and there was a link to NATIONALS. I've never heard of this Nationals they mention, and this chapter page was on their IHQ information page. Maybe Nationals exists through a door in my wardrobe with all of my mailed invitations?

I LOLed.