Interested Party saying hello!

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I have no idea about the OP and her follow up seems a little trollish. But to those of you who said that you'd be really suspicious of a women who went someplace with a big Greek system and didn't join who was interested in AI, are you sure?

I can think of people that I know who went to UGA and weren't Greek who would be great AIs, assuming of course that a group approached them.

Heck, whenever we have "SEC Greek Life is insane conversations," don't a lot of you feel like if you had gone to one of the SEC schools, you never would have rushed?

It's be hard to hold it against someone for misjudging something that is often confusing from the outside looking in. And if a women whom you personally knew would be a benefit to a service organization of some other kind was interested in serving your GLO as an alumna, would you really hold it against her that she didn't get Greek Life in college?

People who rushed 27 times and didn't get matched, of course, are a different story. I'd be suspicious of their motives too.

1) Right off the bat you are stating that the group approached the person. COMPLETELY different situation. I was referring to the woman approaching the group. And I said I would question them, hence I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to start.

2) I did question someone who wanted to AI with my alumnae chapter (she went to WA St Univ.) and I never heard from her again once I started asking questions so obviously, she didn't like my questions. Since her first email was very excited to find this opportunity.

3) The OP said she was dropped, in my mind that should be enough for all of us. I for one, trust my sisters.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by SmartBlondeGPhB

1) Right off the bat you are stating that the group approached the person. COMPLETELY different situation. I was referring to the woman approaching the group. And I said I would question them, hence I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to start.

2) I did question someone who wanted to AI with my alumnae chapter (she went to WA St Univ.) and I never heard from her again once I started asking questions so obviously, she didn't like my questions. Since her first email was very excited to find this opportunity.

3) The OP said she was dropped, in my mind that should be enough for all of us. I for one, trust my sisters.

No doubt there are some weirdos out there, and I think it's odd when individuals try to approach the group too, but they may not understand how it's supposed to work.

If a women went through every kind of recruitment and was dropped a bunch of times, I'd question her interest and qualifications.

But I also know that at many big Greek campuses good young women do slip through the cracks at some great chapters or drop out of recruitment.

I'm not sure that when you are whittling down the 1000+ PNMs to your pledge class of about 50, that every cut unnecessarily reflects any kind of absolute lifelong judgment about a women.

Even if a girl did get cut out of rush midway when she was 18, I'm not sure that means she wouldn't be a good AI later. But I agree that I'd ask some questions.

[AOII Angel]

I'm really puzzled by the extreme reaction to AI illicited on greekchat. If our organizations are meant to be useful to women through out their lives and not just for the college years, why are we so suspicious of women who wish to join later in life? Our goals are to provide women with the chance to be part of something greater than themselves...why is this only open to 18-21 year olds? If one chapter (who we all will admit often make decisions based on appearance or reputation rather than the qualities of a women that really count like leadership potential, level of commitment,etc) does not wish to give a woman a bid, why does this exclude her from joining another chapter of the same organization? Our organizations are larger than just one chapter or just one member. Women may identify with our missions, philanthropies or programming even if rejected by a chapter earlier in life. If we want to improve our alumnae participation, why exclude women who want to participate? Last time I checked, there wasn't an overwhelming rush of women trying to "sneak" in! I actually feel that alumnae initiates would be more likely to accept a lifetime commitment and follow through than the thousands of 18 year olds each year who make the same commitment but don't follow through.

[AlphaFrog]

READ THE REST OF THE AI FORUM.

[AOII Angel]

I have, Alpha Frog, and I still disagree.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I'm really puzzled by the extreme reaction to AI illicited on greekchat. If our organizations are meant to be useful to women through out their lives and not just for the college years, why are we so suspicious of women who wish to join later in life? Our goals are to provide women with the chance to be part of something greater than themselves...why is this only open to 18-21 year olds? If one chapter (who we all will admit often make decisions based on appearance or reputation rather than the qualities of a women that really count like leadership potential, level of commitment,etc) does not wish to give a woman a bid, why does this exclude her from joining another chapter of the same organization? Our organizations are larger than just one chapter or just one member. Women may identify with our missions, philanthropies or programming even if rejected by a chapter earlier in life. If we want to improve our alumnae participation, why exclude women who want to participate? Last time I checked, there wasn't an overwhelming rush of women trying to "sneak" in! I actually feel that alumnae initiates would be more likely to accept a lifetime commitment and follow through than the thousands of 18 year olds each year make the same commitment but don't follow through.

That's what a lot of GC posters used to think. Then we had a rash of women who obviously 1) were "shopping" for whatever sorority would take them as an AI and 2) were more concerned about what the sorority would do for them (as in fulfilling their college dreams) than what they could do for the sorority.

I know I don't agree with some of the membership decisions made by my sisters....however, they are my sisters. If I found out that a prospective AI went through rush at any school with a chapter of ASA and was dropped by the ASA chapter, forget her. Who in the world am I to think that my opinion should override that of 30-200 other women?

Lots of women join sororities for the wrong reasons. Some of them are 18, and some of them are 30. The problem is when they join at age 30, it's a lot harder to get rid of them.

[jwright25]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

If our organizations are meant to be useful to women through out their lives and not just for the college years, why are we so suspicious of women who wish to join later in life? Our goals are to provide women with the chance to be part of something greater than themselves...why is this only open to 18-21 year olds?

The first line of the Panhellenic Creed:

"We, as Undergraduate Members of women's fraternities, stand for good scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards, and for serving, to the best of our ability, our college community."

As has been noted, there are a great many organizations open to non-student women who wish to be a part of something greater than themselves. NPC sororities are not open to the regular admittance of non-student women. Otherwise we would hold membership drives just like Junior League, etc.

One of the membership benefits that we tout when encouraging college women to sign up for recruitment is the lifelong aspect of sorority membership. Yes, we do provide opportunities for our members beyond graduation. But we do not provide them with recruitment tools or assistance for bringing in new members.