Pros/Cons of Being a Charter Member?

[WhiteDaisy128]

10 Years Ago (wow, it was really that long!), I was a colonizing member of the Delta Gamma chapter at North Carolina State University. Here is a list of pros and cons that I experienced (some of my pros could be considered cons and vice versa depending on your personality type, etc.):

PROS:

• Ability to join as an upper class(wo)man.
• Ability to immediately take on leadership roles.
• Ability to start new traditions that will last forever in your chapter.
• More diverse pledge class (you meet, become friends with, a lot of women totally different from you because you are all thrown together).
• No set stereotypes for your group already on campus.
• Fraternities are pretty excited to do social events with the "new girls on campus."
• You work closely with (inter)national officers, which is great for networking later (for example, I did my personal interview during recruitment with the future international President of DG and worked with many of the current DG Council members).
• Family lines start with you. Even if you don't have a "Big" -- everyone in the future will trace their family lines back to YOU!
• You are pretty much a celebrity when you come back to visit years and years later, "This is Carolyn, she was a FOUNDING sister of our chapter!"

Cons:

• New groups on campus get outward support from other NPC groups, but are always stigmatized as the "new girls" and sometimes looked down on as the girls who didn't get bids during formal recruitment (even if that's not true. Only 10% of my colonizing class ever went through formal recruitment).
• Officer drama (though I think that happens in any chapter) -- as girls are selected to fill leadership roles, but haven't had the model of past offices, there are always struggles and drama.
• No Bigs (some colonizing groups have them though...we had Twins, which was cool too).
• Colonies are highly supervised by (Inter)national leadership, which keeps programming and other activities VERY PC (not that I would want to be breaking a bunch of rules, but you are just followed SO closely, it's a little nerve-wracking).
• Divides between sisters (again, could happen with every chapter) - with so many different personalities in one large pledge class, cliques almost always form and drama ensues.

I'm sure there is more...that's just off the top of my head. It was TOTALLY worth joining a colonizing class. It's a lot of work (especially if you are one of the first officers), but it really is a special opportunity.