How do people react when you mention you are involved as an alum

[REE1993]

I was wondering if anyone here faces odd reactions from people when you mention that you are involved with your alum chapter. Mine is putting together goody bags for a women's shelter and I have asked several friends and family members for ideas/item donations (trial size items like you get in hotels), and they react like I am speaking another language.

I will be working on a few service projects with my alum chapter and I know that I am going to run into people or mention it, for example if they ask me what my plans are for a certain day.

I need to add that no one in my family and very few of my friends in my home state (where I moved back to) are Greek.

[Tom Earp]

Interesting thought.

I am still very involved as many of My Chapter Alums are and we are proud to tell people about it.

I have many Alums come in my store and we talk Greek and most are still involved with both the GLO and School.

I am the only one in my whole family that have been in a GLO and they were proud of the fact.

Don't hang your head, be proud!

[adpiucf]

I have lived all over the US and remained (for the most part) active as an alum. I have worked in offices ranging from several 1000 co-workers to under 20-- each time I have worked with Greeks and they think it is hilarious and/or odd that I have chosen to stay involved as an alumna. I have only ever encountered one other co-worker who was active as an adviser of her sorority and involved with her AA.

[AnchorAlumna]

Yes, my mother keeps asking me when I'm going to grow up and quit that sorority. **Honestly! ** I enjoy it, I like meeting and working with sisters from other chapters, and I've been an active alum WAY longer than I was a collegiate. So...what!
It all goes back to new member education (which I think is too short but that's another thread).

[sageofages]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

Yes, my mother keeps asking me when I'm going to grow up and quit that sorority. **Honestly! ** I enjoy it, I like meeting and working with sisters from other chapters, and I've been an active alum WAY longer than I was a collegiate. So...what!
It all goes back to new member education (which I think is too short but that's another thread).

My mother was the same way until May 2005 (see "prayers for mr sageofages" thread)....My Phi Mu sisters were there for me in a BIG way (and you GC'ers as well). NOW, Mom "gets" it...she gets it enough that she is encouraging my neices to "consider that sorority thing like Aunt Sageofages" when you go to college.

[SigKapSweetie]

My parents are very supportive of my continued involvement with my collegiate chapter - they know how much I miss being in the thick of things up there! My med school classmates, however, are largely puzzled by it. Why would you take weekend trips up to UF for things like sorority recruitment or initiation when you could be studying?

[LatinaAlumna]

I think that my participation after graduation (about 10 years out) has given new perspective to some of the non-greeks. They usually say things like, "Wow, I didn't know sorority members are so dedicated!" My family and friends are supportive of it, and I think most of this comes from them seeing how involved I was as an undergraduate. I've dated guys (non-greek) "don't get it" but will at least appreciate the work I do with the undergrad. members because they see the mentoring, service, etc. I have dropped guys who made fun of me because of my participation (and I've been doing that since undergrad!).

[Tom Earp]

Funny, a LXA Brother from Tenn. just called me to tell me about his trip to R I. He did not have to get a hotel room, he stayed with a Brother and saved money!

This is one of the many things that comes to mind.

Another one is a Brother of my chapter is a lawyer and did my will and will update it and all it cost me was $75.00 and he also does gratis work for the chapter.

I have a STG who gets his hair cut next door to my store and is going to help me get one of his pledge pins, and that is another story.

When a GLO graduates and puts on thier resume, that they were a member, many times they will be hired over others who were not. They are members of GLOs and know what type we as GLOs put out of college and the experience gained from the experience of running or being a part of a GLO.

When people ask me I flat tell them!

[REE1993]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

When a GLO graduates and puts on thier resume, that they were a member, many times they will be hired over others who were not. They are members of GLOs and know what type we as GLOs put out of college and the experience gained from the experience of running or being a part of a GLO.

While employment industry experts agree that networking is the most effective method of job searching, (above online, newspapers and all advertising combined), simply being a member of a GLO does not leap-frog an applicant over non-Greeks to becoming hired.

Being chosen or being a member of a fraternity or sorority does not make one more skilled, intelligent, experienced or better than anyone else. Common hobbies, affiliations, and activities may make for some good conversation, but I think it's a little naive to think someone would hire (or think that they would be hired) just because of Greek affiliation.

There are many leadership opps and success stories out there for Greeks, but I think because the general population is not "greek friendly" or informed, I don't think that the supposition is at all accurate.

[modorney]

> When a GLO graduates and puts on thier resume, that they were a member, many times they will be hired over others who were not

The operative word is "many". In four decades of technology employment, pretty much every interview I had could be boiled down to two questions:
1. Can you do the job?
2. Can you work with the people and culture here?

My college era was a great time for Greeks, and, even though Greeklife has risen and fallen a few times in the intervening years, I was usually competing with those about my age. Many times, my fraternity experience was brought up, particularly with respect to managing a small group of people.

With many projects, where we were working 80+ hours a week, the office resembled a fraternity house - people needed to be fed, housed, and risk management came in to play. Naturally, we weren't drunk, but I had to drive many a worker home, who had worked 36 hours straight, and had fallen asleep in my car.

The particular house did not matter, but the experience was crucial, and companies hired because of it.

[REE1993]

Originally Posted by modorney

>

My college era was a great time for Greeks, and, even though Greeklife has risen and fallen a few times in the intervening years, I was usually competing with those about my age. Many times, my fraternity experience was brought up, particularly with respect to managing a small group of people.

The second sentence quoted here is very interesting (I left the first one for context).

In my work experience, I can't think of a single conversation about managing groups of people and Greek experience in college. I think that the topic of being Greek was brought up a few times during idle conversation over the years, but none of it was in relation to anything related to skills or experience, or anything work-related.

I imagine that in other parts of the country, being Greek might come up more frequently during general conversation, but as I stated earlier, being Greek doesn't guarantee you a job over someone else *simply* because of affiliation. It might get your resume to the top of the "look" pile, but that's about it.

Has anyone had "many" or some work experiences where you were given favor (as in actually being hired for a particular job) simply because you were Greek? How about due to your specific affiliation?

Caveat - we all know that membership has its privileges. I am not talking about personal favors or gratis services.

[Canadian]

I have a brother who was a former GM of a Kappa Sig colony and he got his job primarily because he was able to indiciate that he recruited a large number of people and that directly impacted his job (he's a headhunter) moreso than his psych degree did. He also had extensive campus leadership positions and was a relatively sane fellow.

That said, I put my greek experience on my resume. I also indicate being the President of two major clubs, the Secretary of Model UN and having had five years work experience p/t through university. I'd like to think people will hire me because of my education and work experience, not because we both know words and secrets of an organization. Would you hire a man, sight unseen because he was a Mason or a Deke (because so many US presidents have been Masons or Dekes)? Likewise, being a Kappa Sig isn't a reason to hire me, but rather another way to indicate community involvement.

Canadian