new member programs preparing you for life as an active

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

We had a girl who became a Phi (new member) and at first it was all "oh cool she's a cool girl". She came to I THINK ONE Phi meeting. She came to initiation and during it I was so pissed, as well as some other sisters. We wanted her out because if you're not going to do as little work as come to a meeting once a week, what are you going to bring to the sorority? She brought nothing.

Wow. I'm surprised that you all don't have some sort of course of action for girls like that.

Our LCs and national staff always say: You do not have to initiate anyone who doesn't meet the requirements for initiation. If a girl doesn't come to meetings (or provide valid excuses and do a make-up when she's absent), maintain her GPA, complete all of the new member activities, and pass the national exam, she does not get initiated at that time. She is given the option to be held over (and complete the new member period with the next class), but she does not get initiated with her group. Alternately, she could get pissed and depledge, and we say "good riddance."

We had two situations last semester with this. There were 2 new members who were both habitually absent. One was partying alot and not studying enough. The other would just always decide "well I live 20 minutes away from campus, that's too far for me to drive to the sorority house for meeting" or that she'd "rather be with her boyfriend." (those were her exact words)

About a week before initiation, it was pretty clear that they weren't going to be initiated. So our VP sat them both down separately to tell them. We all totally thought the Partyer was going to depledge and that Boyfriend Girl was going to go ahead and stay. Partyer cried, and said she felt bad but that she really wanted to be there and that she'd stick it out with the next group and get initiated with the next class. She is now one of the most involved younger members of the chapter with the highest GPA. Boyfriend got really mad and depledged. She actually pledged another sorority in the spring and dropping out of it too before initiation because she was leaving school to plan her wedding.

[cuteASAbug]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

We had two situations last semester with this. There were 2 new members who were both habitually absent. One was partying alot and not studying enough. The other would just always decide "well I live 20 minutes away from campus, that's too far for me to drive to the sorority house for meeting" or that she'd "rather be with her boyfriend." (those were her exact words)

About a week before initiation, it was pretty clear that they weren't going to be initiated. So our VP sat them both down separately to tell them. We all totally thought the Partyer was going to depledge and that Boyfriend Girl was going to go ahead and stay. Partyer cried, and said she felt bad but that she really wanted to be there and that she'd stick it out with the next group and get initiated with the next class. She is now one of the most involved younger members of the chapter with the highest GPA.

Just curious, when something like this happens, does the girl have to go through the pinning ritual again with the following new member class?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by cuteASAbug

Just curious, when something like this happens, does the girl have to go through the pinning ritual again with the following new member class?

No she does not.

[Buttonz]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

I don't want to haze. I don't think we should be doing bad things to them, but 80% of the stuff that is considered hazing is ridiculous. You should make them want it, not just give them a cake walk.

I agree. For us, we have six things that a new member must do to become a sister. I don't think there is wrong with making them want it and they having to do certain things. Making a girl attend NM meetings and stuff is not hazing

[AlexMack]

I've said this to other people, but I do think the no-hazing rule is getting out of hand. The one example I have from my own NM period is that during I-week, it used to be traditional for the NM class to spend each night, sundown to sunup, at the house.
My class was the first not to be required to do that because it was considered hazing. We all wanted to do it, every single woman in my NM class wanted to spend each night at the house, but we weren't allowed. I think it was one of those things where we just wanted to follow in the chapter tradition-to us it wasn't hazing in any way, it was just more time to bond as a class.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Her pledge education included things like memorizing the letters of the greek alphabet (sorry...how important is that really?!)

EXTREMELY!!!

Are you effing kidding me????

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by KyleMcGuire1983

2) As stated in our LEAD Manual (pledge book) knowing the Greek Alphabet and being familiar with it is out of respect to other organizations. At least that's the Sigma Nu philosophy and I couldn't agree more....I'm embarassed when some guys don't know what a Rho looks like or a Xi! It's basic diplomacy.

Not to mention knowing the other chapters in your own organization!

[epchick]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Her pledge education included things like memorizing the letters of the greek alphabet (sorry...how important is that really?!)

Are you kidding me? Its EXTREMELY important!! I am a firm believer that if your greek, you should know the greek alphabet. If you were to look at someone's letters, do you really just want to stare and say "what are those letters?" I know I wouldn't.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by epchick

Are you kidding me? Its EXTREMELY important!! I am a firm believer that if your greek, you should know the greek alphabet. If you were to look at someone's letters, do you really just want to stare and say "what are those letters?" I know I wouldn't.

it really is embarassing. its not something you will get quizzed on formally, but you need to know that when you meet other greeks! i have 2 stories (and this is probably more the idiocy of the people involved, but still the moral being: learn your effing greek alphabet):

1. a neo of another sorority asked me what my letters read. she said something like "i know what the Sigma is, but what are you, Sigma Something Pi?" without thinking, i blurted, "what the hell kinda process did you have, you dont know your greek alphabet?" and her response was "yeah... alpha, ______, _______, _______, omega" (i dont wanna call out the org)

2. two girls (dont know which org) approached a Kappa and asked him if his "Psi" was an "upsilon" or an "epsilon." he kinda gave them a "WTF" look and then they said, "so which letter stands for Nupe?"



of course, many points i can make from this tomfoolery... greek alphabet is something you need to know from the jump. its just so embarassing when you can't identify other chapters, let alone other organizations. i was embarassed to answer them (cause that answer that girl in #1 gave me, while cutesy, was BS and her chapter members should be ashamed, and in #2, well them girls just made an @ss of themselves - those arent questions you should be asking if you are greek).

[cuteASAbug]

If you can't learn the greek alphabet, then you shouldn't even be in college to begin with. You learn half of it in high school math and science classes.

[Thetagirl218]

Its VERY important to learn the Greek Alphabet....enough said....

[AKA_Monet]

Long time ago, before we became members, we were required to do all kinds of community service work.

Aside from that we had to know information about our organization before we walked into the Rush door. If we did not have basic "website" information, we were not admitted and that is B.C. (Before Computers).

So EXCUSES are lax.

How can we make different members these days other than ignorance is no excuse for not following the law... If this is your organization and the work is required, how will you best represent it? I understand there is difficulty and young people have classes, but, most of our organizations were founded by undergraduates that devoted to changes that needed to be made on their respective university/colleges.

What do we want to become? What does lifelong membership look like?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Thetagirl218

Its VERY important to learn the Greek Alphabet.

Agreed. It's just important for them to be able to recognize other greek groups on campus without sounding like idiots.

[AOII Angel]

Y'all are so funny! I don't think you have to know the entire greek alphabet to be a good greek member! We all could easily read the names of other organizations on campus even though the alphabet was not included in our new member education manual. Most greek letters used in GLOs are recognizable to educated people. Do I think that NMs should wait an extra week for initiation so they can learn the greek alphabet? No...I think that's absurd! Does it have anything to do with sisterhood? Absolutely not! Can you give me any other reason that new members should learn the greek alphabet? Is there some test of greekness that involves reciting the alphabet by heart? I guess I just have a different opinion as to the purpose of new member education.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by KyleMcGuire1983

1) Well the "chores" we "force" our boys to do are just house duties that EVERYBODY has to do. I'm the Vice President and I'm mopping the kitchen floor while a pledge is cleaning the sink. So I think that's more just having house rules than putting pledges on some kind of lower level.

2) As stated in our LEAD Manual (pledge book) knowing the Greek Alphabet and being familiar with it is out of respect to other organizations. At least that's the Sigma Nu philosophy and I couldn't agree more....I'm embarassed when some guys don't know what a Rho looks like or a Xi! It's basic diplomacy.

3) Men join fraternities for brotherhood do women not join for the same reason? I don't mean to turn all of NPC on me here it just seems that the retention rates are completely out of whack. I know I know, glass houses.....the NIC system is pretty rough as well with hazing and what not...

I have nothing against doing work for the chapter. If all members have to do chores to make sure the house stays in good condition, there is nothing wrong with that, and I agree that NMs should not be excluded. BUT, to say that brotherhood/sisterhood is lessened by not being expected to do chores (even if initiated members have to but not NMs) is stupid. I've already addressed your second point in my above posting. As to your third point, I agree that men join fraternities for brotherhood, but I think I can argue successfully that what a man expects from brotherhood is very different from what a woman expects from sisterhood. It's the same with children. Boys are rough when they play...usually girls are not as rough. As a woman, I would not have put up with being hazed, and I certainly don't believe that it would help improve retention! Of course I do agree that what is considered hazing these days is ridiculous. As for why our NMs are treated well as NMs, it is to show them the love and support that is at the heart of membership in our organizations. If a woman is looking for a place to degrade, humiliate or injure her sisters, she needs to look somewhere other than an NPC group. If the price of excluding people looking for this type of "sisterhood" is low retention numbers, I say keep retention low...I'm happier with the women who are there for the right reasons!