Sorority Shopping?

[DGMarie]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

How do you know the GLO doesn't match your personality or ideals? Are the members of the local alumnae association satan-worshippers who kick puppies? In anyone's "search" for a sorority, throw the national names and symbols out of the mix. The local alumnae association and its composition of members are all that matters. These are the women you'll be interacting with-- and your interactions will largely be composed of planning meetings and the occasional happy hour or charity event/fundraiser.

This is so true. I think if you have had no experience with any alumnae organization you get stars in your eyes about what goes on. We aren't singing and lighting candles and wearing letters to meetings.

[valkyrie]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

How do you know the GLO doesn't match your personality or ideals?

For reals. I can think of ONE sorority that I probably wouldn't consider based on my ideals, and that is taking into account the fact that I'm odd. There's no such thing as a sorority, as a general concept, being a match or non-match for any person. There's no such thing as being a "good fit" for any sorority in the abstract. You're only a good fit if, as everybody is saying, you like the local members, they like you, and you have something worthwhile to offer.

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

For reals. I can think of ONE sorority that I probably wouldn't consider based on my ideals, and that is taking into account the fact that I'm odd.

Yeah. You're freaking weird.

And I have yet to meet a college PNM who says, "I want to join this sorority and this sorority only because of its ideals." No. She makes her choices based on her meetings with the local groups, not because of the sorority's strong national reputation. At the end of the day, an alumnae association is a social group. You just have to click with the ladies, who come in all ages, shapes and sizes. I think it is a hoot that I'm the youngest in my AA by a couple of decades. There are younger members, but I haven't seen them at anything. If I was joining ADPi now and this was the group before me, I probably would be reluctant to join b/c of the age gap. I love the ladies, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather be around a group closer to my age and station in life right now. I love this AA though, because of my past involvement and the programming we're working on. If I was a newbie to the whole sorority world, this wouldn't be the right group for me, regardless of how much I might love violets and lions and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by Scandia

What if your closest exposure to a specific sorority (say, a friend or co-worker of yours) is a GLO that does not really match your personality or ideals. That you cannot see yourself being a member of, even though it is a great match for the person you know. However, you decide to investigate more about sororities (without necessarily having AI in mind)- and come across one that is a fantastic match for you, but was not at the university you attended. And it does engage in AI without major restrictions. Your friend says good things about it, even though she ended up joining a different one. She talks to you about AI, and now you would love to belong to that new organization. Wouldn't this be a valid reason to approach AI?

Hi Scandia,

As to your personal quest, or that of any other person, I have no intentions of rendering any individual judgments. This is the internet and we are strangers. For me to judge your AI path would be for me to make assumptions about your intentions that are not my business to make.

All I was trying to do is offer a more general perspective on how AI can be perceived from the inside of the Greek Community- and especially with the way I see it being discussed on this forum at times. All I can comment on is what I have read here- I am reluctant to comment on individual pursuits.

At the end of the day, if you- or anyone else- finds a GLO chapter that wishes to initiate you as an alumnus, then clearly both you and that chapter have found a brotherly or sisterly bond that connects you. And just as I would never tolerate anyone questioning who my brothers are and how they came to be my brothers, I would never question a person's affiliation with a chapter or how that came to be.

AI is after all a specific term that describes a path to initiation. Once initiation is complete, you are a full member and that is all there is to it as far as I am concerned.

Universities and chapters vary, as do members of GLOs and those who become members- either through rush, AI or any other form of association provided for under a given GLO's bylaws.

So I am not going to be the one to look at an individual case and say "good" or "bad". I like being a human being- I will leave "playing God" for God himself since I have enough to worry about

All I wanted to do with my post was let people know how certain approaches might appear, and also hopefully stimulate people to think more closely about their own reasons for wanting to initiate into a Greek organization.

Make no mistake- Greek organizations NEED adult members to guide them and be there. Most of the women I dated in college were Greek, and every single one of them had great things to say about their house mothers. I met a lot of them too in visits to the sorority houses, and I think they were a great presence. Many of them are AIs naturally.

There is much good that AIs can do for a chapter that will bring back great personal rewards for the gift of service to others, and I don't want anything I have said to hinder anyone from pursuing this.

All that I ask is that people seeking this path give it serious thought- especially if you want to post about it here and receive guidance. There are many eyes on this forum- as is to be expected with any heavily trafficked internet forum these days- and your evaluation process may well start from the first time you post.