Graduate Student and AI

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by mkriske

I understand that, and left a part of what I wrote out, the part that to be part of the Alumnae Chapter, often you have to pledge the Collegiate Chapter first, at least for UCLA and LMU. This is what I was told, and I should have included it above
Michele Kriske

So are you saying that he entire alumnae chapter came from the same collegiate chapter? I only know for sure about my own organization, but I assume all the NPCs work this way too - an alumnae chapter is for any alumnae who live in a certain geopgraphical area. It makes no difference where you went to college as long as you initiated into XYZ. Are you saying that an individual NPC sorority has a UCLA alumnae chapter just for UCLA grads and a LMU alumnae chapter just for LMU grads? Strange. Usually (OK, always, as far as I know) there is an alumnae chapter for, say, Orange County, or Beverly Hills, or something like that, not for a collegiate chapter.

[WCUgirl]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

So are you saying that he entire alumnae chapter came from the same collegiate chapter? I only know for sure about my own organization, but I assume all the NPCs work this way too - an alumnae chapter is for any alumnae who live in a certain geopgraphical area. It makes no difference where you went to college as long as you initiated into XYZ. Are you saying that an individual NPC sorority has a UCLA alumnae chapter just for UCLA grads and a LMU alumnae chapter just for LMU grads? Strange. Usually (OK, always, as far as I know) there is an alumnae chapter for, say, Orange County, or Beverly Hills, or something like that, not for a collegiate chapter.

I believe 99.9999% of NPC alumnae organizations work this way, but I am aware of an alumnae chapter for alumnae of a specific collegiate chapter only. I want to say it was a KD chapter....? I can't recall. But yes, they do exist.

[33girl]

Phi Mu and Delta Zeta have "chapter organizations" which are only composed of alums of a specific collegiate chapter. If I'm not mistaken, you can be in one of these and a geographically based alum chapter at the same time.

And in a densely populated area like LA - I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there were multiple alumnae chapters that even though they are geographically based on paper, have membership mainly or solely from one collegiate chapter. If a lot of your collegiate sisters are in the same alum chapter, you'll probably end up in it too, even if it's across town. It really isn't supposed to happen that way, but until the HQs start saying "if your zip code is 90210 you must be in so and so alum chapter" it's going to happen.

[mkriske]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

So are you saying that he entire alumnae chapter came from the same collegiate chapter? I only know for sure about my own organization, but I assume all the NPCs work this way too - an alumnae chapter is for any alumnae who live in a certain geopgraphical area. It makes no difference where you went to college as long as you initiated into XYZ. Are you saying that an individual NPC sorority has a UCLA alumnae chapter just for UCLA grads and a LMU alumnae chapter just for LMU grads? Strange. Usually (OK, always, as far as I know) there is an alumnae chapter for, say, Orange County, or Beverly Hills, or something like that, not for a collegiate chapter.

I don't know if this is true or not, I have been trying to find a Sorority for about 10 years now. When I was working on my Bachelor's the Sororities were mainly for minoritygroups, when I worked on my first master's I was told I was too old to join, and in the past two years, while working on my second Master's I have had no luck making contact with groups. I actually went to an event with one Alumnae Group and worked on their Philathropic Project for the year, but have not heard anything about membership. A second group was in contact with me and then stopped answering my letters, and a third is much the same. When I have visited the various groups and looked at their alumnae pages, they refer back to my involvement in a collegiate chapter. I assumed for a long time that I had to have been a collegiate member in order to join and just found out 4 monthes ago that I didn't. To answer your question, I have always been referred to groups through their home schools, but I'm still looking. I'm sure I don't understand everything involved so please be patient with me. I cannot be the only 40 year old out there who wants to join and Alumnae Chapter. Can I?

[irishpipes]

You don't join an alumnae chapter. You join a national/international organization and are sponsored by an alumna or an alumnae chapter to do it. Then once you are initiated you of course are likely to be active in an alumnae chapter.

[mkriske]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

You don't join an alumnae chapter. You join a national/international organization and are sponsored by an alumna or an alumnae chapter to do it. Then once you are initiated you of course are likely to be active in an alumnae chapter.

Thank you I really did know that I am trying to join a National/International Organization, I just didn't state it correctly.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

You don't join an alumnae chapter. You join a national/international organization and are sponsored by an alumna or an alumnae chapter to do it. Then once you are initiated you of course are likely to be active in an alumnae chapter.

Yes, and I also wanted to point out that in addition to being active in an alumnae chapter, there will the expectation that you will support the collegiate chapter too if you live close by to one (i.e. helping out "behind the scenes in Recruitment, etc...stuff like that).

[mkriske]

Originally Posted by CutiePie2000

Yes, and I also wanted to point out that in addition to being active in an alumnae chapter, there will the expectation that you will support the collegiate chapter too if you live close by to one (i.e. helping out "behind the scenes in Recruitment, etc...stuff like that).

Thank you. Isn't one of the reasons to have an Alumnae Chapter, to help support the Collegiate Chapter? Afterall, the majority of those who will make up the Alumnae Chapter are those who are in the Collegiate Chapter.

[lauralaylin]

I guess I can't speak for anyone else, but in Alpha Phi if you are part of a collegiate chapter, you aren't in the alum chapter. So no, the alum chapter isn't made up mostly of collegiates. Maybe I read this wrong though?

Also, from what I've seen, while there is some support for the collegiates, we don't really do too much with them. I know things are different in other parts of the country, but I've never seen an AC really get involved deeply with a collegiate chapter besides planting flowers in front of the house, a little rush help, scholarships, etc. The advisers are the alums who are really involved. If I find an alum who is interested in collegiate stuff, I try to get her to be an adviser. Of course, with four collegiate chapters within 10 miles of me, we can always use more advisers!

[texas*princess]

I think one of the things I don't think I will ever understand is that some people can't get past the whole sorority thing.

I am pretty sure that if I hadn't found my home while I was in school, my life would have moved on, and I wouldn't worry 10 years later about finding that sorority that I didn't join when I was in college.

I probably won't be doing the grad school thing for awhile, but if I was in grad school, I'd have more important things to worry about (ummm grad school... work, and the rest of my life) than to think 'gosh darnit! i need to find a sorority home because I didn't find one that fit in college!!'

Sorry for the rant, but I really just don't get it.

[KunjaPrincess]

Originally Posted by mkriske

Thank you. Isn't one of the reasons to have an Alumnae Chapter, to help support the Collegiate Chapter? Afterall, the majority of those who will make up the Alumnae Chapter are those who are in the Collegiate Chapter.

I am assuming that you mean that the Collegiates who graduate will go on to become members of the Alum chapter? Possibly so depending on the area but many collegiates go to school away from home so they will not join the local alum chapter. My alum chapter has people from as far apart as WA and Maryland in it and they didn't go to the same school LOL.

Yes, ideally an alum chapter will support the collegiate chapter BUT not every member of the alum chapter wants to support the collegians. Our alum chapter has a lot more members than who support the collegians reguarly. We have our advisors and our House Corp board but most members of the HCB aren't even active in the alum chapter and vice versa.

An alum chapter is nothing like a collegiate chapter. I can say that since I work with the collegians. They are not usually going to have get togethers every week. Some won't even have them every month. Even if they do they are not mandatory and won't likely have the same people turn up every time.

[LPIDelta]

Maybe my experience is not the norm, but from what I have seen, most alumnae chapters do not interact with the collegiate chapters on a regular basis. Yes, alumnae chapters may send some volunteers to help with recruitment and they might have an annual event with area collegiate chapters, but its not like they are there holding the hands and giving weekly support to the collegiate members.

As an adviser, yes, there is the opportunity to be involved more frequently, but even then you have to be careful about how involved you get because its not your chapter to run.

Originally Posted by mkriske

Afterall, the majority of those who will make up the Alumnae Chapter are those who are in the Collegiate Chapter.

Not exactly.

The majority of our seniors leave campus/state after graduation mostly because jobs are hard to find here. It's very rare that one, let alone two, will stick around and join the alum chapter.

We get a lot of alums from other chapters who've since relocated here as well.