Your thoughts on AI: discussion goes here.

[tunatartare]

Originally Posted by SmartBlondeGPhB

What is the point of these threads? I would have expected them from other people but not you.

To try to make it seem like moderators encourage people to have opinions and don't play favorites.

[PenguinTrax]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

To try to make it seem like moderators encourage people to have opinions and don't play favorites.

You know, the whole thing with playing favorites is really getting on my nerves.

I don't play favorites. I'm 43 freakin' years old and I don't play those kinds of games. I don't need to.

I moderate a forum as I've always done (without complaint, I might add) and I'm wrong.

I try to make a venue for open, opinionated discussion and it's condemed or determined to be some 'trick' to get folks to post just so I can delete the posts.

[valkyrie]

I'll put it like this -- there is no reason for the membership selection process to be discussed in a public internet forum. The AI process is membership selection. Therefore, it should not be discussed on a public internet forum.

I do think that NPC recruitment threads are a little different, because it's such a structured, formal process -- although, as always, discretion is key.

[OtterXO]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

I'll put it like this -- there is no reason for the membership selection process to be discussed in a public internet forum. The AI process is membership selection. Therefore, it should not be discussed on a public internet forum.

I do think that NPC recruitment threads are a little different, because it's such a structured, formal process -- although, as always, discretion is key.

Especially when people are discussing which orgs readily accept AIs and which ones are harder to AI. I see those questions as very similar to asking which NPC sorority has lax rules on membership during recruitment. It's just not for public discussion.

[greekalum]

Wait, is there really a hypothetical sorority that is actively recruiting AIs? I've never heard of that.

I'm against women seeking AI just because they didn't "get" to join in college.

[OtterXO]

Originally Posted by greekalum

I'm against women seeking AI just because they didn't "get" to join in college.

AGREED.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally Posted by greekalum

I'm against women seeking AI just because they didn't "get" to join in college.

As are most, if not all, NPC groups.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by greekalum

I'm against women seeking AI just because they didn't "get" to join in college.

There are many reasons why a woman wouldn't have been able to join in college. Maybe her college didn't have sororities. Maybe she had to work a lot or do ROTC to pay for college. Maybe she didn't have the opportunity to go to college. Maybe Greek Life was miniscule at her campus or at the time, and she is just starting to realize the benefits of sorority membership now. I understand that there is a difference between these cases and someone who was released from the most competitive chapter and will do whatever it takes to be an XYZ. I think that the former cases are perfectly valid reasons to have not affiliated during college, and if a woman is truly outstanding and deserving of AI, the sorority will approach her. The latter is what upsets people, including myself.

[Taualumna]

As all of you probably know, I am an AI. Some of you might even say that I "sorority shopped." I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Neither did PH. I went through round one of formal just like undergrads. I was told by a RC that if I was interested in anything sorority related, then I should contact alumnae groups myself. I don't think this should make me a bad person.

[blueGBI]

I'm not in a sorority but I've been on GC for 4 years and this is my opinion on the AI subforum and AI itself:

In my opinion, AI was created as a way for NPC sororities to initiate worthy women who were either housemothers, members of an absorbed local or had very strong ties to the organization (i.e. unaffliated mother of daughters in the sorority). Since I've been here, I've seen women become AIs to a NPC sorority who in some cases, were approached by the organization to join, others who looked around first then AI'd a sorority. Because it was newer forum, the rules were still being formed and it seemed like anyone could join. Since it's the internet and you can cover up certain aspects of your personality and present a more polished face, some women joined organizations in AI and then, after being members, people realized that these women should have been weeded out before being invited to join. Also, there were women coming to GC who had no prior connections nor were never invited to consider AI trying to join through AI with no idea of what sorority they really wanted or the protocol. The AI forum became a complete mess.

Recently, some of the NPC sororities have made AI information less readily available because all that was going on. There are still women now who are joining through AI but its not like how it was in 2003-2004.

AI is an evolving process but I think for right now, AI as we know it on GC and this forum need to be closed. As long as this forum is here, there will be women who'll stumble on GC, see this forum and think that they can join as an alumna like you'd join a sorority in college. It breeds problems of false information going around, people giving bad advice, etc until ultimately, the PNAM ends up with either a broken heart or bitter because they wasted their time on something that probably only had a 0.5% chance of working.

AI belongs to the sororities and at the sororities' discretion. There should not be an AI forum on GC. If someone will become an AI, the sorority will come to them, they won't have to come to the sorority.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by blueGBI

AI belongs to the sororities and at the sororities' discretion. There should not be an AI forum on GC. If someone will become an AI, the sorority will come to them, they won't have to come to the sorority.

You said it. Fraternities offer this kind of thing too- we do it in special circumstances- but it is an honor that comes to the benefactors, not the other way around. My fraternity has AIs whom we esteem and regard. The idea of someone campaigning for that honor is repugnant.

With sororities it is clear why there is more active pursuit of AI by adults who were never Greek- for various reasons a sorority affiliation has more social value after college than a fraternity membership. But that is all the more reason to not make public discussion of it.

I agree with you that there should not be an AI forum on any internet website. The notion of such a forum existing is contrary to what AI is all about. Anyone to whom it is offered will surely be provided with all the information they need to know.

Get beyond that at all and then you are dealing with people who have a motive to attain something that is intended to be an unexpected honor for those who never expected it to come their way.