One Person - Two Sororities

[PenguinTrax]

Originally Posted by whittleschmegg

Is their a clause in the NPC rules that extends to locals? What if you were part of local at one University transfered schools went through rush got a bid from a national sorority, is this allowed?

Yes

Or vice versa you were part of a national at one school and went through rush and a new member period for a local at a different school.

If the local group allowed it, then yes. The NPC just says you cannot join another NPC sorority.

[whittleschmegg]

Thanks for the answer.

[SthrnZeta]

I'm pretty sure that even despite disaffiliation, you couldn't join another NPC chapter. I always thought it was about witnessing two groups' initiations and learning two groups' secrets...? Besides, like everyone else has said, it's a small world, made even smaller by the internet.

[Just interested]

I have a sister from my chapter whose God-Child went to a school many states over and pledged our sorority. My friend was so excited, attended initiation, the whole nine yards. She rarely saw the family, after many years in different states. The next year the girl moved to a mid-west school where our chapter did not suit her "needs" and went through "rush" and pledged another group of which she became president. The God-mother was clueless to any of this. It was hidden from her by the girl and her mother. Somehow in a conversation the mother let it slip. You can imagine how devistated my friend was. I am not for sure what she finally did about. She may have reported it to our National organization. I didn't have the heart to ask her what she finally decided to do.

[TriDPrincess]

Quick question: If you are initiated by ABC national sorority and then your membership is terminated you couldn't re-rush and pledge another national sorority correct?
My reason for asking is that this thread got me wondering if my knowledge on this would be correct in case anyone is wondering :-).

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by TriDPrincess

Quick question: If you are initiated by ABC national sorority and then your membership is terminated you couldn't re-rush and pledge another national sorority correct?
My reason for asking is that this thread got me wondering if my knowledge on this would be correct in case anyone is wondering :-).

Quick response: Correct, you cannot join another NPC group after already being initiated by another NPC group.

[SthrnZeta]

No, it shouldn't. What she said. And 33Girl made a good point about Locals vs NPC orgs. I couldn't imagine wanting to pledge somewhere else after being a full member of Zeta - that just seems insane to me.

[Just interested]

I understand the reasons behind shorter pledge periods, however, unless education of new members continues after initiation, I fear this trend will continue. I think Chi Omega has a different approach, which I really like. I understand, at least a one school in my state, they have a longer new member period than most which extends over the semester allowing new members more time to bond with their sorority. ( I'm new to greek chat and may be totally off topic) I agree with violetpretty, loyalty and vows have got to stand for something. This is not a club.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by BadCat25

There is no harm to anyone. People change schools, jobs, religions, husbands and even countries all the time. Same school I understand but a different one I don't. Its an antiquated rule that should be changed.

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Then what is the point of loyalty and vows? If you can just change sororities as is convenient for you, then do your vows really mean anything? Our chapters are not clubs that one can join and leave as one pleases. That's why there is a 6-8 week period where new members are able to decide if they are able to make the lifetime commitment of joining a sorority.

What I CAN understand is missing the sorority experience. I would think that a good alternative would be for transfers (to schools without their sorority) being allowed to be involved with the school's Panhellenic Association.

THIS.

Not every female student joins a sorority. No one will die without it. There's no freedom of "sorority" There's nothing stopping her from joining a local, service, honor, or community sorority, nor from joining other community or school organizations. There are other options besides the NPCs out there including alum chapters of your org.

[SthrnZeta]

I guess I just find it hard to believe another Zeta chapter wouldn't want me as a member because I couldn't see myself feeling that way about a transfer to my chapter - all Zetas are my sisters. But you do make a valid point, sad but true though it may be. Drole also makes a good point that there's no rule saying a person couldn't join some other group with greek letters, rituals, etc. that's not NPC. We sometimes forget there are other groups out there since NPC is so big. I just would hope that if someone did that, they wouldn't forget about the first org they joined... It is afterall, a lifetime committment. Chi-O at my school had a longer pledge period as well, but I was told that it was because they wanted to make sure their NMs made grades, but that's another thread... I too fear that pledge periods will become too short and thus not allow for the proper contemplation about the commitment girls are about to make.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

<snip>... I too fear that pledge periods will become too short and thus not allow for the proper contemplation about the commitment girls are about to make.

I fear they already have. I'm hearing on these boards that 6-8 weeks is the norm. IMHO, one semester is more appropriate.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by DGTess

I fear they already have. I'm hearing on these boards that 6-8 weeks is the norm. IMHO, one semester is more appropriate.

Hi Tess, 6 to 8 weeks is indeed the norm. In most of our chapters, it's a six-week program stretched to 8 weeks - we count the first week as a sort of "paperwork" week, and the last week is initiation week. I, too, would prefer a longer time. It gives a New Member an incentive to make her grades, but the idea is to discourage hazing, plus many, many schools require this time period of the Greek groups. I only know of 1 school (there are probably more, but they're rare) that requires the old semester-long new member period.

[SthrnZeta]

I believe in ZTA , the NM coordinator for a particular chapter has a couple programs to choose from, anywhere from 7-9 weeks and I want to say mine was somewhere in the middle (Fall 01). It was enough time for me because I was pretty sure from the start but I agree that extension of the pledge period isn't a bad idea.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by AOII BAMA MOM

Has anyone ever heard of someone being initiated into a particular sorority at one school and then transferring to another school where her sorority doesn't exist and going through rush again to pledge a different sorority? If this is forbidden, can someone get away with doing this if no one at the new school knows that she was in another sorority at her previous school? Just curious.

I can think of 3 examples where someone pledged, but NEVER INITIATED. They then left that campus, which severed the pledge bond that they had to NPC Group #1. They then INITIATED into NPC Group #2 later at different campus. That is okay, because they only initated into 1 group.

It's definitely forbidden to initiated into more than one NPC group, and trust me, in the world of Facebook, MySpace, Google and the internet, it would be very hard to keep something like you are describing a secret. Unless that person got large scale cosmetic surgery, changed their name, and basically went into equivalent of witness protection, getting found out is virtually guaranteed. To initiate into a 2nd group, that person would be constantly on tenterhooks, wondering when they would get "found out", which to me, would not be a very fun way to live one's life. I'm just saying......<shrug>

[ZetaGirl22]

I totally understand and agree with the NPC rules, but I do feel for some women who might feel the need to join another group.

When I was a collegiate, we lost a chapter the semester after I initiated. I new a few girls that were in this group that initiated the same semester I did. I cant imagine getting initiated into a group, just to be told the following semester that your chapter is closing and you will have no more sorority experience for the rest of your college career. We had deferred rush, so that would have made the women I knew sophomores. It would have been awful for me to have had 1 great semester and then sit back and watch for another 3 years. Just my 2 cents!