Interested Party saying hello! - Page 2

#1 11-02-2007, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

You didn't "miss out on" this sorority, they declined to offer you membership.

I believe AI should be something you're invited to do, not just a form of recruitment for older women.

Period. End of thread.

UGAalum94 · #2 11-02-2007, 10:01 PM

I have no idea about the OP and her follow up seems a little trollish. But to those of you who said that you'd be really suspicious of a women who went someplace with a big Greek system and didn't join who was interested in AI, are you sure?

I can think of people that I know who went to UGA and weren't Greek who would be great AIs, assuming of course that a group approached them.

Heck, whenever we have "SEC Greek Life is insane conversations," don't a lot of you feel like if you had gone to one of the SEC schools, you never would have rushed?

It's be hard to hold it against someone for misjudging something that is often confusing from the outside looking in. And if a women whom you personally knew would be a benefit to a service organization of some other kind was interested in serving your GLO as an alumna, would you really hold it against her that she didn't get Greek Life in college?

People who rushed 27 times and didn't get matched, of course, are a different story. I'd be suspicious of their motives too.

bejazd · #3 11-03-2007, 01:14 PM

From what I know, we also rarely AI women. Aside from the daughter of the International President that was initiated at Convention, I have met just a few women that are AIs...they are all extremely active and supported alumnae, and they all experienced circumstances that prevented them from joining in the collegiate years that are truly extenuating...i.e. one was a pledge but did not initiate because she served as a WAVE during WWII, another was a pledge, but did not initiate because she got married when her fiance was drafted to serve in Korea, etc. None of them pursued AI, they were invited by other very involved alums who had a close personal relationship with these women and knew that they would be much more active than the average alum.

SWTXBelle · #4 11-03-2007, 02:22 PM

My mother is an AI. She had belonged to a local sorority at SWTX.
She was very involved in my collegiate chapter, always helping out at rush (recruitment!) and throughout the year. She was very involved in our alumnae chapter, and she and I advised a collegiate chapter. After I dropped out after the birth of my first child, she continued to advise the chapter - which meant a 5 hour round trip every Monday night, and staying in the chapter dorm during rush.

Priss_145 · #5 11-03-2007, 06:44 PM

Hello all,

as a transfer student, I am now an initiated member of the very same sorority that cut me at my old school. Just because one chapter of a certain organization didn't want you doesn't mean the entire organization across the country well reject you. I feel that each chapter is different although we do wear the same letters and have same rituals/philanthropies and whatnot. A women who may not have been a good fit for one chapter could be a great sister at another. Just like a former PNM should not hold a grudge against a certain sorority because one of their chapter cut you in the past, just because someone didn't get a bid from one chapter shouldn't make you a "no-go" forever. Ok, so let's say you rushed when you're in college and didn't get a bid from X chapter of XYZ. Maybe you wanted to be an member of that chapter, maybe not. Not getting a bid from a certain organization doesn't mean that PNM "wanted" to be a member. Maybe she got a bid from somewhere else -- exactly what happened to me at my old school. I got a bid from a sorority that I liked, didn't accept the bid for a personal reason. I transferred 2 yrs later and rushed again, got a bid from a different chapter and I pledged because I wanted to be in a sorority and the timing was right. My point is, I don't think women who are interested in AI membership should be penalized for not getting a bid from a sorority in the past. It's possible she was dropped by every sorority, but it is also likely that she got a bid from somewhere else or dropped out of the recruitment for various reasons.

33girl · #6 11-05-2007, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Priss_145

Hello all,

as a transfer student, I am now an initiated member of the very same sorority that cut me at my old school. Just because one chapter of a certain organization didn't want you doesn't mean the entire organization across the country well reject you. I feel that each chapter is different although we do wear the same letters and have same rituals/philanthropies and whatnot. A women who may not have been a good fit for one chapter could be a great sister at another. Just like a former PNM should not hold a grudge against a certain sorority because one of their chapter cut you in the past, just because someone didn't get a bid from one chapter shouldn't make you a "no-go" forever. Ok, so let's say you rushed when you're in college and didn't get a bid from X chapter of XYZ. Maybe you wanted to be an member of that chapter, maybe not. Not getting a bid from a certain organization doesn't mean that PNM "wanted" to be a member. Maybe she got a bid from somewhere else -- exactly what happened to me at my old school. I got a bid from a sorority that I liked, didn't accept the bid for a personal reason. I transferred 2 yrs later and rushed again, got a bid from a different chapter and I pledged because I wanted to be in a sorority and the timing was right. My point is, I don't think women who are interested in AI membership should be penalized for not getting a bid from a sorority in the past. It's possible she was dropped by every sorority, but it is also likely that she got a bid from somewhere else or dropped out of the recruitment for various reasons.

The difference is - you went through rush and were voted on by an entire collegiate chapter. With AI, depending on the group a woman can conceivably only need the sponsorship of one person. It's not the same thing.

And as far as the OP - she DID NOT get a bid elsewhere, she DID NOT drop out of rush. She says that she was dropped on day 4 of a 7 day rush week. Maybe other groups offered her bids or kept her on through the week (she doesn't really say) but the fact is, the group she wants to be in told her NO. Anyone who uses phrases like "one way or the other" really isn't a good candidate for AI. It should be something to do because you want to give, not because you have something to prove.

SWTXBelle · #7 11-05-2007, 12:40 PM

Yes, there are many women who would be an asset to a sorority. That is why the AI programs exist. But none of the AI programs with which I am familiar have any provision for "rushing" AI prospects. They are predicated on the idea that active alumnae will know women who would benefit from membership and contribute, and those alumnae begin the process. It's the difference between being invited to a party, and crashing.

nittanyalum · #8 11-05-2007, 01:54 PM

^^^Wow, excellent post, jwright!!!

bejazd · #9 11-05-2007, 02:53 PM

That is a great point, jwright, and I never really thought of it that way, although all the AIs I have personally known did attend and graduate from schools where we have chapters, so I never really thought of them as non students. They've all been involved as HCB members or advisors etc, so they at least had some tie to the collegiate side of the sorority experience.

Personally, I probably would not sponsor someone to be an AI. But I also would not join the Junior League or the Assistance League or NCL, because their activities are pretty much the same experiences I've already had in GPhiB. Most of the women that I know that are involved in those groups do it because they have daughters they want to get involved in Sprites or debutante groups etc. and it just doesn't have that much appeal to me!

SigmaNuAlum · #10 11-05-2007, 02:55 PM

Forgive for my ignorance! I'm a Sigma Nu alumnus, have even worked for my national office, but am completely in the dark on the AI thing. I'm familiar with it only because of what I've read on here.

Question, I guess, is why would someone join a sorority after college? There seems to be no earning of membership. I'm not referring to hazing, or any "rites of passage", but I remember as a pledge I felt I earned my membership by learning history, brother info., participating in philanthropy, fundraisers, etc...

I think I would be pissed if someone wanted to join as a college graduate. Why not while undergrad? Would seem to be a lot of shadiness that comes along with someone not wanting to join while in school, but wanting to upon graduation!

AlethiaSi · #11 11-05-2007, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SigmaNuAlum

Forgive for my ignorance! I'm a Sigma Nu alumnus, have even worked for my national office, but am completely in the dark on the AI thing. I'm familiar with it only because of what I've read on here.

Question, I guess, is why would someone join a sorority after college? There seems to be no earning of membership. I'm not referring to hazing, or any "rites of passage", but I remember as a pledge I felt I earned my membership by learning history, brother info., participating in philanthropy, fundraisers, etc...

I think I would be pissed if someone wanted to join as a college graduate. Why not while undergrad? Would seem to be a lot of shadiness that comes along with someone not wanting to join while in school, but wanting to upon graduation!

Coming from a local... we obviously didn't have AI and I didn't even know what it was until reading about it here. However, we did initiate two members under honorary sister status. This is similar to AI and I didn't realize it until recently. One was a member of another local at another school that closed and was not going to reopen. Another was a graduate student, who at the time, was contributing significant amounts of time and effort to our organization. We thought we were doing the right thing, however as some of you know from another thread, the second AI (for lack of a better word) did not turn out so great. I suppose that is the risk that one takes.

I think that AI has a place within an organization that is open to it, and approaches certain members for whatever reason. It should be used sparingly and not as a way to allow members to have letters after the time that they should have.

[With our first AI member, she had already pledged another organization and was able to quickly assimilate into our "way of life" however, the second AI was not able to. She did not understand how things ran, or a simple code of sisterhood. She was in it for the popularity basically (and i'm not just saying this because I'm bitter, she's even admitted this to other sisters). I think the process of new membering enables members to understand... what sisterhood is all about ]

als463 · #12 11-07-2007, 08:52 AM

As a member of a NPC org. I have to say something. I think "AI" is great to an extent. For instance, if a woman went to a university with no Greek System (Notre Dame is a good example) and later decided she was really into philanthropy and helping the greater good-I would have no problem say, "We would be happy to have you as a Phi Mu AI." If a woman came through and said, "Oh yeah-I didn't get a bid from Phi Mu and such-and-such sorority (insert NPC sorority on her specific college campus that maybe didn't have the best reputation) gave me a bid but, I knew I didn't want them-I'm destined to be a Phi Mu...I'd say, "No Thanks!" Although I love my organization-I'm truly for Greek Unity. If you chose not to even give a chance to another organization and just turn your nose up to them because they didn't have the best reputation (for whatever reason it may have been) I don't think I want you. Should we be selective of where we want to go-Yes but, I hate when girls who don't get a bid anywhere else and then the not-so-top chapter offers them a bid and they turn their noses up! Every NPC org. is awesome SOMEWHERE!!! I try to stress that to girls who want to deactivate, depledge-whatever! I've tried to push girls in OTHER NPCs to stay with their org. because they might really regret it later in life. My org. may not be the top at my school but, somewhere it is. If I had turned my nose up at it right away-I would have missed out! That's what is great about being a NATIONAL org. One of my sisters once said to me when I was upset about something going on in my chapter, "Our org. is so much bigger than just this chapter...stick with it...there are other women out there who hold the same values as you that are sisters!" I stuck with it and I'm glad I did...Every NPC has their "GREAT" chapters and then their "NOT-So-GREAT" chapters...if you go AI because you think you are better than any of the girls in the "NOT-So-GREAT" chapters-go join another club and stop wasting NPC time!!! All of our Orgs. have something to offer-don't turn your nose up at it and then want membership elsewhere-but, I'm not completely against AI....and that was my soap box for the day...Thank you

33girl · #13 11-07-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by als463

As a member of a NPC org. I have to say something. I think "AI" is great to an extent. For instance, if a woman went to a university with no Greek System (Notre Dame is a good example) and later decided she was really into philanthropy and helping the greater good-I would have no problem say, "We would be happy to have you as a Phi Mu AI." If a woman came through and said, "Oh yeah-I didn't get a bid from Phi Mu and such-and-such sorority (insert NPC sorority on her specific college campus that maybe didn't have the best reputation) gave me a bid but, I knew I didn't want them-I'm destined to be a Phi Mu...I'd say, "No Thanks!" Although I love my organization-I'm truly for Greek Unity. If you chose not to even give a chance to another organization and just turn your nose up to them because they didn't have the best reputation (for whatever reason it may have been) I don't think I want you. Should we be selective of where we want to go-Yes but, I hate when girls who don't get a bid anywhere else and then the not-so-top chapter offers them a bid and they turn their noses up! Every NPC org. is awesome SOMEWHERE!!! I try to stress that to girls who want to deactivate, depledge-whatever! I've tried to push girls in OTHER NPCs to stay with their org. because they might really regret it later in life. My org. may not be the top at my school but, somewhere it is. If I had turned my nose up at it right away-I would have missed out! That's what is great about being a NATIONAL org. One of my sisters once said to me when I was upset about something going on in my chapter, "Our org. is so much bigger than just this chapter...stick with it...there are other women out there who hold the same values as you that are sisters!" I stuck with it and I'm glad I did...Every NPC has their "GREAT" chapters and then their "NOT-So-GREAT" chapters...if you go AI because you think you are better than any of the girls in the "NOT-So-GREAT" chapters-go join another club and stop wasting NPC time!!! All of our Orgs. have something to offer-don't turn your nose up at it and then want membership elsewhere-but, I'm not completely against AI....and that was my soap box for the day...Thank you

Extremely good post. Pennsylvania girls are the shiznit.

als463 · #14 11-07-2007, 06:24 PM

Hell Yes they are...Thank you....I've got Greek Love for all the organizations out there because I realize we all have something to offer!!!

nittanyalum · #15 11-07-2007, 06:33 PM

Just had to get my "Yay PA" in there! ...