How is deactivating viewed on your campus?

[Benzgirl]

As far as I can remember, we never stopped talking to anyone. Most of the reasons for deactivating were financial, and those were few and far between. How could you snub someone for this?

The few that depledged usually were asked to leave, and our campus was so big that you may never run into them after that.

We never had a problem with those who deactivated showing up for social events.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

How could you snub someone for this?

Let me clarify, we wouldn't go out of our way to hang out with them. Like if someone who terminated their membership wanted to do lunch or something, I wouldn't say no. But I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to hang out with that person if they weren't someone I was particularly close to to begin with.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

As far as I can remember, we never stopped talking to anyone. Most of the reasons for deactivating were financial, and those were few and far between. How could you snub someone for this?

The few that depledged usually were asked to leave, and our campus was so big that you may never run into them after that.

We never had a problem with those who deactivated showing up for social events.

Like ISUKappa said, there's a difference between the girl who deactivated for $$ reasons who you know is working 3 jobs and barely keeping her head above water, and the girl who says she deactivated for $$ reasons who's walking around with super expensive clothes/purses and partying every weekend.

I mean, if the sorority isn't important enough to you that you don't WANT to pay the dues anymore, just SAY that. Don't make it seem as if you CAN'T. But don't expect everyone to be cool with that decision and still treat you like a sister when you're basically saying that the sorority and its members aren't important enough to you for you to go without a new LV bag.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Don't make it seem as if you CAN'T. But don't expect everyone to be cool with that decision and still treat you like a sister when you're basically saying that the sorority and its members aren't important enough to you for you to go without a new LV bag.

Exactly. Those are the girls I was refering to. I honestly feel badly for girls that have to terminate or depledge because they genuinely can't afford to be Sigmas. Then there are girls who use finances as an excuse to quit, and then try to still hang out with everyone and want to be invited over to the house to hang out as if nothing ever happened. That is where the cutting people off comes in.

[honeychile]

What about the member who was recently initiated, but then realizes (thanks in part to the shortened new member periods) that she made a huge mistake - especially when the members realize it, too? I would be less apt to shun her, than someone who's made off with chapter funds or such.

[LaneSig]

One of my friends in another fraternity told me that they had a huge problem with this. Members of their chapter would activate and de-activate monthly, depending on their finances. Literally, they would say: "I can't afford dues this month, I'm going inactive. I'll go active again next month."

Our chapter made a rule: If you are going inactive, it's for the whole semester. But, unless you drop out of school, you still owe us the dues for the entire semester. Do you need a payment plan?

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

On our campus some chapters retain better than others, but in general there's little stigma attached to a girl who de-pledged or quit because of financial reasons, extreme personal circumstances, or some sort of emergency. I don't ignore anyone who voluntarily dropped out of any chapter here, but personally I'm in general a little less close to the ones that quit because they didn't give it a chance. To me that makes me wary of them and their dependability. The only people I can think of that have a stigma from many Greeks in general are a small group of girls who were either kicked out or asked to leave. That, though, was extenuating circumstances. And of course, it's a bigger deal when an initiated sister quits than a new member. 9 times out of 10, though, they have a good reason. New members sometimes drop because of financial...and sometimes because they think they made a mistake. Personally, that doesn't bother me much, seeing as how they have four days of recruitment plus limited contact for two weeks before that to make a lifetime commitment. It's understandable if they decide sororities aren't for them during their new member period. Most of our chapters still have good retention rates, though, on new members.

The ones that irritate me the most are the ones that CHOOSE to leave and then continue to wear letters, keep letters on their cars, and refer to themselves as a member of XYZ.

[aephi alum]

Deactivating wasn't uncommon at my school. In my freshman year, one sorority took quota in FR, but only half of the class was still active by the end of our senior year. Whether your sisters were friendly or unfriendly to you after deactivation kind of depended on why you deactivated... deactivating for financial reasons = ok, getting terminated for risk management reasons = not ok.

You could also (at least in my chapter) temporarily go inactive for a legitimate reason. One of my pledge sisters went inactive to do a semester abroad; another sister went inactive for a semester because she had major medical problems (she didn't take the semester off school, but she dropped all her extracurricular activities). Those situations were no big deal.

[Leslie Anne]

Kappa Delta works pretty similarly to Tri Sigma, from what KSUViolet posted. Sisters can request inactive status for medical or financial reasons (with documentation) for a semester or two at most, if I remember correctly.

When I was a collegian it was a HUGE deal to resign membership at my campus. It just wasn't done unless there were extreme circumstances. Depledging happened but that really wasn't seen as a big deal at all and didn't carry much of a stigma if the girl went through Rush again.

Back to what Honey said about the new, shorter new member periods, I remember talking to Kappa Delta's National President about this a few years back. She said that since the shortened periods resignations had gone up something crazy like 700% across the board Panhellenically. (one of the reasons the shortened time-frame irritates me.)

Whether it was the shortened period, just a different campus culture or the fact that this was nearly 18 years after I was a collegian I don't know. But when I worked with another KD chapter at a different campus resignations were rampant. I'd say about 20 a year. The girls thought nothing of it. I was baffled....and annoyed.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

One of my friends in another fraternity told me that they had a huge problem with this. Members of their chapter would activate and de-activate monthly, depending on their finances. Literally, they would say: "I can't afford dues this month, I'm going inactive. I'll go active again next month."

Our chapter made a rule: If you are going inactive, it's for the whole semester. But, unless you drop out of school, you still owe us the dues for the entire semester. Do you need a payment plan?

Wow, that's not right...membership shouldn't be a semester-to-semester thing. Gamma Phi Beta doesn't have an "inactive" status - all members must be active members. Some girls in my chapter would try to "go inactive" every once in a while and then have to be told, "Sorry, there is no 'inactive,' only active or resigned membership." When forced with that scenario, most chose to stay active rather than completely resign membership, especially seniors who seemed to think they could disappear their last year and get away with it.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Wow, that's not right...membership shouldn't be a semester-to-semester thing.

I agree. Tri Sigma does have an inactive status, but you have to request it through HQ and it is only granted one semester. If you need it for additional semesters, you have to re-apply and you can only be inactive for a total of one year. Girls in my chapter usually request it when they want to study abroad or are doing an internship or student teaching. Once your year is up, you either return to being active, take 5th yr alumna status (if eligible) or terminate. There are no other options.

It helps because girls can't just say "I'm too busy this semester, I'm going inactive" since it's something that needs to be requested in advance and you need to have a valid reason (medical, academic, severe financial hardship etc).

We also have 5th year alumna status, but you of course have to be a 5th year student. That's also totally different from going inactive since you will no longer be a collegian. That also needs to be applied for in advance. Some girls come to school for 5th yr, decide they don't want to be active anymore, and want to go alumna status, but end up VERY MAD when they realize that in order to go 5th yr alumna, you needed to submit the form before September.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Wow, that's not right...membership shouldn't be a semester-to-semester thing. Gamma Phi Beta doesn't have an "inactive" status - all members must be active members. Some girls in my chapter would try to "go inactive" every once in a while and then have to be told, "Sorry, there is no 'inactive,' only active or resigned membership." When forced with that scenario, most chose to stay active rather than completely resign membership, especially seniors who seemed to think they could disappear their last year and get away with it.

Wow indeed!

With all due respect, why should your or any other GLO policies be applicable to others GLOs? If it works for Sigma Chi Fraternity - and works well I might add - who are you to question it?

For what it is worth, Sigma Chi Fraternity believes that membership is for life. As such, we don't believe in terminating a membership "right off the bat" simply because someone may not be able to pay their dues for a semester.