Biggest Rush Mistakes at any institution

[sasquatch]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

This is a little sad to me, but I know that for some chapters it's true.

What I don't understand is why you all stay tied to the national group? Do you think you're carrying on the real traditions of the founders and it's the other chapters and that the overly PC folks and overly concerned about liability folks at the national level who have gone astray?

If I didn't really value the national sisterhood, I think I'd just want to be a local, not share the national traditions and symbols but ignore the bond. Can you explain?

For one going local would be more work for no real reason. Why go local when the only thing that would change would be the letters? 98% of people would be aware of who we still were if we were to change our letters but the other 2% would be left clueless. My campus has no locals so I'm not sure how that would go. Most of our money comes from alumni of our chapter, but there is some that comes from other chapters.

I think your very own question brings this little conversation full circle once again. I've really never thought about it till now (why we don't go local). I don't know what our founders core values where. We learned it during pledge ed, but I've long since forgotten it.

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

For one going local would be more work for no real reason. Why go local when the only thing that would change would be the letters? 98% of people would be aware of who we still were if we were to change our letters but the other 2% would be left clueless. My campus has no locals so I'm not sure how that would go. Most of our money comes from alumni of our chapter, but there is some that comes from other chapters.

I think your very own question brings this little conversation full circle once again. I've really never thought about it till now (why we don't go local). I don't know what our founders core values where. We learned it during pledge ed, but I've long since forgotten it.

Words fail me.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

For one going local would be more work for no real reason. Why go local when the only thing that would change would be the letters? 98% of people would be aware of who we still were if we were to change our letters but the other 2% would be left clueless. My campus has no locals so I'm not sure how that would go. Most of our money comes from alumni of our chapter, but there is some that comes from other chapters.

I think your very own question brings this little conversation full circle once again. I've really never thought about it till now (why we don't go local). I don't know what our founders core values where. We learned it during pledge ed, but I've long since forgotten it.

Under the same conditions, I'd really want to be a local. I think it'd be less work and more freedom, assuming your campus allows locals. And you'd be completely free to use whatever membership standards you wanted with no conflicts with national policy, again as long as they weren't in violation of your school's rules.

I'll be honest: it would drive me crazy to be publicly affiliated with a national organization if I didn't value the affiliation.

[sasquatch]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

. And you'd be completely free to use whatever membership standards you wanted with no conflicts with national policy, again as long as they weren't in violation of your school's rules.

You must have missed my point. We do all that anyways.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

You must have missed my point. We do all that anyways.

Yeah, but the hypocrisy would bug me and you'd be free of it.

I wouldn't want to publicly be in a group that wanted me to use standards that I felt not only free to disregard, but that disregarding them was essential to maintaining the membership I wanted.

[sasquatch]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Yeah, but the hypocrisy would bug me and you'd be free of it.

I wouldn't want to publicly be in a group that wanted me to use standards that I felt not only free to disregard, but that disregarding them was essential to maintaining the membership I wanted.

It's just what I (and the rest of my chapter) have always known. Same goes for guys in other chapters on my campus (and other campuses). I honestly didn't know chapters followed what nationals said so closely (or at all) till I found this site.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

It's just what I (and the rest of my chapter) have always known. Same goes for guys in other chapters on my campus (and other campuses). I honestly didn't know chapters followed what nationals said so closely (or at all) till I found this site.

Well, following national membership guidelines is only part of it from my point of view. There's also not feeling the historic tie nationally. If you're a local at heart, which it seems like you are, I'd want the full local autonomy. No chapter reports, no national dues, no national rules about parties, little sister groups, etc.

On the other hand, if you felt like, say you were a KA, and you were all about Robert E Lee as a spiritual founder and the earlier principles of the group, but you just weren't feeling the brotherhood with some of the other chapters, then I could see why not giving up the letters, history and symbols would be important.

[sasquatch]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Well, following national membership guidelines is only part of it from my point of view. There's also not feeling the historic tie nationally. If you're a local at heart, which it seems like you are, I'd want the full local autonomy. No chapter reports, no national dues, no national rules about parties, little sister groups, etc.

On the other hand, if you felt like, say you were a KA, and you were all about Robert E Lee as a spiritual founder and the earlier principles of the group, but you just weren't feeling the brotherhood with some of the other chapters, then I could see why not giving up the letters, history and symbols would be important.

Again, I feel that if every chapter who felt compelled to do so followed this advice...well national GLO's would become pretty scarce. It is not abnormal (from what I have seen) to feel the way my chapter does. It's just the way it is.

ETA: It's not that we hate nationals or even really dislike them. It's just that we will always do what benefits our chapter, regardless of nationals' policy. It's not something we actively think about or anything.

[fantASTic]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Under the same conditions, I'd really want to be a local. I think it'd be less work and more freedom, assuming your campus allows locals. And you'd be completely free to use whatever membership standards you wanted with no conflicts with national policy, again as long as they weren't in violation of your school's rules.

I'll be honest: it would drive me crazy to be publicly affiliated with a national organization if I didn't value the affiliation.

Agreed. The restrictions Nationals puts on GLOs are just that - restricting. If I didn't value AST, I would NOT want to follow them.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

Agreed. The restrictions Nationals puts on GLOs are just that - restricting. If I didn't value AST, I would NOT want to follow them.

I understand why they are needed, but the bureaucratic aspects of the sisterhood are the least attractive to me.

Of course, I'm not talking about membership policies in my case.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

I don't know what our founders core values where. We learned it during pledge ed, but I've long since forgotten it.

Yikes.

[sasquatch]

I think if we got some guys on here responding, I might get some backup.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

I think if we got some guys on here responding, I might get some backup.

I'm pretty sure you would. I think it's a common feeling in a lot of the more elitist, for lack of a better word, chapters.

But it's something that I've always wondered about when it's come up.