What is your family name?

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by Shadowskream459

we don't have "Families" but we have three different lineages, one of each color of the Fraternity: Purple, Green, and Gold. The only difference in lineage is your jersey color: you get the same color jersey as your big.

I think that's neat!

[Shadowskream459]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

I think that's neat!

Thanks. Not knocking the family thing, but I don't really get it. It almost seems like a "sub Fraternity/Sorority" kind of thing to me, but being in an org without families, I guess I don't get it.


I just know a lot of orginizations I've talked to with families have families that tend to vote to make sure the Pres. is in their family or something like that. Seems like it would break the bond of the entire fraternity to me.


Anyone care to elaborate on this to me?

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by Shadowskream459

Thanks. Not knocking the family thing, but I don't really get it. It almost seems like a "sub Fraternity/Sorority" kind of thing to me, but being in an org without families, I guess I don't get it.


I just know a lot of orginizations I've talked to with families have families that tend to vote to make sure the Pres. is in their family or something like that. Seems like it would break the bond of the entire fraternity to me.


Anyone care to elaborate on this to me?

In my APO chapter, "trees" (families) are ways to get to feel connected to people in the chapter you might not ordinarily hang around because they're in a different pledge class or graduating year than you.

They also helped the alumni secretary have a backup method of locating alumni. The directory can tell you who pledged with them, but the family tree can tell you who else they had a relationship with.

We never used families outside of fellowship purposes.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Shadowskream459

Thanks. Not knocking the family thing, but I don't really get it. It almost seems like a "sub Fraternity/Sorority" kind of thing to me, but being in an org without families, I guess I don't get it.


I just know a lot of orginizations I've talked to with families have families that tend to vote to make sure the Pres. is in their family or something like that. Seems like it would break the bond of the entire fraternity to me.


Anyone care to elaborate on this to me?

Don't you have a big brother?

As for families that do stuff like that, they're stupid.

[Shadowskream459]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Don't you have a big brother?

As for families that do stuff like that, they're stupid.

No I have a big, but we don't have a family. He's just my big, and I have a grand big, etc, etc, but we don't call ourselves a family. And like I said earlier about our lineages, our only difference is our jersey color. The gold lineage (mine) is the biggest in our Zeta, but no one makes a deal out of it. I just don't understand why you would have a sub-group in your fraterntiy, but we're a relatively small campus, with small orgs. We're the largest on campus at approx 45 members, so we all hang out. No need for cliques I guess.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Shadowskream459

No I have a big, but we don't have a family. He's just my big, and I have a grand big, etc, etc, but we don't call ourselves a family.

But you are a family. You just don't make a big deal out of it or give yourselves a name. Some chapters do. Different strokes for different folks.

[gtdxeric]

In my undergrad chapter, the families are named after the founding father that they could trace back to. Mine was Drewry.

[TinyDancer98]

I don't see families as cliques really, at least in my chapter. It can make a chapter seem smaller and easier to access, especially for new members, and it can also help bridge the gap between pledge classes as well as between collegians and alumnae. I was pretty shy at first when I joined, and I definitely would not be as close with my "family" members as I am now had I not been placed with them and included in family events, etc. Big-little relationships tend to be pretty close in our chapter, and essentially having a "family" just builds on that- kind of like meeting people through your friends. I don't really see it as being that different from other subgroups within the chapter (like we have prides, etc) except it's more long-term and usually much closer. I certainly don't think they break up the overall sisterhood in any way.