Social Affiliates?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Wise people contact their regional and/or national entity to ask such questions instead of asking Greekchat. Research whether or not a such thing happens for YOUR organization. Even if it is lesser known or less common, that doesn't mean it is formally forbidden. If it is formally and/or informally forbidden, find that out and try to understand why.

The thing is, it really would not be up to KD, but up to the sorority she would be "socially affiliating" with. The only larger entity that could give her an answer is national Panhellenic, who could access the policies of all 26 NPC groups to tell her if any of them permit this.

She's talking about going to mixers and other sisterhood functions. Even if it was something completely non alcoholic - say, taking a bus off campus to go and help with a Special Olympics event - the insurance for the groups only insures members of that organization. She could never be a member, therefore if the bus wrecked and there was a nonmember riding, it could throw the whole insurance policy into jeopardy.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The thing is, it really would not be up to KD, but up to the sorority she would be "socially affiliating" with. The only larger entity that could give her an answer is national Panhellenic, who could access the policies of all 26 NPC groups to tell her if any of them permit this.

She's talking about going to mixers and other sisterhood functions. Even if it was something completely non alcoholic - say, taking a bus off campus to go and help with a Special Olympics event - the insurance for the groups only insures members of that organization. She could never be a member, therefore if the bus wrecked and there was a nonmember riding, it could throw the whole insurance policy into jeopardy.

Ummmmm...she's talking about just affiliating with any NPC group just for shits and giggles? I don't get the point of doing that.

Hmmm. I thought she was talking about finding another KD collegiate chapter that is not on her campus. Like, transferring to XYZ College that doesn't have a KD chapter and finding nearby ABC College that has a KD chapter that she can be socially affiliated with (but not be financially active because she doesn't attend that college)

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Ummmmm...she's talking about just affiliating with any NPC group just for shits and giggles? I don't get the point of doing that.

Hmmm. I thought she was talking about finding another KD collegiate chapter that is not on her campus. Like, transferring to XYZ College that doesn't have a KD chapter and finding nearby ABC College that has a KD chapter that she can be socially affiliated with (but not be financially active because she doesn't attend that college)

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

I'm sure a nearby KD chapter not on her campus would welcome her, as in AnotherKD's example, although it really depends where her new school is.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

I'm thinking from an NPHC perspective, so pardon me because I don't see the conundrum here.

[Alumiyum]

My mom has mentioned social affiliates before but I'm not sure if her chapter had any or not. As I understand it, they paid some small amount, just not regular dues and obviously did not attend any event involving ritual (like initiation events).

Maybe you could start an "orphaned Greeks" group on your campus.

[VandalSquirrel]

Social Affiliates = Risk Management/Insurance nightmare (members do enough of that on their own )

[ree-Xi]

A bit of-topic, but...along the lines of what someone else mentioned, the OP might be missing the structure that her sorority provided. Meetings on a certain day, sisterhood dinners on another, annual or semesterly events to plan for and look forward to (recruitment, formals, Greek Week, etc.). When you're Greek, there's a "built in" schedule for you. I can see how it might be difficult to go from a structured, scheduled life outside classes with a large group of girls who you are close with and a common bond, to one where you have to find the bits and pieces through other outlets.

Whereas being Greek isn't the only access to a social or structured life, going from Greek to non-Greek is an adjustment (in addition to losing the daily interactions with sisters and being part of something you deeply care about).

It's work; you're starting over at a new school. In a way, you need to get out of the collegiate Greek mindset and go on with campus life as if you were a new, unaffiliated freshman. There are tons of ways to find some structure (such as the campus newspaper or yearbook that has a schedule and deadlines), something you can get emotionally invested in (a faith-based group or a hobby), camaraderie/goal-oriented (intramural sports or theater - backstage or onstage), and leadership and planning (student government or campus committees).

Chances are, you did more at your previous school than just be a member of your sorority, or perhaps there were things you wanted to do but didn't have the time. Now is a chance to do something different. You can still fulfill your needs, and you'll be broadening your circle of friends. I went to two schools and have friends from both.

If there is a service sorority, that might be an option as well. Just remember that you are not replacing your social sorority, but that the two types of organizations exist for very specific reasons. My membership in Gamma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Xi Delta are two different worlds. Sure, some things overlap, but they each mean two very different things to me.

I personally wouldn't want to affiliate with a group if I could never be a member. I'd either feel cheated or left out. No reason why you can't be friends with Greeks at your new school, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to be a 'tag along".

Change is never easy, but you can have a great life at your new school. Good luck!

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

Not true at all. At least from my experience.

[33girl]

Everyone's different. I know that if I had transferred to, say, Pitt (which doesn't have ASA) after I was used to going to meetings, mixers, sisterhood events and just hanging out, I would not have just missed my sisters, I would have missed being part of Greek life in general.

At least the OP is trying to be straight up about it and not pulling the "can I join another group since I transferred" crap. I don't think she's being in disloyal to KD in any way - she's a young adult who had a very active social life that now doesn't exist.

Thread on transferring. Keep in mind it's several years old, so I don't know if the NPC mentioned in the thread still has the same policies.

[ChinaBuffet]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The point is that when you've been Greek, to transfer to another school that doesn't have your sorority and having to watch all the other Greeks having fun while you sit on the sidelines is not fun.

I'm EL, I'm a Pi Beta Phi and I love my sisters, my letters, and our values. I am deeply committed to improving my community through service. The school I went to has a chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha service sorority, and my junior year I went to their "rush" event, I figured that it would be like my business fraternity just service based. When I got there, I saw how close their sisterhood is and how much fun they have together. I also found that their chapter runs almost exactly like my Pi Phi chapter except they do more service projects each semester. They have social events, formals, rituals, everything! Right then, I knew I couldn't join. They were a "real" sorority and I'd already found my sisters.
I graduated, and then just recently decided to go to another school to get a second degree. This school is a commuter campus and has 1 NPC sorority and it's not Pi Phi. When I got here, I desperately missed my sisters. I need that fellowship, but the sorority here has low numbers and there isn't a need for another social sorority. Then I decided to focus on volunteering; I browsed the university website and didn't find a single service organization! Then I remembered back to that day I went to the ESA recruitment. I researched their organization and requested information on their website. The very next afternoon I got an email. Tracy Swanson (who is an Alpha Phi) literally did all of the foot work. She contacted my school's student activities office, she talked them into letting me set up a booth at the activities fair even though ESA wasn't established there, and she put me in touch with ESAs in my state that could help guide me. They showed up to help at my booth. 20 members of the other collegiate chapters , a former international president (!) and the state president came to my first call out meeting. They were very excited to have a new chapter and have been so supportive ever since then. This meeting was in September, we affiliated with the university in November, and we chartered our chapter in January. It was all actually a surprisingly simple process! Tracy said that it can be done in as few as 2 months.
These girls are not my Pi Phi sisters and will never replace my experiences in my chapter, but our sisterhood is really just as strong! I cherish ESA’s symbols and meanings just as much as Pi Beta Phi’s. What's so fantastic about ESA is that they have no requirements of their chapters, all of them do things differently, and some of their chapters don't even do ritual! Chapters are encouraged to develop symbols and meanings that are important to them and incorporate them into the initiation ceremony.
Because the only experience I have with a sorority is with Pi Phi, my chapter does a lot of things like NPC sororities (I don't know any other way). I try very hard not to do anything exactly like my chapter did them, I've twisted things to make them uniquely ESA, created things that I'd never done before, and used a lot of input and ideas from my other charter members who know nothing about how sororities function. When we meet up with the other collegiate chapters in the state and we swap ideas, we always integrate things they do that are ESA tradition that we didn't know about, and they find things that we do that they want to adopt. They have a week of rush parties followed by pinning (sound familiar?) that increasingly become more formal as the week goes on. Our chapter does the same thing but probably with a little more NPC influence.
We are brand new but I feel like because of my experiences, the overwhelming support of the other ESA chapters in our state and our national HQ, and the dedication of my new sisters, we are starting strong! ESA can be anything its founders want it to be, it can be all service, all social, or a mixture of both! Women, not letters make a sisterhood.
Maybe you could find another type of college sorority or even a community based sorority to join. When you find the right one, just like with KD, you'll know you found your new home! PM me if you want more info, even though this went on for miles as it is!
epsilonsigmaalpha.org
esaintl.org

Good luck! I hope this helps. You will find sisters again, even if it's just a friend that sits next to you in biology!