Infraction stories

[33girl]

One person cannot speak for an entire sorority. Therefore it is a scam. Easy peasy.

Many of these issues would go away if the national groups would take the focus off total and quota and put it onto retention instead. Throw out the award at convention for the chapter that made total for 60 years...start giving one for the chapter that has the lowest percentage of disaffiliated/inactive members in the biennium/triennium.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by 33girl

One person cannot speak for an entire sorority. Therefore it is a scam. Easy peasy.

Many of these issues would go away if the national groups would take the focus off total and quota and put it onto retention instead. Throw out the award at convention for the chapter that made total for 60 years...start giving one for the chapter that has the lowest percentage of disaffiliated/inactive members in the biennium/triennium.

Sorry, I was referring to the hypothetical scenario I described above, where it was actually the sorority essentially creating a bid list and all but handing out bids. If the chapters followed through with it, no PNM will believe it's a scam. Yes currently most bid promising is a lie that can't be backed up and either way it is wrong.


I agree with you about the emphasis on quotas and totals. I understand to some extent the need for numbers on campuses with large houses that must be filled, but there was no reason for that obsession on my campus for example.

[honeychile]

I'll be honest - I'm not a fan of deferred recruitment. If you remember my rush story, ours was deferred, and I was dirty rushed all over the place. I even had people calling and writing to me over the summer prior to my freshman year! I was promised bids from the second party on, I could go on and on about dirty rushing.

FWIW, I'm also not a fan of the 6-8 week New Member period.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by honeychile

I'll be honest - I'm not a fan of deferred recruitment. If you remember my rush story, ours was deferred, and I was dirty rushed all over the place. I even had people calling and writing to me over the summer prior to my freshman year! I was promised bids from the second party on, I could go on and on about dirty rushing.

FWIW, I'm also not a fan of the 6-8 week New Member period.

I like having a semester to settle into college, live in a dorm and make friends, join later, and have at least one semester of college complete. I think rushing and joining so early can be detrimental to a person who is going through the huge life change of college. What's wrong with having a panhellenic set up for majors where you can meet students who have taken your courses, go do a big philanthropy project, see the groups, and not make a decision before you step foot in a classroom.

If we're going to promote lifelong membership and involvement, we need to stop focusing on the first semester and showcase our alumnae and that we are not four years and something you do just in college.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

If we're going to promote lifelong membership and involvement, we need to stop focusing on the first semester and showcase our alumnae and that we are not four years and something you do just in college.

THIS.

Nowadays, we have skit day, sisterhood day, go Greek day, etc. during recruitment.

I have a really crazy idea.

I would absolutely LOVE for NPC to move toward having Panhellenics include an "Alumnae Life" or "XYZ After college" day into recruitment.

Just as you learn about the house in House Tour Day, or the philanthropy on Philanthropy Day, have a day where you discuss life in XYZ sorority AFTER college.

Have some alumnae from your nearest alumna chapter come talk about their chapter activities, a regional staffer come talk about her experiences, etc.

Just as we showcase our homes, activities, philanthropies, etc. during recruitment, we need to showcase the lifetime commitment that our orgs are.

We have alumnae life included in our NM ed sequence and in the senior sequence of our member ed program, but it would be nice to start out with recruitment so PNMs know before getting involved that it is for life.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

THIS.

Nowadays, we have skit day, sisterhood day, go Greek day, etc. during recruitment.

I have a really crazy idea.

I would absolutely LOVE for NPC to move toward having Panhellenics include an "Alumnae Life" or "XYZ After college" day into recruitment.

Just as you learn about the house in House Tour Day, or the philanthropy on Philanthropy Day, have a day where you discuss life in XYZ sorority AFTER college.

Have some alumnae from your nearest alumna chapter come talk about their chapter activities, a regional staffer come talk about her experiences, etc.

Just as we showcase our homes, activities, philanthropies, etc. during recruitment, we need to showcase the lifetime commitment that our orgs are.

We have alumnae life included in our NM ed sequence and in the senior sequence of our member ed program, but it would be nice to start out with recruitment so PNMs know before getting involved that it is for life.

You are onto something. We certainly have enough alums hanging around recruitment looking for something to do to help out, and if not, what better way to bring alums back to help out their local collegiate chapters!

I'm surprised that NPC hasn't thought of this before.

[ForeverRoses]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

THIS.

Nowadays, we have skit day, sisterhood day, go Greek day, etc. during recruitment.

I have a really crazy idea.

I would absolutely LOVE for NPC to move toward having Panhellenics include an "Alumnae Life" or "XYZ After college" day into recruitment.

Just as you learn about the house in House Tour Day, or the philanthropy on Philanthropy Day, have a day where you discuss life in XYZ sorority AFTER college.

Have some alumnae from your nearest alumna chapter come talk about their chapter activities, a regional staffer come talk about her experiences, etc.

Just as we showcase our homes, activities, philanthropies, etc. during recruitment, we need to showcase the lifetime commitment that our orgs are.

We have alumnae life included in our NM ed sequence and in the senior sequence of our member ed program, but it would be nice to start out with recruitment so PNMs know before getting involved that it is for life.

what a cool idea.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

THIS.

Nowadays, we have skit day, sisterhood day, go Greek day, etc. during recruitment.

I have a really crazy idea.

I would absolutely LOVE for NPC to move toward having Panhellenics include an "Alumnae Life" or "XYZ After college" day into recruitment.

Just as you learn about the house in House Tour Day, or the philanthropy on Philanthropy Day, have a day where you discuss life in XYZ sorority AFTER college.

Have some alumnae from your nearest alumna chapter come talk about their chapter activities, a regional staffer come talk about her experiences, etc.

Just as we showcase our homes, activities, philanthropies, etc. during recruitment, we need to showcase the lifetime commitment that our orgs are.

We have alumnae life included in our NM ed sequence and in the senior sequence of our member ed program, but it would be nice to start out with recruitment so PNMs know before getting involved that it is for life.

I honestly think this is an idea worth sending to the NPC. IIRC, I was once told that was why Prefs used to be held at the home of an alumna. I have also been to many recruitment parties where all of the alumnae were introduced, so that the PNMs could see the lifetime advantage. FWIW, the year I was Greek Alumna of the Year, PNMs were asking me left and right about why I would be so interested after I was out of school. Well, in my case, it was because "I believe in Alpha Delta Pi" and the rest of the Creed. But I'm sure each GLO could do it in the way they wanted.

Go Joc!!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by honeychile

I honestly think this is an idea worth sending to the NPC. IIRC, I was once told that was why Prefs used to be held at the home of an alumna. I have also been to many recruitment parties where all of the alumnae were introduced, so that the PNMs could see the lifetime advantage. FWIW, the year I was Greek Alumna of the Year, PNMs were asking me left and right about why I would be so interested after I was out of school. Well, in my case, it was because "I believe in Alpha Delta Pi" and the rest of the Creed. But I'm sure each GLO could do it in the way they wanted.

Go Joc!!

I know why they stopped having Pref parties off campus at alumnae houses, but I thought it was really a nice touch. It really did show that membership extended beyond the college years. Our AOII party was actually at a house in Monroe that was even willed to us for our use during Prefs every year after the alumna's death. While she was alive, she sat at a window seat above the garden and watched the PNMs as they were introduced to the AOII sisters lined up around her manicured lawn below.

[violetpretty]

I would love to see alumnae day replace skit round! NPC has been suggesting that campuses "replace skits with a philanthropy round or a sisterhood round" but if you already have a philanthropy round, you're not going to do it twice, and isn't preference essentially sisterhood round? Finally, the answer!

Maybe for alumnae day, Panhellenic can set a maximum number of alumnae who can attend, just to be fair.

I'm sure pref at the home of an alumna was a really special and touching experience, but I can't imagine the logistical nightmare of executing this today, not to mention inherent unfairness. Alumnae can live in varying distances from campus, and the more chapters your campus has, the harder it would be to organize and transport all the PNMs every which way. Then, there's always the issue of which alumnae have nicer homes, which opens up another can of worms.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

THIS.

Nowadays, we have skit day, sisterhood day, go Greek day, etc. during recruitment.

I have a really crazy idea.

I would absolutely LOVE for NPC to move toward having Panhellenics include an "Alumnae Life" or "XYZ After college" day into recruitment.

Just as you learn about the house in House Tour Day, or the philanthropy on Philanthropy Day, have a day where you discuss life in XYZ sorority AFTER college.

Have some alumnae from your nearest alumna chapter come talk about their chapter activities, a regional staffer come talk about her experiences, etc.

Just as we showcase our homes, activities, philanthropies, etc. during recruitment, we need to showcase the lifetime commitment that our orgs are.

We have alumnae life included in our NM ed sequence and in the senior sequence of our member ed program, but it would be nice to start out with recruitment so PNMs know before getting involved that it is for life.

what a great idea! please DO pass this on to a "power that be."

[ASUADPi]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

THIS.

Nowadays, we have skit day, sisterhood day, go Greek day, etc. during recruitment.

I have a really crazy idea.

I would absolutely LOVE for NPC to move toward having Panhellenics include an "Alumnae Life" or "XYZ After college" day into recruitment.

Just as you learn about the house in House Tour Day, or the philanthropy on Philanthropy Day, have a day where you discuss life in XYZ sorority AFTER college.

Have some alumnae from your nearest alumna chapter come talk about their chapter activities, a regional staffer come talk about her experiences, etc.

Just as we showcase our homes, activities, philanthropies, etc. during recruitment, we need to showcase the lifetime commitment that our orgs are.

We have alumnae life included in our NM ed sequence and in the senior sequence of our member ed program, but it would be nice to start out with recruitment so PNMs know before getting involved that it is for life.

Since so many of us think this is such a great idea, we should all encourage our NPC delegates to contact NPC with the idea and explain the benefits of it.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by ASUADPi

Since so many of us think this is such a great idea, we should all encourage our NPC delegates to contact NPC with the idea and explain the benefits of it.

Another good idea!

[MaggieXi]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

But if you let them really "get to know" the freshmen then you've opened up the doors for a lot of dirty rushing. I agree that if it's a deferred rush a semester long silence is just silly, but for the first 2 weeks or so it's manageable. And we typically wore letters the WHOLE time so it was really obvious that we weren't just ignoring someone in class for kicks.

I agree to an extent. It depends on the campus too. My reference is a campus where recruitment isn't until the last week of January and freshman move in in August. The rules are very strict, too strict in my opinion, and are not really explained to freshman until December.

If you are a freshman woman sitting in her first ever college class, and she happens to sit down next to a greek woman and tries to have a conversation with her, and all the greek woman can do is say "Hi" for fear of an infraction, I think it could be completely off putting to someone who may know nothing about sororities.

I believe that for campus's with deferred recruitment, there may be a push from national headquarters to "get to know" girls before recruitment starts. With this pressure and the rules put in place at a strict campus, it leaves the sorority between a rock and a hard place - either follow the campus rules to the letter or try to get to know freshman per their nationals, and run the risk of getting an infraction.

Do I think its wrong to bid promise, give a PNM gifts, take them out drinking, tell them that they should only rush XYZ - absolutely. But I also think it rediculous that if a PNM asks you for directions to get to their next class or to ask you to pass the salt you could also get an infraction for that.

It also does not help when you have sororities on campus that spend the first 5 months of school trolling to get other sororities in trouble.