A local sorority at USC?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Thank you for editing your post.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by trojanpride

Yes. I might not be one for tact, but I thought by giving actual examples of the horrible reps (and there are no positive reps) people could see firsthand how badly things have gotten, but instead I'm just a piece of shit.

Don't know the OP (I don't think) but a friend who's mom was a legacy really pushed her to rush, she got cut early on and she's still sad about it. Greek's such an important system here so I could see why.

This is you not helping.

[kaeb]

I don't have the time right now to read this thread as I'm supposed to be writing a paper (about Greek life at SC, actually), but a new chapter will be on campus starting in fall 2013 after formal recruitment ends. We still don't know what chapter it will be.

[kaeb]

ok I lied I skimmed most of the thread.

First of all, I know SC2013 in real life, and she is not 50, she is a very nice young woman.

She expressed interest in checking out SDT, and I checked with people who know more with me, and since she signed a bid card in the fall, it's a very very fine line with dirty rushing, so I think everyone is erring on the side of caution.

the OP does put forth some very valid points about Greek life here, and I say that as a member of Panhellenic who supports every chapter. Yes, the Greek system is flawed, we know that, and we're trying to fix it, but it's a work in progress. Every sorority sent representatives to the Something of Value program, and we're hoping what we learned at that will help the Row as a whole. We're working on it, I promise, but it's not easy. I can understand why she has a negative perspective of USC Greek life. It's pretty easy to criticize us right now. But as a member of USC Greek life, I still love it so much. It's a unique experience, and it's not an experience for everyone, but for those who are willing to try it out, it can be incredibly rewarding. And no, it's not all about partying (especially not now, due to the heavy social restrictions!). But in all seriousness, while USC Greek life looks like it's all about partying, there is more to it than that. And we as a whole are working to change that perception of Greek life, but, as I've said, it's a work in progress.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by kaeb

ok I lied I skimmed most of the thread.

Ohhhh you're supposed to be writing a paper.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by kaeb

I don't have the time right now to read this thread as I'm supposed to be writing a paper (about Greek life at SC, actually), but a new chapter will be on campus starting in fall 2013 after formal recruitment ends. We still don't know what chapter it will be.

say what now? I don't think anyone mentioned it in the expansion thread.

Not doubting you, just that I think this is the first anyone on GC has heard of it.

[kaeb]

yup, Panhellenic just voted March 28. I should know, I voted! Panhellenic will begin the selection process in the fall and will be colonized fall 2013 following formal recruitment.

And I finished my paper and turned it in on time fwiw

[kaeb]

grr my computer spazzed while I was writing this post and I lost everything I had written the first time, so here we go again. I finally read the entire thread.

First off, I don't think it's cool that people are jumping on SC2013 for not joining the chapter that offered her a bid. From lurking on here, I knew not to sign a bid card if I was not really ready to commit, and I wasn't, so I didn't sign a card, but I would have received a bid to the same house. That house is a wonderful house full of lovely women, but it is not the house for everyone, much like how my house is not the house for everyone, and Alpha Alpha Alpha isn't he house for everyone. I may have been happy had I joined that house, and she may have been as well, but I know now that I am incredibly happy where I am. My guess is SC2013 had similar qualms and wanted to investigate all her options (and I'm pretty sure she actually said something along those lines in one of her posts). Yes, we are only 18-19, but that doesn't mean we're not capable of making good/well-thought-out decisions. Every decision we make may not be the best, but we do know how to make important ones.

Also, concerning my house (SDT), we will eventually participate in formal, but we did not last year and will not next year for a variety of reasons. I don't know if I'm at liberty to discuss them all, but we're quite happy with the girls we've brought in from the last three pledge classes of COB, and we have grown considerably.

Ok, back to the thread. The part of my paper I was supposed to be writing was the conclusion, and I think I'll just post it here. The paper is about superficiality & tiers in the sorority system here. It's not the best thing I've written, and I definitely didn't spend enough time on it, but I think it addresses my point.
At the end of the day, though, the tier system shouldn’t really matter. One CollegeACB poster summed it up well, saying, “I think that my house is the absolute best house in the world, and I'm so glad I'm in it. I'm pretty sure other girls feel that way about their houses. So shouldn't that make every house a "top tier" house?” [there was a citation here but I removed it]. Hundreds of women go through recruitment to join a sorority to find their new sisters. Some women do join for the social opportunities, but women stay in their sororities throughout their time in college because they genuinely enjoy the company of their sisters. At the end of the day, sorority women are all pretty similar, and at the end of college, it won’t matter what house a woman was in, much less what “tier” the house belonged to. They are all sorority women, with all the good and bad connotations that brings. Likewise, at the end of the day, shallow judgments are irrelevant—people will ultimately become true friends with people whom they like, regardless of their social status or physical appearance. Yes, there will always be some people who only form fleeting friendships with other people from a similar echelon of society, but true friendship knows no barriers.

That's pretty much all I have to say for now... I already said everything else in post #79

[als463]

Originally Posted by kaeb

grr my computer spazzed while I was writing this post and I lost everything I had written the first time, so here we go again. I finally read the entire thread.

First off, I don't think it's cool that people are jumping on SC2013 for not joining the chapter that offered her a bid. From lurking on here, I knew not to sign a bid card if I was not really ready to commit, and I wasn't, so I didn't sign a card, but I would have received a bid to the same house. That house is a wonderful house full of lovely women, but it is not the house for everyone, much like how my house is not the house for everyone, and Alpha Alpha Alpha isn't he house for everyone. I may have been happy had I joined that house, and she may have been as well, but I know now that I am incredibly happy where I am. My guess is SC2013 had similar qualms and wanted to investigate all her options (and I'm pretty sure she actually said something along those lines in one of her posts). Yes, we are only 18-19, but that doesn't mean we're not capable of making good/well-thought-out decisions. Every decision we make may not be the best, but we do know how to make important ones.

Also, concerning my house (SDT), we will eventually participate in formal, but we did not last year and will not next year for a variety of reasons. I don't know if I'm at liberty to discuss them all, but we're quite happy with the girls we've brought in from the last three pledge classes of COB, and we have grown considerably.

Ok, back to the thread. The part of my paper I was supposed to be writing was the conclusion, and I think I'll just post it here. The paper is about superficiality & tiers in the sorority system here. It's not the best thing I've written, and I definitely didn't spend enough time on it, but I think it addresses my point.
At the end of the day, though, the tier system shouldn’t really matter. One CollegeACB poster summed it up well, saying, “I think that my house is the absolute best house in the world, and I'm so glad I'm in it. I'm pretty sure other girls feel that way about their houses. So shouldn't that make every house a "top tier" house?” [there was a citation here but I removed it]. Hundreds of women go through recruitment to join a sorority to find their new sisters. Some women do join for the social opportunities, but women stay in their sororities throughout their time in college because they genuinely enjoy the company of their sisters. At the end of the day, sorority women are all pretty similar, and at the end of college, it won’t matter what house a woman was in, much less what “tier” the house belonged to. They are all sorority women, with all the good and bad connotations that brings. Likewise, at the end of the day, shallow judgments are irrelevant—people will ultimately become true friends with people whom they like, regardless of their social status or physical appearance. Yes, there will always be some people who only form fleeting friendships with other people from a similar echelon of society, but true friendship knows no barriers.

That's pretty much all I have to say for now... I already said everything else in post #79

Not that I don't appreciate your paper being about sorority life and tiers because it actually sounds pretty cool but, was it really a good idea to cite CollegeACB? You may as well reference Wikipedia, in my eyes.

[kaeb]

haha my WRIT 140 teacher is fine with it, actually! I had to turn in the prompt with the paper, but it was about finding something that mirrors & magnifies social divisions if I recall correctly. I read her the first four pages or so, which were full of ACB citations and she had no problem with them. I wasn't presenting anything from ACB as objective fact, merely as anonymous opinions.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by kaeb

First off, I don't think it's cool that people are jumping on SC2013 for not joining the chapter that offered her a bid.

That's NOT what people are jumping on her for. People are jumping on her for this

Originally Posted by SC2013

most chapters do not really fit closely to their national mottos and creeds to better themselves academically, philanthropically, but only socially.

and this

Originally Posted by SC2013

philanthropies wouldn't just be about getting drunk in the middle of the day on campus. I mean girls attracted to this kind of sorority wouldn't feel like they're doing the community a favor by waking up at 9am on Saturday for a beach cleanup. I mean if your motto is "Let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful and highest," you follow it and don't just paint it somewhere in your house to pass by while you get ready to prance down the Row in a micromini.

and this

Originally Posted by SC2013

Sororities are about getting the hottest members to "best represent" themselves, and sending their most attractive members to the "best" frats, and spending the most time and effort on only a few "top" fraternity philanthropies. And then requiring a couple hours community

and this.

Originally Posted by SC2013

That's not what the GC community is about. That's not what being an alumni, being a member for life, is about. I feel like our school's Greek system in general has deviated too far from what each national organization stands for, and I'd like to return to those roots. Am I SOL?

It would be one thing if she was a freshman, but she's not. She rushed as a sophomore after seeing a year of this heinous, values-lacking behavior. She knew what she was getting into and was completely ok with the thought of prancing in a micromini - or she wouldn't have gone through rush. If people said anything about her not accepting her AXO bid, it was because they thought that she ignored a chance to try to change the system from the inside out - to try and attract like-minded individuals and create the kind of sorority she allegedly wants.

[AZTheta]

^^^THIS.

thank you once again, 33girl.

[kaeb]

Originally Posted by 33girl

That's NOT what people are jumping on her for.

really? because this is what I saw:

Originally Posted by als463

OP, you had your chance. Get over it. Move along and stop trying to put down the Greek Life on your campus. In fact, please go away.

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

You were offered a bid to the struggling chapter and chose not to accept it. You are actually part of the problem.

Originally Posted by victoriana

The OP seems like a nice enough girl who could do well in a smaller chapter like Peggy Olson and really help turn things around. Wasted potential.

From what I understand, Panhellenic did not do a good job informing girls about what it means to sign a bid card, and many girls (not just SC2013) walked away misinformed and disappointed. This hurts all the chapters that do COB. I'm not saying she should have not signed a bid card, but I know girls we can't recruit because Panhellenic told them, oh, just sign your bid card and see if you like it on bid night, girls who would have liked to go through informal recruitment with us.

I understand that people are jumping on her for what you pointed out as well, but as someone who's been jumped on for not clicking with that chapter, I know that it sucks being attacked by a lot of anonymous strangers for something you can't control. I wanted to fall in love with that house, and I'm sure she did too, but sometimes it just doesn't work out like that. There have been girls who I have wanted to fall in love with our house who end up joining their house, and I understand that that happens and it's not anyone's fault.

As a whole, this forum can be intimidating to me, I'm not going to lie. I don't know if SC2013 feels the same way, but this place is kind of overwhelming at times, especially when a bunch of people I don't know are convinced that I'm wrong even when I think I'm doing the right thing for me.

Sorry if you hate my post as well, I'm in a weird state of mind right now and am not presenting my thoughts as well as I could.

[33girl]

No, I don't hate your post, just trying to make you understand where people are coming from.

Originally Posted by kaeb

I'm not saying she should have not signed a bid card, but I know girls we can't recruit because Panhellenic told them, oh, just sign your bid card and see if you like it on bid night, girls who would have liked to go through informal recruitment with us.

Again, she's a sophomore. She seems like a very bright one as well, and I don't think she was unaware that if she signed her bid card, she was bound for a year. The thing is though...once you've signed a bid card and are bound for a year, you might as well go to bid day. At least you'll get some free food out of it...at most you may be able to make connections outside the clusterfluff of rush and realize it wasn't as bad/awkward as you thought.

From her other thread, it seems like she tried to do what she thought would help her mathematically (for lack of a better way to put it) and it backfired.

As far as the posts you've quoted..."I went through rush and none of the sororities are living up to their values so I want to start my own" is a well-worn euphemism for "I didn't get a bid/got the wrong bid so I'll show them" around here. People have seen it a lot of times and are pretty cynical when someone says something along those lines. If she would have come on here and asked what the chances were of starting a new sorority at USC, that would have been fine. Her mistake was criticizing a system that not too long ago, she wanted very dearly to be a part of.

[OPhiAGinger]

Yes, she's criticizing a system, but she obviously still wants to be a part of it. She wants to change it from the inside, but she didn't feel comfortable with the single option she had left. So, are her only options to either join Peggy Olson (even though she never felt like she fit in there) or just shut up about her concerns? It sounds like those posters who know the USC campus best have validated that there is a growing problem there. Wanting to help address the problem is a positive thing, and she's just trying to find another way to do that as an insider. I think you may have jumped the gun to paint her as sour grapes because she didn't get the bid she wanted. There's no evidence of that here.