Question from someone I intitiated in 1974

[33girl]

Originally Posted by madoug

As an advisor, and a mother of two active members, I am concerned with the time demands placed on the current greek communities. The amount of money expected to be raised for charity is getting to be outrageous. Add to that the need to support all your fellow greeks' fund raisers. Then there are the community service hours, and we want you all to be leaders on campus, but don't forget your GPA! Have you had enough sisterhood events, and non-alcs?

IMO we should jettison national philanthropies and go back to letting chapters pick their own. Not onliy could they pick things where they actually give time instead of endlessly trying to figure out how to raise money, in the event they DID have to raise money, it's a lot easier to get people in the community to support a local effort. This is why the Penn State Dance Marathon does so well - everyone local knows where the money is going and has no problem donating. Our chapter always got the "why are you raising money for some school in Lancaster? Our schools HERE need money."

[rockwallgreek]

Interesting replies. To an extent, it seems to me that it is the result of societal changes. Just like you are not a "special snowflake" during recruitment, you, as an individual will not make or break a chapter. I don't see the loyalty to jobs, to employers, to employees, etc; so why should I expect to see loyalty to one's fraternity. My girls were raised with Alpha Gamma Delta.. I was very involved. They all are my sisters, too. Hopefully this legacy will continue.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

IMO we should jettison national philanthropies and go back to letting chapters pick their own. Not onliy could they pick things where they actually give time instead of endlessly trying to figure out how to raise money, in the event they DID have to raise money, it's a lot easier to get people in the community to support a local effort. This is why the Penn State Dance Marathon does so well - everyone local knows where the money is going and has no problem donating. Our chapter always got the "why are you raising money for some school in Lancaster? Our schools HERE need money."

A Kappa can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that KKG allows chapters and alumni associations to choose their own philanthropies along with having a national philanthropy (Reading is Fundamental) that lends itself well to local planning and involvement.

As for philanthopies that involve giving time instead of raising money, that's how we do it. Our national philanthropy, the Mills Music Mission*, focuses on giving time and talent in the local community and involves little if any fundraising -- perhaps enough to buy flowers or gifts for nursing home or hospital residents.


* The Mills Music Mission is named for Sinfonia's founder, Ossian Everett Mills. By the 1880s, Mills had begun visiting the residents of the Boston hospitals on Easter and Christmas, and continued doing so for nearly thirty years (near his death in 1920). Mills was always accompanied by students from the New England Conservatory, some of whom would sing or play instruments and some of whom would have gathered flowers from churches after Christmas or Easter services to give to those in the hospitals. These visits became known as Mills' "Flower Missions." A report in the Conservatory's Quarterly the spring before Sinfonia was founded said:

Easter Sunday witnessed again the beautiful charity that a favored few of the Conservatory students are privileged to dispense, in the annual visit to the city hospitals with flowers and music. About 50,000 flowers were given away, or some fifteen bushels, - enough to supply each patient with a generous cluster. There were pathetic scenes as the flower girls went from cot to cot, for many of the patients were from the streets, poor and discouraged as well as sick, and a kind word, except from their attendants, or a gift of anything so suggestive of beautiful sentiment as a flower, was almost a faded memory with them.

So, our national philanthropy is to go -- as chapter brothers, alumni associations or other gatherings of Sinfonians -- to hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes or the like -- to give the gifts of music and of flowers, stuffed animals or other tangible tokens of caring to the residents.

/tangent_about_us

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I think there is a lot of confusion between "philanthropy" and "service" I would rather see more of an emphasis on the latter, but hey, why hang out in a nursing home when you could have a really fun softball tournament instead?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I think there is a lot of confusion between "philanthropy" and "service" I would rather see more of an emphasis on the latter, but hey, why hang out in a nursing home when you could have a really fun softball tournament instead?

That's part of my point. It would be nice to be able to choose something where college students really could give time instead of just writing checks and having events that have zero to do with the actual goal of the philanthropy.

[WhiteDaisy128]

I'm a little surprised this wasn't brought up already, but I'd guess that the length of the new member process also has some sort of affect on loyalty/retention. These days the new member program is a standard 6-8 weeks for most national groups. It's very structured (for example, week 2 is history: discuss pages 3-6 in the pledge manual, do XYZ ritual to honor founders, play "history jeopardy") and has the potential to really seem impersonal.

I'm TOTALLY not saying the going back to hazing is the right thing to do...but I think if a new member has a longer new member period and has more time to really learn about the sisterhood (both ideologically and socially) - and if she feels that she earned a place in the sisterhood (by putting time and effort into the pledging process), it would encourage long-term loyalty.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by WhiteDaisy128

I'm a little surprised this wasn't brought up already, but I'd guess that the length of the new member process also has some sort of affect on loyalty/retention.

I have to agree!
It's hard to absorb enough of the history, policies and procedures, in addition to getting used to college, studying etc. in 6 or 8 weeks.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by WhiteDaisy128

I'm a little surprised this wasn't brought up already, but I'd guess that the length of the new member process also has some sort of affect on loyalty/retention. These days the new member program is a standard 6-8 weeks for most national groups. It's very structured (for example, week 2 is history: discuss pages 3-6 in the pledge manual, do XYZ ritual to honor founders, play "history jeopardy") and has the potential to really seem impersonal.

I'm TOTALLY not saying the going back to hazing is the right thing to do...but I think if a new member has a longer new member period and has more time to really learn about the sisterhood (both ideologically and socially) - and if she feels that she earned a place in the sisterhood (by putting time and effort into the pledging process), it would encourage long-term loyalty.

Yes, please.

But to be clear, "going back to hazing" may not be the best description. I wouldn't consider a thing I went through in the 70s to be hazing in any way, shape, or form.

[rockwallgreek]

Originally Posted by WhiteDaisy128

I'm a little surprised this wasn't brought up already, but I'd guess that the length of the new member process also has some sort of affect on loyalty/retention. These days the new member program is a standard 6-8 weeks for most national groups. It's very structured (for example, week 2 is history: discuss pages 3-6 in the pledge manual, do XYZ ritual to honor founders, play "history jeopardy") and has the potential to really seem impersonal.

I'm TOTALLY not saying the going back to hazing is the right thing to do...but I think if a new member has a longer new member period and has more time to really learn about the sisterhood (both ideologically and socially) - and if she feels that she earned a place in the sisterhood (by putting time and effort into the pledging process), it would encourage long-term loyalty.

Yes. But I was a spring pledge, so did not have a long pledge period. I still took initiation seriously. I will also say that those hours spent at the dining room table polishing silver made strong bonds.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I would actually wager that it has less to do with "earning a place in the sorority", and more about the time that it actually takes to form real friendships. Sorry, but six weeks of cheesy ice breakers and then a one-night retreat is not going to build real friendships.

[WhiteDaisy128]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I would actually wager that it has less to do with "earning a place in the sorority", and more about the time that it actually takes to form real friendships. Sorry, but six weeks of cheesy ice breakers and then a one-night retreat is not going to build real friendships.

YES. I think this (and what Tess said above) is exactly what I was trying to get across. Thanks ladies.

[winnie_tuck]

Ok well, I bet the girls who did quit your chapter aren't who you want at alum events! They technically can come because they are sisters for life. If joining takes time then you shouldn't be allowed to participate in things as part of the chapter if you quit, drop out of college, or go alum sophomore year. I don't want others to agree with me , it's how I feel. Sorority life is correlated with college, you quit college and the correlation is negated.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by winnie_tuck

Ok well, I bet the girls who did quit your chapter aren't who you want at alum events! They technically can come because they are sisters for life. If joining takes time then you shouldn't be allowed to participate in things as part of the chapter if you quit, drop out of college, or go alum sophomore year. I don't want others to agree with me , it's how I feel. Sorority life is correlated with college, you quit college and the correlation is negated.

I would think that a sophomore going alum would be extremely - extremely - rare. It would have to be due to some extraordinary circumstances.
Now, a fifth-year senior with 3 to 4 years of membership under her belt - that's entirely different.

I know many, many alumnae (often older ladies) who went alum when they got married, or transferred to a different college, who are active alumnae members. I even know some who were busy with family matters for years, and returned to active alumnae membership after one or two decades' absence.
Overall though, I've observed that out of any group of alumnae in a geographic area, you're lucky to have 5% respond to a request for dues or a Founders Day invitation.

Clearly, we all need to do a better job of emphasizing the "membership for life" aspect to our new members AND members during their college years.

[phimusam]

By the time one reaches her senior year, it is not unusual to be involved in work, research, applying for grad school, etc. I would support transition toward alum status for those who need it.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by phimusam

By the time one reaches her senior year, it is not unusual to be involved in work, research, applying for grad school, etc. I would support transition toward alum status for those who need it.

The problem is that sometimes that goes too far and it turns into "anyone active as a senior = loser." IMO you really need to ascertain that the person is going to be that swamped, not just that they want to save their senior year dues money to spend at the bar.

For example, in my major, a lot of our really tough classes could be taken junior year. If someone would have said "I have to go alum as a senior because it's sooooo hard" we would have known they were full of poo. A special ed/eled major who has to do multiple student teachings and can't do them till senior year, that's different.