Considering quitting

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by als463

If the case of the one poster who said money is still expected but, sisters are not forced to come to events, I think that sounds like a decent idea to keep membership. I wonder if more GLOs offered that, they would actually keep people from terminating membership as often? I just wish we could get ladies to realize that membership is for a lifetime.

My issue is with the idea that senioritis or burn-out or what-have-you should be a reason to jump right to alumnae status. How is that fair to the women who remain and contribute to the chapter while Suzie Snowflake just doesn't want to anymore?

Sure, there are extreme circumstances that organizations should be flexible with. I think, for example, my chapter allowed live-outs if you got married or pregnant. Fine. Extreme financial hardship? Illness? Okay, let's find ways to work with women so we can keep them as lifelong members. But the ones who want to go "early alum" just because? Nah.

Perhaps the solution is for chapters to take a look at the obligations for seniors, on the whole (and maybe that's what you are suggesting above?). If individual chapters decide to lower attendance requirements for all seniors or let seniors live out of the house, or whatever, that's cool; that's what works for them. For example, in larger chapters, if you have enough women to fill all the committees with sophomores and juniors, then maybe you don't require seniors to be on a committee. In my own chapter, seniors didn't have to attend all of recruitment work week...they could show up on Wednesday already knowing the songs and stuff from previous years.

But if your chapter needs seniors to attend events, be on committees, and so on, because it doesn't have enough people to operate otherwise, then I don't support the idea of ducking out. I don't think it's worth it to allow that just so that we have someone as an alumnae member later on.

[als463]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

My issue is with the idea that senioritis or burn-out or what-have-you should be a reason to jump right to alumnae status. How is that fair to the women who remain and contribute to the chapter while Suzie Snowflake just doesn't want to anymore?

Sure, there are extreme circumstances that organizations should be flexible with. I think, for example, my chapter allowed live-outs if you got married or pregnant. Fine. Extreme financial hardship? Illness? Okay, let's find ways to work with women so we can keep them as lifelong members. But the ones who want to go "early alum" just because? Nah.

Perhaps the solution is for chapters to take a look at the obligations for seniors, on the whole (and maybe that's what you are suggesting above?). If individual chapters decide to lower attendance requirements for all seniors or let seniors live out of the house, or whatever, that's cool; that's what works for them. For example, in larger chapters, if you have enough women to fill all the committees with sophomores and juniors, then maybe you don't require seniors to be on a committee. In my own chapter, seniors didn't have to attend all of recruitment work week...they could show up on Wednesday already knowing the songs and stuff from previous years.

But if your chapter needs seniors to attend events, be on committees, and so on, because it doesn't have enough people to operate otherwise, then I don't support the idea of ducking out. I don't think it's worth it to allow that just so that we have someone as an alumnae member later on.

Yep. I was trying to suggest something like that but, didn't consider the smaller chapters. With that, you are absolutely right. I think National/ International Headquarters of the various GLOs would benefit from thinking about seniors or 5th year seniors based on campus total. At smaller commuter schools where 30 women make up an entire chapter, this idea of allowing seniors to duck out because they are "sick of" being sisters would not work. In larger chapters, this may help. I would argue though, that even in smaller chapters, if sisters have to choose between being there for everything as seniors or completely dropping, chapters face an issue with some seniors possibly dropping out--making it just as bad if not worse than allowing them less time to do stuff as a senior in the sorority.

I think this is a worthwhile discussion for various GLOs when we push commitment of sorority membership. While it is for a lifetime, we must also remember that senior year is a time where young ladies are cementing their futures by completing class requirements, preparing applications for graduate/ professional school, preparing for active or reserve military commitments, job hunting, etc. A senior's time commitments look much different than the commitments of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Adding other things onto this last year of college may make it difficult for young ladies with tons of stuff already on their plates. I'm not saying we should allow them to shirk their duties. I'm saying we need to all take this into consideration.

[33girl]

As I've said before, I'm not really keen on the idea of reduced requirements for seniors organization-wide...it can snowball into an attitude of being involved senior year isn't cool, and as stated above can really be a hot mess for small chapters. Plus for some majors, senior year isn't the toughest one and therefore the academic angle really isn't an excuse. It should definitely be a school-by-school basis.

[Nanners52674]

It's been a while so I'm fuzzy on the details. However, we had 2 different statuses, both required dues to be paid . The difference was just how much you had to attend. And some other requirements.

Also you could ask for this status at anytime (exp: internship Jr yr) but you can only do it once.

If you dropped to part-time then you were eligible for early alum. Or if you left school.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

As I've said before, I'm not really keen on the idea of reduced requirements for seniors organization-wide...it can snowball into an attitude of being involved senior year isn't cool, and as stated above can really be a hot mess for small chapters. Plus for some majors, senior year isn't the toughest one and therefore the academic angle really isn't an excuse. It should definitely be a school-by-school basis.

I completely agree. We had "Senior Status" for a few years. It was a disaster. Practically every Senior would request status for their last semester. The budget tanked and chapters complained. We no longer have Senior Status.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I completely agree. We had "Senior Status" for a few years. It was a disaster. Practically every Senior would request status for their last semester. The budget tanked and chapters complained. We no longer have Senior Status.

Right, and this is my point about "early alum" status -- your chapter still needs you!

I think that individual chapters can get creative, but budgets and attendance requirements vary so much that I don't see how an org-wide "senior status" can work. I think you could get creative with the money, but it's tough. Maybe you pay a live-out fee that includes meals at the house (we did!) and you could pay less by opting out of meals your final semester. Maybe your chapter's philanthropy happens in April, and you don't have to buy this year's t-shirt. These things are chipping away at very small dollars, though.

[OPhiAGinger]

Obviously, we're not an NPC organization but OPA has both a "Leave of Absence" status and an early alumna status. The early alum status is automatically granted when requested in the member's final academic semester. LOA status is only given one semester at a time, and the member must petition the chapter standards board to get it. It's routinely given for semesters when you are still an enrolled student but away from campus, like a study abroad or internship. Or it might be granted in unusually stressful circumstances like the member is recovering from a serious illness and making up a great deal of missed classwork in a short time. It depends.

We don't have a flood of people who opt for the early alum status, but it's a welcome option when people are frantically finishing up graduation requirements, interviewing for a job, applying for grad schools, and just figuring out their future life plans. And since our chapters don't have the financial obligations that many NPC groups do (read: no chapter house) the implications to the chapter are really just about missing those sisters' company a little earlier than we would have otherwise.

[MysticCat]

Not an NPC org obviously, but our national bylaws allow a collegiate member to transfer to alumni membership if the member has paid eight semesters of per capita tax (national dues) or if the member "leaves campus for one or more professional semesters (e.g. student teaching, internship, study abroad)." In the latter instance, the brother is returned to collegiate status upon return to campus. Alumni status means no dues to pay, but it also means reduced ability to participate in the chapter.

FWIW (which I know may not be much).