Greek Life as Senior

[shadokat]

I don't understand why someone needs a special senior status. If you're a fifth year senior, maybe, but you knew joining that this was four years as an active, and a lifetime as an alumnae. This is like saying, "I'm 64.5 years old, and I'm retiring at 65. Can I not come to work for the next 6 months and get paid?"

[33girl]

Originally Posted by shadokat

I don't understand why someone needs a special senior status. If you're a fifth year senior, maybe, but you knew joining that this was four years as an active, and a lifetime as an alumnae. This is like saying, "I'm 64.5 years old, and I'm retiring at 65. Can I not come to work for the next 6 months and get paid?"

I agree and have always disliked the idea of senior status. For one thing, it assumes that everyone joined as a first semester freshman and is sick of the sorority by then. It also feels to me like pushing people out the door whether they want to go or not. We had several women who joined as juniors and even a few seniors. I can't imagine our chapter without them or their contributions their senior year.

If you're student teaching - yes. If you have an internship - yes. But if you just don't feel like it? Perhaps a reevaluation of the chapter's calendar is in order, to see if overprogramming is happening. Your schedule shouldn't be so overstuffed with sorority that you want to quit your senior year just so you can breathe.

And it should go without saying that seniors don't need to attend rehearsals or planning meetings for a formal recruitment they aren't going to be part of.

[jolene]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I agree and have always disliked the idea of senior status. For one thing, it assumes that everyone joined as a first semester freshman and is sick of the sorority by then. It also feels to me like pushing people out the door whether they want to go or not. We had several women who joined as juniors and even a few seniors. I can't imagine our chapter without them or their contributions their senior year.

If you're student teaching - yes. If you have an internship - yes. But if you just don't feel like it? Perhaps a reevaluation of the chapter's calendar is in order, to see if overprogramming is happening. Your schedule shouldn't be so overstuffed with sorority that you want to quit your senior year just so you can breathe.

And it should go without saying that seniors don't need to attend rehearsals or planning meetings for a formal recruitment they aren't going to be part of.

Agree. The only thing I can imagine a senior helping with the next rush is for helping practice conversation by playing rushees.

[33girl]

And playacting the worst rushee ever can be quite fun!!

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by 33girl

And playacting the worst rushee ever can be quite fun!!

I love doing that even now. One time I was a PNM with a squirrel phobia...lol.

I agree with your other comments. We have some special programming for seniors and have a program for them to work on a legacy project. They can be excused from some chapter meetings to attend alumnae meetings to start to see what those are like.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I love doing that even now. One time I was a PNM with a squirrel phobia...lol.

I agree with your other comments. We have some special programming for seniors and have a program for them to work on a legacy project. They can be excused from some chapter meetings to attend alumnae meetings to start to see what those are like.

This is actually great.. And smart!

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I agree with your other comments. We have some special programming for seniors and have a program for them to work on a legacy project. They can be excused from some chapter meetings to attend alumnae meetings to start to see what those are like.

That is an awesome idea. It could potentially lead to more seniors choosing to become active on the alumna level, and it would reinforce the idea that membership doesn't end when you graduate.