Interested in AI

[als463]

Originally Posted by Katmandu

Maybe I am just feeling particularly bitchy today, but I don't understand the, "I didn't get a chance to rush because I was on vacation....couldn't get off work...had a boyfriend/parent who didn't like Greeks...didn't have any money...didn't think it was important...went to a school with no greek organizations, but now I am 25, 30, 42... and I really, really want to be in a sorority. How can I AI?"

Can't you make friends, find significant volunteer opportunities and have meaningful relationships without trying to re-live your college days with different decisions and outcomes? Sorority membership is for a lifetime. True. Membership as an alum is different from membership as an active. Membership as an AI initiate is different still.

These posts where people are shopping for a GLO like they shop for drapes make me stabby and I should definitely quit reading them.

I agree with the ridiculous excuses of having a boyfriend or going on vacation but, the OP did explain she had attended a Seven Sisters college which does not have Greek Life. She wants to contribute to an organization now as an adult to give back to the community and make long-lasting connections. I'm generally with you on the cranky-crabby train when OPs come here acting entitled but, I would have to say that I do not believe that is the case with this poster.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by Katmandu

Maybe I am just feeling particularly bitchy today, but I don't understand the, "I didn't get a chance to rush because I was on vacation....couldn't get off work...had a boyfriend/parent who didn't like Greeks...didn't have any money...didn't think it was important...went to a school with no greek organizations, but now I am 25, 30, 42... and I really, really want to be in a sorority. How can I AI?"

Can't you make friends, find significant volunteer opportunities and have meaningful relationships without trying to re-live your college days with different decisions and outcomes? Sorority membership is for a lifetime. True. Membership as an alum is different from membership as an active. Membership as an AI initiate is different still.

These posts where people are shopping for a GLO like they shop for drapes make me stabby and I should definitely quit reading them.

I should probably feel differently from an NPHC perspective, but this post has me lowkey stabby too. Though I understand the "my school didn't have greek life" sentiment, sometimes the ship has sailed. It would be different if, as an adult, you had a lot of friends/colleagues who were affiliated with greek life or social orgs like Junior League, DAR, The Links or Top Ladies of Distinction and you were interested - birds of a feather and all.

But this "I missed my opportunity and now I need an in to fulfill the prophecy" vibe? No.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Katmandu

These posts where people are shopping for a GLO like they shop for drapes make me stabby and I should definitely quit reading them.

Is it okay to shop for a GLO during NPC recruitment but not through NPC AI?

[Katmandu]

Originally Posted by als463

I agree with the ridiculous excuses of having a boyfriend or going on vacation but, the OP did explain she had attended a Seven Sisters college which does not have Greek Life. She wants to contribute to an organization now as an adult to give back to the community and make long-lasting connections. I'm generally with you on the cranky-crabby train when OPs come here acting entitled but, I would have to say that I do not believe that is the case with this poster.

Lots of ways to do that. Lots.

[Titchou]

Many times a group will initiate alumnae during a colonization when adequate numbers of alums are not living in the area. I strongly suggest you talk with the women you know in NPC groups and express your desire to pursue AI. They can best direct you. Or, alternately, contact the HQ of the groups and work it from that end. They can connect you with the appropriate person in the area.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Is it okay to shop for a GLO during NPC recruitment but not through NPC AI?

Yes.

[33girl]

This obviously isn't directed at Titchou because she's just stating a fact, but I wonder how effective a strategy that really is, especially at really heavy duty colonizations?

It's one thing to initiate the graduated members of the local that is being colonized or the grad student that's been there for 3 years, both of who know how the campus works, but Susie from 15 miles away who has no ties to the campus and no direct knowledge of Greek life at all...I don't get it. I know that sometimes you're Laura Ingalls alone in the middle of the prairie and you have to do that to try and grow, but isn't that the time to reach out to the alumnae you already have and see if they will step up? Better yet shouldn't you make sure you can do that BEFORE you accept the invite?

And yes I know some of this can be ritual related.

[Missouri Ivy]

In the case of our chapter, most of our alumnae initiates were mothers of colony members or new members of the first few years. We also had a professor who served as our advisor who was an AI. (This was at a small, rural school though.)

[AZTheta]

My question to the OP is: why? There are countless opportunities to volunteer and make meaningful connections in the community that don't involve NPC membership. The OP hasn't brought anything to the table; she is a very recent college graduate of a Seven Sisters school (which made the hair on my neck raise up, not sure why it was necessary to add that qualifier, there are many schools without Greek life… so I guess I'm a little stabby too).

[thatheles]

For those with their "stabby" tendencies out, Seven Sisters schools have strict rules against fraternization. They started in the early part of the 1900's when the "societies" as they were called there, began to gain too much power and control over student government and involvement in campus life. They were essentially outlawed, and in many cases "orgs" now have to follow even more strict rules.

Yes, the women from my college are my sisters. I have great connections to them and will for the rest of my life. But, I am now in a new city far from the majority of my former classmates.

I find myself in a Southern city, where even at my age, sorority affiliations are key to the social stratification. Have you ever moved to a new place as an adult? It is very difficult to approach and meet new people. Scratch that it is near impossible.

Furthermore, I never said I was trying to relive my college years. I actually took a year off my senior year because I realized I had lost my passion for what I was doing (after a family tragedy). I went back and finished what I started. Now, I found something I love (a new career field) and I am trying to change directions.

I didn't make mistakes. Not the kind you are thinking of at least. I was a non-traditional student. I went to college at 26, after having dropped out of high school due to financial difficulties and needing to work full-time. I was a straight A student at the time. I thought that my family's problems would never allow me the luxury of going to college. I spent 9 years raising the money to put myself through school.

What do I have to offer?
16 years of real-life working experience, I have suffered loss, illness, and happiness, I have a very successful career in which I worked very hard to prove myself (STEM), and a few short years ago, I was named one of the top 50 students in the country based off my grades, community involvement, the innovative service projects I created for my fellow classmates, and for my lecture series at a community college on how hard work and determination can change. I compiled all the information for transfer students and non-traditional students at the college I was at on how to transfer to a top tier University from a community college, and which ones offered scholarships with requirements and recent fin aid package amounts to help students see that opportunities were still there. The results you ask? I attended a community college in a low socio-economic area of Chicago where less than 35% of students even graduated, and the highest degree by an alum was a Master's. In my graduating class, 3 students will be conferred law degrees this Spring, and one just started at a Dental College. In the class after me, one student went on to Harvard and another to the Business School at Georgetown. I'd like to think I inspired those students, but I don't have to, they regularly send me e-mails, cards, and messages that tell me how much of a difference I made in their lives.

If you ask me, I would say you are the ones who have your priorities wrong. If it's a lifelong commitment then why are you the ones constantly referring back to college? I am the one who wants to join after college, missing out on the "fun" stuff that you all do in college like bid day and big/little, and I want to do is join a group where I can be of service, where I can be respected as an equal, where I can meet women of all ages who can serve as friends and mentors. And, if I'm the one acting entitled, why does the term "Seven Sister" bother you so much?

Yes, I'm aware it's a different situation as an Alum and as an AI. I've belonged in several organizations in the past, and I have even created my own ways to give back to my local communities regularly. But, I'm in a new place, and I miss having a Sisterhood. Making connections with people is not at all easy as an adult because most people here are from the area and have friends they have known their whole lives.

I feel that as a woman who has come as far as I have, it is a logical move to want to become an AI initiate. I have worked hard in my life to accomplish many things that you women take for granted. I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have been given and I feel the desire to give back in the same way.

All I can say ladies, way to keep the Hollywood sorority stereotypes alive.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by thatheles

For those with their "stabby" tendencies out, Seven Sisters schools have strict rules against fraternization. They started in the early part of the 1900's when the "societies" as they were called there, began to gain too much power and control over student government and involvement in campus life. They were essentially outlawed, and in many cases "orgs" now have to follow even more strict rules.

Yes, the women from my college are my sisters. I have great connections to them and will for the rest of my life. But, I am now in a new city far from the majority of my former classmates.

I find myself in a Southern city, where even at my age, sorority affiliations are key to the social stratification. Have you ever moved to a new place as an adult? It is very difficult to approach and meet new people. Scratch that it is near impossible.

Furthermore, I never said I was trying to relive my college years. I actually took a year off my senior year because I realized I had lost my passion for what I was doing (after a family tragedy). I went back and finished what I started. Now, I found something I love (a new career field) and I am trying to change directions.

I didn't make mistakes. Not the kind you are thinking of at least. I was a non-traditional student. I went to college at 26, after having dropped out of high school due to financial difficulties and needing to work full-time. I was a straight A student at the time. I thought that my family's problems would never allow me the luxury of going to college. I spent 9 years raising the money to put myself through school.

What do I have to offer?
16 years of real-life working experience, I have suffered loss, illness, and happiness, I have a very successful career in which I worked very hard to prove myself (STEM), and a few short years ago, I was named one of the top 50 students in the country based off my grades, community involvement, the innovative service projects I created for my fellow classmates, and for my lecture series at a community college on how hard work and determination can change. I compiled all the information for transfer students and non-traditional students at the college I was at on how to transfer to a top tier University from a community college, and which ones offered scholarships with requirements and recent fin aid package amounts to help students see that opportunities were still there. The results you ask? I attended a community college in a low socio-economic area of Chicago where less than 35% of students even graduated, and the highest degree by an alum was a Master's. In my graduating class, 3 students will be conferred law degrees this Spring, and one just started at a Dental College. In the class after me, one student went on to Harvard and another to the Business School at Georgetown. I'd like to think I inspired those students, but I don't have to, they regularly send me e-mails, cards, and messages that tell me how much of a difference I made in their lives.

If you ask me, I would say you are the ones who have your priorities wrong. If it's a lifelong commitment then why are you the ones constantly referring back to college? I am the one who wants to join after college, missing out on the "fun" stuff that you all do in college like bid day and big/little, and I want to do is join a group where I can be of service, where I can be respected as an equal, where I can meet women of all ages who can serve as friends and mentors. And, if I'm the one acting entitled, why does the term "Seven Sister" bother you so much?

Yes, I'm aware it's a different situation as an Alum and as an AI. I've belonged in several organizations in the past, and I have even created my own ways to give back to my local communities regularly. But, I'm in a new place, and I miss having a Sisterhood. Making connections with people is not at all easy as an adult because most people here are from the area and have friends they have known their whole lives.

I feel that as a woman who has come as far as I have, it is a logical move to want to become an AI initiate. I have worked hard in my life to accomplish many things that you women take for granted. I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have been given and I feel the desire to give back in the same way.

All I can say ladies, way to keep the Hollywood sorority stereotypes alive.

QFP.

[ASTalumna06]

We are so Hollywood.

[DubaiSis]

I guess I'd be interested to see what my alumnae associations are like in the deep south. Even the most active of chapters I've been involved with took a long time to make good friends because we would get together for an hour or 2 a month. If there were a local collegiate chapter, maybe it would be more often than that because of chapter business. But still, it is nothing like the weekly commitment/contact of a group like JL, or Exchange Club, Lions Club, etc. I made friends more quickly in a networking group I belonged to because we had lunch once a week.

My sorority does seem more enthusiastic about AI lately, probably because of our rapid expansion lately, but I don't think the social/connections aspect of membership would be met with that kind of AI. It would really be more about service and making friends over the extended long term.

[summer_gphib]

Originally Posted by thatheles

For those with their "stabby" tendencies out, Seven Sisters schools have strict rules against fraternization. They started in the early part of the 1900's when the "societies" as they were called there, began to gain too much power and control over student government and involvement in campus life. They were essentially outlawed, and in many cases "orgs" now have to follow even more strict rules.

Yes, the women from my college are my sisters. I have great connections to them and will for the rest of my life. But, I am now in a new city far from the majority of my former classmates.

I find myself in a Southern city, where even at my age, sorority affiliations are key to the social stratification. Have you ever moved to a new place as an adult? It is very difficult to approach and meet new people. Scratch that it is near impossible.

Furthermore, I never said I was trying to relive my college years. I actually took a year off my senior year because I realized I had lost my passion for what I was doing (after a family tragedy). I went back and finished what I started. Now, I found something I love (a new career field) and I am trying to change directions.

I didn't make mistakes. Not the kind you are thinking of at least. I was a non-traditional student. I went to college at 26, after having dropped out of high school due to financial difficulties and needing to work full-time. I was a straight A student at the time. I thought that my family's problems would never allow me the luxury of going to college. I spent 9 years raising the money to put myself through school.

What do I have to offer?
16 years of real-life working experience, I have suffered loss, illness, and happiness, I have a very successful career in which I worked very hard to prove myself (STEM), and a few short years ago, I was named one of the top 50 students in the country based off my grades, community involvement, the innovative service projects I created for my fellow classmates, and for my lecture series at a community college on how hard work and determination can change. I compiled all the information for transfer students and non-traditional students at the college I was at on how to transfer to a top tier University from a community college, and which ones offered scholarships with requirements and recent fin aid package amounts to help students see that opportunities were still there. The results you ask? I attended a community college in a low socio-economic area of Chicago where less than 35% of students even graduated, and the highest degree by an alum was a Master's. In my graduating class, 3 students will be conferred law degrees this Spring, and one just started at a Dental College. In the class after me, one student went on to Harvard and another to the Business School at Georgetown. I'd like to think I inspired those students, but I don't have to, they regularly send me e-mails, cards, and messages that tell me how much of a difference I made in their lives.

If you ask me, I would say you are the ones who have your priorities wrong. If it's a lifelong commitment then why are you the ones constantly referring back to college? I am the one who wants to join after college, missing out on the "fun" stuff that you all do in college like bid day and big/little, and I want to do is join a group where I can be of service, where I can be respected as an equal, where I can meet women of all ages who can serve as friends and mentors. And, if I'm the one acting entitled, why does the term "Seven Sister" bother you so much?

Yes, I'm aware it's a different situation as an Alum and as an AI. I've belonged in several organizations in the past, and I have even created my own ways to give back to my local communities regularly. But, I'm in a new place, and I miss having a Sisterhood. Making connections with people is not at all easy as an adult because most people here are from the area and have friends they have known their whole lives.

I feel that as a woman who has come as far as I have, it is a logical move to want to become an AI initiate. I have worked hard in my life to accomplish many things that you women take for granted. I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have been given and I feel the desire to give back in the same way.

All I can say ladies, way to keep the Hollywood sorority stereotypes alive.

Have you looked at joining Beta Sigma Phi? That would seem far more logical to me than seeking AI.

[misscherrypie]

^ I was about to suggest this. OP, please PM me.