Initation Question - Page 2

kd_girl96 · #1 07-09-2002, 01:29 AM

I pretty much agree with all of the other posters, you're not supposed to "challenge" your initates... you're supposed to embrace them into your circle. You earn your pin every day in the way you represent your GLO. not in one night....... It's not the ritual that counts, (i'm not saying it's not important) It's your daily interactions with your sisters (or brothers)

Em

Tom Earp · #2 07-13-2002, 04:13 PM

Jono, thank you for explaining what I would like to have said!

I for one know that when a Brother has not seen our Ritual in long time they get the same feeling I do when I see it as I see it at least onece a year!

It is a truely inspiring time for all of us!

The greatest thing is when you go back and talk to some of the Brothers and after they have seen it a few times really come to the realization of what it all means!

All new Associates are scared to death as it is an unknown. But when they see what it means, they cannot beleive how rich and rewarding it is!

Kevin · #3 07-13-2002, 08:55 PM

Initiation shouldn't be challenging at all unless mentally... It seems that if you're being initiated than you have EARNED your right to be there in the first place.

Initiation is both an end and a beginning.

What if someone were to enter your initiation ritual and then fail the challenge?

Shine · #4 08-17-2002, 05:17 AM

I agree with what pretty much everyone else said here.

My sorority's initation ceremony is beautiful, wonderful, and meaningful all at the same time.

I remember every anticipatory moment of it, and I still get a twinge of that feeling when we initiate a new class every semester.

I know that if at initiation I had felt that I needed to go through a challenge or prove myself to the sisterhood, that my pledgeship would have been in-vain and I would have considered walking out right there.

~From someone not in one of the "big" national houses.

Kevin · #5 08-17-2002, 09:08 AM

Quote:

~From someone not in one of the "big" national houses.

Not to change the subject... but what's that supposed to mean?

Shine · #6 08-17-2002, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake

Not to change the subject... but what's that supposed to mean?

A few posts back someone called all the "national" houses stuffy.

My house isn't NPC, but we are national, and we have essentially the same rules you all do.

I was just making a point that not only the big houses have rules. AKA...you guys AREN'T stuffy, you're in the norm.

I could see how I could be misconstrued, though.

Shine · #7 08-17-2002, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OnePlus69Is70

You might want to try posting in the locals group- you'll find a lot more variety there than with the stuffy old nationals.

There ya go.

tiramasu · #8 11-27-2002, 12:29 PM

i just recently went through pledging a month ago so i guess my thoughts on it are kinda new. i don't believe we were hazed or anything like that, although things were "challenging" at times. like some other memebers said it was to teach us about the history what we were about, it also got my pledge class to really bond and work together to get through it. everything we did to become sisters had a reason which we realized in the end. of course when your pledging your like these girls are crazy!, but alot of it is fun too. to make pledging more interesting i guess just get more involved with the pledges. i know time and schedules can be an issue but i really felt closer to the active sisters when we actually went out somewhere and hung out and had activities.
Tiramasu
DELTA PHI MU
the girls in pink and bluedelta

keygirl · #9 12-10-2002, 08:24 PM

I do not know about your organization but ritual is written and cannot be changed or altered. How can you alter ritual. It is written in your documents and you cannot simply decide to change or add to it. Ritual is what binds all chapters of one organization together they all do it the same. If your chapter does something additional to make it more "challenging" then it would not be the same as your other chapters of your organization. Not to mention all of the other aspects of the hazing portion of the idea of making new members work for initiation.....

adpiucf · #10 12-15-2002, 03:02 PM

I know you're a local, which may work a little differently. But the NPC sororities follow a strict set of guidelines. Once new members receive a bid, the only thing that should set them apart from the chapter is that they do not yet participate in meeting ritual and they attend new member education/take a standardized final exam to qualify for initation (and be paid up, naturally). Anything else can be seen as hazing. At no time must they prove themselves "worthy"-- that is what the recruitment selection process is for and why NPC sororities don't "black-ball" new members like fraternities can.

Initation is not supposed to be a challenge; it is supposed to be an evening of enlightenment. The new member period should be a time of getting acclimated and testing the waters. Sisters should do all they can to work on new member retention-- taking the new sisters out with them, studying together, calling them regularly to see how they're doing, developing their friendships and going the extra mile to integrate the new members into chapter life.

If you need a challenge--For an alternative, why don't you plan a chapter-wide event during initation week like a "ropes course"-- an outdoorsy obstacle course that challenges you to work as a team. This will deepen the sisterhood bonds, get the natural leaders to emerge and give the new members a chance to feel fully integrated into the chapter. I think you are trying to make initation feel more like an accomplishment than a challenge?-- this can be played up through your big/littles interaction, in chapter, with little awards, in new member ed, etc. Maybe it is too late with this new member class, but you could certainly start this with the next!

Good luck. And even though you may not be NPC, there are still guidelines you must follow as a GLO on your campus, I am sure. Don't cave in to controversy to satisfy a few because you risk your local getting called into question, put on probation or shut down. And that would be the biggest challenge of all.

I'm sure you'll do a great job! Again, good luck!

Glitter650 · #11 12-15-2002, 04:26 PM

I don't believe that ThetokenCanuck was actually trying necessarily to make it more "difficult" for members during initiation, or in any way say she wanted her chapter to haze people. I think she was just trying to make initiation more of a rewarding experience so to speek, to make it feel like more of an accopmlishment rather than a formality. There are ways of doing this without hazing.