Question

[Tom Earp]

Having always been somewhat of a Rebel as some of you have seen, at my first school I knew and ran with members of all four of them. Joined under the table a new one tht came on campus.

Second school much the same and pledged a local that went with a Major National. Got booted there 2 weeks before school ended and lived in the House so was out trying to find a place to live.

For two weeks, I researched the Library and upon arrival home, I decided to start my own local to Affiliate with a New National.

I designed the Badge, Pledge Pin, Coat of Arms, Banner. Contacted 6 Old Line Nationals and got thanks but we are not expanding.

So off to the races, started gathering new members who felt the same way I did and started something new. Won out over another group, a small Fraternity to get on campus. Took no new members in our first formal rush. Made us work even harder,Afilliated with LXA at the end of that school year and have never looked back!

Have been doing this for 38 years and still love my BX Brothers Who were there and each and everyone of my current LXA Brothers.



Now, I guess the question is:

Do you have the will power to go against the main stream and just join "THE GROUP", or join for the feeling you have found in another.

Is it going to be what I can do after 4-5 years of school. If you check this site out, you find that all schools and areas of the Country are different for strength of Each National GLO!

I think Few GLOS are strong through out the total N. American Hemisphere!


Join to Join or be bold and try to help make a difference! That is the question!!!

You have to do what is in your Heart!

[Firehouse]

Given that there are enough sororities on campus to create the dynamic of a "system", you won't be ridiculed if you join one of the mid tier groups. Remember, the middle tier is the largest of the three. There was actually an academic study at (I think) the University of Iowa that showed the fraternities "perceived to be" the top houses on campus tended to date heavily among the sororities "perceived to be" the top houses themselves. Not only that, but what we would call the middle tier sororities tended to date middle tier fraternities. It even extended down to the bottom tiers of fraternities and sororities interacting with each other.
One of the constants in a Greek system is that the fraternity/sorority tiers tend to associate heavily with each other. Members of the top tier houses tend to know a lot about each other and the associated groups. They don't know much, don't think much, about the groups in the middle tier. And other than being aware of who the top houses are, the groups in the middle don't spend a lot of time thinking about them.
Again, given a stable "system", sororities tend to have little movement from one tier to another. Formal rush is mostly responsible for that. Fraternities can rise or fall more dramatically, but reputation lags behind at least two years. A fraternity can have a terrific year, really spike up in membership and achievement, then fall back the next year without much notice. The standing in any tier is based in large part on reputation, but that counts for a awful lot in the college universe.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Firehouse
Given that there are enough sororities on campus to create the dynamic of a "system", you won't be ridiculed if you join one of the mid tier groups. Remember, the middle tier is the largest of the three. There was actually an academic study at (I think) the University of Iowa that showed the fraternities "perceived to be" the top houses on campus tended to date heavily among the sororities "perceived to be" the top houses themselves. Not only that, but what we would call the middle tier sororities tended to date middle tier fraternities. It even extended down to the bottom tiers of fraternities and sororities interacting with each other.
One of the constants in a Greek system is that the fraternity/sorority tiers tend to associate heavily with each other. Members of the top tier houses tend to know a lot about each other and the associated groups. They don't know much, don't think much, about the groups in the middle tier. And other than being aware of who the top houses are, the groups in the middle don't spend a lot of time thinking about them.
Again, given a stable "system", sororities tend to have little movement from one tier to another. Formal rush is mostly responsible for that. Fraternities can rise or fall more dramatically, but reputation lags behind at least two years. A fraternity can have a terrific year, really spike up in membership and achievement, then fall back the next year without much notice. The standing in any tier is based in large part on reputation, but that counts for a awful lot in the college universe.

I'm from a small system and what he's saying rings true. Once we started having a decent amount of sisters dating guys in "better" houses, our reputation started improving. This matters in college.

[chelly]

Originally posted by AXWhoah
That is an interesting question especially since it can be applied to the Uof Arizona. There are a couple of chapters here who have great national reps but on this campus they aren't the most popular, let's say. I always wondered if girls who join them think about that at all....

AXWoah, I was wondering which sororities at the U of A are considered upper teir on campus, and which are considered lower teir? I have a friend there in Alpha Phi, so I was wondering that. Could you PM me?

[chelly]

Originally posted by AXWhoah
That is an interesting question especially since it can be applied to the Uof Arizona. There are a couple of chapters here who have great national reps but on this campus they aren't the most popular, let's say. I always wondered if girls who join them think about that at all....

AXWoah, I was wondering which sororities at the U of A are considered upper teir on campus, and which are considered lower teir? I have a friend there in Alpha Phi, so I was wondering that. Could you PM me?

[reverie]

I think this also depends when you rush. I'm going through deferred recruitment so I've already been at school for a year, joined too many groups and found my own niche. I still want to be able to experience sisterhood and all of the wonderful aspects of sorority life, but I want it more to enhance who I am than to define me. Thus, I think I would choose BBB.

[astroAPhi]

Originally posted by Firehouse
Fraternities can rise or fall more dramatically, but reputation lags behind at least two years. A fraternity can have a terrific year, really spike up in membership and achievement, then fall back the next year without much notice. The standing in any tier is based in large part on reputation, but that counts for a awful lot in the college universe.

Is that just at big schools or no? We have 6 fraternities on campus, and one of them is just constantly ridiculed for being nerds, losers, etc. because a few years back they did have a lot of them. They've really turned around since then, but it hurts their Rush every year because at Greek presentations they get ridiculed and booed by the other fraternities, and they have a hard time finding guys to rush them because no one wants to be ridiculed.

They've been different for years, but they keep being held back because the other fraternities don't want to let that stereotype go (obviously because it protects them). How is a group like this supposed to overcome that.

[adpiucf]

Any PNM going through recruitment should join a sorority for the chapter at the university, and not for any sort of "hereafter" she might experience post-college. Your opinions, perceptions and desires change dramatically post-college. Sorority Alumnae life is more of a friendship and support group than a tangible networking system that will get you a 6-figure dream job.

Collegians should join a sorority that they are compatible with at the university level. Once you're out in the real world, sorority life is not as all-consuming as in college, and you will quickly have other obligations, like a job, family and other civic memberships to occupy your time, along with alumnae opportunities (optional) you choose to be involved with.

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion on this, of course, but if I were a PNM, I'd want to join a sorority for the people who are in it NOW. I think I learned my lesson at a job I hated, thinking that if I just "stuck it out" I would eventually be in a better place. I was wrong. I can certainly apply the same logic to membership in a GLO. You have to like it now. Putting in "your time" on a resume or a membership doesn't make it any better. Live in the present. The future will be that much more rewarding, and the past something to reflect back on with warmth and affection,

[KappaKittyCat]

It's funny that you should mention this. When thinking about this question, I realized that I was in the same situation at university and didn't even realize it. My chapter of Kappa was known as the "lesbian chapter," amont other horrible things. After I pledged, I had random people walking up to me and saying, "I didn't know you liked girls." I had no idea that Kappa was as internationally strong as it is; I chose it for the love and sisterhood. I never would have gone to any of the other chapters-- I COBed-- but even still, had I known then, I'd still be a Kappa. Would my life have been easier in college if I'd've joined one of the other two? Sure. But I'm who I am today because of what I learned in fighting to keep my chapter of Kappa alive on my campus.

[aabby757]

I too find this a very interesting question. And I have the same answer though for different reasons. If I were answering it back when I rushed at the University of Maryland a million years ago I would join the most prestigious chapter at my school as I could. No question. I didn't realize (or really think about) the nationality of the sororities nor of the national reputations. So back when i was 17 I would definitely join AAA.

If I had known about national reputations but not really KNOWN their significance, and that surrounding schools also had sororities, etc I probably wouldn't have changed my answer.

NOW, if I knew everything about sorority life then that I know now, I probably would have still joined AAA because I feel that even though it is "less than" nationally, if I were to run into another sorority girl in another part of the country and they knew I was a AAA at my university, I think the chapters reputation would be known. Or at least a good chance of it being know.

Take for example, Phi Mu at Ole Miss. I'm by no means saying Phi Mu is not good nationally, BUT even I who is from another GLO at UMD (there is no Phi Mu at UMD) knows how GREAT Phi Mu is at Ole Miss.

I also think that even without these boards constantly stating that every sorority is different at different schools, that we all know that every sorority is different at different schools. We all know that Katie Couric is a Tri Delt. We all know she is part of one of the top tiered national sororities and we all know that Tri Delt at UVA is one of the best sororities on that campus. However, we also know that there is a "bad" Tri Delt chapter somewhere in this country!

Also, if rushed with the sole reason of becoming the national president I would still join AAA.

So, at the risk of being shallow, I would join AAA because I want to be the best.

[UF56]

A lot of yall are saying that by joining BBB, afterwards you would have that great national reputation to fall back on. But wouldnt all the BBBs know that particular chapters reputation and etc. I know I always play devil's advocate but its the same idea as saying AAA is better than BBB. Different chapters of BBB are going to be better than BBB.

Also something I mentioned in another thread, I know of certain chapters that look of recs differently depending on what chapter they are from. Meaning say a girl got a rec from a weak AAA chapter, and was rushing at a strong chapter of AAA. Those at the strong chapter of AAA knows what chapter the alum was from and therefore thinks the girl may not be that great because her rec was from a weak chapter of AAA. I dont think this is fair but I know it happens on my campus and it is well known....does it occur on any of yalls campuses too?

[CASIGKAP]

I really don't know what I'd do. Coming from California, specifically Long Beach, I don't exactly know what the whole tier system consists of & I don't know how the sororites/fraternities are tiered at LB.

[AZSigKap]

Originally posted by chelly
AXWoah, I was wondering which sororities at the U of A are considered upper teir on campus, and which are considered lower teir? I have a friend there in Alpha Phi, so I was wondering that. Could you PM me?

Chelly-I PMed you

AZSigKap

[Little E]

Looking as an alumna, to be in that situation, I would choose AAA, simply because rush is tiring. I think there are so many parts of sorority life, and when you are constantly rushing, like we did in my chapter, it is tiring and you loose certain aspects of intimate sisterhood. I wouldn't change my affiliation for anything, even though some people suggest it is better to belong to a strong national.

[gogoaphi]

When I pledged, I had no idea whatsoever which of the five chapters were the *top* chapter(s). I do know, however, who was on top when I graduated (A-Phi, of course) and that was all that really mattered to me ... it was about the difference I could make when I was a part of the chapter. And now ... I'm certainly proud of our national reputation. I think that many PNMs are pretty clueless on this stuff. Perhaps it's different at the very traditional schools.