Oh the drama

[Adelphean]

Yes, that's the one we're talking about.

And how bad does it *REALLY* hurt us to have inaccurate info posted on a public message board. It doesn't. I can tell people till I'm blue in the face that ADPi only AI's 300+ pound women. That doesn't make it true, and doesn't mean that anyone will believe it. Half of the crap you read on GC isn't true. EVERY year PNMs come on greek chat and get this false sense of panhellenic love. That's not true, we don't all love each other, nor every NPC sorority, but you don't see a 24 page thread about that.

[adpiucf]

I think AI is a sensitive topic because despite what a moderator posted on another thread, AI is not the wave of the future. Remember the Panhellenic Creed?

We, as Undergraduate Members of women's fraternities, stand for....

There's a key word in that statement. Undergraduate

Alumnae life offers rich opportunities for service and friendship. If you choose to partake. You could happily live out the rest of your days in service and friendship to other organizations, your sorority life a happy memory of days gone by. And it would not impact your membership status. How many college alumni are actively involved in the Golden Key Honor Society? Few. What about their university alumni association? A handful-- most in name only and a few dollars in annual dues. Will your diploma be revoked if you don't give to the university fund? Of course not. Nor will your sorority membership risk a change in status if you never again attend a chapter meeting, offer your time to a collegiate chapter or participate in the area AA's annual fundraiser.

AI is an honorary opportunity for key women in our community to become affiliated with us for our and their mutual benefit. We earn accolades for their good name and they receive the benefits of friendship and traditions of our organization. Some become vital alumnae members. Others, like many of our collegiate members-turned-alumnae, fade into the woodwork and become members in name only.

AI is not the wave of the future because sorority membership in the NPC is based on a culture that most strongly supports collegiate membership as the lifeblood in our organization. If we were to seriously re-evaluate the structure of our membership, making the alumnae phase of membership more similar to collegiate membership (obviously with fewer requirements to accomodate women's professional and family lives post-college), we might see a greater focus on AI recruitment. Until then, I see and believe that AI for our organization and for others will continue to exist as an honorary conferred upon a few women each year. We will welcome these women as our sisters and continue to promote AI within the organization and support the recruitment of those whom we could see as our sisters.

What do I see as "the wave of the future"-- recruitment and retention from Bid Day to Initiation, and from active collegiate membership to beyond graduation. I think that we, as women's collegiate organizations, are plagued across the board with challenges in maintaining long-term membership retention. Most members are likely to drop after their first year. We lose scores of seniors who could be great and involved alumnae members-- members who could make difference as alumnae-- to the uncertainty of post-college life. Seniors get apathetic. Leaders graduate, burned out. Once these concerns are stabilized (and ADPi has begun a very good job of addressing this through the Well-Balanced Person programming), then we can look toward more aggressive alumnae life opportunities and active recruitment of AI members. But that's an issue to tackle on another day. I believe-- we all believe-- in our Grand Council's ability to lead us with an ever-evolving long-term strategic plan to meet the needs and changes facing the sorority system today.

[BBelleADPi]

Another thought about AI is that I believe it originally started because of a need the SORORITIES had, not a need individual women have (for whatever reason) . AI became necessary as NPC sororities desired to expand to campuses where their alumnae were either few, weak, or nonexistent. By initiating responsible, highly reputable women in the community, sometimes including college faculty, the sorority could ensure a stable beginning for their founding chapter. I feel this is primarily the way AI should remain-an invitation should be initiated by an NPC headquarters, a sister, or an alumnae group because of a need, or in appreciation, such as housemothers, mothers of sisters who have been extremely beneficial in assisting a chapter, etc. If the Greek system were dying, then perhaps a radical change would be necessary, but that doesn't seems to be the case. Also, most of us are
not having to deal with the problems developing because of the "approaching the sorority" method that seems to be developing. I imagine, overall, it is beginning to snowball into quite a headache through the ranks of all the NPC organizations, and Greekchat simply is helping.

(My use of the alumnae spelling is probably incorrect, but I'm too lazy to look it up.)

[honeychile]

I think that a lot (if not all) of what many of you all are saying is true. The Seventies was a very lean time for sororities and fraternities (supposedly, whenever there's a Democratic President, greek life is not as desirable as when there's a Republican President, but I don't have the reference with me), so initiating respectable women to act as Advisors, etc makes perfect sense. It's the women who were inititated in the Seventies and Nineties who seem to be the vanguard of the Advisory Boards.

[Adelphean]

Originally Posted by honeychile

(supposedly, whenever there's a Democratic President, greek life is not as desirable as when there's a Republican President, but I don't have the reference with me

Can we PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, not start this argument... This isn't true.

[CutiePie2000]

AI is an honorary opportunity for key women in our community to become affiliated with us for our and their mutual benefit.

I just wanted to add onto this that AI is also employed in some cases, where women have been doing a lot of work for the sorority already (as AOIIAlum called it, "sisters without badges") and those are women that you probably would find desirable as initiated members.

[PinkandGreenJ]

Originally Posted by Adelphean

I disagree with AI, I wish ADPi did not allow it.

I am sure your AI sisters appreciate your saying that.

[adpiucf]

Just as you do, she has the right to express her opinions.

ETA: There are plenty of women across the sorority system who don't like the idea of AI. There are others who do. It's a matter of preference. Seeing as one person doesn't make the decisions, who likes/doesn't like is pretty irrelevant.

[PinkandGreenJ]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Just as you do, she has the right to express her opinions.

Thanks goodness we have that right! Where would GC be without it?

[FirstAndFinest]

I skimmed the AI thread and find that it is afflicted with the same hatefulness that has pervaded many of the GC threads. I'm disappointed that the forum, which could be a place for AI's to post their experiences (like many threads in the Rush forum), has become a place to ruthlessly attack a fellow Greek who volunteered to do a thankless job. While Tom was probably a bad choice from go, he was well intentioned. (I'm very glad that I didn't see any of our letters below any of the disparaging remarks!)

I think the AI forum should be for posting experiences of PNAM's *only* and definitely not for GLO's to provide information on AI.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Honeychile, coming from someone who used to be part of the AI approvals process: I would not go so far as to make any statement about AI and ADPi on GC. If someone is going to be invited to AI for ADPi, we'll ask her. There's info on our web site for members. That's it. Anyone who calls our HQ wanting AI info will be told as much. It really isn't our place to advertise it on GC, but rather to meet women in our communities, ADPi moms, RMH volunteers, etc., that we could see as involved and active members of our AA's and chapters.

I definitely agree with adpiucf. AI is not something I think should be discussed on GC. GC is a public message board and AI is something that, from my understanding, is very rare in our sorority and should be treated just as collegiate membership selection is.

After reading all the other posts, I pretty much agree with everything else she said.

In my own opinion, it seems like GC creates a sort of marketplace for AI and that is not what the AI program was intended for. AI was intended to honor exceptional members of the community, volunteers, etc. Just my .02

[FirstAndFinest]

Do I hear a lion roaring? This would make for an interesting thread elsewhere...

[ASUADPi]

Obviously this is my perception, but at convention I attended a training and from the sounds of it they were trying to get more information across about AI. Like, to make more alums aware that yes AI happens and kind of what happens. Now, my perception of it was that ADPi wanted more alums to be aware so that it could be an avenue for women to consider (albeit via an ADPi inviting someone, not a PNAM contacting ADPi).

Now, I may be completely wrong, but that was just my perception.

I think, like I said earlier, GC has given women alot of false hope of joining a sorority. AI is nothing like formal recruitment. Like I said, PNAM's come on to this board, seeing a lot of women getting into their "houses" and they kind of expect it. Does that make sense?

No one should "expect" to be in a sorority? Again, not sure if I am making sense or not, my brain is kind of in "la la" land.

[Adelphean]

Originally Posted by ASUADPi

I'm curious as to why you don't think we should allow AI? Like, I really want to know your opinion. I see the positive in it and I wanna hear from someone who doesn't see the positive in it.

Sorry, I never even saw this. The reason I diagree with AI is because I know two ADPi AIs and they haven't done a SINGLE thing for or with the sorority or the alumnae association since they were initiated.

AI is rare. I'd hate to think that there could be this many "bad apples" in such a small group. Imagine if the group were larger.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by FirstAndFinest

Do I hear a lion roaring? This would make for an interesting thread elsewhere...

Why don't we set a time & date (Wed? Thurs?) to discuss this elsewhere? We are never going to fully agree on what we should or shouldn't do - and as adpiucf says, it's not for us to make policy - but we should know what WE as an active Forum feel should be posted or not.

Anyone else up for it?

If so, please suggest some times/dates, preferably this week.