Sorority Strongholds?

[HQWest]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

I would always defer to keeping your sorority affiliation to yourself unless it's made clear otherwise. The responses are as likely to be anything from disinterested to ambivalent to repulsed. Yes, there's a chance someone will be impressed, but it's not worth risking being outed as a dork, snob or just oddity just to brag about something from your college days.

I would say you should put your sorority in your job application or grad school application in certain instances. For example, if you are applying for a PR job and you were in charge of your chapter's big philanthropy project that raised $50000 for their cause or if you were applying for a job with an event planner and you were Social Director for a huge SEC chapter, I would put it in there. If you won a scholarship through your sorority that should be in there too.

If you were either consistently dedicated to philanthropy efforts through the organization or were a real leader with the group, it is a distinction, and that could make a difference to someone staring down a stack of resumes.

I have only once seen someone go - "ew - she's a sorority chick" during a job interview, and there were Many, many other clues this was not going to be a good situation on that trip.

I haven't seen being in a sorority hurt anyone career-wise, and I have seen it help with making connections and networking.

[FSUZeta]

When I was a provisional member of Junior League, the league president came to our first meeting and gave an address. This particular league had nearly 400 members, and this woman thought that it was important for us all to know that when she was in college, she was a cheerleader and a member of ABC sorority at Big Southern University. So I would have to agree with those who have said that in certain parts of the south, some people think that being a member of ABC sorority says a lot about them.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

When I was a provisional member of Junior League, the league president came to our first meeting and gave an address. This particular league had nearly 400 members, and this woman thought that it was important for us all to know that when she was in college, she was a cheerleader and a member of ABC sorority at Big Southern University. So I would have to agree with those who have said that in certain parts of the south, some people think that being a member of ABC sorority says a lot about them.

Not disagreeing with you, but the question I would have is whether those listening (or the 400 members of the league) thought it was as important as the league president did.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Not disagreeing with you, but the question I would have is whether those listening (or the 400 members of the league) thought it was as important as the league president did.

BINGO!

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Not disagreeing with you, but the question I would have is whether those listening (or the 400 members of the league) thought it was as important as the league president did.

Well, I guess we'll never know, will we?

It's subjective. It depends... Right?

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Not disagreeing with you, but the question I would have is whether those listening (or the 400 members of the league) thought it was as important as the league president did.

My point was the she thought it something that the multitude should know. I couldn't tell you how my fellow provisional members felt (all 80 some odd of them), but I assumed I was supposed to be impressed-not being from that area of the country, I didn't know for sure .

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by ZTAOnlytheBest

From what I hear, Florida seems to be zeta's stronghold.

Personal confirmation on this...my sister is a Zeta. Her husband is a PIKE from the Univ. of Florida. When he found out she was a Zeta sometime after they met, he said something like, "You're a Zeta? Wow!" He told her Zeta is a big deal where he's from. He was impressed.

That's all I've got for this thread.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

My point was the she thought it something that the multitude should know. I couldn't tell you how my fellow provisional members felt (all 80 some odd of them), but I assumed I was supposed to be impressed-not being from that area of the country, I didn't know for sure .

No, I get completely that was your point, and like I said, I wasn't arguing with it.

But if the issue has to with the degree to which sorority affiliation affects social standing, then it seems to me that what others thought is at least as relevant as what she thought. It raises the question whether she reflected the broader culture or not.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

I would always defer to keeping your sorority affiliation to yourself unless it's made clear otherwise. The responses are as likely to be anything from disinterested to ambivalent to repulsed.

Like when I told a date last week that I'm an AST, and he said, "Oh, I dated one of them in college. That b**** broke up with me for no good reason."

Needless to say, I didn't see him again.. For that reason and sooo many others. LOL

[madoug]

I wonder if the conference realignment could do anything to alter the Greek environment at Mizzou. With PNMs who would have chosen a pre-alignment SEC school, deciding to go to Mizzou. I know they already have a huge Greek community there, and Sorority recruitment is thriving and pretty competitive (in the 'Southern' sense of the word). And as for active chapters, the campus does have all the GLO's associated with the South.

I strongly suspect that WVA was rejected by the SEC because their sorority women refused to wear dresses to football games.

[BAckbOwlsgIrl]

Okay, I get that the SOUTH is BAT SHIT CRAZY and beyond. Or at least some parts of the SOUTH are BAT SHIT CRAZY. May be we there is a BAT SHIT CRAZY google map or google earth for that.

BAT SHIT CRAZINESS aside, my experience has been that after a while it doesn't matter what GLO you were in, just that you were in one at all. There seems to be a certain bond of members of GLOs. It is that we know that we all have similar values and standards. And probably more importantly, ironically, is that we all know what we had to go through in our GLO's; meetings, community service, study hours, fun times, formals, and doing all the stuff that we weren't supposed to do but did anyway, etc.

Sure people may notice that you were part of a certain GLO but that was years ago with a certain reputation at THEIR school/region that may be different from your school/region. And, trust me, from my experience, I can say that I have changed so much. Sure, there are similarities between who I was then and who I am now. In all honesty, as much as I would like to think that had I rushed today on my campus, I would be in the same org as I am today, I really don't know. Not that I don't love my org, I am just older, wiser, more down to earth yet still pretentious while being cynical and less sober.

Just my 4 cents. I will hop off my soap box.

[28StGreek]

Originally Posted by madoug

I strongly suspect that WVA was rejected by the SEC because their sorority women refused to wear dresses to football games.

HAHAHA this made me LOL so hard

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by BAckbOwlsgIrl

Okay, I get that the SOUTH is BAT SHIT CRAZY and beyond. Or at least some parts of the SOUTH are BAT SHIT CRAZY. May be we there is a BAT SHIT CRAZY google map or google earth for that.

being raised in CA, this made me laugh! It is pretty much what I've always thought (although I never thought about the google map/earth part). However, I now have many good friends from the SOUTH who are convinced that I am the one who is BAT SHIT CRAZY. It's all relative!

Originally Posted by BAckbOwlsgIrl

BAT SHIT CRAZINESS aside, my experience has been that after a while it doesn't matter what GLO you were in, just that you were in one at all. There seems to be a certain bond of members of GLOs. It is that we know that we all have similar values and standards. And probably more importantly, ironically, is that we all know what we had to go through in our GLO's; meetings, community service, study hours, fun times, formals, and doing all the stuff that we weren't supposed to do but did anyway, etc.

Yup. Agreed.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by madoug

I strongly suspect that WVA was rejected by the SEC because their sorority women refused to wear dresses to football games.

Funny. The reality is the size of the TV markets, but hilarious.

Originally Posted by BAckbOwlsgIrl

Okay, I get that the SOUTH is BAT SHIT CRAZY and beyond. Or at least some parts of the SOUTH are BAT SHIT CRAZY. May be we there is a BAT SHIT CRAZY google map or google earth for that.

BAT SHIT CRAZINESS aside, my experience has been that after a while it doesn't matter what GLO you were in, just that you were in one at all. There seems to be a certain bond of members of GLOs. It is that we know that we all have similar values and standards. And probably more importantly, ironically, is that we all know what we had to go through in our GLO's; meetings, community service, study hours, fun times, formals, and doing all the stuff that we weren't supposed to do but did anyway, etc.

Sure people may notice that you were part of a certain GLO but that was years ago with a certain reputation at THEIR school/region that may be different from your school/region. And, trust me, from my experience, I can say that I have changed so much. Sure, there are similarities between who I was then and who I am now. In all honesty, as much as I would like to think that had I rushed today on my campus, I would be in the same org as I am today, I really don't know. Not that I don't love my org, I am just older, wiser, more down to earth yet still pretentious while being cynical and less sober.

Just my 4 cents. I will hop off my soap box.

Oh, bless your heart. Where is it you're from? We'll start working on that BSC map for you. Wouldn't want you to wander into the wrong neck of the woods.

I think we're all interpreting this "sorority stronghold" thing a bit differently.

To me, the article was about the desirability of a single sorority in a single state. I thought the OP was posting about similar situations for other orgs in other areas. I think Chi Omega has a very unique situation in Arkansas. That being said, I would hazard a guess to say that pockets of this exist throughout the country in different segments of society.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by madoug

I strongly suspect that WVA was rejected by the SEC because their sorority women refused to wear dresses to football games.

I think you have it flip-flopped. (I also think this came from a different thread.) The question was would the student body (and ergo, sorority rush) change with admittance to a different athletic conference - my answer is yes, definitely.