Perception of sororities nationally

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

It is short-sighted to think that if your GLO is "top-tier" then you can afford to look down your nose at the others. The fact of the matter is that the Greek system has always had, and continues to have, enemies who would like nothing better than to do away with ALL of us.

Our best defense is to be strong - to offer a way of college life that embraces the widest possible variety of women, that can offer sisterhood to women of all backgrounds, religions, races and economic means, that seeks to embody in our day to day living the fine words and noble sentiments we have as our creeds, symphonies, and statements of purpose.

I do agree with you.

When Colby College had problems with the fraternities...they did away with the women's groups too.

I'm all for each group in NPC to be the best they can be. We are only as strong as our weakest link, I believe.

[breathesgelatin]

Am I the first Pi Phi to post in this thread?

I have a comment pertinent to the OP's original perception of Pi Phi (which does not offend me at all).

I was a Pi Phi in college, and not in a "top tier" chapter. That was fine by me! I knew in college, though, which Pi Phi chapters are generally considered some of the strongest/most popular/top tieriest. It was a topic of conversation! There was even some fascination with them... like... oooh... top tier Pi Phis. Of course, since this has already been pretty clearly outed in this thread, the Texas Pi Phis were one of the chapters that was mostly frequently mentioned.

Fast forward to me graduating and moving to Austin to go to grad school at Texas.

I have had Pi Phi benefit me in ways that are sometimes surprising. When I get around certain types of people and Greek Life comes up and they find out I am a Pi Phi, some kind of switch goes off in their head. Sometimes they get nicer to me. Sometimes they tell me chatty stories or start to think of me as their peer when maybe they did not before. A lot of times they say "You really need to meet and talk with my high school daughter!" In one extreme situation I was even given pictures of the daughter to evaluate.

I honestly believe that being a Pi Phi (specifically a Pi Phi, not having been president of a sorority and an award-winning member on a regional level in general) has helped me with job applications and that sort of thing. Because people see that I am a Pi Phi and suddenly assume that I am "one of them."

It is very interesting and I never would have guessed how widespread it is.

The funny thing is, that when I was active in my sorority I had a strong sense that Pi Phi was not nerdy everywhere or cool everywhere. I also knew, for example, that the "hot chapter" at my campus was only average at my best friend's college campus and bottom tier at some other schools I had friends at. But for these people in Texas who make assumptions about me because I am a Pi Phi, they don't seem to realize that the socioeconomic/class values they associate with Pi Phi may not apply to every Pi Phi chapter. I just don't understand how these people don't get it or don't "see through me."

I guess part of it is that my chapter, despite not being "top tier," was in many respects pretty preppy and southern-like. The new members we took were not like that, but the seniors we graduated were. So I guess people see me looking preppy or cute or put together or being socially competent or whatever and just assume I'm from an awesome chapter. eg I can pass, until they start asking me questions about politics or something. ROFL. And also a lot of Texas people go to my school so maybe they just assume W&L's tiers mirror Texas or UT tiers.

Anyway just my .02.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

When Colby College had problems with the fraternities...they did away with the women's groups too.

Sigh...

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

I have had Pi Phi benefit me in ways that are sometimes surprising. When I get around certain types of people and Greek Life comes up and they find out I am a Pi Phi, some kind of switch goes off in their head. Sometimes they get nicer to me. Sometimes they tell me chatty stories or start to think of me as their peer when maybe they did not before. A lot of times they say "You really need to meet and talk with my high school daughter!" In one extreme situation I was even given pictures of the daughter to evaluate.

I honestly believe that being a Pi Phi (specifically a Pi Phi, not having been president of a sorority and an award-winning member on a regional level in general) has helped me with job applications and that sort of thing. Because people see that I am a Pi Phi and suddenly assume that I am "one of them."

This is exactly what I meant when I wrote previously that it was a pleasant surprise to discover what an excellent reputation Tri Delta has nationally. I've had numerous times when people looked at me differently when they discovered I was a DDD, treated me with more respect, and assumed I must have been in a "top" house in college simply because that is their perception of Tri Delta. In my extreme example, one woman was completely flabbergasted and blurted out, "I didn't know you came from a wealthy family!" (I didn't.) But her perception of DDD based on her limited experience from her school was that Tri Delta = very big bucks.

I do think that the leadership opportunities were of great benefit to me from the non-Greek perspective, especially when you have the opportunity to explain what it involves. Very few college women get to take on the kinds of responsibilities a chapter president or treasurer does during their college years. (I was president, not treasurer. Just using it as an example.) In many of those cases, I don't think it mattered a bit to them which sorority I was in or where I went to school. They were interested in how the leadership experiences had shaped me and contributed to my growth as a person.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

This is exactly what I meant when I wrote previously that it was a pleasant surprise to discover what an excellent reputation Tri Delta has nationally. I've had numerous times when people looked at me differently when they discovered I was a DDD, treated me with more respect, and assumed I must have been in a "top" house in college simply because that is their perception of Tri Delta. In my extreme example, one woman was completely flabbergasted and blurted out, "I didn't know you came from a wealthy family!" (I didn't.) But her perception of DDD based on her limited experience from her school was that Tri Delta = very big bucks.

I read this and interpret it as somewhat contradictory. On the one hand, you are saying that people think DDD is strong based on their limited, regional experience. On the other, you say that DDD's strength is national. (As in stronger than other NPCs.)

[barbino]

Originally Posted by Kansas City

Maybe I'm a bit naive but don't most NPCs have excellent national reputations? The tier and who's best is only a collegiate thing. Once a member becomes active as an alum, best/worst/strong/weak thinking becomes a moot point.

Great observation, Kansas City. Very Panhellenic-based, and I very much agree with you.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by OTW

I agree with this.

However, (based on what I've seen on GreekChat) there are definitely some alums still obsessed with tiers and being elite.

What was that line from Animal Farm again? "But some are more equal than others." yeah, that was it.

OTW is EL CORRECTO. We have a winner!

I moved around the country with my husband while he climbed the old corporate ladder, and lived in the South, the Northeast, Midwest, Cali, and Texas in the 80's and 90's.

My group was perceived differently in each of the areas where I lived, and I learned an interesting lesson. It doesn't matter a whole heap after you leave your little bubble world on your own campus. It matters that you stay involved, give your time and talents towards service, and enjoy the opportunity to meet lots of new people regardless of where you live.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlum

My group was perceived differently in each of the areas where I lived, and I learned an interesting lesson. It doesn't matter a whole heap after you leave your little bubble world on your own campus.

I agree 100% with this statement.

In my experience, no one cares what "tier" your sorority is/was after college.

I mean, maybe it's just my friends and I, but we don't sit up and re-live our collegiate "glory days" and have discussions about who was "the best." We have lives and would rather talk about the stuff that's going on in our lives right now, not from college 3 years ago. We may talk about some of the crazy times we had with our sisters, but that's it.

If you were to hang out with a group of mid-20's professionals (at least in the areas I'm familiar with) and start going on and on about how "top tier" your sorority was in college, they'd look at you like you had three heads (and were someone who is still living in college-land and needs to grow up).

[irishpipes]

Try going to an Alumnae Pahellenic meeting where I live. The women most obsessed with tiers are over age 50. It's pathetic.

[AOEforme]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

ISo, in summary, once you graduate, no one cares.

You know, sometimes people just don't care in college. Yes, everyone (at least, who's Greek) knows who the top groups are or who, in their opinion, the top groups are.

But, sorority life is so much more than that. It's what you get to do, the whole experience that matters, right? And that's often what a lot of people want to know. Not what fraternities you mixed with but what your philanthropies did, how you bonded with your sisters, etc.

(FYI, my group just joined our college's Panhellenic recently, so we're not really in the tier system at all, or we automatically start off at the bottom. So, it's not like I'm saying this and in the top house on campus....)

[gee_ess]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

Try going to an Alumnae Pahellenic meeting where I live. The women most obsessed with tiers are over age 50. It's pathetic.

I think you are in the south, Irish, and I am going to go out on a limb here, but I would credit this to the very traditional and stereotypical southern society "rules" that those women grew up with. Fifty years ago, who you are was determined by several things - race, religon, wealth, sorority affiliation, etc. All of those identifiers figured into someone's social standing. So it would stand to reason that it is still an issue for those women today.

The diversity that we see among young women today was not the norm for those women growing up - in fact, maybe that is one reason why southern recruitment and "what you pledge" is still such a big deal. I don't know, I just thought of that right this minute...

Just an observation.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I read this and interpret it as somewhat contradictory. On the one hand, you are saying that people think DDD is strong based on their limited, regional experience. On the other, you say that DDD's strength is national. (As in stronger than other NPCs.)

I feel like people are trying to make out that I'm saying something that I'm not.

I was in a lower tier Tri Delta chapter in college at a Big Ten university where it was very evident and tiers mattered a lot.

I discovered that Tri Delta has an excellent reputation nationally, something that never crossed my mind when I joined a sorority as a person with a totally non-Greek background.

I never said anywhere that Tri Delta was better than any other NPC group. I'm just elaborating on my own personal experience as someone who joined a group she liked for friendship, finding a place on campus, and leadership opportunities. After suffering through some of the stigma of being in a lower tier group, it was an amazing experience to attend our Centennial Convention (as a collegian) and discover what a tremendous organization Tri Delta was nationally.

People keep pointing out that all the NPC groups are strong nationally and I haven't disputed that fact at all. But when I simply say how great it was for me to discover what a great national group I belonged to I'm somehow doing something wrong.

Please don't read more into my posts than is actually there.

[gee_ess]

TriDeltSallie -

Let me see if I can explain what I think you are saying,

You were in a lower tier group and were aware of that fact. Because you were young and relatively naiive, you thought DDD was a lower tier group on all other campuses as well as yours. You thought that Greek Life as you knew it was what everyone knew. You went to convention and realized that DDD is not lower tier everywhere, in fact it is quite strong. The national experience was eye opening to you.

What you have realized is that all groups are strong nationally and all across the country and in varying degrees. It is a statement that we all know to be true.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

I feel like people are trying to make out that I'm saying something that I'm not...

Please don't read more into my posts than is actually there.

Welcome to my world.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by gee_ess

The national experience was eye opening to you.

What you have realized is that all groups are strong nationally and all across the country and in varying degrees. It is a statement that we all know to be true.

Yes! It was very eye opening and it showed me the power of belonging to a national organization and the lifelong opportunities available as a sorority woman that went way beyond my own chapter.