Life Membership

[Empress0105]

I know that there used to be and now there isn't, a formal membership level known as Life Membership in Gamma Sig....how do you all feel about this, do you think it's necessary, and what are the pros and cons of re-introducing this to the sorority? How would you go about it? I'll post my thoughts later

[REE1993]

Originally Posted by Empress0105

I know that there used to be and now there isn't, a formal membership level known as Life Membership in Gamma Sig....how do you all feel about this, do you think it's necessary, and what are the pros and cons of re-introducing this to the sorority? How would you go about it? I'll post my thoughts later

Are you may be speaking about the lifetime membership fees changes? I would love to talk to you about these. Until this past fall, I had not been an active member, but had paid lifetime way back when.

[gamma_girl52]

I think the sorority really ought to consider bringing back our Life Membership status. There used to be a separate fee that a member could pay, and that member would recieve either a pin or a key, I'm not 100% sure.

I think it would encourage people to stay active. And who doesn't like to say, "I'm a Life Member"?

[gamma_girl52]

Thanks for clarifying that. I think recieving a special pin would be nice.
If it did return we need to offer more incentives, but in return it would be understood that that fees would be higher.

[REE1993]

I paid my $100 fee back in 1996. I never received a pin, key or card. Things were pretty messed up in my chapter when I graduated, so that explains why it never went further. When I became active in my alum chapter, I just paid my yearly dues.

I ended up purchasing my own badge last fall. I do wish we had something else to show lifetime membership, but given that things have changed, I am guessing that there isn't anything.

That being said, does anyone know of ANYTHING that recognizes past lifetime membership as being paid/enacted?

[Empress0105]

No. But I think that these are the type of discussions we should have at Convention...you know, get some new ideas circulating throughout the sisterhood. Why not have a contest amongst chapters to design a life membership pin? OF COURSE life dues would have to be higher...I mean, we are service based, but all groups are still essentially run like businesses....and you need money to survive lol. If I can get a lil plastic card for joining a movie club or a airline points club, surely I can get one for paying some money for life memebrship....I think these are some of the smaller issues our leadership should look into as we enter this new generation of GSS

[gamma_girl52]

Ahh the alum dues AGAIN...I think this proposal, if not passed, will definitely spark up some conversation. I think the younger alums wouldn't have a problem paying more dues. But we usually have the older alums that are on a certain fixed income that literally can't pay more. I would have liked to see a bracket introduced instead, perhaps based on age or years served in the sorority. We'll see.

[REE1993]

Some of you have heard my thoughts elsewhere... I cannot make it to Chicago but I know that some of you share my thoughts. I look forward to hearing what comes of these proposed amendments.

[Empress0105]

it sounds more like suebarton has a personal issue with the person who submitted her proposals rather than just not liking or agreeing with her suggestions.

i think it's rather bold to speak for your ENTIRE chapter on such a serious issue and it's not very sisterly to just shut down the sister who is only doing what i am assuming she thinks would be good for the ENTIRE sorority. and who cares if she is on the NBD or not? everyone has a right to give their suggestions on how they feel the sorority they paid to be in should be run.

I look at it like this...i'm sure that more than one of our members past age 30 are in a social sorority, or are eastern stars, or in some other organizations that requires dues. Would you tell Tri-Sig, OES, or the Daughters of the American Revolution that you shouldn't have to pay more money because you are a certain age? I mean, I keep hearing that the older members can't "afford" higher dues, but to me it sounds like perhaps our next Project IMPACT area should be financial management and they be the first to sign up.

Since we want to talk about finances, let's talk about how these same so called broke sisters get to expensive convention every two years, yet the younger sisters struggle to come up withthe HUNDREDS of dollars to try and go. That may be a big part of the reason that not only to younger people avoid convention, but also think it's a waste of time. Why pay so much money to go and try and be involved when older sisters are just going to bash you anyway? And the fact that there is no on site registration is silly....what happens if someone can't afford to go until two weeks prior?

I think that there is just simply a rift in the sorority....between older and newer members, and Gamma Sig had better study the last time a sorority had a rift in it between one set of memebrs and another.....


in summation, if you don't agree with the proposal, that's fine, but don't discredit someone becasue you don't like their idea.....that's not very sisterly or unity inspired. And get real....you rpobably pay more a year to have your garbage taken out for even a 100% increase in dues


ALSO, sine we mentioned the MBD....looking at where the majority of these people live....I can see why some sisters may be shocked at financial suggestions of younger sisters. With the upsurge of membership and chapters in major metropolitan areas....someone from montana or wisonsin may not understand why sisters from baltimore, dc, and atlanta, have not problem paying more money.

[gamma_girl52]

Originally Posted by Empress0105

Since we want to talk about finances, let's talk about how these same so called broke sisters get to expensive convention every two years, yet the younger sisters struggle to come up withthe HUNDREDS of dollars to try and go. That may be a big part of the reason that not only to younger people avoid convention, but also think it's a waste of time. Why pay so much money to go and try and be involved when older sisters are just going to bash you anyway? And the fact that there is no on site registration is silly....what happens if someone can't afford to go until two weeks prior?

I think that there is just simply a rift in the sorority....between older and newer members, and Gamma Sig had better study the last time a sorority had a rift in it between one set of memebrs and another.....

in summation, if you don't agree with the proposal, that's fine, but don't discredit someone becasue you don't like their idea.....that's not very sisterly or unity inspired. And get real....you rpobably pay more a year to have your garbage taken out for even a 100% increase in dues

ALSO, sine we mentioned the MBD....looking at where the majority of these people live....I can see why some sisters may be shocked at financial suggestions of younger sisters. With the upsurge of membership and chapters in major metropolitan areas....someone from montana or wisonsin may not understand why sisters from baltimore, dc, and atlanta, have not problem paying more money.

Soror I don't think she "discredited" the soror who wrote the proposals. She stated that she hoped none of them passed. That's not really discrediting the proposals like the information included was wrong, that is just her stating her overall disagreement with them. I read the proposals and I am actually hoping that some of them do pass. But we don't need to get into that in this forum.

I think it's true that the sorority is reaching a crossroads. I think that many of us really want Gamma Sig to be a "real" sorority (not that it wasn't before) and certainly our members are thinking bigger, and I think that's great. We should. Change is inevitable and we should embrace that change if we want to grow and be successful.

However what was really bothering me about your post was the statement you made about why younger sisters aren't coming to Convention. First of all, you do realize that two delegates from each chapter in good standing are already paid for to attend Convention--you just have to get there. There's virtually no excuse why sorors that are in an active chapter can't register for Convention, it's already paid for. If your chapter was serious about sending people, the chapter would make arrangements for those delegates to be there in a sufficient amount of time and not the last minute. Information about Convention went out around the first of the year. Secondly, if the reason you as an ACTIVE and FINANCIAL member aren't going to Convention because you think you won't be heard, I'd really encourage you to attend one and see how wrong that is. Don't let the little old ladies scare you. Actually, the older members appreciate the younger ones for taking a more active role in the sorority and WANT to hear what you have to say.

I could get into dues more, but this is not the right place for it. I think there could be a compromise made if that proposal did pass.

[Empress0105]

i think i need to clarify myself on the convention bit.....i was using that to compare the price of convention, that admittedly i have yet to attend, to that of a year's worth of dues. when i mentioned that undergrads have a hard time paying for it, i was not counting delegates...i meant just random undergrads who wanted to go and participate in their sorority. i know you can say that it's about budgeting and saving and planning, but i say that ame argument can even more easily be applied to alumni paying more than $15 bucks a year.....or whatever the case may be.

take howard for example, the reactivated portion of alpha eta....we have incread membership in the past year from 15 actives to almost 30....imagine what an impact having even only half of the actives be able to afford going to convention would be in addition to the two delegates? and we are small...imaging Delware with their 100+ member chapter showing up? I look at delegates as the Senate and actual memebership there as an honorary HOR...because even thought more people there doesn't affect voting, imaging the influence that could have on everyone there?





i know my last few posts have come across as hostile and argumentative, but trust me, that is not the tone i meant to have....i am just extremely passionate about the sorority and debate...probably a better combo to have face to face rather than over the internet where tone can me misread

[gamma_girl52]

Originally Posted by Empress0105

i think i need to clarify myself on the convention bit.....i was using that to compare the price of convention, that admittedly i have yet to attend, to that of a year's worth of dues. when i mentioned that undergrads have a hard time paying for it, i was not counting delegates...i meant just random undergrads who wanted to go and participate in their sorority. i know you can say that it's about budgeting and saving and planning, but i say that ame argument can even more easily be applied to alumni paying more than $15 bucks a year.....or whatever the case may be.

take howard for example, the reactivated portion of alpha eta....we have incread membership in the past year from 15 actives to almost 30....imagine what an impact having even only half of the actives be able to afford going to convention would be in addition to the two delegates? and we are small...imaging Delware with their 100+ member chapter showing up? I look at delegates as the Senate and actual memebership there as an honorary HOR...because even thought more people there doesn't affect voting, imaging the influence that could have on everyone there?

i know my last few posts have come across as hostile and argumentative, but trust me, that is not the tone i meant to have....i am just extremely passionate about the sorority and debate...probably a better combo to have face to face rather than over the internet where tone can me misread

Terri you are fine sis I'm not taking what you said the wrong way. Thanks for clarifying for me. I totally agree with you on the alum dues part. That is why I am hoping that things will start to change in that area.

Hope I'm going to see some sorors from your chapter in Chicago. I hear you all are sending your delegates which is good!

[Diva06Sweet]

i hope the bylaw proposals i sent realy fire up some debate
now i dont know what the other chickie poo said about my proposal but every one is entitled to their own pov

i for one am ready for some change, serious change in the sorority

not change in what we stand for no
but change in how we operate

humm ihave more to say but i forgot this is a public board

i just hope they spark some serious intelligent debate
i wish i was going to be there to see it
but my family reunion is that weekend
my family comes first
and its in my home town of chicago