Alums paired with New Members?

utkzta · #1 08-28-2004, 06:11 PM

Are any of you from a chapter that had alumna paired with new members for the year? What did you call them? I've heard Alum Chums and a few others - wanted your input.

PenguinTrax · #2 08-29-2004, 11:24 AM

I"ve heard Alum Chums, Berry Sisters, Crown Sisters, and one other name that escapes me right now.Regardless, I think it's a great idea. The alumnae don't need to do much, maybe e-mail the new member every couple of weeks or send a note. A gift for initiation would be nice, but not required.

Tippiechick · #3 08-29-2004, 12:54 PM

I think that is an awesome idea! I think a lot of nm would feel more closely involved in the sorority if we give them a sense of belonging or history, if you will. They would already feel as though they have someone to go for for advice, etc.

I would have loved an alum chum.

cntryZTA5 · #4 08-29-2004, 03:11 PM

We have alum chums here in S. Cali, but people usually are not paired up until after their new member period. I think its a great idea to start this from the beginning!

I'm going to bring up the idea to my alumnae chapter, and the chapter I advise. Maybe we can pair our new members up with our alumnae chapter members!

ZTA1806 · #5 08-30-2004, 11:58 AM

That's a great idea! My chapter didn't even have an alumnae chapter around (not much in central PA but hills and villages). I would think that having an Alum Chum type of thing for the NM during their pledge period would be a real support, and maybe help them not feel so overwhelmed or separate, or whatever it was called (I still think there are some things I just blocked out of my memory from my pledge days). I do remember sometimes feeling very overwhelmed at this whole concept and having to meet all those new people, and we weren't even a big chapter. I think I'm going to suggest that we try it at NOVA-ZTA.

FSUZeta · #6 08-30-2004, 08:53 PM

when i lived in tulsa, ok., the chapter at colorado state was being colonized. i guess there were not enough alumnae in colorado, so they asked our alumnae chapter to join in as alum chums. i sent little notes, and inexpensive gifts to her until she was initiated. then it was all over, but had it been done locally, i could see how the relationship could have carried on for the whole year, or four all four years. but then i could see getting a different alum. chum every year, so that everyone gets to know more people. it is a sweet idea.

utkzta · #7 08-31-2004, 01:37 PM

Ok - so I have gotten 30 ish volunteers so far (our pledge class is 49). Besides our Knoxville alumna, I emailed other Zeta Chapter (UTK) alumna who live out of town since our alumnae chapter is still pretty small and got 10 or so volunteers out of that. Recent grads are great because they still wish they could be involved. If any of you are good with words help me write a letter to the new member parents welcoming them too and telling them what a great choice their daughter made and how happy we are to have them here.

Something along these lines:
Dear Mr. and Mrs.
We are so excited that your daughter…xxx is a new member of Zeta Tau Alpha. I had a great experience in my Zeta years. Greek life is a rewarding addition to the college experience The sorority provides a great network for your daughter now, and for the rest of her life. Some of the closest friends I have are from the sorority and I have been out for 10 years now. Please become a part of the experience by joining the parents club. If you have questions feel free to contact me. We are excited XXX is here!

You get the idea...THANKS!

ztabchbum · #8 08-31-2004, 03:00 PM

Here is a letter (idea) written from the view point of a current member to the family of a new member.

To the family of (insert new member's name here),

On behalf of myself and all of my Zeta Tau Alpha sisters I would like to welcome you to the ZTA family. As your daughter, (insert new member's name here), is now a new member of ZTA so is her family. ZTA was founded on the concept that love is the greatest of all things and we truly believe that to this day. As a member of ZTA, your daughter will be an active student on campus, participating in a variety of events. Some events that we participate in every year are ___, ___, and ___. We encourage you to come ot (insert school here) during Parents Weekend, (insert date here), and stop by the ZTA house (if you have one) to meet all of ___'s new sisters.

During my years at ___ and as a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, I have learned the importance of the education I receive from this university as well as have had the opportunity to network with alumni. One of the greatest benefits of being a member of a greek organization in the networking capabilities you aquire once you graduate from our beloved institution. We often schedule (insert things you do with alums here) in order to socialize, learn more about ZTA as well as network with our alumni.

I would also like to strongly encourage you to become a member of our ZTA Parents Club. Your point of contact is ___ and she will be delighted to hear from you.

Once again, Congratulations to (insert new member name here) on becoming a new member of Zeta Tau Alpha as well as yourselves for raising such a wonderful daughter.

Zeta Love And Mine,
________________

utkzta · #9 10-06-2004, 08:16 PM

After throwing around many names for our alumna/new member pairs we picked alum pals. We thought of Strawberry Sisters and Crown Sisters, but the chapter uses those terms prior to big sisters. Alum Chum sounds so 80's to me.

We don't have a large enough active alumna base in Knoxville, so I added any Zeta chapter alumna. That way the lady has either lived in Knoxville and went to UT or lives in Knoxville right now.

We will see how it goes this semester. They get initiated at the end of the month.