Young mothers find sisterhood in college sorority

Drolefille · #1 03-08-2007, 11:10 PM

We've talked about them before, but CNN had a nice article about sororities for moms. Apparently they're the hot new thing.

From CNN

Quote:

Magic Markers, bubble wands and jungle-animal stickers aren't often found in the average college student's backpack.

For the women of Mu Tau Rho, a new sorority for student-mothers at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, those toys are every bit as vital as laptop computers and e-mail accounts.

"I wanted to be in a sorority so bad," said Danielle Cooney, a 22-year-old sophomore math major. "Then I had my son. I didn't have a baby sitter to do all that."
...
Mu Tau Rho stands for "Mothers Together in Parenting," members said. The uppercase Greek letter "rho" is identical to the English capital "P."

Quote:

One of the few sororities aside from Mu Tau Rho catering to student mothers is Mu Omicron Mu (whose initials spell "MOM") at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

Perhaps it's a sign I've been on GC too long but the misuse of the Rho bothers me more than anything...

texas*princess · #2 03-09-2007, 09:29 AM

they should have just AI'd!

Just kidding!

Drolefille · #3 03-09-2007, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texas*princess

they should have just AI'd!

Just kidding!

They're not Alumnae YET! They still have a chance

ASUADPi · #4 03-09-2007, 04:04 PM

I know time committment wise an NPC has a lot. But, correct me if I'm wrong, we can't discriminate against mothers can we?

Do you think it varies chapter to chapter?

One of my sisters, her chapter, actually initiated a young mom. The girl was actually a legacy to AOPi but her son became sick and went to RMH. So when she went to college she joined ADPi because of the RMH connection. My sister said she was a good sister, as active as she could be.

Depending on the school, the climate, the chapter, I honestly don't see the problem with a mom joining. As long as she understands the time committment, financial committment and willing to do it. Just my opinion.

smiley21 · #5 03-09-2007, 04:07 PM

There is a girl I know who goes to my school. She is around 22, married with a son and is in a sorority. So it is possible.

Drolefille · #6 03-09-2007, 04:08 PM

One of the things the article mentions is time commitment and costs. They just couldn't afford a traditional sorority (whether NPC or NPHC they didn't specify). And I can understand that. It's definately a "luxury" and if it's between dues and diapers, what are you going to choose?

AlphaFrog · #7 03-09-2007, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASUADPi

I know time committment wise an NPC has a lot. But, correct me if I'm wrong, we can't discriminate against mothers can we?

State of parenthood is not a protected status, like race, religion, etc. we can discriminate all we want to.

I believe there are NPCs that do have rules against mothers being active sisters, and others that have rules that any active that gets pregnant becomes and automatic alum.

AGDee · #8 03-09-2007, 10:31 PM

Given that their priorities and lifestyles are obviously very different from the typical collegian, I could see why they'd want a group of their own. It could be more of a support group, an opportunity to socialize but also could include babysitting during events, play dates, etc. A friend of mine (well after college and after she was married) joined a SAHM support group and became really close to those women after she had her first baby. She likened it to her relationships with sorority sisters while in school. It doesn't mean that all NPCs would exclude them but perhaps that these groups meet their needs better.

CutiePie2000 · #9 03-12-2007, 12:43 AM

If their sorority name was Mu Omicron Mu, their letter would look like this:

MOM

KSig RC · #10 03-12-2007, 10:11 AM

Has anybody made the "I want to mix with the MOM group, because you know they're down for doing it raw" joke yet?

No?

OK -

I would totally rock the MILF sorority - like hanging out at the abortion clinic, yo.

AlphaFrog · #11 03-12-2007, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CutiePie2000

If their sorority name was Mu Omicron Mu, their letter would look like this:

MOM

OP talks about Mu Omicron Mu, and we've had at least one of their members here.

AlexMack · #12 03-12-2007, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

OP talks about Mu Omicron Mu, and we've had at least one of their members here.

Yes, wasn't it BLACKROSE? A little nutty...

agzg · #13 03-12-2007, 02:37 PM

My chapter had a young mom, one got pregnant when I was a senior (she was on inactive academic status anyway because she was graduating early so taking a crazy courseload and doing her thesis in the same semester, oddly enough this was all planned out before the pregnancy), and another collegian had a baby this year. We've had a couple of young moms in the past, too.

I think if they want to have their own group though, that's awesome! Being active in an NPC chapter can be extremely difficult with even a part-time job sometimes, let alone a full-time, 24 hour a day job like being a parent plus school plus some way of supporting themselves - sometimes single collegians just don't get it. I know that with at least one of our young moms she had a real problem relating to the rest of the group because her situation changed so drastically in such a short time period, and none of the actives could relate.

PM_Mama00 · #14 03-12-2007, 09:35 PM

I think this organization is a great idea.

I think it's one thing if a sister becomes pregnant while active, but I would have to think twice about a single mother who is rushing. In single I mean baby daddy is not or barely involved in the child's life. What is this girl's priority? Is it fair that she would have special treatment (because of the child) in regards to missing events or having to leave early?

On my commuter campus, this still doesn't happen very often. And I would have welcomed it had I known that the priorities of the PNM were in the right place.