Author needs help with legacy info

Stephanie Hale · #1 07-25-2007, 10:05 PM

Hi everyone,

I stumbled upon this site tonight and am hoping that you can help me. I am a young adult author and my new book is focusing on a geeky girl trying to infiltrate the most popular sorority on campus. She is going to fake being a legacy in order to get in. It seems that legacies are not as important as they used to be but it's fiction people and I had to get her in somehow!

I'm just wondering in the event that a legacy was invited to join a sorority what kind of proof would they have to give that they were related to the alumni? I hope you don't mind if I hang around if I have some questions. I'd be happy to put anyones name in my acknowledgment pages! Thanks again!

Stephanie Hale

cuteASAbug · #2 07-25-2007, 10:10 PM

I foresee this turning into a trainwreck, but I'll bite. If a legacy is going through recruitment, then it's mom/grandma/sister's job to send a form alerting the chapter at her school that she is a legacy. If the girl doesn't have a form sent in for her and says that she is a legacy, it would be the chapter's job to verify that with their headquarters. The only time when this wouldn't be necessary is if the girl's older sister is active in the same chapter.

Drolefille · #3 07-25-2007, 10:10 PM

Generally the PNM lists that they are a legacy on the recruitment application (or I suppose tells the sorority) and then the sorority checks with their (inter)national HQ to determine the validity of a legacy (which is generally a member's sister, daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter and sometimes niece). They'd check that the member exists and is in good standing as defined by their HQ.

Also the female versions of alum are alumna (singular) and alumnae (plural).

UGAalum94 · #4 07-25-2007, 10:11 PM

There are forms that the member sends in that are (or certainly can be) checked in the member database.

For fiction, I'm sure you can come up with something, but in real life there's a good chance she'd get caught.

(Heck, some people encourage you to prove you are a member to post on GreekChat. We're pretty vigilant about making sure that the people we treat as legacies actually are.)

1908Revelations · #5 07-25-2007, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum

For fiction, I'm sure you can come up with something, but in real life there's a good chance she'd get caught.

(Heck, some people encourage you to prove you are a member to post on GreekChat. We're pretty vigilant about making sure that the people we treat as legacies actually are.)

And probably won't get in.....who would want a liar? Especially a poor liar.

Drolefille · #6 07-25-2007, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1908Revelations

And probably won't get in.....who would want a liar? Especially a poor liar.

If caught, yes. And though it's not impossible for an unverified legacy to get through recruitment... try getting caught while you're a NM... you'll be dropped and fast.

UGAalum94 · #7 07-25-2007, 10:37 PM

In real life, I think she'd get caught and get dropped from recruitment and or the group.

For fiction, you might try some silliness about another PNM who was an actual legacy with the same name (which wouldn't work in real life because other information would make it clear) or maybe her claiming a relationship to a great "grandmother" who was deceased and wouldn't be expected to verify the relationship herself who she knew to be a member of the group but who she wasn't really related to. (in real life, this could be checked out too, but it seems less likely to be as obvious to bust as saying her mom or sister was a member.)

SWTXBelle · #8 07-25-2007, 10:40 PM

I have to admit that I have wondered about my daughters, who are Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi legacies from their deceased grandmothers. I can easily provide the names and chapter information, but do I have to send a birth certificate and marriage licenses? Is it like joining the DAR???

1908Revelations · #9 07-25-2007, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drolefille

If caught, yes. And though it's not impossible for an unverified legacy to get through recruitment... try getting caught while you're a NM... you'll be dropped and fast.

I figured such.

SoCalGirl · #10 07-26-2007, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephanie Hale

Hi everyone,

I stumbled upon this site tonight and am hoping that you can help me. I am a young adult author and my new book is focusing on a geeky girl trying to infiltrate the most popular sorority on campus. She is going to fake being a legacy in order to get in. It seems that legacies are not as important as they used to be but it's fiction people and I had to get her in somehow!

I'm just wondering in the event that a legacy was invited to join a sorority what kind of proof would they have to give that they were related to the alumni? I hope you don't mind if I hang around if I have some questions. I'd be happy to put anyones name in my acknowledgment pages! Thanks again!

Stephanie Hale

You could just make it up. It is fiction!

SydneyK · #11 07-26-2007, 07:02 AM

To the OP... have you ever written anything before? I ask simply because, based on my own experiences, it's much easier to write about something you know (or, like JKR, something you can make up entirely). Since sorority life already exists, you can't make up what it's like to be in the Greek world. So, for your story to have credibility with Greeks, it should correlate with what Greek life is actually like. If your target audience isn't Greek, then the readers would not likely know whether your legacy info is correct - they'll just take it on face value that you know what you're talking about.