Can I join a sorority? Help!

PhiBetaBaby · #1 01-14-2001, 06:57 PM

I have wanted to join a sorority ever since I was little, but my college has no greek life, and has rules in place that do not allow for any organization that only accepts one gender. This makes starting a sorority immposible.

The only greek letter organization on campus is a chapter of Phi Beta Fraternity, and I started it. It's a coed professional fraternity for people in the creative and performing arts. While it is great, it doesn't have the sisterhood and parties that I'm looking for in an organization. Our school has told us that they're watching us carefully and that if they find any alcohol at any of our events, they'll shut us down.

Is there any way for me to join a social sorority? Can you rush at a college you are not enrolled in if there are no sororities on your campus? How would you go about it, if you did?

I really respect the sorority women I've met, and like what I've read about nearly ever sorority I've researched. Any help you could give would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks!

-Rachael
webmistress@poingenterprises.com

NUPE4LIFE · #2 01-14-2001, 07:36 PM

Yes you can join a social sorority. There are several diffent types of sororities/fraternities: social, service, and professional. But I will say that I think it's impossible for you to join a sorority at another school. I'm more than positive that you have to be enrolled in that school. If greek life is that important to you, you could always transfer.

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KAPPA ALPHA PSI FRATERNITY, INC.
SPR 97
XI LAMBDA

PhiBetaBaby · #3 01-14-2001, 07:42 PM

It's not that easy - I'm in the second half of my junior year at a music school... it'd be like starting all over again. Thanks for your response though!

HeidiHo · #4 01-14-2001, 07:51 PM

If I remember right, when I was looking at colleges, I was told that you can somehow join a GLO at another school.
Univ A didn't have any greek life, and Univ B did & they were only about 15 minutes away from one another. I may be wrong, but I think someone at Univ A said you can affiliate with a GLO at Univ B.
Don't be mad if I'm wrong, but I would check it out with the schools around you.
Good luck
Heidi

12dn94dst · #5 01-14-2001, 09:11 PM

Bottom line: check with someone (preferably an officer: chapter president, regional/national officer) who is a member of the organization you're looking to pledge. She would have better and more specific answers that you'd get here.

PhiBetaBaby · #6 01-14-2001, 09:24 PM

The problem with that suggestion is that I don't know what sorority I want to pledge. I haven't met anyone who is in a sorority at the schools that are near me. I liked A-Chi-O and Kappa Kappa Gamma when I went through rush at USC, but I know chapters are different around the world. Should I just check with the Student Union or what?

soror6 · #7 01-14-2001, 10:10 PM

Since you do not have a particular organization in mind, you might want to see if HeidiHo's info applies to your area. If there is a school within a reasonable distance from where you are, get in touch with their IFC/NPC/NPHC department chair, and ask them what their enrollment criteria is. They would probably have the best info for the situation that you are in. My only other idea is...since you were resourceful enough to start a GLO at your school, maybe there is a pre-existing co-ed, music-based GLO that you can start a colony of there too!!??

If not, there is always the grad/alumni chapter option, if that is acceptable to you! You are still a lifetime sister

Good luck!

...BTW...What happened when you rushed at USC? Were you a student there then?

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Hey greeks! Shop for the best in greek gear! www.greekuniversity.com

PhiBetaBaby · #8 01-14-2001, 11:31 PM

I'm very proud to be the one who started the Beta Zeta chapter of Phi Beta, but if I had known half of the work it would take, I probably would have tried to join a sorority at a different school first. :-)

As far as USC goes, I was enrolled at USC about a year and a half ago, and I went through formal rush in the fall. I met bunches of girls, and liked all of them. For some reason I was not offered a bid. There were over 700 girls rushing, if I remember right, and there weren't that many openings. My Rho Chi said I had the best attitude of anyone in my rush group, and that I should just go for open continuous bids, but I ended up transferring to Berklee the next semester, which pretty much shot that idea. I enjoyed rush a lot, and hung out at fraternity houses a lot while I was at USC, which is why I thought starting Phi Beta @ Berklee would fill that void in a manner of speaking. Unfortunately because of politics at my school, we haven't been able to do many activities, and we haven't been able to get a house. There are lots of complications, which is why I'm considering the possibility of joining a sorority at another school.

Thanks for your help :-)

AlphaChiGirl · #9 01-14-2001, 11:41 PM

Hi...if I'm not mistaken, many of the Greek letter societies in schools in Boston are city-wide chapters ('cause there are so many schools and the sororities aren't residential). Best of luck!

KSig RC · #10 01-15-2001, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AlphaChiGirl:
Hi...if I'm not mistaken, many of the Greek letter societies in schools in Boston are city-wide chapters ('cause there are so many schools and the sororities aren't residential). Best of luck!

Actually i'm not sure that's completely true - there are city-wide chapters for certain greek orgs here in boston, but it really depends. here at BU the chapters are on campus, excepting the traditionally BGLOs . . . i'm not so sure that otherwise there are a lot of city-wide greeks. if that's not what you are looking for, maybe try some local sororities, i know emerson has quite a few - they may not have policies about enrollment and affiliation (we do). hope that helps some -

Rob

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"So listen up and you will surely see why we wear the scarlet, white and green . . . "

PhiBetaBaby · #11 01-15-2001, 06:14 PM

That's a good idea about Emerson, especially since it's a Pro Arts Consortium school (meaning I can cross register there for free if I want) and it's just down the street from where I live.

Totally unrelated question for you, Rob: I'm trying to plan mixers with other fraternities and sororities so that the members of Phi Beta can meet other greeks (so we're not in such a vaccuum). Can you hook me up with whoever at BU can get me contact info for the fraternities and sororities there?

Thanks!

-Rae

KSig RC · #12 01-16-2001, 11:28 AM

Rae -
I sent you an email - let me know if i can help you out

Rob

imsohappythatiama · #13 01-17-2001, 07:47 PM

Hi PhiBetaBaby--

I'm the New Member advisor to the KKG chapter at Babson College just outside of Boston. (Nice to see other Bean-towners on the board!)

I don't know what the Babson chapter's policy is on cross-school membership . . . let me see what I can find out. We have an advisory board meeting in a week or two, and I will ask about it then . . . but my gut feeling is that the chapter doesn't do stuff like that (though I don't see why not!).

If you send me your email address, though, I can definitely get you some info on a cross-campus mixer. You can email me at hawkeyehoosier@hotmail.com

BTW--the other GLOs at Babson are Sigma Kappa, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Theta Chi--they might be interested in mixing as well!

Panhellenically,
imsohappythatiama

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Oh, Kappa Kappa Kappa Gamma,
I'm so happy that I am a
Kappa Kappa Kappa Gamma,
Nobody knows . . . how
happy I am!

straightBOS · #14 01-17-2001, 08:21 PM

Wow, I didn't know that there were so many Bean towners on this board.

Go Boston!!

KSig RC · #15 01-18-2001, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by straightBOS:
Wow, I didn't know that there were so many Bean towners on this board.

Go Boston!!

Word - Terrier football rules . . . ; )

Rob

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"So listen up and you will surely see why we wear the scarlet, white and green . . . "