Sorority initiation...what the?? - Page 4

LexiKD · #46 10-09-2001, 11:09 PM

I think the 6-8 week New Member period is a great idea. Our program is full of tons of KD, Panhellenic, and basic Greek knowledge that covers your bases.

I think you learn more about the system as an initaited sister, but the pressure has to be put on about Grades. I don't know what you do if a New Sister fails to keep her end of the bargin.

Yes, I'm sure many of the changes were to cut down on the possibilitiy of hazing, but all in all it works out pretty well at our school.

Chi O still holds their New Members, but it works for them and cuts the grade issue out since they wait for semester GPAs.

bruinaphi · #47 10-10-2001, 05:01 PM

Quote:

I don't know what you do if a New Sister fails to keep her end of the bargin.

If a new sister fails to make grades you do the same thing you do with an active sister, whether that is study hours, academic or social probation, progress reports from professors, etc. Most organizations have bylaws provisions or international rules that they have to follow when a member doesn't make grades.

ErikaXO · #48 10-10-2001, 09:42 PM

I can see this topic is rapidly heading into a different direction than originally intended, but I have to agree with some of the last couple posts.....this "hazing" stuff is getting out of hand. Pretty soon someone is going to decide we have to eliminate rush altogether because it "separates the members from the non-members" and "makes the rushees feel uncomfortable." Welcome to real life, folks.....there are a lot of things we have to do in life that are difficult, uncomfortable, or sometimes downright embarrassing. College is supposed to be preparation for that real world. If we have to start coddling and babying students all over the place they are going to come out of school LESS prepared than they were before they started. I may get attacked for this next statement, but I personally don't have a problem with a little bit of what would be, by today's standards, considered hazing. I believe in earning your letters, quite frankly. Do I believe in making pledges lives miserable, making them feel like worthless scum? Do I believe in doing things to cause pain or injury? NO. But I think that there was an element of bonding that occurred during pledgeship that just plain doesn't exist anymore. There has to be a middle ground. If a chapter's pledge training/study program is so intensive that the girls can't get anything else done, then the program needs to be re-evaluated. But I went through a fairly involved chapter history program and I don't recall anyone having any particular difficulty. I don't mean this as a personal affront to LauraDav....I just am sick and tired of hearing everything get labeled "hazing."

Aphigal · #49 10-10-2001, 10:40 PM

I am sorry but there is no point to "earning" your letters. The women in my Fraternity who have been made to "earn" their letters through pledge tests, line-ups and fun "innocent" hazing do not, have not and will never make better sisters than those who were not hazed.

As far as learning fraternity history is is great to know, yes. But has taking a pledge test ever helped me to rescue the rushing strength a sick and dying chapter? Not once in ten years of volunteer work.

I don't know why I am bothering to participate in this dicsussion because there are those out there that understand what I am saying an those who are still trying to build a stronger sisterhood by saying the greek alphahbet on a match. Good luck, but be careful - you might get burned.

aephi alum · #50 10-10-2001, 11:15 PM

Aphigal, I have to disagree. I did earn my letters... I was never hazed, by either my local or my national sorority, but I did have to pass a new member test, as we all did, and I did have to learn about the history of my sorority, as we all did (and I'm not just talking about AEPhi here ~ I'm talking about every GLO).

I was a chapter founder, so in my new member class, we were all new members... but for subsequent new member classes, a sister always had to take the test with all the NMs, so the NMs weren't being made to do something no sister was doing.

I don't believe you can really be a sister and have a meaningful initiation, without knowing the basic history of your sorority, who your founding sisters were, what your colors stand for, etc. (anything you can and should know before initiation). For that reason ~ though I believe blatant hazing (carrying pledge books, performing demeaning tasks etc) must be done away with, I believe new member education and tests should remain as part of the new member experience.

#51 10-11-2001, 02:59 PM

I just wanted to know when did it become wrong to test knowledge? I dont think anyone is saying those who take it are any better then others.

Maybe they do it so they can see whether new member education programs are working or not? I dunno.

Maybe theyre seeing if girls are actually in it to the learn and share sisterhood or whether theyre in it for the "party" aspect? Once again I dunno.

Each org has it reasons and since many of them are re-instating them, the reasons have to be centered around what's best to help the org.

Eirene_DGP · #52 10-18-2001, 04:31 PM

I think it does have a lot to do with the sticter hazing policies. I know at my school the Office of Student Affairs mandates how long pledge can last and what Exactly they consider hazing and it is up to the councils to enforce it.
Every organization has their own way of pledging that is unique to them. Maybe more is going on than what you see. I know we show our pledges sisterhood from day one, but we do expect a lot out of them as well. My housemate is in another sorority and they do the same thing basically.

MaryMayXO · #53 10-19-2001, 07:46 PM

I spoke to an NC about this topic last year bc Chi Os are the last sorority to get initiated at my university. (Wait for grades to come in, so we get initiated in Jan) She told me that it's a Chi O policy to wait on grades , but if the chapter is at a school (ex: UF) that requires initiation to happen in 8 weeks, they can get initiated sooner than most other chapters.

I personally didn't mind the waiting period. I used my pledge semester to get to know all the sisters- and it made initiation THAT more special. By then, my Big had become my bestfriend and I had become really close to lots of other girls. The friendships and bonds I had established throughout my pledge semester made initiation more meaningful. I think it's a really good thing!

Heather · #54 10-19-2001, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ZetaLuvBunny
Especially in Tennessee, where we as sorority girls are not allowed to have houses because they're considered "whore houses", and that is such complete B.S. !

I agree that this is a stupid law but I was recently told that it no longer exists. I was wondering about it b/c a sorority on my campus (in TN) was getting ready to build a house and the members are going to be allowed to live in it. I may be wrong but I'm hopeful that's it's gone!

Moving on... by the time I got initiated, I felt like I could really appreciate it. (I pledged in the fall, got initiated mid Jan.) I feel like anything less would have been a "drive thru initiation." Yes, we had lots to learn but it was and still is very important. Besides history I also learned about my chapter. (Is this group right for me, do I accept what it stands for, do I like these women?) I figure it's better to find this out before initiation than after. I can't imagine trying to cram all of our history into 6 weeks along with chapter activities, campus activities and class work. For many of these girls, they are also trying to get adjusted to college life.

Not that there is anything wrong with short new member periods. If that's what your organization has, everyone likes it and it is effective, more power to you! I've heard benefits to both!! I just HOPE HOPE HOPE that our nationals continue to see the value of longer a new member period and not change because of pressure from other groups.

AlphaChiS2K · #55 10-20-2001, 11:05 AM

How can you NOT have new member exams??? Besides fostering the knowledge neccessary to respect and be educated about the chapter you are about to join, pledge tests also can create relationships within the pledge class. Point in case:

I was "that pledge," the one who knew everything and anything- I have a photographic memory, so memorizing comes really easily to me. One of my pledge sisters, Allie, could not remember stuff for the LIFE of her. It was probably a combination of her not devoting enough time to it and not having a strong ability to memorize, but regardless, we always caught $hit from our pledge moms because not all of us knew our stuff. Allie and I started meeting for an hour before chapter every week and I'd create mnemonic devices for her to remember the founding sisters, etc... I really helped her learn her stuff, and her whole demeanor changed about pledging after that. She became super involved- previously she had been the one to whine and bitch about events- and now is one of our most active sisters, and one of my best friends.

The pressure of pledge tests forced us to get close, and it taught us that if we're not all together, then we're nothing.

Just my $0.02.

Miami1839 · #56 10-20-2001, 09:45 PM

I couldnt agree with you more.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AlphaChiS2K
[B]How can you NOT have new member exams??? Besides fostering the knowledge neccessary to respect and be educated about the chapter you are about to join, pledge tests also can create relationships within the pledge class. Point in case:

I was "that pledge," the one who knew everything and anything- I have a photographic memory, so memorizing comes really easily to me. One of my pledge sisters, Allie, could not remember stuff for the LIFE of her. It was probably a combination of her not devoting enough time to it and not having a strong ability to memorize, but regardless, we always caught $hit from our pledge moms because not all of us knew our stuff. Allie and I started meeting for an hour before chapter every week and I'd create mnemonic devices for her to remember the founding sisters, etc... I really helped her learn her stuff, and her whole demeanor changed about pledging after that. She became super involved- previously she had been the one to whine and bitch about events- and now is one of our most active sisters, and one of my best friends.

The pressure of pledge tests forced us to get close, and it taught us that if we're not all together, then we're nothing.

Just my $0.02.

PM_Mama00 · #57 10-23-2001, 01:01 AM

This post kinda made me mad to read. Our pledge period is supposed to be fun! We have no hazing what-so-ever, altho I do think some hazing rules are ridiculous. I've seen some sororities make their pledges take tests and stuff to get initiated. Yeah it's cool to have ur new girls know the info on the sorority, but I woulnd't wana do it when I pledged, so why make someone else do it? We earn our letters by being faithful sister, not by making fools of ourself or stressing about passing a test.

Hootie · #58 12-09-2001, 09:08 PM

This is a pretty sad situation, but a couple of years ago (I pledged in 1998) we were told that we needed to initiate our girls before the end of Fall Semester

For what reason is what we wanted to know? Our chapter consecutively proved that we were the best on campus when it comes to academics so why would they make a group of girls who are doing everything right, initiate early?
We had the SH of Chi Omega call our chancellor and explain our process...that we wait until grades! We felt like we were being chastised for something we'd always prided ourselves in!
So now we have to initiate sometime over Winter Break or else we'll get into trouble. I think it's sad they have to come down on a chapter that does everything by the rules. Personally I'm glad I had to wait a semester to initiate. It gave me something to work for by keeping my grades up so I didn't dissapoint my chapter and myself! That is just my opinion!

sarahpiphi · #59 03-17-2002, 04:37 PM

Betarulz. . . you can't criticize because you don't know what these women do! Do you know the details of there new member program? I doubt it! I am a Pi Beta Phi. . . and like other women's fraternities we are required to have an 8 week pledge program. All pledges are required to pass a national heritage test (as a whole pledge class) before being initiated. We earn our letters by learning the history behind our sisterhood. Don't criticize other greeks because you can never know the details of their memebership programs and therefore cannot have an educated opinion on whether they earn their letters or not!

LeslieAGD · #60 03-17-2002, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lauradav
33girl, you might want to reread what I wrote and what you quoted. I said that "New member exams are not just hazing, they are also a waste of time!" I did not say that learning about my fraternity was a waste of time.

I am sorry that many of you don't see how new member exams make some women feel uncomfortable, especially based on the fact that they seperate out the new members from the active members, cause some new members to be singled out as inadequate or stupid, and generally add unnecessary stress to the new member period. Many strong GLOs have implemented very successful new member programs that do not include examinations yet turn out women who are very loyal to and knowledgeable about their GLO.

Sorry Laura, but I also disagree. Tests in general make me uncomfortable, does that mean my university is hazing me and I can sue them? No.

In a perfect world, new members would learn about their GLO just for the sake of wanting to know about the history...but it's not a perfect world and a lot of girls will make the excuse that they have better things to do with their time (as you yourself said).