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  #1  
Old 10-06-2004, 10:54 PM
kddani kddani is offline
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Question AI more difficult that rushing?

With all the AI talk going on lately....

A lot of GCers say to PNMs who don't get a bid while going through undergraduate, don't worry, you can always AI.

YOU CANNOT ALWAYS AI.

I'd put a lot of money on saying that AI is, in fact, much more difficult that rushing as an undergraduate. A lot of orgs aren't even open to it except in very special circumstances. The PNAM has to be VERY special. There's no quota, no need to get to any sort of "total". The potential member REALLY has to have something to offer. You can't just be a cute girl with a nice personality- you really have to have something to offer. You have to be dedicated.

Basically, all i'm saying, point blank, is that alumnae initiation IS NOT an alternative to rush. It is a very difficult process reserved for very special people.

I'm not trying to stomp on anyone, I don't know any PNAMs personally, but this is a rampant falsehood around here. AI IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO RUSH.
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  #2  
Old 10-06-2004, 11:01 PM
ms_gwyn ms_gwyn is offline
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I would tend to agree with Dani on this but also I have to add something.

Most of the PNAMs are older women who have established careers and been out of college for a while.

Many of us have some type of involvement with NPC GLOS in college and for whatever reason it did not work out.

Also GLOs have specific requirements to AIs and how long they have been out of college, etc.

So no it is NOT a quick fix for not getting into a sorority while in college. Most if not all will not take collegiates (undergraduates), period.

It is also a much different process, it not like Rush/Recruitment at all, if its like any experience you can relate to, perhaps its like NPHC Membership Intake.
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  #3  
Old 10-07-2004, 12:23 AM
adduncan adduncan is offline
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Thank you, kddani. Co-sign every last word.

Pursuing AI in the NPC is *work*. To build on kddani's description, there is no "green book", no structure, no Pi Chis (or whatever your campus called them) no release figures, no quota, no total, no scheduling, nothing that makes the melee that is NPC collegiate recruitment function. Unlike collegiate chapters, interest in and knowledge of alumna recruitment varies not only between chapters, but even within a chapter. That's assuming we're talking about an org that has a procedure for it. 3 NPC GLOs have none, and several others have **very** strict criteria that most PNAMs on GC aren't going to meet.

Anyone who does undertake this is not merely signing up, and making sure they wear the right outfit and say the right thing. There is real soul-searching involved, deciding *why* you are pursuing an NPC org, what you can contribute here, that you cannot elsewhere. And if you think having your local Panhel check out your GPA is taking a close look, you haven't seen anything yet. Expect and be willing to have your entire life's CV picked over with a fine-tooth comb so that the org is sure they have a match. I dare say there are more similarities w/ the NPHC intake process, from what I've researched.

I am no less than utterly blessed, more than I think I deserve, to have found my home. It was painful at times, but worth it - but only because I thought it through as much as I could and counted the cost before jumping in.

--add
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  #4  
Old 10-07-2004, 12:41 AM
KSUViolet06 KSUViolet06 is offline
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It's MUCH harder than rushing. It requires alot more patience. Rush can be difficult, but the nature of AI is different. You're joining for the ENTIRE org. not just b/c XYZ is the most popular or has the prettiest girls. It's devoid of the petty things that cloud PNM's decisions.

Also, ALL the PNAM's really want it for all the right reasons. They have waited years for the opportunity to be sorority women b/c they didn't get the chances that many of us got to join in undergrad.

The women have to be truly special and the embodiment of the ideals of the sorority.
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  #5  
Old 10-07-2004, 12:52 AM
MTSUGURL MTSUGURL is offline
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Here's the situation I'll face: rushed NPC sororities on campus as a nontraditional student, didn't get a bid, now part of a local, praying we affiliate before I graduate, but knowing that if I don't, I will pursue AI when I graduate because of some wonderful women I've met along the way and because I want lifelong ties to other women. Knowing that this may be the case, I've started trying to prepare myself for the process. I know this will be harder than recruitment, and I don't know what it would be like as opposed to colonizing if we have the opportunity. I don't look at it as "Well, I can always be an alum initiate" as some people do - even my roommate has made that statement. I look at it as possibly a necessary part of realizing a personal goal. I've been luckier so far than most if this is the route I end up trying - I have the examples here to follow and know the steps to take. To quote League of Their Own - "If it wasn't hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."
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  #6  
Old 10-07-2004, 01:05 AM
LPIDelta LPIDelta is offline
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I agree with what everyone has said so far---based on the stories here, it's tough! While I certainly appreciate that groups should be thorough in their selection of AIs, I don't wonder if our natural skepticism of why a woman would want to do this is leading to a process that maybe shouldn't be so complicated.

That aside--as more national organizations are looking for new revenue sources, we will see many more groups being very proactive in their quest for AIs. In a recent survey, less than 10% of college students said there was a very good chance they would go Greek while in college. And approximately 41% of undergraduates today are age 25 or older. The face of college students has changed--and to meet our membership needs, I believe more groups will be looking at this "untraditional" source for membership.

Just my two cents!
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  #7  
Old 10-07-2004, 04:26 AM
KSUViolet06 KSUViolet06 is offline
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Re: AI more difficult that rushing?

Quote:
Originally posted by kddani

I'm not trying to stomp on anyone, I don't know any PNAMs personally, but this is a rampant falsehood around here. AI IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO RUSH.

Might I add that aside from NPHC grad intake, I *never* knew there was a such thing until I found this site.
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  #8  
Old 10-07-2004, 09:09 AM
tinydancer tinydancer is offline
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Easier than rush????NO

Faster than rush???NO

Benefits of finally becoming an AI???PRICELESS

It's a long, frustrating journey in many cases, but definitely worth it in the end!
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  #9  
Old 10-07-2004, 10:04 AM
33girl 33girl is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Heather17
That aside--as more national organizations are looking for new revenue sources, we will see many more groups being very proactive in their quest for AIs. In a recent survey, less than 10% of college students said there was a very good chance they would go Greek while in college. And approximately 41% of undergraduates today are age 25 or older. The face of college students has changed--and to meet our membership needs, I believe more groups will be looking at this "untraditional" source for membership.
Rather than nontrad students doing AI, we need to educate our chapters (and our alumnae) that the collegiate sorority member is not necessarily a single woman age 18-22.

I'm not sure if that's what you meant or not, but being older doesn't make you an instant AI candidate - if you're an undergraduate student, you should go through regular rush.
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  #10  
Old 10-07-2004, 11:41 AM
valkyrie valkyrie is offline
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It's about time somebody said this.

I'd like to add, that in addition to the fact that alumnae initiation is a more involved and difficult process than collegiate rush, NOT EVERYBODY IS AN APPROPRIATE CANDIDATE FOR ALUMNAE INITIATION. A woman is a good candidate if she is dedicated to making a difference and volunteering to help the local alumnae and collegiate chapters(s) and the organization as a whole. The fact that someone has always wanted to go Greek or got cut by everybody during rush is not a good reason. In general, being cute or nice might be enough to get someone a bid in college, but it's not enough for someone to be offered alumna membership.

The average alumnae initiation pursuit can take months, if not years. If the process is done well, a potential new alumna member will meet many alumnae in different situations and they will spend quite a bit of time getting to know each other, unlike rush where people spend just minutes or hours together.
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  #11  
Old 10-07-2004, 12:39 PM
LPIDelta LPIDelta is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by 33girl
Rather than nontrad students doing AI, we need to educate our chapters (and our alumnae) that the collegiate sorority member is not necessarily a single woman age 18-22.

I'm not sure if that's what you meant or not, but being older doesn't make you an instant AI candidate - if you're an undergraduate student, you should go through regular rush.
I agree wholeheartedly--it was not my intention to say that non-traditional students should do AI. My point was that AI may become more of a norm with many organizations in order to take advantage of the revenue and volunteer resources that may come with those kinds of potential new members.
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  #12  
Old 10-07-2004, 12:59 PM
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honeychile honeychile is offline
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There's not one statement above with which I don't agree!

I've read over our rules for AI, and trust me, it's not for the faint of heart!
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  #13  
Old 10-07-2004, 04:42 PM
navane navane is offline
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I'd like to add my comments to the mix. It's one thing to have a sorority sister spend five minutes during recruitment asking you about your major and hometown.......

..... it's another thing to face a room full of International Officers just a couple of hours before initiation and be interviewed about what I expect to contribute to Gamma Phi Beta. Yeah.....you better believe it. They asked me what I had already been doing for Gamma Phi and/or what I planned to be doing as a member of my local alumna chapter. It's not like I could look those women in the eye and say, "Well, it didn't work out during formal rush and was told that I 'could always do AI', so here I am".

kddani said, "The potential member REALLY has to have something to offer. You can't just be a cute girl with a nice personality- you really have to have something to offer. You have to be dedicated." Absolutely! Both my big sister Cele (GPhiBLtColonel) and the International Officers made that very clear. They were expressing the expectation that I won't just get my badge and then disappear.

Not all of the NPC groups offer AI....and many of the ones that do, only do so under exceptional conditions. Of the ones which have more open programs for accepting AIs, even those aren't exactly a walk in the park either (as evidenced by my experience).

.....Kelly
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  #14  
Old 10-08-2004, 03:44 PM
MelodyCat MelodyCat is offline
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Co-sign, co-sign, co-sign!

It's not for the faint of heart, it's not for those who aren't dedicated, and it's not for those who aren't committed.

You've not only got to want it, you've got to say why, and you've got to *shine* there. It's not an easy in by any means.
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  #15  
Old 10-08-2004, 05:11 PM
blueangel blueangel is offline
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AI is all about giving

Very good posts!
Something else I'd like to add...


I think most of us who hope to become AIs have different reasons than those that we may have had when we were in college.

Now that I'm out of school many years, have experienced life, and am set in my career.. it's all about what I can do for the sorority.

I'm interested in AI because I want to help mentor the younger women as they prepare to begin their career and as they set out on their life journey. I also deeply believe in the philanthropy of one particular group I hope to reconnect with. And of course, it's about the special bond of friendship... that means giving as well. To have a good friend, you must be a good friend.

Last edited by blueangel; 10-08-2004 at 05:17 PM.
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