Asked by
mycodenameissofie

what an interesting situation! and how exciting to be at the origins of a group which will hopefully last for a very long time. one day your sorority may be celebrating 161 years like ADPi is today.

• my first suggestion would be to make EVERY occasion special. Whatever your sorority does, it should be marked with traditions. There should be a unique procedure for rushing, pledging, awards, meetings, initiation, engagements, big/little reveals, graduation ~ you name it ~ there should be a custom for it that  includes symbolic flowers, meaningful readings, mementoes etc.
• make a chart! start by listing ALL the events that occur in your sorority and then under each special occasion ~ i would brainstorm and list the exact traditions that will be followed every year. for example ~ when girls pledge your sorority there should be an established “ceremony” that might include the reading of your creed, a special poem, a presentation of the sorority flower, singing of a special pledge song, a one-of-a-kind pledge class photo, presentation of a pledge pin, a symbolic candle lighting ceremony ~ the possibilities are many. pick & choose what works for your group. plan out these types of rituals for all your chapter events. repetition every year establishes them as traditions. 
• include a check list for each event: songs, readings, symbolic gestures, gifts, jewelry, printed cards or certificates, flowers, candles & the like. make a guidebook if needed. 
• keep these traditions private! your special sisterhood rituals should be secret and for the sisters only. of course some are more secret than others, but most of your special occasions should be unique to your organization and held in high regard. that’s why i can’t give you lots of specific ideas, because i only know my own, and i don’t know specifics of other sororities off hand!

source for more ideas: browse the sorority web sites and pick up more ideas from the sisterhood events you see there. looking at photos and reading about what the chapters do, will give you more ideas for your own group. be creative and have fun!  xoxo ;)

• Tags
• sorority 101
• traditions
• rituals
• greek life
• panhellenic
• sorority

Asked by
thenerdosaurusrex

i’m so glad you wrote in! you are the perfect age to start thinking about what you want to do in college. greek life can be very rewarding, but it’s also challenging. please search my blog for other posts on recruitment by going to: http://www.sororitysugar.tumblr.com/tagged/sorority-101. there you will be able to read many helpful posts on rush. here are some tips to get you started……

preparing for rush WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL (what sororities are looking for in you):

• be active! join clubs, run for office, play sports, paint pictures, whatever you like, do it to the fullest. sororities like girls who are engaged in life.
• keep your grades up ~ there are minimum requirements in all chapters.
• volunteer ~ giving back is very important to greeks, start being charitable now.
• keep your reputation clean on tumblr & facebook. sororities, colleges and future employers do check. and after you join you could be asked to leave if there is offensive stuff on your blog.
• practice your social skills, manners and grammar. rush involves lots of small talk, and you need to be able to effectively “sell yourself”. you can’t be a total wallflower. 
• you don’t need to have family in a sorority, but you will need some recommendations from alum sorority women when the time comes. so now is the time for you to explore which teachers, other parents, or family friends might be able to write letters on your behalf. 
• at a big 10 school, there will be sorority competition, so experience in leadership is also important. if you can still run for office on campus, at church, or in one of your clubs - do it for senior year!

what to LOOK FOR IN A SORORITY: 

• when your college is confirmed, please visit all the chapter web sites and learn about each one. preparation will make you less nervous. then after your research, keep an open mind.
• look for girls with character, sincerity, honesty, friendliness and a house where you feel the most comfortable. you will know it when you “feel” it. 
• try to not be swayed by who has the fanciest dresses, most glamourous sorority house, most expensive rush decorations ~ those are all superficial. look beyond the sparkle and really assess the girls you meet. (and at the same time they are assessing you!)
• look for unity, real sisterhood and high ideals. do the girls live their creed? do they get good grades or just party all the time? when you see their “bragging” table displays and hear their “recruitment pitches” really pay attention to what they value most. each house is different!

You will be 100% fine ~ thousands of girls go through it each year! Just go with the flow, be upbeat and don’t let the inevitable “not asked back” rejections get you down. in the end every girl says yes to just one house. one invite to join is all you need to start your 4 years of college greek life.  MUCH LUCK!! <3 xoxo

• Tags
• sorority 101
• advice
• rudh
• recruitment
• greek life
• panhellenic
• sorority

Asked by
bonkasaurus

the first thing is to change your chapter’s thinking from QUANTITY - to - QUALITY! i don’t know the rules for all chapters on all campuses, but your quota numbers are set too high, if this is happening. your sorority leadership on the local or national level needs to address this ASAP and make your numbers attainable with a reasonable amount of recruitment.  the leaders need to reduce this pressure cooker situation so everyone can relax, take a breath and reevaluate their priorities. 

like with fundraising, you can’t keep asking people for money all the time ~ or you wear out your welcome. membership is the same way. if you are always frantically dragging in members, there comes a point where there is diminishing returns. either girls won’t want to join your stressed out group, or the ones who do join are only half-heartedly in it. out of control recruitment hurts moral and hurts the chapter as a whole. it’s better to have a small but happy sorority, than a larger chapter that is all about the numbers and not a cohesive group. 

i am not a fan of continuous/open recruitment, even though it works for some groups. the down side is, a chapter can turn into a “corporate sales team”, instead of a sorority. i think there is a time for rush, a time for fundraising, a time for sisterhood, a time for socializing, etc… BALANCE is needed in your chapter. 

so… first i would tackle your mal-adjusted quota and stop the craziness. then clean house, start fresh with a calm “back to basics” plan to evaluate girls on their merits & picking only quality girls who really want to be there. maybe your chapter will always be smaller and not the mega sorority on the block - but it’s worth it to have a peaceful, unified organization.  XOXO ;)

• Tags
• rush
• recruitment
• sorority 101
• advice
• quota
• panhellenic
• greek life
• sorority