Our Ambassador Mary Kate Lobough recently attended the 2011 Annual Meeting of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors (AFA). Although SureSister staff members did not deliver an educational session this year, we are happy to provide you with this update written by Mary Kate: Read the rest of this entry »
Copyright 2011 Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment
So you are packing your bags and heading off to college? Surely you are excited to attend orientation events, learn about your new campus and make new friends. As you plan for your arrival on campus, who else can you befriend to help you plan?
Alumni in general are great resources for information about preparing for college. Sorority alumnae (pronounced “uh-lum-nee”), women who are no longer active collegiate sorority members, can be fabulous resources for you right now, even before you set foot on campus. This article explains what Panhellenic alumnae are, both in terms of individuals and organizations, and how they can help you. Read the rest of this entry »
Copyright 2011 Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment
During Recruitment, there is always a lot of talk regarding legacies. What is a legacy, exactly, and what does this mean to a Potential New Member like you? This article answers common questions from prospective sorority members participating in sorority recruitment.
Q. How do I know if I’m a legacy?
♥ A “legacy” is a woman who is closely related to a member of a given sorority. If your grandmother, mother or sister is a Beta Beta Beta, either in college or out of college, you are a Beta Beta Beta legacy. However, each sorority has its own definition of “legacy.”
As the concept of “family” has changed, many sororities have refined their concept of “legacy” to include aunts, cousins and step-relations, while others have not made this change. If you think you’re a legacy to a sorority, but you’re not sure, talk to your sorority relative or campus Panhellenic contact. Be aware that sororities DO check with their headquarters to confirm, so don’t “fudge your facts.”
Q. Does my sorority relative have to write me a recommendation? Read the rest of this entry »
Copyright 2010 Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment
What terms are used most frequently during sorority recruitment? We’ve got them for you here, including people, groups, time frames, rules, statistics, and actions. A quick peruse will help familiarize you with some new (and sometimes odd) words and phrases you will likely be hearing more often.
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is the conference body of 26 sororities and women’s fraternities established to collaborate with and advocate for it’s members. Membership recruitment is governed by a College Panhellenic Association at each institution.
College Panhellenic Association (sometimes abbreviated as CPH, PHC, Panhel, CPC, etc.) is the cooperative campus organization of collegiate members of NPC sororities represented on that campus.
Formal Recruitment is a designated membership recruitment period during which each sorority holds a series of organized social activities.
A Chapter is the local group that represents a segment of an Inter/National organization. The term Inter/National describes a sorority’s central organization.
All sororities have chapters in the U.S. These are national sororities. Some sororities have chapters in Canada, making them international sororities. The term Inter/National describes both types organizations and is used widely in the collegiate setting. Read the rest of this entry »
Copyright 2010 Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment
How do you persuade someone to appreciate your fabulousness? One of the strongest basic tenets of persuasive communications is evidence. Provide your listener with evidence of your thesis, position, or brand. When you meet sorority members during the recruitment process, will you flat out announce the three legs of your special brand?
“Hi, my name is Brit. First, I’m a skilled varsity athlete. Second, I’m a National Merit Scholar. Third, I plan to become a pediatric anesthesiologist.”
Is that normal, friendly conversation? Would this persuade others that Brit is special? Self-absorbed? Even if these three things about Brit are both true and pertinent, is there a better way Brit could convince a sorority member she is a good candidate for a sorority? Read the rest of this entry »
Copyright 2010 Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment
The term “rush” was coined around the turn of the 20th century when sorority and fraternity students would literally rush train platforms where new students arrived on campus for the school year.
That was the beginning of the disorganized membership recruitment for the sororities and fraternities. Read the rest of this entry »
Copyright 2009 Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment
What is Panhellenic? It’s a strange word, don’t you think? I do too! Why would anyone choose that name for an organization? Let’s break it down to understand.
The word “Panhellenic” (pan-huh-len-ic) is formed from two Greek words, “pan” meaning “all” and “Hellenic”meaning “Greek.” When you hear the word Panhellenic in reference to a college council, an alumnae association, or a national conference, you want to think “all sororities.” The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is the body of 26 women’s fraternities established to support the collegiate chapters of the NPC member groups.
Wait, did you say fraternities?
Yes, I did! In the early days of collegiate sororities, many women’s organizations called themselves “fraternities” until the term “sororities” was coined around 1874. So in the NPC you’ll find a nice blend of both sororities and women’s fraternities. Sometimes these women’s fraternities are simply called fraternities. If you stumble across a Greek fraternity on the internet or elsewhere that is unfamiliar to you, the organization may be for women, men, or both.
Your collegiate Panhellenic Council may go by many names: Pan, Panhel, PHA (Panhellenic Association), CPH (College Panhellenic), CPC (College Panhellenic Council), or WPA (Womens Panhellenic Association). Typically alumnae Panhellenic organizations (for women who have left the college scene) are called associations.
At present, nearly 4 million women are members of (National Panhellenic Conference) NPC groups. This figure includes both collegiate and alumnae members (uh-lum-nee).
Note: ‘Collegiate’ is an adjective used to describe a person or thing. ‘Collegian’ is a noun used to describe a person. ‘Alumnae’ (uh-lum-nee) is the feminine plural form of the feminine Latin word ‘alumna.’ ‘Alumni’ is the plural form for a group of men or men and women together. One man? He’s an ‘alumnus.’
SUNDAY TOLLEFSON is an author, professional speaker, coach, and a leading authority on sorority recruitment. She is the author of RUSH RIGHT: Reveal Your Best YOU During Sorority Recruitment and the founder of SureSister.com.
Copyright 2009-2010 Sunday Tollefson, SureSister.com
Copyright 2009 Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment