When an individual first joins a Greek organization, they are bombarded with a calendar packed full of philanthropy’s and other events that take up a large portion of their weekend. Many pose the question “so what’s in it for me?” A short question with a very long answer.
Most people first join a sorority or a fraternity as a freshman in order to meet people on campus and develop a stronger social life. As they get older, their classes get harder; they get more involved with internships and work, and slowly steer away from socials, formals, and other social events.
However, many stick with it throughout the long hall and maintain their membership until graduation. These students often develop great networking tools for the future as well as great connections through alumni. Most active alumni of a Greek organization are high paid individuals that donate a lot of money their organization. They also take an active role in being mentors for the members and helping them prepare for the real world.
Any national organization has a wide variety of alumni, weather they went to your particular school or another school; you have a common bond because you were in the same Greek organization. As a senior, utilizing alumni relations is a great way to land your first job.
Holding an executive bored position in your particular organization also looks great on a resume. Also, a lot of employers were in Greek organizations themselves and understand it consists of a lot more then just drinking and keg parties. There are several reasons why a Greek organization can be beneficial in the long run; it just requires a little dedication to stick with it throughout good times and bad.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Dry Week
Non-alcoholic weeks are a standard part of being in a Greek organization. A non-alcoholic week also known as “Dry Week” may be set as a rule due to any number of things. Recruitment for one, is dry for a number of reasons, firstly the Dean of Student Affairs does not want any current members to drink with potential new members in hopes of steering away from the stereotypes of typical Greeks.
A second occasion is Greek Week; this is a week full of sporting events and performances put on by each individual organization. The week is intended to promote Greek unity there for drinking throughout the week is prohibited.
Lastly, any and all official events put on by either a fraternity or sorority is strictly dry unless a third party vendor serves alcohol. This rule usually surprises outsiders that are unfamiliar with the Greek system. Many stereotypes of fraternities and sororities involve alcohol, however with such strict rules, alcohol is rarely a part our events.
A second occasion is Greek Week; this is a week full of sporting events and performances put on by each individual organization. The week is intended to promote Greek unity there for drinking throughout the week is prohibited.
Lastly, any and all official events put on by either a fraternity or sorority is strictly dry unless a third party vendor serves alcohol. This rule usually surprises outsiders that are unfamiliar with the Greek system. Many stereotypes of fraternities and sororities involve alcohol, however with such strict rules, alcohol is rarely a part our events.
Recruitment
Every year, the four sororities at Florida Atlantic University come together for one week of annual recruitment. In order to expand the membership amongst the sororities, recruitment is a vital part to the future of the Greek system. Each night consists of a different theme, this year Delta Phi Epsilon chose the theme of colors and each night all of the girls dressed in a different color and decorate their assigned room in that particular color.
The first night was titled “pink night” where the room was lavishly decorated in Victoria Secret emblem. The second night consisted of white decorations and all of the girls wore all white, canals were lit all over the room, and the ceilings were draped with white silk material. The third night was purple and gold night; every sorority is required to perform a ritual relating to their sorority, our particular sorority performs a ritual for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
The last and final night was black night, also known as pref night, this is where the girls narrow down their top two sororities and only go to two rooms. Only one sorority offer them a bid based on their top two choices. This process is complicated but effective.
The first night was titled “pink night” where the room was lavishly decorated in Victoria Secret emblem. The second night consisted of white decorations and all of the girls wore all white, canals were lit all over the room, and the ceilings were draped with white silk material. The third night was purple and gold night; every sorority is required to perform a ritual relating to their sorority, our particular sorority performs a ritual for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
The last and final night was black night, also known as pref night, this is where the girls narrow down their top two sororities and only go to two rooms. Only one sorority offer them a bid based on their top two choices. This process is complicated but effective.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Basket/Date Auctions
Many sororities hold an annual date auction in order to raise money for their national philanthropy. This consists of holding an auction where members go up for bid on stage and the person that offers the highest bid wins a date with that particular member. Although this process sounds rather promiscuous, the event is completely harmless and all sorority members go on a group date with the person that bought them. The location of the date changes every year however in the past members have gone bowling, ice-skating, ect.
This past week, Alpha Xi Delta held their annual basket auction. Since A Xi D headquarters does not allow their members to auction off themselves, they choose to hold a basket auction instead. All members are required to put together a basket filled with gifts of their choice. Most members have the contents of their basket donated by local restaurants and stores. The baskets can be auctioned for anywhere from $25 to $300 and all of the money raised goes directly to their national philanthropy which is Choose Children.
This past week, Alpha Xi Delta held their annual basket auction. Since A Xi D headquarters does not allow their members to auction off themselves, they choose to hold a basket auction instead. All members are required to put together a basket filled with gifts of their choice. Most members have the contents of their basket donated by local restaurants and stores. The baskets can be auctioned for anywhere from $25 to $300 and all of the money raised goes directly to their national philanthropy which is Choose Children.
Valentines Day
If there is one positive aspect I can say about being in a sorority, it is that you will never feel alone on Valentines Day. Most sororities do some sort of event so that no girl will feel left out. Some argue that Valentines Day is just a day for card companies to get rich, although I agree; it is still a depressing holiday for a single young woman.
My particular sorority does an activity called Secret Crush. It is very similar to the famous tradition of having a secret Santa at Christmas time, only this time you have a crush. Each member of the sorority draws a name out of a hat and whichever name you draw, you are responsible for leaving him or her presents on Valentines Day.
Although the concept is very silly and rather cheesy, it still manages to make a normally depressing holiday a little bit brighter.
My particular sorority does an activity called Secret Crush. It is very similar to the famous tradition of having a secret Santa at Christmas time, only this time you have a crush. Each member of the sorority draws a name out of a hat and whichever name you draw, you are responsible for leaving him or her presents on Valentines Day.
Although the concept is very silly and rather cheesy, it still manages to make a normally depressing holiday a little bit brighter.
Deepher Dog
This past weekend, Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority hosted a new event called Deepher Dog.The event was a fundraiser held to benefit Pets in Distress. The event consisted of several dogs competing in a pageant or competition. Each Greek organization could enroll one dog to represent their group. Throughout the week Delta Phi Epsilon set up cans along the breezeway in order to hold a "penny wars" competition.
Each can had a picture of a dog and the organization they were representing, then as students passed by, they were asked to donate change to a dog of their choice. The winner of the Penny Wars was granted extra points added to his or her final score at the pageant competition.
The following Saturday, Delta Phi Epsilon held the dog pageant where each competitor was aloud to perform tricks and strut their stuff in hopes of winning the title of Deepher Dog. The winner of the competition was a dog owned by a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. All of the proceeds went to Pets in Distress.
Each can had a picture of a dog and the organization they were representing, then as students passed by, they were asked to donate change to a dog of their choice. The winner of the Penny Wars was granted extra points added to his or her final score at the pageant competition.
The following Saturday, Delta Phi Epsilon held the dog pageant where each competitor was aloud to perform tricks and strut their stuff in hopes of winning the title of Deepher Dog. The winner of the competition was a dog owned by a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. All of the proceeds went to Pets in Distress.
Practice Makes Perfect
This month the FAU Greek system is practicing hard in order to achieve first place in the Greek Week competitions. Every year the different organization is assigned a different category according to the particular theme. This year, the theme is countries, which means each organization chooses a different country and they must dress and perform pertaining to the country of their choice.
The theme is most important when it comes to the lip sync, skit, and talent portion of the competition. If an organization fails to dedicate one aspect of their country to their particular performance, points are deducted from their total score. Choosing a good theme is the key to success in this competition. Although new and smaller organizations may find it amusing to choose countries such as Cambodia or Iceland, older and more experienced Greek Week competitors know that choosing such themes are Greek Week suicide.
As the date becomes closer, the tension rises. Only time will tell who will take home the championship this year.
The theme is most important when it comes to the lip sync, skit, and talent portion of the competition. If an organization fails to dedicate one aspect of their country to their particular performance, points are deducted from their total score. Choosing a good theme is the key to success in this competition. Although new and smaller organizations may find it amusing to choose countries such as Cambodia or Iceland, older and more experienced Greek Week competitors know that choosing such themes are Greek Week suicide.
As the date becomes closer, the tension rises. Only time will tell who will take home the championship this year.
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