Sorority Initiation

Introduction 

Being at College is an exciting experience in itself, but if the college has sororities, that makes the college experience more surreal.   Once you get in a sorority you have to get through some rituals which are a form of tradition and different in each sorority in order to welcome new members into the club and this is known as initiation. Read on to fully understand what it is and be prepared for it before getting into your dream sorority.

Sorority Initiation

Sorority  initiation

 As written above is a loose definition of an initiation, let’s look at what exactly is it?

In each sorority there is a process of admitting new members into their sorority known as sorority initiation, new addition to the group have to go through rituals that are based on different belief systems and values that are unique to each of the sorority on campus. After following through with the initiation rituals, the new members become official sisters. 

 One thing about a sorority is that the members are sworn to secrecy. initiation process is kept a secret and not to be shared.

How do initiations work?

An initiation process starts once all the newly recruited members have gone through the pledge class phase by receiving of bids and have been thoroughly enlightened about the sorority they are about to be initiated in 

A key points as to what information is important and what would require your attention-

1.      All the data related to a sorority will be provided to you, and it will entail important values to be followed strictly by each and every member along with expectations that needs to be met during the time they will be a part of the sorority

2.      Several other information will be provided such as the official animal of the sorority, the motto it represents and so on

3.      There will be big little mentorship programs to be participated in.

4.      Financial responsibilities to be followed through

5.      Introduction to founding members of the sorority.

After you’ve been through the pledge phase, you will be initiated and become the official part of the sorority and many secrets they share among its members.

Are sorority initiation supposed to be scary or disparaging?

First and foremost, no they are not supposed to be belittling or offensive in any way, they are supposed to be an enjoyable and dignified moment for any girl to be welcomed into a new community with like-minded students and become a part of a team. And if any girl is faced with any kind of behavior that is obscene or insulting should report to the authorities immediately and drop out of the sorority at the earliest and immediate family should also be informed about the misdemeanor. And this kind of behavior should not be conducted before or after an initiation.

Secondly, going to a new college, joining a sorority and initiating into one can be very nerve racking at first, but the sisters there would make you feel better as there will be a lot of new members there going through the same process and also the big in the sorority will guide you through it and the rituals will go by easy, and it would be very exciting and a memorable moment for your life.

Criteria for being initiated into a sorority:-

1)      New recruits have to be in good shape from a financial point of view and that entails paying your sorority dues on time, or any other obligation that needs to be met in order to be a part of the membership.

2)      Sorority pins or badges are necessary for each and every new recruit in order to represent the sorority you are to be initiated in, and you will wear these badges to several social events and maybe even during the usual time you are on college campus. The rules vary according to each sorority on this issue, too.

3)      In case, a person is incriminated and is found guilty of any crimes such as vandalism and using the name to perform any kind of illegal activity not allowed on campus or by the sorority, that will lead to permanently termination of the member from the sorority and will not be initiated in this case.

Proper sorority initiation outfits

As such there are no reports of official outfits that can be worn to initiation ceremonies, although some may offer a robe or a sweatshirt or a t-shirt to be worn but most likely anything you wear would be perfectly sufficient for the initiation and would be approved by everybody in the sorority.

If provided with an official outfits do wear it to the initiation and even though it’s not mandatory it’s good faith to do so for your first initiation.

Time period for the ceremony to be completed

Usually, it has been seen that these initiations can go up to 4 hours, that is if the class to be initiated is of a considerate size. And sometimes it may take just a few hours and the rest of the ceremony is just debriefing new sisters welcomed about the duties and responsibilities that they will carry and perform to their best potential or just maybe small workshops and a few times a small celebratory get together in order to know more about the newly recruited members into the sorority and that includes taking and socializing with each member of the sorority. And since it can be long hours, it’s good to have a clear schedule just for the day you are to be initiated.

Q. What authorities are the new members are supposed to report to and in case of a misdemeanor?

A.  If there is to be a report to be given or submitted you will be provided with necessary information generally by a big of your sorority but in case you are not, you are to contact the Education vice president or new member educator who will in fact debrief you further about any and all inquiry you may have regarding your role or responsibility in the sorority.

Several other authorities in the sorority you can talk to, in case of confusion or to report any kind of incident, are as follows:

1.      Chapter president 

2.      Chapter advisor

3.      Campus police

4.      Department of fraternities and sorority life at the university.

In case any kind of obscene incident is reported by any new member of the sorority against any fellow sorority members, they will be strictly punished for their actions and would be seriously indicted by the appropriate authorities and will be eradicated.

Sorority change in case the members change their minds about the one they are currently initiated in

There will be a few times in life where you may want to reconsider your decisions in case the desired option did not serve to your needs or didn’t meet up with your expectations. 

If the case is similar with the sorority you have chosen and been initiated in and now decided to change the sororities and want to be part of another community that may serve your goals according to how you want, then there is a process for that, so you can be rest assured about your decision.

A brief description of the process to drop your sorority:

1.      Writing a letter of resignation to the chapter president of your sorority with the reason that states clearly why you have decided to drop the sorority.

2.      After the letter is viewed and approved by the appropriate authorities, you have to go through an interview process for moving forward with the dropping of sorority decision, and it will include questions as to why you are dropping the sorority and in case there have been any inconvenience you will provide feedback for the sorority to regulate their policies and keep it more friendly for the next batch of sorority sisters that are recruited there. 

3.      You are to pay all of your outstanding sorority dues and turn in the official sorority badge, pin or any other merchandise that may belong to the sorority. Also, if you were allowed to live in the sorority house you are to turn in the key to the house provided by them.

4.      After you are officially dropped from the sorority you will not be able to participate in sorority recruitment again anywhere and in case you are transferred to a new school, and they have the same sorority you dropped out of and want to apply again you can into a new chapter but once you are officially terminated you are never to be part of the recruitment process period. 

Be very careful before you make any decision regarding your sorority before and after joining. 

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier the process of joining a sorority can be very exciting and nerve racking at the same time but will be the most important and most memorable moment for you as you may form really strong bonds that will last for life and will support and guide you not just for your campus life but after college too. Remember to enjoy being initiated into your dream sorority or any sorority and be proud of making it and live the moment of first ever time of initiating into a sorority.