Life Loyal: Sorority Recruitment from an Alumna's Eyes

As a new school year begins at college campuses across the nation, Greek women (and men as well) are preparing for their annual fall recruitment.  As part of that preparation, alumnae are invited to their chapter to stay connected and see how their younger sisters are doing.  Tonight, I went to my chapter's alumnae event.

It's only been three years since I became an alumna (and I haven't left the city), but the drive onto my small alma mater's campus does bring back four and a half years of memories.  As I stepped through the door, the alumnae chair greeted me and introduced herself, which feels oddly formal and reminds me that I'm not there every day any more.  Yet when I walk through the door, despite not recognizing any collegiate members (at least not immediately, there are a few I know from my super senior semester) I still know I'm home.  The energy in the room is familiar.  Girls are spread throughout the chapter room chatting, with a few milling around the kitchen.  A few other alums start to arrive and we chat catching up about life, families, jobs, etc while intermittently meeting collegiate members who are on their A game when it comes to making a good first impression.

Formality gives way to that underlying bond that transcends familiarity from member to member.  As I chat with a group of three girls, all in various studies of theatre, I find out that one of them is in my "family" (the line of mentorship known as big, little, grand big, great grand big, etc).  I share with them the story of how I think the family name has changed, along with an anecdote of the year I became a big and dressed up like a ninja to drop off a gift to my little.  They love the story, and I think I have resurrected the Ninja Fam as a group name.  Which is awesome.

Moving from the kitchen into the couches of the chapter room with two alums, some of the collegiate members join us and want to hear stories from our days in the house.  What has changed?  At first it seems like not much has changed, aside from our chapter doubling in size from when we were first initiated.  Then I realize that I went to school there as the dance school was just starting its pedagogy program and before it had a creepy scale that talked to you.  I feel the distance of the years a bit more keenly with that realization.  They ask what I'm doing now, and I'm so glad that I will be teaching dance in the fall so I have some aspect of my life still related to my degree.  

The alums get to see a bit of what the collegiate members will be sharing with potential new roommates during recruitment and my heart swells with joy watching them share their talents with us and watching a video montage of their involvement with our philanthropy.  Afterward we share stories, alumnae and collegiate members, of what our sisterhood means to us.  Many themes are repeated:  life long friendships, support through difficult times, helping each other meet our full potential, networking and gaining leadership opportunities.  So much of my adult life has taken shape thanks to this sisterhood.  I see pieces of myself and other sisters in the collegiate members.  Each woman is unique, but we are all real, strong women who are genuine, fun-loving, and passionate.  The traits that define the chapter now are still those that defined it during my college days.

As the evening draws to a close for alums (the collegiates still have work to do in preparation for recruitment) our younger sisters thank us graciously for joining them this evening and let us know that they look forward to seeing us again throughout the semester.  I stay and chat with a few older collegiates and some alums.  I wish my younger sisters the best of luck this week with recruitment and can't wait for them to welcome fantastic new women into our house on Sunday!