Recruitment

                                Recruitment

                Why did you join a sorority? I get asked this question often and it is a very important question. The answer though is silly it was August I had no friends and nothing to do so I joined a sorority and I am glad I did. People join a sorority for many different reasons and now that it is the season for recruiting new members it is very important for us to know why people join. We actually have meetings where we examine why people join a sorority so that we can gain more girls. Penn State requires us to have a certain number of girls and if we do not reach this limit we will lose our suite which makes it so hard to have meetings and causes problems for future recruitment.

                There is two types of recruitment which are formal that happens in the beginning of September and informal which happens any time after formal. I joined through formal where you visit all the sorority’s suites and you pick which ones fit you best and the sorority picks the girls they see fit. It is a long process since there are 19 sororities on campus and it is really hard and awkward, but in the end I joined a great sorority filled with amazing women. The other type is informal which happens every Monday and Wednesday at 8 pm, feel free to stop by, and girls who are either interested in joining our sorority or is just curious is invited to come to our suite meet girls, eat snacks, and chill. If a girl feels as though the sorority is a good fit for her she fills out the paperwork which goes to the HUB to be processed just because if you’re in a sorority you need a 2.5 gpa. After that the sorority votes on the girl and if a majority wants her as a sister we have a new sister. If interested please feel free to contact me for further information or I can just see you on Monday.

Housing

                Living on the Floor

                I am pretty sure that housing is a big issue for everyone now that housing contracts has either been extended or denied. Guaranteed on campus housing for as long as you are in a sorority is one of the many reasons I decided to join my sorority in the first place. When you’re in a sorority you know exactly where you are going to live and don’t have to worry about the ridiculous lottery system placed for all the other kids on campus. I find it really nice to be able to live on a floor filled with friends and there are a lot of benefits to the way housing works for us sorority girls.

                The most obvious is that everyone else on your floor is a sister. That gives me the ability to just randomly walk into someone’s room ask them if they want to go to dinner or whatever. This is great because last semester I lived in East and it was so hard to make friends with the other people on my floor. In addition since we are like a big family they can give me clothes when I have nothing to wear and they will give me their opinion on my clothes so that when I go out I will look my best. I would never go back to living in regular dorms even though it cost 250 more per year to be in a sorority I feel as though it is worth it.

                It will really be worth it when the Greek Village is finally completed over the summer. The Greek Village is a set of buildings in South and Pollock that is only available for sororities. These buildings are being remodeled so that when we come back we are going to be living in what is pretty much a suite. The new dorms will all be carpeted with air conditioners and their own bathrooms. I am looking forward to that since I hate shower shoes. All in all living on the floor with my sisters is awesome and well worth the 250 especially since they are about to be redone.

Being a leader

            Being a leader

            When I joined my sorority I never had a leadership position before and I was not really looking to become a leader. I thought I would just be a regular member at least for a while since I just joined last semester, but I was wrong. I was elected into 2 positions and voted into a third. I had no idea what it would be like since I was never responsible for anyone other than myself before and I was afraid that I would let my chapter down if I did not do my jobs well. In high school I was not involved in anything and passed through without having to worry about these things.

            Now that I am in a sorority I have 2 very important positions and one position where even if I do a bad job at I would be fine. My first important position is Philanthropy chair and from the sound of it you can guess what I do. I am responsible for planning an event that will earn at least $600 for my sorority’s charity which is the Sigma Sigma Sigma Foundation ( the money goes towards children therapy in Saint Jude’s hospital). This is very important because if I don’t raise the money or chapter will no longer be recognized as an outstanding sorority from Nationals or Penn State. I have two events planned this year one is a jewelry sale which is necklaces and charmed bracelets for every sorority on campus, but I have a lot of paper work to get approved before I can start advertising for it. The second is a comedy show in the fall which should be awesome.

            My second important position is the goals coordinator of our Honor Council. The Honor Council makes sure all sisters are living up to the standards of the sorority. In a way we are like the court system, but we don’t punish unless we have no other choose. What we do is give you a set of goals and it is my job to make sure you fufill them.

THON 2

            THON 2

            I know I talked about THON in my last blog, but I am way to excited right now to think about anything else. My sorority has been working all year long and this last week has been hectic as we prepare. We decorated the outside of the suite with the letters of us and our THON partners and we had this year motto Brighten Every Journey with the name of our family Perez all on the window outside of our suite. A couple of days ago we received our THON shirts and we have two a light blue shirt with the motto on the front and our name and the Perez family on the back and a bright green last four hours shirt. Last night the schedule came for when we have our shifts and I have four shifts. My first shift is tonight 6-10 pm on Saturday I have two shift 6-10 am and 6-10 pm and on Sunday my shift is 6-10 am on Sunday everyone is going to be there for the last four hours and especially to see the total for this year.

            I am beyond excited for it when I went to work this morning I wore my THON shirt underneath my uniform and as soon as class is over I am heading to the BJC to join my sorority who has been waiting with our banner for the BJC to open since 11 am. This week I have been watching video after video about THON and each time I came close to tears and I cannot wait for my first THON to occur. Hopefully I see everyone there.

THON

This is THON season and I am sure all of you know what thon is. Well as a sorority sister THON is top priority. We worked hard to raise money for THON through THON letters and canning trips. We even got in touch with our alums to ask them to donate to the cause. We raise most of our money through canning trips and we have four of those usually, but this year we only had three because one got cancelled. Canning trips are not only a great way to make money, but are also interesting and a great way to bond with sisters. This blog is all about THON and canning trips.

            I only been on one real canning trip since I just recently been initiated, but that trip was a great deal of fun. I went to a trip in Maryland and it was a five hour job that was spent watching Disney movies and joking around with my sisters. When we actually went canning we was out on the side of the road from 9 in the morning to 5 at night with lunch and bathroom breaks. It might sound long, but it is a lot of fun and the time flies by. We have alums drive by and tell us interesting stories about their THON experiences and we have a great deal of hilarious donators like this one guy was afraid he might have dropped his weed into the can lol. At night we have pretty much a big sleepover which helps us get to know each other better.

            The last canning trip was last weekend so our focus is shifted to boosting moral for our family and our dancers. Our THON family consist of three children the oldest has cancer and we dedicated a lot of time this past week sending encouraging cards to them and we cannot wait to spend time with them next week. WE also made cards for our dancers to help them survive the long 48 hours on their feet. We are going to make a banner tomorrow to hold so that are dancers can see us and feel encouraged. I can’t wait for THON next week and I hope everyone else feels the same.