philanthropies
by: DebI'm interested in hearing (from actives or others) about the sorority philanthropies. What do you all enjoy about supporting your philanthropy and what options exist to get involved. I'd really like to hear some positive comments rather than bashing other houses because this seems like an important part of being in a sorority but it's not talked about all that much. Thank you so much!
#1by: .
Each sorority holds multiple events for their philanthropies throughout the year that actives can get involved in! Some events every member has to participate in while others are more optional, so you can really get as much or as little involved as you want. For at least one event a year you will have to sell 5-10+ tickets for the event and then usually work a shift at the actual event. During rush you will get the opportunity to share with PNMs all about your philanthropy and how you've gotten involved with it (I encourage you to ask this question during philanthropy round during rush). Some sororities get to have hands on experience with their philanthropies, like chi o has their wish week for make a wish and they grant a child's wish and throw them a party at the chi o house, dg gets to meet a lot of the service dogs they fund, kd does events with actual girl scouts, ddd visits st jude every year, etc. You can often get involved enough where you help plan every philanthropy event and make sure they go off without a hitch and even be in contact with the representatives for your philanthropy and help raise money. A lot of girls will try to get as involved as possible because their philanthropy touches them personally while many others do the required things and nothing more. It is really up to you, but there are plenty of ways for you to get more involved than required if you want!
For me personally, it is so amazing seeing my philanthropy more firsthand and getting to play a direct role in supporting the cause. It is incredible to see the impact that an entire sorority can have on an organization! There is a lot of work that goes into these philanthropy events and raising money and so there is always help needed.
Commentby: Again..Open Mind!
Just for the record: You can research all the philanthropies and fall in love with a sorority based on their philanthropy and it's still going to be the choice of the sorority if you are invited to join them. So I wouldn't 'fall in love' before coming to recruitment. Just know that every sorority on the Ole Miss campus raises lots of money to help a good cause, whatever that cause is. Keep an open mind, I repeat... KEEP AN OPEN MIND.
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#2by: me
You've gotten some great input here, very well explained.
I would caution you to not get hung up on philanthropies as someone else advised. I like that my sorority has just one cause that we support (versus multiple like some), but is it why I pledged my house? No. I pledged because these are the girls I wanted to have as sisters. The philanthropy is a side benefit in the sense of having a great cause for all sisters everywhere to support and to help others.
What I'm trying to say is this: it's great to study each houses's philanthropy so you can have good talking points at parties, but to think you would want one based on that is a poor way to view each house. I'd also caution you not to be obsessive talking about philanthropies to the sense that you come off as if that's the only thing you're looking at a house for. You want the sisterhood. Be open and see what comes your way.
by: agree and...
this is where NPC likes to talk about "values based recruitment" and you can actually see what that means. Think about how volunteer work/philanthropy impacts your life and your values. If the active you're talking to during recruitment can't tell you anything about their philanthropy but volunteer work is very important to you, that's where you might think "hey, maybe this house isn't the right fit for me." But if you're more passionate about something else, like let's say student government, you're going to care more about the leadership roles the sisters have and how they mentor and support each other in that regard. That doesn't make any chapter morally superior or whatever, just what fits you best.
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by: Just saying
I think some of the comments are not Ole Miss students. They sound great, but they make it sound like you can choose your sorority based on what you like or want. Value based recruitment probably works at a smaller school, but at Ole Miss it's who you know for the 'top' tiers and resume, recs and GPA for the others.
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by: @just saying
Idk i think “values based rush” is a buzz word everywhere and doesn’t really mean anything unless you interpret it that way. All sororities are going to claim to have a close sisterhood but if you care more about being social than philanthropy you can kinda tell that in convos. Imo it’s better when a PNM gets cut from top tier she actually consider which one fits her values as opposed to which one is ranked highest.
And fwiw I didn’t interpret the other posts on this thread as saying you pick your own chapter bc obviously you don’t, but more like good conversation points and thingsnto think about besides rank.
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by: also agree and...
Yes, look at philanthropies since they can indicate values, but how I look at values is this: if I'm into academic achievement, then I'm going to want to be in a house where that's highly valued, not where a lot of girls are more into partying - not that houses don't have a mix of both, they do, but some houses have more of certain values than not. Likewise, if I'm into being active in campus activities, then look at the houses where a lot of girls are and where I can be mentored by other sisters.
I think when you look at where you feel most comfortable and at home, it's because the chapter personality - which includes values - appeals to you. Pay attention to the general feel of each house and what comes out of your conversations. And remember - you're not choosing the house, the houses do the choosing. That's why it's so important to have an open mind.
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#3by: Deb
Wow! This has been the most helpful and informative thread on this whole site. Thank all of you for taking the time to help me think through recruitment. I def understand that it's not like I just pick which sorority I want to join. lol. Thank you for filling in some of the gaps so I don't only focus on one or two sororities. I just wish recruitment would start and be over already.
by: the bright side
I know it sucks to put rush off because some people like to use delayed recruitment as a chance to sew seeds of doubt about certain chapters into the minds of PNMs but it also gives girls a chance to get to know girls who will all end up in different houses because you have more time to build friendships outside of recruitment. You'll get involved in some clubs or events on campus and meet lifelong friends who aren't all going to be your sisters, and you'll meet some actives who will make you realize there are involved girls in the "party" chapters, academic girls in the "dumb" chapters, and fun girls in the "boring" chapters. Use the pre-rush time as a chance to meet as many people as possible!
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by: me
Delayed recruitment can work to your benefit to get to know girls in the houses. Maybe you already know a lot of girls, but if you don't - you're from OOS/OOR or even a small Mississippi town - use this to your advantage to make connections. That can help a lot. And even if you do know some girls already, I would guess that you don't know girls in every house so this can help there too.
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by: Deb
Thank you so much for such a great response! You explained things very clearly and made me excited to join. Do only certain sororities do philanthropy? I am from out of state and don't know anyone at Ole Miss so I figure I need to keep my mind open going through rush though I love the idea of helping service dogs. Thanks again!
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