Genevive Chamblee's Blog, page 44

December 31, 2018

All About Bidding

If you’re following this blog series, then you’ve already read the common terms/vocabulary used by Greek organizations, the breakdown of which organizations comprise the NPC, NPHC, and IFC, application and pre-recruitment matters, and rounds. This post will contain fillers to help answer questions that one may still have. Since I left off at Bid Day in my last post, I’ll begin there and backtrack as necessary. Warning, this article uses a lot of Greek organization terminology. Readers unfamiliar with these terms are encouraged to read the first article in this series.

All About Bidding

In my previous post, I mentioned that Bid Day is typically a happy day because all PNM attending are guaranteed a bid. While this is mostly true, there are some exceptions. One of the most popular questions is if everyone at Bid Day gets a bid, and I just wrote that bids are guaranteed on this day. This is where things get sticky. So, let me clarify this by saying, every PNM at the Bid Day Ceremony is guaranteed a bid.

PNMs who did not receive bids on Pref Day/Pref Night will receive a phone call or a personal visit from their Recruitment Counselors prior to the Bid Day Ceremony. The Recruitment Counselor will inform them that they did not receive any bids (an invitation to join a sorority) and these PNM will not attend the Bid Day Ceremony. More often than not, PNMs are not given a specific reason why they have been dropped or not given a bid. However, the assigned Recruitment Counselor will do her best to offer comfort and support. PNMs who are cut from recruitment at any time are free to participate in recruitment again at the next rush. So, a Recruitment Counselor may encourage a PNM to try again.

So, again, are all PNM guaranteed bids? It depends. I am told that at some colleges/universities, it is the policy that all PNMs who complete the process are matched. This definitely is not the policy at all universities/colleges.

Some will argue that due to the Release Figures Management System (RFM) and mathematical algorithm, all PNMs will receive bids. Well, I have heard testimony that this is not true, either. While arguably, RFM has allowed more PNMs to find houses, it does not appear to be 100%. All it takes is one watching teary-eyed blogs to figure out this is not the case. So, it is fair to say, not every PNM is guaranteed a bid. Anyone who is considering the going through recruitment needs to have a clear understanding that it may not work out. Of course, that is a point of contention, too. Some state that the “process” always works and PNMs should trust it. Their position is if a PNM is not offered a bid, the process worked because it is not meant to be. But more on that later. Back to Bid Day.

A fairer question would be, how many or what percent of PNM entering into Bid Day or on final Pref Night or Pref Day who have maximized their options do not receive bids. As I mentioned in a previous article, my daughter’s university report this number to be around 5%. However, if one digs, that number becomes fuzzy. Within that 5%, it is not clear if that is 5% across the board and includes suicides, PNM voluntarily dropping, or recruitment ineligibility (e.g., grades, school suspension, etc.) or if that number is solely PNMs who completed the process correctly but still did not receive bids. If it is the former, that means the percent of PNMs who registered for recruitment and did not receive bids is higher than 5%. Everyone knows how companies like to blur and fudge statistics to make their image look better. If this number is closer to 20%, some parents may become concerned. After all, this is a financial investment, and most would prefer not to gamble high odds with that amount of money at stake. I do not have an answer to this question. It is not for a lack of trying, but the answer is not floating about freely. I know it will vary depending on the school, but I haven’t seen this number anywhere. But consider how devastating it is for a PNM to have gone through a week of recruitment (and perhaps weeks of pre-recruitment as in my daughter’s case) to on the final day not be accepted anywhere. What parent wants to get that call? And in southern universities where Greek Life is so prevalent (although, I have heard large universities try to downplay these number, too), how distressing it if for a former PNM to watch hundreds of girls around her receive her letters?

I know times have changed since my college days, but I must engage in a quick flashback. In my day (to sound ancient here), many non-Greek organizations were dominated by Greek organization members. For example, there was a social club for women associated with the baseball team. Members of this club participated as hostesses at baseball meet and greets. Women wanting to join this club completed an application and had an interview with several of the athletic coaches’ wives. Every single member of that club belonged to a sorority. Coincidence? Another example was homecoming maids and queens. Every candidate was associated with a sorority. The student council was the same. Is that still the case? I cannot say. Things do change. However, I know the influence of Greek life at these large, southern universities remains vast. One way I know it is simply by looking at the houses. Houses that size cannot be supported without large membership numbers. To gain membership numbers, organizations must advertise. To advertise means to be seen. To be seen means involvement. Involvement requires filtration and expansion into multiple areas. For Greek organizations that would mean members becoming involved in non-Greek clubs and events. During my time, it sometimes was difficult for “independents” to become involved in campus activities and club, not because they did not try but rather they were not selected. Greek members in these non-Greek clubs would select their Greek friends. Perhaps that was not how it was intended to be, but at the end of the day, that is how it panned out. For that reason, many students felt compelled to pledge.

Furthermore, southern universities are all about traditions. I call them generational schools. It’s not uncommon to hear someone describe himself/herself as fourth generation university XYZ. Legacies are rampant and lurking around every corner. There’s nothing wrong with this. It is what it is. The communication just needs to be there so PNM can make informed consents. It’s not fair to present PNM and their parents with half or inaccurate pictures of Greek life of campuses. My daughter’s university appears to be doing a decent job of informing the PNMs but has done little to inform parents.

I understand that these are adult children, but parents need enough information to be in a supportive position. Every parent knows not all children tell their parents everything, and often, by the time a parent is informed of anything the situation is dire. But having a thorough understanding of how the process works may assist parents in helping PNMs make the decision that is right for them. I knew a lot going into the atmosphere of the college my daughter attends. Although I did not attend there, I attended another large southern university (my daughter’s school’s rival—yeah, it’s really fun in my house). When she informed me of where she wanted to go, I opened the dialogue about Greek life and simply said, “you need to consider this”. I listed all the pros and cons. (To be fair, I think I may have listed more cons than pros. It may be a protective instinct of parents to do that.) In the end, I knew it had to be her decision and that she would have to learn some things on her own. But if I was to act as a guide or a listening post, then I needed to have a grasp of the process myself. (That’s another issue that I will address in later posts.)

Now seems an appropriate place to discuss cross-cutting. To understand this, one must understand how bidding works. Bidding is slated to be set on mutual selection. In a previous article, I discussed how “mutual selection” is not always truly mutual. I won’t rehash it here. I also have discussed RFM. So, I will discuss the bid list, and this will start to bring how RFM, mutual selection, and lists translate into bids.

Remember that after each round, PNM rank sororities in order of preference. Top picks are sororities the PNM want to be members, and bottom picks are ones that PNM would not want to join. Sororities in the middle are considered neither strong likes or dislikes. While the PNMs are ranking their preferences, sororities are ranking PNMs in who they want to invite back. On Pref Day/Pref Night, each sorority will make their final two lists. I’ll call these List A and List B. The total number of PNMs on List A will equal the sorority’s quota. For example, if a sorority has a quota of 50 invitations it can offer, then List A will have 50 PNMs. List B will be comprised on all the other PNMs who attended the sorority’s preferential parties but did not make List A. List B are, for a lack of a better word, second choices. List B is also ranked in order of preference, with more favored choices at the top and less favored at the bottom. No names of the lists will be duplicated. For example, PNM Lori cannot be on both List A and List B simultaneously. She can, however, be transferred from one list to the other. That will be explained later.

Once the lists are compiled, this information is entered into a computer program for matching. Roughly, the computer uploads all of the PNMs first choice sorority and compares it to List A. It is searching for mutual matches. For example, if PNM Lori’s first choice is sorority XYZ, and sorority XYZ has Lori on their List A, then Lori is placed in XYZ. Her name is removed from the list, and no other sorority can consider Lori for membership at this point. It also means sorority XYZ now has 49 slots remaining. The computer will continue in this way until all of the PNM first choice-List A matches have been made. If a sorority meets their quota from their List A choices, then that sorority will not use List B. (There is an exception to this. There are always exceptions, but I will worry with the exception later.) For now, I will keep it simple. Sorority XYZ having met its quota would be done with the selection process.

So, what if sorority LMN had PNM Lori listed on their List A? In that instance, the computer would remove Lori from sorority LMN List A, move all names currently on List A up, and add the top PNM from List B to the bottom of List A. (Sounds like stereo instructions, doesn’t it?) In short it would look like this. If Amy was #1 on LMN’s List B, after Lori is removed from LMN’s List A, Amy would be added to the bottom of LMN’s List A.

The matching process is complete when all sororities meet one of two conditions: 1. The sorority reaches quota or 2. The sorority exhausts both bid lists. Here, one might ask what happens to PNM who are invited to only one preferential party. Most of the articles and vlogs I found discussed PNMs being dropped going into Pref Day/Pref Night. In other words, the Recruitment Counselor would call the day of Pref and tell the PNM not to come. I didn’t find one that discussed attending Pref Day/Pref Night with a single choice and having that sorority not offer a bid.

I have no answer for this. Most of the research I have found suggest that PNMs who were invited to only one pref party and attended are guaranteed a bid to that sorority. That would be nice but… And here we go with that “mutual selection” stuff again. Suppose Lori is only invited to XYZ. On Pref Day/Pref Night, Lori’s choices are to either 1. Accept XYZ as her only sorority option or 2. Drop from recruitment. Say Lori decides to remain in recruitment and accepts XYZ as her only option. But XYZ is a top tier sorority that all the PNM want to join. While XYZ was impressed with Lori and wouldn’t mind having her as a member, there were other PNMs that they were more impressed with. As a result, Lori ended up on XYZ’s List B. However, XYZ met quota using their List A. This would mean Lori would not receive a bid from XYZ.

Some scenarios would suggest that Lori would be added to XYZ anyway despite quota being met, but that only would be possible if XYZ hasn’t met house total. If XYZ is at total, Lori cannot be added. One article stated that PNMs who are invited back to only one sorority are placed into sororities first by the computer. This certainly is possible. However, I do not see how that would be fair to sororities or PNMs to have PNMs on List A bumped down by a PNM on List B.

This scenario is similar to cross-cutting, which could also result in a PNM being bidless. Here’s how it works. Assume that PNM Lori selects sorority XYZ as her first choice and sorority LMN as her second choice. Sorority XYZ has Lori on their List B. Sorority LMN has Lori on List A. Because Sorority LMN is not Lori’s first choice, Lori is bumped down the list to allow for all the mutual matches of PNM who selected LMN as their first choice and LMN’s List A and to see if Lori eventually will match with XYZ. However, XYZ, being top tier, fills their quota from List A. By the time LMN gets back to Lori’s name, LMN already has met their quota. Therefore, Lori walks away with zero bids.

Then, there are the PNMs who decide to suicide. If a PNM chooses to not list a second choice and her only choice reaches quota before the sorority gets to her, she then has no other options. I have noted this several times previously. Suicide bids are strongly discouraged. Not only will the PNM not get a bid, but she also becomes ineligible for COB and snap bids.

Another possible case is if a PNM ends up on both her sororities List Bs and quotas are met. I’m told that this is unlikely… unlikely but not impossible. This is how that would play out. Say both sorority XYZ and sorority LMN are top tier sororities. While both sororities are much desired by PNM, the pool of PNM are different for both. For example, perhaps XYZ attracts PNMs interested in athletics and LMN attracts PNMs interested in art. Lori played a few intermural sports in high school but wasn’t competitive. She also dabbled a some in art but doesn’t take it seriously. Most PNMs who are interested in sorority XYZ are not interested in sorority LMN and vice versa. The overlap of interested members between the two is small. Therefore, when XYZ completes List A and LMN complete their List A, the two lists have few PNMs in common. If list A is set to a quota for both sororities and Lori is on List B for both, it is very possible that both XYZ and LMN may meet their quotas from List A.

One reason I couldn’t find the answer to some of these questions is that sororities keep their reasoning for drops, cutting, and no bids secret. Lori wouldn’t be told that she was on two sororities List B and she didn’t receive an invited due to the quota being met. So, there’s no way of knowing if this is a viable situation. Is there some algorithm that would adjust for that, a formula which would cause sororities’ lists pools to be less autonomous?

I did read where quotas are set by the percent of PNM return after last round and the previous year number of bids. Additionally, I heard that the quota set for each house may not be the same, this is especially true if quota would cause a sorority to reach house total. Therefore, the numbers going into Bid Day might be manipulated enough to ensure bids.

PNMs who have completed the recruitment process but remain bidless are eligible for snap bids or COB (provided the PNM accepted all invitations throughout the week, ranked all houses, and did not suicide). The term snap comes from the phrase to snap something up. If a sorority has not met its quota, they have the option to offer bids to PNMs who did not attend any preference parties. (See snap in the common terms for more information.) After Bid Day has ended, members can continue to be added by sororities that are below house total by COB. (See COB in common terms for more information.)

Before I end this post, one final area I want to address. As noted previously, after each round, PNMs rank each sorority while the sororities simultaneously rank each PNM. During sorority PNMs cut discussions, active members are allowed (and required) to share with other members any issues about a PNM that may negatively affect the sorority. (They discuss positive, too, but for my point, I’m focusing on negative issues.) Any PNM who is deemed a “risk” to the sorority or image to the sorority may be cut. Now, it is said that cuts are never personal and trivial “issues” would not be enough basis for a PNM to be cut. For example, if an active member stated a PNM once dated her boyfriend, this should not be significant enough to cut a PNM from joining or being invited back. However, this may not be the case.

For example, Sally who is an active member of XYZ dislikes Lori because when they were both in high school, Lori beat Sally for a position on student council. This is a trivial beef between Sally and Lori and speaks nothing of Lori’s character. Sally knows XYZ will not consider this a grave offense. Therefore, Sally tells the members of XYZ that Lori uses drugs and was suspected of cheating on her college entrance examination. These accusations are severe enough to create a red flag. But they are lies. XYZ requires members to bring up issues, but I could not find anywhere that suggested sororities investigated accusations made. For one thing, investigating an accusation takes time. Sororities have a deadline to make cuts and it’s usually short considering how many PNMs there are. For large universities, the number may be over 1,000. Another factor may be the difficulty in proving or disproving the accusation. If Lori does in fact use drugs unless there are arrest records or she’s given a random drug test, how would active members know whether the accusation is true? In my opinion, I think most sororities hope all actives are honest during these discussions, but the reality is this is not always the case.

I heard a member of an NPHC organization state something similar about the denial of applications. This member stated that if someone (not necessarily a member) brings to member attention something negative about a person who wants to join, the organization will take that information into consideration. This person further indicated that it did not matter if the information was true because if someone took the time to report it “some type of drama exists somewhere”. This argument was used to support why persons wishing to join an NPHC should keep it a secret. Of course, keeping secrets may be a disadvantage is something was to go wrong during the intake process.

If you liked this article or found it helpful, please leave a like or a comment below. I would love to hear from you. You can also email me questions at genevivechamblee@yahoo.com. And if you would like for me to do more of these type posts, let me know that, too. Subscribe to my blog Creole Bayou at www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com to see what other content I have. I post there every Wednesday.

Additional sites readers may find helpful:

Greek Apparel & Accessories

Greek Gear https://www.greekgear.com/

Greek Videos

Corey Jones (YouTube)

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Published on December 31, 2018 08:00

December 26, 2018

Creole Bread Pudding Exposed

I believe today’s post calls for something sweet. Perhaps I feel this way due to the time of year or the weather. Or maybe it’s because I just like desserts.

Who doesn’t love bread pudding? Who can get enough of homemade Creole cooking? Combine these two, and there is a match made in heaven. Bread pudding is a comfort food that dates back to the early 11th and 12th centuries. Historically known as “poor man’s pudding,” it was invented among the lower classes in England as a way not to allow stale bread be wasted. It remains a favorite of many today, and it won’t break the bank. There are more than a dozen variations of this dish. The one listed here is a family favorite and common among the Creole culture.

1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup water

1 tsp allspice 1 ½ cup sugar

1 tsp nutmeg 1 cup whipping cream

2 tbs bourbon 2 cans evaporated milk (12 oz each)

1 tbs flour (all-purpose) 1 granny smith apple (grated)

6 tbs vanilla extract 1 loaf French bread (cubed)

½ cup butter 5 eggs (large)

1/cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Grease a medium-sized baking dish and set aside.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix water, milk, and eggs until well blended.

4. Add bread, being sure to coat thoroughly with the liquid mixture.

5. Add raisins, apples, and 1 ¼ cup sugar. Mix Well.

6. Add ¼ cup butter and 4 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix well.

7. Pour into baking dish and cook for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Remove from oven and set aside to allow to cool.

9. In a separate small saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tbs butter.

10. Add flour and whisk until blended.

11. Add cream and ¼ cup of sugar. Whisk until thickened.

12. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Whisk.

13. Add bourbon and whisk.

14. Pour this custard mixture over the baked pudding.

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Life’s Roux: Wrong Doors, my steamy romantic comedy, is available at Red Sage Publishing. To order, follow the link to http://bit.ly/2CtE7Ez or to Amazon at http://amzn.to/2lCQXpt.

Copies of all my books and stories are available in paper, eBook, and audio on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. The links are listed in my Writing Projects page (http://bit.ly/2iDYRxU) along with descriptions of each of my novels or stories.

NEWSLETTER! Want to get the latest information and updates about my writing projects, giveaways, contests, and reveals first? Click https://genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com/newsletter/ and signup today.

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Published on December 26, 2018 08:00

December 25, 2018

Lighten the Holiday Blues

Season’s Greetings!

It’s Christmas, and while many are celebrating today, for many the day is plagued with sadness for one reason or the other. If this is you, know that you are not alone. Here are some tips on how to beat those pesky holiday blues and get through today. Use as few or as many as necessary.

1. Keep everything in perspective. Not everything is a Hallmark holiday movie special with an everything works out fine and happily ever after ending. Life isn’t perfect, and it isn’t a movie. Things get messy, and some things don’t work out at all. But that’s okay. Not everything needs to be perfect, and there are always other options and alternatives. Sometimes, one must think and create outside of the box. You control your future, and you can control how you approach the day. By knowing that not all things will be ideal will both alleviate stress and allow for those alternatives to be better seen.

2. Maintain a routine or schedule. For those of us who are creatures of habit, nothing can introduce stress faster than feeling out of control, that the universe is happening around us and we have no say. But we do have to allow. Maintaining a routine or schedule will allow one to feel a sense of control over his/her environment and tame the holiday chaos.

3. Eat a balanced diet to keep hormones and blood sugar levels steady. Not having energy can make not only physically feel drained but emotionally feel drained, too. Try enhancing meals with Omega 3s and dark chocolate. These food boost positivity.

4. Avoid overindulgence in alcohol, which is a depressant. Too much alcohol can bring down a mood or make depressive symptoms worst.

5. On a similar note, exercise. Exercising can increase endorphins and feel good hormones. This will improve one’s mood.

6. Listen to upbeat music to add positivity. Get those feet tapping and booty shaking. And since dancing is a form of exercising, you’ll be killing two birds with one stone as they say.

7. Hang out with friends and loved ones. Just be sure these friends and loved ones aren’t in a funk, too. Misery does love company. The spunky attitudes of others may elate you.

8. Remember the Serenity Prayer. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Following these words will lead to calm and peace. You do not have to try to save the world or the day. Relax.

9. Volunteer to help those less fortunate. This is beneficial on so many levels. Not only will someone be grateful for the help, but it can lead to a new appreciation for the blessings you may have overlooked. Also, it allows you to be around others. For people who do not have family or loved ones to spend the holidays with, it may be refreshing to be with others who also have no one to be with. In fact, sometimes being with a stranger is easier than being with people you know well.

Well, that’s all that I have for today. Merry Christmas.

Enjoy sports romance? Check out my new adult romance, Defending the Net, released on November 10. It is the second in my hockey series and guaranteed to melt the ice. It will be sold at Kindle, Apple Store, Nook, Kobo, !ndigo, Angus & Robertson, and Mondadori Store. It is the second in my hockey series and guaranteed to melt the ice. Order a copy now at www.books2read.com/defending. Crossing the line could cost the game.

Life’s Roux: Wrong Doors, my steamy romantic comedy, is available at Red Sage Publishing. To order, follow the link to http://bit.ly/2CtE7Ez or to Amazon at http://amzn.to/2lCQXpt.

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Published on December 25, 2018 09:00

December 24, 2018

NPC Rounds

Today, I continue my series on sorority recruitment. I’ve already posted articles on Greek Life common terms and the application process. I did not discuss making the decision of participating in recruitment. I know it would seem a logical spot to do that first, but I am saving that discussion for later as it ties in with another major point and the reason for me writing this series. So now, on to Round 1. Well, not really. At some universities/colleges, there are a few pre-round events. Keep in mind, I can’t stress enough, every university/college is different. The below outline of events may vary.

Anyone who has read my previous posts knows that I have a daughter who is participating in NPC recruitment. Her rush did not start until late September, which I found a little odd since the majority of southern sororities had their rush weeks ago. But that’s irrelevant to this post. So, let me focus on something relevant and rewind to freshmen orientation. On the second day of orientation, there were two sessions pertaining to sororities. The first was Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the second was Meet & Greek. If I’m not mistaking, we missed the first session due to my daughter’s class registration running over. Then again, maybe we did attend. It was such a long day, that I can’t remember. I do know for certain we made the second session.

Afterward, I heard a lot of the sorority members complaining about the session, that they hadn’t wanted to participate. Many of them stated it was a waste of time. I’m not sure if every NPC sorority on campus participated, but a fair number of them were there. No NPHC organizations attended, and only two of the 15 IFC fraternities were present. While the members may not have been thrilled, I strongly urge PNM and parents to attend these sessions if offered. For one, it gave PNM their first exposure to the sororities. Each sorority present had a table with a board. Many of the boards had pictures of sorority events, their houses, and activities. Second, PNMs had an opportunity to go to each table and talk with some of the members. This is huge! Why? Glad you asked.

When a PNM goes to house tours, she’ll be expected to have these types of conversations. The difference is, instead of hundreds of PNMs and actives chatting in a single room, there were several dozen. The area was large, so members could spread out for conversations. No one had to scream to be heard. PNMs weren’t bound to timelines or one member. If a conversation was going poorly, the PNM could move to another table at any time. At my daughter’s university, most sorority houses are located on one street, but some are not. These can involve quite a bit of walking. And although most houses are one street, the street is long and the houses mansions. It a decent walk from one end to the other, especially in triple digit temperatures. In the auditorium, there was air conditioning and no real walking required. Most importantly, this setting allowed parents who have never been involved in recruitment to get a glimpse of the process. For PNMs who were unsure if they wanted to rush, it was an opportunity to learn more from the people who could tell them the best without a financial investment. I found so many advantages to this and am sorry that the members present didn’t capitalize on the experience. I do hope the university keeps this as part of the orientation. (This year was the first year the university had these sessions, and they were like an experiment.)

Fast forward to the school beginning. Around the second week of school, the pre-rush meetings began. They didn’t call it that, and I’m not sure it has an official name. But this is what I’m going to call it. The first pre-rush meeting was a type of recruitment orientation. Basically, it went over all the information on the website, and PNMs were issued their PNM Guidebook. If I’m not mistaken, I believe registration remained open at that point, and PNMs still had time to register. Recruitment Counselors were introduced, and PNMs were split into smaller groups and added to a group chat created by their Recruitment Counselor.

The next week, PNMs had their first small group meeting. Mostly, this was a getting to know each other, icebreaker session as well as getting a schedule of events that must occur prior to recruitment. For my daughter, other pre-rush events involved watching four “PNM Prep Series videos” and attending two educational programs (“Respect & Dignity for All – D&I and Hazing” and “Health & Wellness”). She also had weekly group meetings with her Recruitment Counselor small group. The final pre-rush event was Convocation. At Convocation, members of the Panhellenic Executive Council give PNM a brief description of the day-by-day schedule. Since PNMs have been meeting weekly, I have no idea what other topics would need to be discussed at Convocation. Oh, and Convocation is a dressy event.

Round 1. The week of Convocation, PNMs are issued t-shirts to wear on designated days. Next is what my daughter’s university calls Greek Day. I’ve heard this referred to as House Tours at other universities. My daughter had a Greek Day t-shirt (that frankly, was underwhelming in design) that she was required to wear. Dress was casual, and PNMs visited all 11 sororities. Now, here is where it starts to get crazy. At some universities, especially the large ones, house tours are spread over two days, which would make sense to give PNM time to learn about each house. But logic isn’t spent here. At the end of this long day, PNMs rank and cut three houses.

NOTE: I’ve mentioned this before but it’s worth mentioning again. PNMs are obligated to visit all houses the first day and every house they are invited back to on subsequent days. If a PNM fails to visit a sorority, she is dropped from recruitment. Now, because recruitment happens after classes begin, PNM must complete conflict forms when sorority event/parties are at the same time as classes. PNMs are not penalized for arriving late or missing an event due to classes unless a conflict form is not completed. Class schedules are used to verify that class conflict exists. Also, PNMs who are caught skipping classes in order to attend recruitment events are at risk of being dropped. Education comes first, as it should.

Let me digress for a moment and address getting cuts of no bids. Although the registration fee is hefty ($250.00 in my daughter’s case), there is no guarantee for acceptance or bids. I searched online for the percentage of PNMs who were cut after the first round but could not find an average. Most posts that addressed the matter of being cut either 1.) discussed PNM who “dropped”, 2.) were cut due to not meeting the GPA minimal standard, or 3.) went through the entire process but did not receive any bids. The university information my daughter received stated 95% of PNM who went through the “entire” recruitment process received a bid.

Round 2 for my daughter was over two days. This was the Philanthropy round where sororities discussed their causes, community service, and campus involvement. The look for this round is casual and with a provided t-shirt. The maximum number of sororities a PNM can visit is 8. Many would argue that the majority of PNMs do not get invited back to 8 houses. I believe the average was quoted to be about 5. However, PNM may get anywhere from 0 to 8 bids. I’m also told that receiving 0 bids after Round 1 is odd unless there is an academic issue. But even then, many will be kept around for at least one additional round. I have no statics on of this. At the end of this round, PNM will cut three more sororities.

Round 3. This is Sisterhood Day. It’s dressier (business casual). The PNMs will have longer conversations with active members that focus on what it means to be a part of that sorority and can visit a maximum of 5 houses. At the end of the night, PNMs will cut three houses.

Round 4. This is Preference Day and the final day of formal recruitment. It is the dressiest of days (cocktail dress, semiformal, or business attire) and the most serious day. The maximum number of sororities visited is two. The atmosphere also shifts slightly. During rounds 1-3, PNMs have been working hard to impress members to receive an invitation to return. And while members have been interested in recruiting new members, it has been the PNMs who have to work hard to stand out against such large numbers. On Preference Day, the PNM invited to the sorority house are PNMs who the sorority seriously want as members. The numbers are small, and sororities want to meet their quotas. For these reasons, active members will be pitching their sororities hard to get PNMs to list their sorority as their top choice. One way to think about it is in terms of housing—going from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. At the end of this round, PNMs will not cut a house (unless they are suicide bidding). Instead, they will rank the houses in order of preference with 1 being the sorority they most want to join and 2 being their second choice.

As mentioned previously, reportedly, 95% of PNM who complete the process at my daughter’s university receive a bid. That means 5% do not. Granted, those are good odds but not for the 5% who are cut. Many blogs/vlogs state, “Trust the process”. (I’ll come back to this.) Most of these blogs/vlogs were by women who recently had gone through the recruitment process. When a PNM is cut from a sorority, most times the PNM does not know why, and it becomes a guessing game. PNM who either drop or cut are allowed to repeat the recruitment process the following semester or year, depending on when the next recruitment will be held. However, there is no need to repeat the process (and spend that type of money) if there is no chance of being accepted. Knowing odds can help narrow down as to why a PNM is cut.

Sometime else to consider is that sororities will say that upperclassmen are invited to participate in recruitment. The reality, though, is in many colleges/universities, not going through recruitment as a freshman diminishes chances or being accepted. While no one will tell upperclassmen not to rush, many NPC sororities want women who are going to be around more than a day or two in order to grow their sorority and ensure financial security that mortgages are paid with dues. And there is nothing to say that upperclassmen absolutely will not receive an invitation to join. Some will. But some sororities limit the number of upperclassmen it invites.

The next day is Bid Day and is the day PNM learn which sorority has selected them. It is very casual dress. Depending on the college/university, Bid Day ceremonies may vary. Generally, in the large southern universities, it resembles the following. All the PNM (not just individual Rho Gamma groups) are instructed to meet in a designated area. The first thing that usually occurs after all PMNs are assembled are some general instructions. This is a happy day, and while many of the PNMs are anxious to learn their houses, a bit of weight has been lifted from them because they know they are guaranteed invitation into a sorority. If a PNM has not been given a bid, they will have received a call from their Recruitment Counselor and will not be present at Bid Day.

The second thing that occurs is the Recruitment Counselor reveals. During the entire recruitment (and pre-recruitment) process, Recruitment Counselors (or whatever name they used to describe themselves at the various universities/colleges) have disaffiliated themselves from their sororities so that they can be unbiased mentors to PNMs. During this entire time, Recruitment Counselors have not been allowed to discuss any aspect of what sorority they are members, wear their sorority paraphernalia, be seen at their sorority houses, etc. Their sorority associate has been kept secret. On Bid Day, they are able to tell which sorority they are members. Often, this is done when all Recruitment Counselors gather on a stage, wearing a jacket or some other cover to hide their letters beneath, and perform some type of chant or song. On a count or mention of a sorority name, the Recruitment Counselors take off their jackets to show their sorority Greek letters. Sometimes, this is done in groups, where all Recruitment Counselors belonging to sorority XYZ step forward and simultaneously make a reveal. Other times, it may be done with all Recruitment Counselors, regardless of sorority affiliation, make the reveal at the same time. Smaller colleges/universities may have Recruitment Counselors reveal themselves one at a time. A lot of PNMs enjoy this because they may have been trying to guess their Recruitment Counselor’s affiliation the entire recruitment.

Next, PNMs are given bid day cards in sealed envelopes. Usually, these are distributed by the Recruitment Counselors. I have seen some videos where PNMs open their bid cards as soon as it is handed to them. With large recruitment classes, that could lead to tons of chaos. Bid Day is jammed with a lot of screaming, jumping, and tears of extreme joy. (sometimes, tears of sadness. I’ll get to that). Therefore, large recruitment classes are distributed their bid cards but instructed not to open them until everyone has been given a card. That way the mass pandemonium can occur all at once. PNM read the names of their sororities and then run to their sorority houses (provided the sorority has a house on campus) where the other sorority members are waiting to greet them. In the event the sorority does not have campus housing, new members will be given instructions of where to meet their sorority. In either event (sorority house or designated location), many of the actives will be waiting and holding a sign with the now new members’ names. The new members run to the active member holding their name, and this is their Bid Day Buddy. A Bid Day Buddy is the active member who has been assigned to spend the day celebrating with the new member, perhaps, showing her around the house and introducing her to other members. In other words, a Bid Day Buddy is like a personal welcoming committee and tour guide for the day.

The end…except for all the gaps I left in this. There is so much information, it is difficult to insert it all in order without digressing for too long. In a conversation, it would be easier but is more challenging in a written post. This gives an overview of the recruitment process. My next entry will be listing the details that will further help understand the process and answer questions typically not answered.

Additional sites readers may find helpful:

Greek Apparel & Accessories

Greek Gear https://www.greekgear.com/

Greek Videos

Corey Jones (YouTube)

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Published on December 24, 2018 08:00

December 19, 2018

All Top 10 of Christmas

It’s six days until Christmas for those who are celebrating the holiday. I normally do not do storytimes, but I feel I must. November and December have been incredibly nasty months for me, sucking out just about every bit of joy I had. It started with small things but traveled a massive detour for a really hot place south several days after Thanksgiving when a drunk did a hit and run on my house. I lost my home and several possessions but no one was hurt. Now, for some, these are just material things, and I should count my blessings. It all sounds so simple. But the truth is, November and December traditionally aren’t good months for me any year. I’ve lost many loved ones and seen lots of destructions and/discord happen during this season, even to have a friend who I knew since kindergarten to die on Christmas day when we were only eighteen years old.

Many members of my family do not believe in celebrating. Sure, they participate in gift giving, more from obligation than consideration or willingness, and that is practically all that they do. There is no decorating or singing or being festive. Once my father died, my mother was content without a single decoration, as she had always disliked Christmas décor—or rather, dislike arranging it in her home. Things went bland for many years, and family stopped coming to visit on Christmas Day. My father seemed to have been an invisible glue that kept Christmas alive.

And the commercialism that comes along with the season makes me want to puke. This is why as an adult each year, I strive to focus on the positive and the spirit of the season. I listen to music, fill my home with holiday scents, watch sappy movies, visit old family and friends, and tap into the spiritual meaning. I’ve tried to create new traditions (other than breaking ornaments, which is a tradition that has plagued my family for as long as I can remember.) This year, with no home, no decorations, no seasonal scents, finding that holiday spirit daily is a challenge. So, I’ve had to work harder.

One thing that I have been doing to cheer myself up, is to make lists each day for the 12 days of Christmas. I found it to be a great distraction as well as conjuring good memories that have been sprinkled among the devastating. So now, I invite each of you to take a look at this list, especially if you’re feeling a little down or blue, and maybe they will spark happy memories for you. Also, feel free to leave a comment of any list I omitted or anything that I left off a list.

DISCLAIMER: These lists originally were written from 10 to 1 (in late night show fashion). However, my server decided it wanted to be goofy and number 10 -20. After much fighting, the score is Server: 100,000,000, 000 – Genevive: ZERO! Technology will never be smarter than people … just more troublesome to work with.

On the first day of Christmas…

Top 10 Christmas Desserts

Fruitcake
Figgy Pudding (Getting figgy with it)
Sugar Cookies
Praline Pumpkin Spice Cake
Cookie Dough Fudge (The one must for the season)
Haystacks (I have no clue as to why it took me so long to discover these treats)
Sour Cream Cheesecake (Yes, yes, and yes. This makes one sound like a Herbal Essence commercial)
Butter Pecan Fudge
Nutcake (Ya know, fruitcake without the fruit)
Gingerbread Cookies (They live on Drury Lane)

On the second day of Christmas…

Top 10 Most Awkward Christmas Moment

Getting caught beneath the mistletoe with an ex and his new flame watching (If this isn’t a Sex In The City moment, I don’t know what is.)
Exposing Santa as being fake in front of a group of children. (Do what? Santa is real.)
Forgetting to buy the in-laws a gift. (Of course, who said it was an oversight, right?)
Being the only person in the room not to receive a gift.
Receiving the present you re-gifted the previous year
Knocking over the Christmas tree while sober (At least drunk you would have an excuse)
Swallowing stale fruitcake in front of the maker and attempting to convince her you love it
Caroling when you’re 50 shades of tone deaf
Getting busted for passing off the Christmas ham as your own when you purchased it from Heavenly Hams
Dressing up like an elf for the office party when everyone else is in cocktail wear

On the third day of Christmas…

Top 10 Christmas Drinks

Cranberry Punch/Cranberry Mimosas (Always start with a punch)
Salted Caramel White Russians (I leave this for Santa)
Gingerbread Latte (Good stuff and a great alternative for people who aren’t big on coffee)
Candy Cane Punch (Festive and delicious)
Buttered Rum (This puts in the Ho, Ho, Ho.)
Apple Cider (Warms you and makes your house smell awesome)
Spiced Sugar Cookie Martini (I don’t care how depressed one is. This brings cheer.)
Eggnog (Spiked or unspiked it’s all good)
Hot Chocolate/Hot Cocoa (An oldie but goodie, sure to brighten the holidays)
Milk (Of course, what else would be in the #1 spot?)

On the fourth day of Christmas…

Top 10 Classic Christmas Movies

It’s a Wonderful Life (Okay, I don’t really care for this movie, but it’s not Christmas without it.)
Frosty the Snowman (Arguable if this is a Christmas movie, but anything “cold” works in the South)
Miracle on 34th Street (A reminder that tv wasn’t always in color)
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (But not if you’re naughty)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Basically, a green Ebenezer Scrooge with rhyming talent like a rapper)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Oh dear! This precious cartoon from my childhood is now the center of political debate. I thought it sent a very positive message of anti-discrimination. That is what I always grew up thinking.)
The Year Without a Santa Claus (This is the best dance track for kids.)
The Nutcracker (Live ballet really sets the mood)
Polar Express (Get your hot chocolate ready. Tom Hanks, you’re my hero.)
Charles’ Dickens a Christmas Carol (No, bah humbug, either.)

On the fifth day of Christmas…

Top 10 Christmas Wearables

Boots (Ankle, thigh, knee … any kind will do)
Jingle Bells (The Christmas version of tracking ankle bracelet)
Skull Cap (Just be sure you don’t have to go to the bank)
Christmas Tree Skirt (Yeah, everyone’s been there.)
Ski Vest (Someone undoubtedly will show up to the office Christmas party wearing one)
Fuzzy socks (Everything is better with warm feet)
Leather Gloves
Scarf (More fashion than functional)
Santa Hat (Especially popular among the inebriated)
Ugly Christmas Sweater (I don’t even know why this became a thing or remains a thing.)

On the sixth day of Christmas…

Top 10 Christmas Decorations

Nutcracker
Snow (Real stuff for the Yanks and fake stuff for us Southerners)
Reindeer (Off Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen)
Wreaths
Candy Canes (Beware, these may be used as weapons)
Mistletoe
Santa (The fat man who can’t make up his mind what he wants to be called… Father Christmas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, etc. Either he’s having an identity crisis or he’s been in the Witness Protection Program far too long.)
Lights (It’s so hard to find colored lights these days, too)
Nativity Scene
Christmas tree (Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, Concolor Fir, Nobel Fir, Fraser Fir, Grand Fir, Black Hills Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Dark Norway Spruce, White Spruce, Eastern White Pine, and Scotch Pine to name just a few)

On the seventh day of Christmas…

Top 10 Christmas Traditions

Baking Cookies
Kissing Beneath the Mistletoe
Building Snowmen (Again, not for us Southerners)
Getting Tangled in Christmas Tree Lights (For those who are DIY-challenged)
Christmas Shopping/Gift Giving
Baking
Making an Idiot of Self Caroling
Sitting by the Fireplace
Reading ‘Tis Was The Night Before Christmas
Leaving Milk & Cookies for Santa

On the eighth day of Christmas…

The Top 10 Annoying Christmas Songs

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree (Makes me want to light up the tree and not in a good way)
Jingle Bell Rock
Feliz Navidad (Please just stop)
Funky Funky Xmas (If you don’t remember this song, count your blessings.)
Last Christmas (Next!)
Wonderful Christmastime (It’s not having to listen to this)
Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (And not soon enough)
Santa Claus Is Watching You (This song is everywhere, everywhere)
The Christmas Shoes (Just go barefoot)
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth (I supposed none of the others matter)

On the ninth day of Christmas…

The Top 10 Most Common Christmas Gifts

Socks (The fuzzier the better)
Candles
Gift Cards (Given by those who just despise shopping)
Soaps/Bath Bombs (I often wonder if this is a subtle message to say take a bath)
Mugs (Who doesn’t love a big mug?)
Perfumes (This can get stinky if one isn’t careful)
Cheese Gift Baskets (But these gifts aren’t cheesy.)
Something Electronic
Blanket/Throws
Knit anything

On the tenth day of Christmas…

The Top 10 Ways to Avoid Family and Friends on Christmas Day (Yeah, this is really sleazy.)

Pretend you have the flu (Then pray you don’t really get it.)
Go out of town on a private vacation
Go to work
Don’t answer the phone, email, text messages, chats, faxes, or smoke signals
Remain in bed all day
Play the Sound of Music back to back to back to back
Pick a fight/argument on Christmas Eve
Pretend you’re not home
Move
Die (This one is a little extreme and a lot permanent. So be sure you really want to avoid family and friends that much before doing this.)

On the eleventh day of Christmas…

The Top 10 Christmas Tree Toppers

Snowman (Just hope he doesn’t melt)
Snowflake (The non-political kind)
Peacock
Mouth-blown glass finial ornament (Yes, that is a mouthful)
Random Glittery Balls (I don’t know what the heck they are supposed to be, but they sure are cute.)
Santa Hat
Bow/Ribbon
Mad Hatter Hat/Top Hat
Star
Angel

On the twelfth day of Christmas…

Top 10 Unknown Things about the Nutcracker Ballet Story

The story was written by German author, E.T.A. Hoffman, and was titled Nussknacker and Mausekonig.
The event did not last one night.
Clara’s brother did not break her nutcracker on purpose.
Clara cuts her arm at the end of the battle with the Mouse King.
The Mouse Queen was responsible for cursing the Nutcracker.
The first Nutcracker was female.
To break the Nutcracker curse, a man who has never shaved or worn boots is to give the Pirlipal (the first Nutcracker) a cracked nut while his eyes are closed and to take seven steps backward without stumbling.
Drosselmeyer’s nephew failed to break the curse when he tripped over the Mouse Queen on his last step backward
Clara broke the curse by declaring her love to the Drosselmeyer’s nephew in spite of his appearance.
After the Nutcracker curse is broken, a year and one day pass. Clara marries the Nutcracker, is taken to a doll kingdom, and becomes the Queen.

Life’s Roux: Wrong Doors, my steamy romantic comedy, is available at Red Sage Publishing. To order, follow the link to http://bit.ly/2CtE7Ez or to Amazon at http://amzn.to/2lCQXpt.

DISCLAIMER: Creole Bayou is not sponsored or being paid to endorse any business, website, person, podcast, broadcast, videos, philanthropy, or products. Any shoutouts given is due to personally liking a product or cause. There is no intention to slight any competitors or introduce bias. If you have a product or service that is related to anything mentioned in this post and would like a shoutout in the future, please do not hesitate to contact via email to inform me of such product or service.

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Published on December 19, 2018 08:00

December 17, 2018

NPC and NPHC/NPC Recruitment

In my last post, I covered common vocabulary/terms used in fraternities and sororities. I will be using many of those terms and abbreviations in this post.

Please note that this post is not written to disparage any particular organization/sorority or their practices. Additionally, this is not judgment and does not seek to show preference over one process or another. It is not my intention to incite hate or any racial bigotry. Instead, this post is intended to give concise information that may be useful to parents and PNMs.

The recruitment process will vary depending on the region, university/college, size and number of chapters on a campus, and the type of rush/pledging (e.g., formal, informal, NPC, NPHC, etc.) being held. The information discussed in this post most likely will pertain to sororities located at large southern universities. I am sure some of this information applies to smaller colleges/universities, other parts of the region, and fraternities as well.

NPC and NPHC

I covered this in my previous post, and I do not intend to rehash everything here. However, I want to do a quick recap of NPC and NPHC, as this post will discuss the recruitment process and what I found to be true in my daughter’s case. (Disclaimer: What I found to be true with my daughter’s experience may not apply to all others who are wanting to participate in recruitment.) To do this, a basic understanding of NPC and NPHC is necessary.

The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is composed of 26 national women’s sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Current members are the following: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Phi Alpha, and Zeta Tau Alpha. These sororities are historically, predominately Caucasian.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is composed of nine organizations (fraternities and sororities) that are historically, predominately African American. They sometimes are referred to as the “Divine Nine”. Current members are the following: International Greek letter Sororities and Fraternities: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Let me stress “historically, predominately”. This does not mean these organizations are not integrated or do not have members of minority races. (I’ll come back to this later.) In general, the recruitment/rushing/pledging for NPC and NPHC organizations are vastly different. In fact, it is the differences that have led me to research and ultimately writing these articles. Note that I said “different”. I am not claiming that one process is better than the other.

NPC Recruitment

Typically, NPC organizations participate in a formal rush or recruiting process, where all potential new members (PNM) a given an opportunity to meet members of all participating sororities to determine if they would be a good fit. It is a mutual selection process and consists of multiple rounds.

The following is an overview of what a typical NPC sorority rush would look like. The process begins with completing an application to participate in recruitment. This entails a pledge (or who is now referred to as a Potential New Member or PNM since “pledge has many negative connotations) listing basic information about herself (e.g., name, birthday, the school she graduated from, classification, major, etc.). During this, she will also be asked to provide proof of enrollment in the college/university, a high school transcript to verify GPA, a photo, and an application fee. It is all pretty straightforward. Most universities/colleges do these registrations online, but some may still use a paper form. There is a fee, the first of many, associated with this.

Now, for those budget conscious parents, here’s a very important tip that I learned the hard (meaning expensive way). Most registration fees are non-refundable. So, parents will want to be sure recruitment is a process their child is serious about doing. The fee varies, depending on the institution. At my daughter’s university, the cost started at about $120.00 and was arranged in tiers. The later the registration, the more expensive. Because my daughter drug her feet, her registration fee was almost double the original fee. The lesson here: register early. Even dropping out and losing the initial fee would have been cheaper than registering late.

At my daughter’s university, there is a website dedicated to NPC recruitment that gives additional information (e.g., the types of events/parties, what to wear, where to send recommendations, bios of the sororities, etc.). My daughter’s university also asked her to upload a photo and resume. Let me stop here, and briefly discuss each of these.

First, if the university has one of these websites, visit it. Read every word. Learn it. This will later be your friend and save lots of headaches. As soon as the decision is made to begin recruitment, begin working on these things. Start in advance, and do not wait until the last minute. Many of the things listed have deadlines. Also, the longer one waits for enrolling, the more expensive the application fee is. Signing up two weeks earlier can save a hundred bucks.

What I’m about to list next will scratch up a lot of folks’ dandruff. Go shopping. Now, many will claim that PNMs are not judged by appearance or what they are wearing but think about this. How realistic is that view? Hundreds of PNMs registered for an allotted number of slots in each sorority. They have only a few minutes to impress a handful of active members in very generic conversations that are repeated by nearly every PNM. How will one stand out and be remembered? Sure, it may be a witty conversation. But ask yourself how many times have you remembered a person based on some physical attribute or possession rather than something they said. “Sally, the woman with the cute shoes, works in accounting.” “How can you forget Jill? She was wearing the bright orange lipstick and had the live python around her neck.” This is not to imply that active members are superficial or snooty.

There’s another very practical reason clothing would be important. A sorority may have 500 active members, but during open house, a PNM may on talk with 2 or 3 of the 500. How a PNM is dressed may snag the eye of an active member across the room who is not in her bump group. This may draw the interest of other members to want to meet the PNM.

Furthermore, if one searches YouTube, there are dozens of what to wear at recruitment vlogs. Collegiate line up to model their outfits, jewelry, makeup and tell where each article was purchased. If one watches enough of these things, one will notice common themes. Honestly, some brands may want to consider becoming an official endorser of recruitment. If clothing was not an important aspect, why would so many people take the time to post these types of vlogs and videos? My conclusion is because it is important. This isn’t to say one needs to spend hundreds of dollars on clothing or shop on Rodeo Drive—especially, not in this economy. It does mean PNM may want to plan a recruitment wardrobe that is cute, functional, put together, coordinated, and fills her with confidence. Shopping early will afford PNM options and ensure that she meets dress requirements. Let me give another example.

My daughter’s rush happened late. Many southern sororities hold their formal fall rush a few weeks before classes begin or the first week of classes. Generally, this is the middle or late August. At my daughter’s university, rush did not begin until the last week of September. Anyone who knows anything about the south knows the weather can be very finicky. It’s not unheard of to have snow in late April or 85 degrees on Christmas Day. One never really knows. Usually, hot is what should be expected. However, September is one of those bipolar months where one day it is toasty and the next sweater weather. A few events during recruitment specify “cocktail attire”. My daughter is a good distance from home, and her schedule does not allow for many weekend visits. Basically, what she has with her is all that she has. She does not have a car on campus; although, she does have access to public transportation that could take her to the mall. So, if necessary, she might purchase another outfit if need. However, it is more convenient to have this all sorted prior to rush beginning. My point is, starting early will alleviate stress by creating a backup plan.

For the “cocktail” event, I purchased two outfits for my daughter—one for very hot weather and one for milder weather. On three of the days, my daughter was given a t-shirt to wear. One would think this is nice because it negated having to plan. Wrong! I do not know how it works at other universities, but my daughter was not informed of the color or designs of the t-shirts until a week prior to the first day of rush. That meant shopping bottoms clueless as to if they would match. Again, a PNM wants to stand out in the sea of PNMs. Therefore, the bottoms should be “cute”. (They also should be appropriate. That should go without saying, but several girls didn’t get the memo and ended up getting cut for looking like a hoochie. One guideline of southern recruitment is to cover it up. No one says a PNM must look like a nun, but strip club Debbie needs to not make an appearance.) A good solution is a denim skirt with some type of detailing. I purchased my daughter striped, linen shorts in neutral colors. Purchasing a stripe was a little risky, but it worked out.

While on the subject of clothing, I purchased all of my daughter’s recruitment outfits from boutiques. By no means should parent feel this is a must, but here’s why I did it. First, I like to support local businesses when I can. Second, the quality of some (not all) of their clothes was better than what I could find in some of the larger chains. Third, the boutiques offered more unique styles. The large chain stores would have racks of the same dress. In the boutiques, there were fewer of the same styles, and some brands were exclusive to small stores. Another reason was for sizes/fit. My daughter can be difficult to fit in dresses. She’s tall but petit and that combo is havoc for dress shopping. If something fits her body, it’s too short. And if the length is correct, it looks like a sack. I don’t know why, but I have an easier time finding her dresses in smaller stores.

I didn’t just shop for clothes. I made sure each outfit, she would have accessories. Anyone who knows my child knows she is not an accessory person. In fact, she’s not a fashion person at all. She’d prefer a baggy t-shirt, jeans, hair in a messy bun, and no makeup any day. And while I find nothing wrong with her style, I did explain to her that while she might feel “dressing up” was superficial, sororities would view it as her putting in an effort. Rushing is very much a competition. PNMs are competing for a place in a sorority. Sororities are competing for the best girls. A PNM who outwardly appears to be making an investment increases her odds of being accepted into her first-choice sorority than a PNM who looks as if she’s been ridden hard and put up wet. What I told my daughter is that she’s not expected to change her personality, values, or who she is, but she did have to play on someone else’s field for a while. The key is to find the medium. I suggested she search for articles she liked and felt comfortable wearing. For example, she doesn’t normally wear earrings. But she likes mermaids (probably from Harry Potter) and found a cute pair of mermaid earrings.

Some will argue that clothing, designers, and the way a PNM dresses have no effect on the selection process. I scream bull at the top of my lungs. So, enough about clothes.

Resumes. As an associate said to me, “Sororities are a business.” I couldn’t agree more after seeing this process from a parent’s point-of-view. Every job I’ve ever applied wanted a resume and/or work history. Sororities want the same. Resumes need to be well-constructed and edited. They should include honors, awards, athletics, social organizations, community service, extracurricular activities, jobs, volunteer work, talents, GPA, class placement/rank, study abroad work, and any achievements the PNM may have. Again, some sororities want this on paper while others prefer a digital format. A PNM should not skimp on the resume. It is important.

I can’t say the same thing about letters of recommendation. I don’t know how important recommendations really are, but they are not bad to have. I’m going to veer off slightly again here. According to my daughter’s university NPC’s website, PNMs are informed to obtain a letter recommendation from a sorority alumnae member in good standing from each of the participating NPC sororities. Initially, I thought it was requesting one recommendation that would be attached to her application account and distributed amongst all NPC sororities. Nope. As I said, the requirement is for at least one recommendation from an alumna of each NPC sorority. Since there are there are 11 NPC sororities at my daughter’s university, that meant she needed at least 11 recommendations. (Did I mention starting early and that everything has deadlines?) This perhaps was the biggest pain of preparing for rush.

The problem was, my daughter did not know anyone (active or alumnae) in an NPC sorority. (Well, it turned out later that she did know a few actives but actives are not allowed to write recommendations.) The information listed on the NPC website. suggested contacting an alumnae chapter in the PNM’s hometown or region. However, contacting an alumnae chapter did not guarantee a recommendation. In fact, some alum chapters returned letters that seemed they were offended for being asked. Others were nice but declined, and some did give a recommendation. But how much weight does a recommendation hold when written by a stranger whose only contact with the PNM has been an email asking for a letter of recommendation? Although it was not said directly, it was implied that recommendations from local chapters may hold less weight than recommendations from alums who personally know the PNM. This is logical, but here is the rub. Different universities have different sororities. So, once your daughter determines which university she will attend, she will need to find the listing of all sororities and beginning seeking out alumna members.

Fortunately, I had several contacts that I was able to ask for recommendations on her behalf. Since it’s been many years ago since I graduated, I could not remember which sororities my associates were members. For many, I hadn’t seen in years and only kept track of through social media. I figured it would be rude to ask and not put forth any effort to discover what sororities my former classmates were members. Some I did remember, but I had either lost contact with them or they have passed.

I should note that the recruitment package stated letters of recommendation were not “required” but strongly encouraged. Uh-huh. Do not listen to this. My daughter’s recruitment class consisted of approximately 1,400 PNM. Each sorority has a “quota” of recruits. Some of the PNMs are legacies, which means they are given preference or may be accepted automatically. Legacies potentially decrease the number of available spots. With the 1,400 PNMs, there is no way each member will meet individually with each PNM for an interview. Yet, they will need to cut PNMs from the recruitment. A letter of recommendation may be the determining factor as to if a PNM is cut. However, my daughter’s Recruitment Counselor informed her group that she did not acquire any recommendations during her recruitment, and she still achieved the maximum number of invites each round. And on Bid Day, she got accepted into her top choice. This would indicate, either she was a very strong candidate or recommendations don’t mean a flip. My philosophy is: “don’t give them any reason”. A PNM should want to check as many boxes on the application list as possible.

Next are photos. I didn’t give this much thought until after the fact. What could they be using photos for? Simple, to identify the PNM when they visit the houses. Sure, that’s probably one reason. Then, it dawned on me—cutting. Now, what I’m about to discuss next is 100% my opinion. No one has verified any of this about the photos, but I’m betting my assumption is spot-on. In my research, I read and watched a lot about preffing and the process of releasing PNMs. Basically, at the end of each round, active members gather to discuss which PNMs they would like to return for the following round. In the old days, this was done by reading PNMs name from a list and asking members if they knew anything about her that would make her an asset or concern for the sorority. (In general, this was only done with in-state PNMs, as it was assumed members would not know the out-of-state PNMs.) With more women now attending college, some are bound to have the same name. Take for instance a name like Susan Smith. Even if the hometown is known, what if the address listed on the application is new because the PNM moved recently. Or maybe, there are several Susan Smiths in the same town. How could actives be sure they were discussing the right Susan Smith. Well, a photo would eliminate guessing.

But having a visual also allows actives to consider a PNM appearance. This may not be right, but it’s a fact. If a PNM photographs well, it may boost her chances. Why? Because sororities often upload pictures to their social media to increase interest in their organization. Lots of opinions will be formed based on social media images. Another reason—boys. Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ll get flack for saying that, but check out some of the websites that rank Greek organizations. (I cover ranking websites later.) Call them trolls and petty, but many of these ranking websites have a “hotness” category. Guys frequently rank sororities by how cute they consider the members to be. Personally, I find that sexist and pretty darn appalling. Yet, I cannot eliminate it as a reason active members may want to keep or cut a PNM. My suggestion is that PNMs should submit good pictures that lean towards the modest side. A selfie at the club doing body shots may not be the way to go for this one. A senior portrait, on the other hand, may be sufficient. Give some consideration to the photo. Allow it to be fun but not outrageous. My daughter added photos to her resume. Each showed her personality and interest. The first was her casual senior portrait/headshot with her everyday playful smile and vintage style. The second was from a dance recital that showed her poise and grace (which is really deceitful considering how clumsy she is), and the final was a prom picture that shows a rare instance of her wearing makeup and being glamorous.

On a similar note, many vlogs mentioned that sororities stalk PNMs in the sense that they troll their social media pages. One even went as far as saying they Google Earth home addresses to see what neighborhoods PNMs resides. If that’s true, that’s very alarming. The claim is sororities search PNMs via social media to ensure a PNM does not have a reputation that could harm the sorority and to match actives to PNM during events. For example, the actives assigned to interview my daughter may be members who are involved in dance or enjoy reading (her prom photo was taken in front of a library mural while she pretended to read—she really does love reading).

Hence, it may be beneficial for PNMs to make their social media accounts private or edit the content to ensure nothing controversial is there. This includes removing tags in posts on friends’ pages that may be unflattering (e.g., being in pictures where alcohol is present or while wearing racy attire). It also may include uploading photos that positively boost image (e.g., working a booth at a charity event, winning an award, participating in a sport, etc.). Also, the PNM should not forget to review sites she is following and considers unfollowing any that may be perceived as negative. Whatever deleting or uploading a PNM decides to do her social media accounts, she should do it prior to submitting her recruitment application. Once the sorority has the PNM’s application, the PNM come on the radar.

Finally, bios of the sororities. This is a no-brainer. The more a PNM knows about a sorority, the more impressed members will be. They will recognize a PNM has done her research and has taken a genuine interest in the sorority. Taking an interest does not mean a PNM needs to quote the sororities timeline, but she should know general information about the sorority (e.g., what charities they are associated with, their symbol, some of their activities on campus). Most campus sororities have chapter websites or public pages. Information about the is easily accessible and only takes a few minutes to learn a little about them. It may help make conversations easier.

I mention application fee earlier but let me touch on fees again. On the university NPC website, the dues/fees of membership for each sorority usually is listed. Some of these can be expensive ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per semester. Viewing them earlier will prevent a huge shock later and allow time to plan how to finance.

All of this happens in the first step of the application process, and I’m sure there are some things that I accidentally omitted. If you’re reading this and feeling overwhelmed, don’t. Remember, thoughts of PNMs and their parents go through this each year and survive. Hopefully, this blog is breaking down the process to digestible parts that will allow PNMs and their parents to prepare. Preparation is the key. It’s the unknown to be feared. As I mentioned previously, I had questions and could not find many of the answers. The answers I did find I spent hours searching across multiple sites. This blog will attempt to put all the answers to the questions I had in a central location. In the next post, I will continue discussing the NPC Recruiting process…moving on to step two.

Additional sites readers may find helpful:

Intro to Greek Lifehttps://genevivechambleeconnect.wordp...

Greek Lingo
https://genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com/2018/12/10/vocabulary-common-terms/

Greek Apparel & Accessories

Greek Gear https://www.greekgear.com/

Greek Videos

Corey Jones (YouTube)

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Published on December 17, 2018 08:00

December 12, 2018

The Naughty List Writing Tag DTN

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, but sometimes, it is difficult for me to get into the Christmas spirit. There’s so much effort that goes into preparing for Christmas (commercially) that it is easy to be swept up and forget the true meaning. It’s also easy to overlook traditions or allow them to fade. For me, by the time Christmas arrives, I’m usually sick (literally). Typically, it is something upper respiratory or a raging migraine. I figured the underlying cause from my illnesses was stressed. That’s when I decided to take action by making it a point to put the true meaning of Christmas forward. I know that sounds cheesy, but the truth often is not very exciting.

Christmas is supposed to be a festive holiday, filled with cheer. Instead of buying myself a happy or gift, throughout the month of December, I do small things to bring me cheer. One of the things I do is write more. I enjoy writing, of course. But I also look for writing challenges, tags, and new opportunities. Last year, I found a writing tag called #TheNaughtyList. It was created by YouTuber, Jenna Moreci. It was so much fun, that I decided to do it again this year using my recently released sports romance, Defending the Net (DTN). Last year, I completed this writing tag using Out of the Penalty Box (OotPB), my first sports romance. If you are interested in reading either, I have provided the links at the end of this post.

The Rules:

The rules of The Naughty List are that books with greater than fifteen characters cannot have the character used more than once in the answers. For stories with less than fifteen characters, the characters cannot be used more than twice in the answers. A brief description of the story is required and is not to exceed five sentences. So, here I go.

I’ve not counted, but DTN probably has less than fifteen characters, but I’m going to try to use each character only once in case the cast does exceed that number.

What is Defending the Net about? DTN is the story of hockey goalies, Brighton Rabalais and Gatien Glesseau. Both are competing for the starting position. Brighton is a hotshot rookie and Gatien is a seasoned veteran. Like the net, they each have a secret to guard, and both are determined to discover what those secrets are. But while they are guarding secrets, they neglect to guard their hearts.

#1 Which character is SO into the holidays, they nearly cause a street-wide power outage from all their Christmas lights? This is tough because both Nicco and Dylan would fit this. However, I’m going to go with Nicco because he’s not only a showman but very competitive. Plus, he would have been shopping year-round on the QVC.

#2 Which character attends the office New Year’s party with ONE date…and goes home with someone else? Semien but only because he probably lost track of who he came with in the first place.

#3 Which character is more than happy to steal Hanukkah gelt from poor, unsuspecting children? [Note: Hanukkah gelt = chocolate coins] Michael wouldn’t see anything wrong with this and would think it would toughen them up to be future hockey players.

#4 Fill in the blanks: I saw ____[character]____ doing a whole lot more than __[verb]____-ing Santa Claus. They were full on [action] ________. Fill in the blanks: I saw Dylan doing a whole lot more than trimming the tree for Santa Claus. They were full on shaking limbs.

#5 One of your characters decides to pregame before church and passes out in the middle of the Christmas service. Which character is it? I will say Aidan because he does not hold his liquor well.

#6 Which character hasn’t been seen since winter began because they refuse to deal with the snow? There’s not much snow in Southern Louisiana, but if one character had to pick it would be Dylan. He can be very dramatic and might decide winter wasn’t worth it.

#7 Which character completely forgot about the holidays and ends up regifting to everyone? Michael, only not because he “forgot”. Michael would have been too busy to bother himself with picking out gifts.

#8 Which character has such crappy luck, they only discover their potato allergy after pigging out on latkes? Brighton. He’s a walking Murphy’s Law.

#9 The Krampus has arrived to punish your very bad characters. Which character is kinda into it? Gatien would step up front and center. He’s always down for a challenge—the badder, the better.

#10 One of your characters should be on the naughty list but has convinced Santa to clear their name. Which character is it, and what were their means of persuasion? Christophe. He has that charm. Whatever he wants, he gets.

Don’t forget to visit Creole Bayou again. New posts are made on Wednesdays. If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors.

Life’s Roux: Wrong Doors, my steamy romantic comedy, is available at Red Sage Publishing. To order, follow the link to http://bit.ly/2CtE7Ez or to Amazon at http://amzn.to/2lCQXpt.

Thanks so much to Jenna Moreci for creating this for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to visit her on YouTube. If anyone knows of other writing tags or challenges that you think I may find interesting and fun, please tag me with a link. Be sure to keep your eyes opened to see if I may have something coming your way

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Published on December 12, 2018 08:00

December 10, 2018

Vocabulary/Common Terms

Today’s post is quite different for me and allows me briefly to explain what sparked me to write about this topic. To begin, I have entered a new phase in life and have a college kid. With high school behind, comes a new set of events, experiences, and issues. For the past two years, I began preparing my daughter for some things to expect and encouraged her to be her own person and not feel obligated to follow in my footsteps. Those discussions have opened a lot of good dialogue and plenty of humor. I think she was as prepared as any parent can prepare their student. However, I quickly realized my child was entering new territory that I could not provide any guidance. I turned to the internet for answers to her questions (and mine) and found that there was little information on the topic. What information I found was sparse, scattered, repeated, and sometimes not informative. Some vlogs provided insightful information (generally from the point of view of a student who recently had completed the rush/recruitment process or one who had been in the sorority for a short amount of time.) I found nothing from a parental point of view to help the parents. And frankly, some of the vlogs were painful to watch—having to endure ten minutes of extraneous exposition before getting to the core of anything or witnessing endless hair flips. Hopefully, this post will provide useful information to parents as well as girls considering going through the rush/recruitment process in a concise and/or condense fashion.

Second, I thought I could do this in a single post, but as I investigated, I realized if I wanted to be helpful, this would need to be a series of posts. It is a lot of information, and I will attempt to break it down in digestible sections. Additionally, I realized that some people reading this will have no knowledge of what is known as rushing, recruitment, and/or pledging or only be familiar with what has been depicted in movies. Therefore, I will begin with the basics.

Third, not all Greek Letter Organizations are considered social organizations. Some are business or professional organizations. Some are considered Multicultural while others fall under PHC or NPHC. Greek Organizations are often ranked, but the rankings change, and according to most, should not be given much consideration. The rankings can be biased opinions or based upon unfounded stereotypes and fake. Anyone considering going through the rush/pledging process should enter into it with an open mind and learn as much as possible before beginning the process.

Fourth, these posts cannot possibly cover all aspects of recruitment/rush but will give a general overview of the process. Be mindful that recruitment will work differently depending on the college/university, location, the number of people participating in recruitment, the number of chapters at a college/university, and the size of the university/college. As a disclaimer, I should note that my experience is with large southern universities where Greek Life is taken seriously. Furthermore, social fraternities and sororities do approach recruitment differently. In my opinion, I believe IFC fraternities are more relaxed in their recruitment process than NPC sororities. NPHC is another matter entirely. But all of that comes later. Let’s start with the lingo.

VOCABULARY/COMMON TERMS

Greek life has its own language. If one is to enter this world, there are several common terms that one should learn. Please note that the list here is extensive but not exhaustive. Although this blog will focus on sororities, many of the terms also are used with fraternities. (Quick aside: As I was researching, I quickly found that many lists did not include both NPC and NPHC terms. This was another reason that led me to create this series of posts. I will discuss that more in future posts.)

Active member or Active: This is a sorority (or fraternity) member that has been initiated into a chapter.

Alumna/Alumnus/Alumni: This is an initiated member(s) of a sorority or fraternity who graduated or left college in good standing with the organization. (Alumna refers to a sorority member. Alumnus refers to a fraternity member. Alumni is the plural or alumna and alumnus.)

Associate member: This is the same as a New Member, and is a person who has accepted a bid from a sorority but is not yet an Active member (see the previous definition) of that chapter. Associate/New Members formerly were referred to as “pledges”. Over time, the term “pledge” gained negative connotations.

Badge: A pin is an insignia of membership worn by initiated members. Each sorority has its badge.

Bid: This is a formal invitation by a sorority (or fraternity) to a PNM to join a chapter. This term is used by NPC sororities. The process of gaining new members is different for NPHC sororities. (See definitions of NPC and NPHC below.) Some of these differences will be discussed in future blog posts.

Bid Day: The last day and reportedly the most exciting day) of recruitment. It is the day when PNM receive invitations (bids) to join chapters and become members.

Bid Matching: At the end of the preference round where PNM rank their top two or three (depending on the college/university) sorority choices, each sorority will rank PNM. Through a math algorithm, the two rankings will be matched, and this determines which sorority the PNM will become a member if she accepts the bid.

Big sister: An active member of a chapter who is paired with a new member as a mentor. Many sororities participate in a Big/Little week where an established member (Big) is assigned a new member (Little). Often, the Big acts as a “Secret Santa” and leaves gifts (sometimes with clues to her identity) each day for a week. On the final day, there is an event where the Big reveals herself, sometimes by holding a sign with her Little’s name on it or providing her Little with a matching t-shirt/outfit. The length of days and types or prices of gifts may vary, depending on the sorority chapter.

Big-Little Reveal: When big sisters who have been acting as a type of “Secret Santa”, reveal themselves to their little sisters. (See Big Sister).

Bumping or Bump Group: During recruitment parties/events (especially open house), active members are assigned PNMs to talk with. Basically, this is a short interview (similar to speed dating) to get to know a PNM and measure how she fits with the sororities. These are one-on-one conversations and are timed. When one active switches with another, this is known as bumping. Collectively, all actives who switch with each other is known as a bump group.

For example, Amy, Betty, Callie, and Darcy are all active members of XYZ. They are all assigned to interview PNM Lori. Assume that the party is scheduled to last twenty minutes. When PNM Lori enters, she is greeted by Amy who leads her to a table by a window. They sit and begin chatting. Three minutes into the conversation, Betty joins the two. Amy introduces Betty to PNM Lori. The three chat for a minute, and then Amy excuses herself, leaving Betty and PNM Lori alone to chat. A minute Callie arrives. Betty introduces Callie to PNM Lori, and the process continues until all four actives have interviewed PNM Lori, and the party has ended. In the example, Betty bumps Amy. Callie bumps Betty. Darcy bumps Callie. Amy, Betty, Callie, and Darcy are considered to be a bump group.

Bump groups are not accidental. Their arrivals and departures are timed and highly coordinated. Members spend weeks perfecting them to appear flawless, spontaneous, and natural. The purpose of a bump group is to allow all PNM to be interviewed by the same amount of members in an allotted time and to maximize the number of members who interview the PNM.

Call: This is an audible sound or yell used by members to acknowledge, greet, identify, to or gain the attention of other members. This may be used in fraternities or sororities and may vary regionally within organizations.

Chapter: A group of the larger, officially chartered and recognized and inter/national organization of collegians at a given college or university who are designated by a special Greek name.

Charter: A charter is the documentation denoting that a chapter is recognized by the national organization and follows all the rules and regulations of the national organization.

College Panhellenic Association: The cooperative campus organization of collegiate members of NPC fraternities

College Panhellenic Council: This council, which has a delegate from each NPC sorority, serves as the governing body for all NPC chapters on campus. It organizes the recruitment process.

Colony: When an affiliate of a national organization newly forms on a campus but has not received its charter, the affiliation is known as a colony. All GLO start as colonies until they are granted a charter. And since colonies are newly formed, all colony members are considered founders of that chapter.Continuous Open Bidding (COB): This term takes a bit of explaining. Each NPC sorority is given a quota of PNMs that can be offered an invitation for membership. (Note: To get a quick and dirty idea of what a quota is and how it is determined, scroll down.) If a sorority does not reach its quota during primary recruitment, COB allows a sorority to add members through COB. The COB process is not as formal, and not all sororities not meeting quota will participate. Participation is optional. Additionally, if a sorority has reached house total (See Total below for more information) they are not able to participate in COB. Usually, the sororities ineligible to participate in COB are the most popular (sometimes referred to as “top tier”) sororities that many PNMs want to join.

Continuous Open Recruitment (COR): This is the same as COB. (See previous)

Crest: A crest is an organization’s coat of arms.

Crossing or Crossing the Sand: This term originates in the Bible and is used almost exclusively with NPHC organizations. It means triumphing over the temptations of the flesh when one must rely on the assistance of another to make it successfully. Crossing or Crossing the Sands is the same as initiation (the formal ceremony where new members receive lifelong membership).

Cuts: When a PNM is released from attending future events/parties by a specific sorority

eep Cuts: These usually happen at the end of Round 1 and prior to the beginning of Round 2. This is when large numbers of PNMs are cut/dropped by sororities. Hypothetically, these cuts are not personal. Usually, these cuts are linked to a PNM’s failure to meet GPA requirements or an issue that allows the PNM to join negatively would affect the sorority’s public image or standing with the university (e.g., a PNM having a criminal record of a capital offense).

Divine Nine (D9): Another name to collectively refer to the organizations that comprise the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). (See National Pan-Hellenic Council)

Deletter: This is when an initiated member terminates his or her relationship with a fraternity or sorority.

De-pledge: This is when a PNM terminates his or her relationship with a fraternity or sorority. This is the same as dropping (although, dropping also can have a broader meaning).

Dirty Rush: This is when a sorority attempts to circumvent the designated rules to get selected PNM to join their sorority. This may include making promises of acceptance, giving gifts, or trying to persuade PNMs to join prior to the start of formal rush.

Disaffiliation: This is the temporarily removing oneself from a sorority to assist during the recruitment process. Gamma Rhos, Pi Chis, Rho Gammas, etc. do this. (Interesting fact: during rush house tours, PNM may notice that some sororities composites are covered with blankets, wrapped in paper, or have stickers on members’ faces. This is to protect the identity of the disaffiliated members who are helping with recruitment. It is likely better and/or less awkward if PNM does witness a covered a composite that she does not ask questions about it.

Drop: This is a term used to refer to someone who de-pledged or stopped pledging or when a sorority does not invite a girl back (i.e., cut) a PNM to visit the sorority during a round.

Event: Event can have several meanings. It may refer to a party or social event. However, usually, when someone speaks of an event in relation to recruitment, that person is referring to a PNM visiting a sorority.

Eternal: This term refers to someone who begins the NPHC intake process but is never initiated due to dropping or being dropped. It has its origins in the Bible. (See Crossing the Burning Sands.) Because the prospective/aspirant did not endure to the end, the prospective/aspirant will wander eternally in the wilderness and/or the Nubian Sands dessert.

Formal Recruitment: This is a week of scheduled events held to gain new members.

Fraternity: An organization of college/university men who bond in declared brotherhood

GLO: Greek Letter Organization

Hand sign: A signal used by members to acknowledge, greet, identify, to or gain the attention of other members. This may be used in fraternities or sororities and may vary regionally within organizations. Most hand signs have a deep meaning associated with it.

House: This refers to a sorority or fraternity.

Hotboxing: Hotboxing occurs when two or more actives take a PNM into an isolated or private area of the sorority house during a recruitment party. For most NPC sororities, this is a no-no.

Initiation: A traditional ceremony that brings a new member into full membership of a sorority or fraternity. Once a member is initiated into an NPC sorority, she can no longer seek membership in another sorority, even if she terminates her membership.

Intentional single preference: When a PNM lists only one chapter on her membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement (MRABA) following preference round. This also is known as suicide bidding and is not encouraged, as many times the PNM is not successful.

Intake: The process NPHC and Multicultural organizations use to recruit, interview, choose and educate new members.

Interfraternity Council (IFC): The campus governing body for all social fraternities. Fraternities affiliated with IFC are the following: Alpha Tau Omega, Beta Theta Pi, Chi Psi, Delta Psi, Kappa Alpha, Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Tau, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, and Sigma Pi.

Informal Recruitment: This term may have slightly different meanings depending on how it used. For some, informal recruitment means recruitment that happens in the spring. However, it is important to note that some universities/colleges only hold recruitment in the spring, and that process is very similar to or the same as formal rush. Other may use informal recruitment refers to refer to COB (See above). Informal Recruitment does not have set scheduled events, which means each sorority operates at its own pace. Thus, some sororities start earlier than others while some do not participate at all.

Interest Meeting: This term typically is used when discussing a PNM gaining or receiving information about an NPHC fraternity or sorority.

Lavaliere: A pendant bearing a fraternity or sorority’s Greek letters.

Legacy: A legacy is a daughter, sister or granddaughter of an initiated member of a sorority. Sometimes, if a PNM has two immediate relatives that have been initiated, she is referred to as a double legacy. Likewise, if she has three immediate initiated, she may be called a triple legacy. Different sororities have different rules regarding legacies. Some sororities guarantee a bid and/or membership to legacies. Others only guarantee membership to double or triple legacies. For some organizations, being a legacy does not guarantee membership at all. Additionally, different organizations have different definitions of what it means to be a legacy. Thus, some may consider a PNM with an aunt or a cousin who is a member to be a legacy.

Line (Ship): This typically is used in relation to NPHC organizations and is a group of new members in a specific chapter, in a specific semester/quarter. Members of a line may refer to other members on line as Line Brothers (LB) or Line Sisters (LS). This term is derived from when pledges were required to walk anywhere they went as a group in a single line. Depending on the number of pledges and area space, sometimes double lines were allowed. The first person in the line was referred to as the head or ace, and the last person in the line was referred to as the tail.

Line name: The name given to a pledge class as they participate in the intake process. Sometimes, the line names may be created by the presence of the chapter, dean of recruitment, member of the intake team, or prospectives/aspirants. Who develops the name depends on the organization. Some groups do number their lines by alpha, beta, gamma. Their line has a name to define them or something about their personality, characteristics, traits. Many times, it is an acronym. Note that there are two types of line names. The first is each prospective/aspirant will be given a name. Many times, these names are related. The second is a name that is given to refer to all prospectives/aspirants collectively. For example, if there are 6 prospectives/aspirants, their individual names may be Lily, Rose, Iris, Orchid, Violet, and Wisteria. Collectively, they may be referred to as the Wild Flowers.

Line numbers: Line number is the number given to prospectives/aspirants while they are on line. Numbers are usually issued according to height, with the shortest prospective/aspirant being the head/ace, the next shortest being deuce, the next the trey, and so forth. The tallest person is the tail. Line numbers often are worn on clothing. The head/ace has one of the most important roles on a line because the ace acts as the leader of the line and will need to memorize everything. As a general rule, once line numbers are given, they are not changed. Therefore, if a prospective/aspirant drops doing the middle of the process, the numbers may skip. For example, if there were 6 prospectives/aspirants, their line numbers would be 1-6 respectfully. If number 4 drops, the line would be 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. Line numbers occur in NPHC organizations.

Little sister: A new member is paired with an active member. The active member serves as a mentor. Many sororities participate in a Big/Little week where an established member (Big) is assigned a new member (Little). Often, the Big acts as a “Secret Santa” and leaves gifts (sometimes with clues to her identity) each day for a week. On the final day, there is an event where the Big reveals herself, sometimes by holding a sign with her Little’s name on it or providing her Little with a matching t-shirt/outfit. The length of days and types or prices of gifts may vary, depending on the sorority chapter.

Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA): This is a one-year binding agreement signed by a potential new member when ranking chapters after preference round. A PNM agrees to accept a bid from any chapter she lists on her MRABA. If a PNM receives a bid to a chapter she lists and declines it, she is bound to it for one year or until the next recruitment period. This means she cannot accept a bid to any other organization. If a PNM signs an MRABA and does not receive a bid, she is eligible for continuous open bidding or snap bidding.

Membership Selection: This is the right of each fraternity and sorority to select their own members.

Mutual Selection Process (MSP): To understand MSP, it is necessary to have some understanding of the cutting and bidding process. After each recruitment round, PNMs rank the sororities in order of preference. For example, giving a sorority a ranking of 1 might mean the PNM wants very much to return to that sorority. A ranking of 5 might mean the PNM does not wish to visit that sorority again. Likewise, each sorority will rank each PNM in the order of preference as well. If both the sorority and PNM “match” (both have ranked that they would like to see each other again), then the PNM will return to the sorority for the next round. NOTE: although this is termed “mutual selection”, it is not truly mutual.

Here’s an example. Say University of World has 10 NPC sororities and Lori is a PNM. The policy is that all PNM must visit all 10 NPC sororities during the first round. After the first round, the PNMs are required to eliminate 3 sororities. For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to these 10 sororities as the following: AB, CD, EF, GH, IJ, KL, MN, OP, QR, and ST. The PNM Lori ranks sororities AB, CD, and EF as her top three preferences and OP, QR, and ST as her least favorite. In Round 2, the maximum amount of sororities PNM Lori is allowed to revisit is 7. Since she listed OP, QR, and ST as her bottom three, these are the ones eliminated—possibly. However, say AB, CD, and EF sororities all cut PNM Lori but OP, QR, and ST sororities had her on their re-invite list. In this case (at some universities), sororities OP, QR, and ST would not be eliminated from PNM Lori’s list. And even if PNM Lori did not want to revisit OP, QR, and ST, she would have to in order to remain a part of the recruitment process. In other words, the selection is not mutual in this instance because Lori did not select OP, QR, and ST.

Using this same example, at some universities, OP, QR, and ST would be eliminated from PNM Lori’s list, leaving her with GH, IJ, KL, and MN to revisit in Round 2. It’s important to remember that although Rounds have a maximum of sororities that a PNM may visit, there is no minimum of invitations of returns a PNM may receive. In other words, it is possible after Round 1 that a PNM may not be invited to return to any house. What is important to remember about the MSP is that it is possible a PNM may have visited a sorority she is uninterested in during a round if that sorority chooses her, but once a sorority cuts a girl, that decision is final. This does not mean a PNM will be forced to join a sorority she does not want. If a PNM receives a bid from an undesired sorority, the PNM has the option to decline the bid. As long as the PNM does sign the MRABA, she is free to participate in recruitment again during the next rush.

Neophyte (Neo): A term used to refer to new members of an NPHC organization.

Neophyte Presentation: Neophyte Presentation is the same as Probate. Due to the negative connotations associated with hazing, the term probate is not used. Neophyte Presentation is an event where new members publicly reveal that they have completed the intake process, which has been completed in secret. They often present a history or step/stroll in an organized performance.

New member: This is the same as an Associate Member and is a person who has accepted a bid from a sorority but is not yet an active member of that chapter. Formerly this was referred to as “pledge”. Due to the negative connotation associated with the term “pledge” (e.g., hazing), a move was made to change the terminology.

National Panhellenic Conference (NPC): The NPC is composed of 26 national women’s sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Current members are the following: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Phi Alpha, and Zeta Tau Alpha. These sororities are historically, predominately Caucasian.

National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC): This is composed of nine organizations (fraternities and sororities) that are historically, predominately African American. They sometimes are referred to as the “Divine Nine”. Current members are the following: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated; Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated; and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.

North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC): The NIC is the governing body for 72 national member men’s fraternities and alumni associations.

On the Yard: This phrase is usually heard when referring to NPHC organizations. It means that an organization has an active charter and are able to recruit new members.

Party: When referring to recruitment, a party is an event at a designated location hosted by a sorority (or sororities) where PNMs converse with active members to learn more about each other. For example, when a PNM visits a house to learn about the sorority’s philanthropy, it may be referred to as a philanthropy party or party.

Perpetrators (Perps): A person who emulate or pretends to be a part of a Greek organization but is not.

Philanthropy: A charitable project sponsored by a fraternity, sorority, or the Greek community

Potential new member (PNM): A woman who is eligible to participate in recruitment and is seeking membership in a sorority. In the past, PNMs were referred to as “rushees”. However, due to the negative association with the term “rushees” (as well as changing in times and a desire to simplify terminology), most sororities and fraternities use the term PNM.

Preferencing (Pref): One of the last events of the recruitment process is referencing. Technically, PNMs are asked to rank and/or preference sororities throughout recruitment after each round. However, what most think of as preferencing or pref is the last event before Bid Day, when PNM are asked to list their top two (at some colleges/universities, PNM are allowed to list their top three) sororities. Basically, this is where PNM indicate what two sororities they would like being a member. For example, a PNM lists sorority XYZ as her first choice and LMN as her second choice. If XYZ sorority decides to offer her a bid, she becomes a member of XYZ. If XYZ decides not to offer her a bid but LMN sorority offers her a bid, she becomes a member of LMN. If the PNM only lists one preference/choice (which indicates she is only willing to be a member of XYZ and no other sorority), this is called a suicide bidding. So, if in the example, PNM only “preffed” XYZ and XYZ did not offer her a bid, she would not become a member of any sorority, even if LMN was willing to give her bid.

Probate: Probate is the same as Neophyte Presentation. Due to the negative connotations associated with hazing, the term probate is not used. It is an event where new members publicly reveal that they have completed the intake process, which has been completed in secret. They often present a history or step/stroll in an organized performance.

Quota: A quota is the number of PNM to which each chapter can offer bids or invitations during recruitment. This is determined using the Release Figures Management System (RFM). The RFM manages formal recruitment by attempting to place of the chapters on campus on equal footing using a mathematical formula. The reason for using this formula is to have larger sororities cut more girls early in the recruiting process as opposed to waiting until bid day. This allows smaller sororities to invite back more girls early on and increase their numbers. Hypothetically, this results in more PNMs receiving bids and balancing the number of PNMs placed with equality among chapters. However, there are factors that affect this, such as suicide bidding.

Recolonize: Sometimes, a Greek organization loses its chapter because of low retention or has engaged in behavior that caused its character to be revoked. An organization in that situation may be granted an opportunity to open a new charter and recruit new members.

Recommendation: A recommendation is a written statement in support of a PNM for a sorority written by an alumnae member of that organization. Some sororities request their recommendations be submitted via email while others request an internet form be completed. How recommendations are handled, the importance placed on them, and the number required all will depend on the sorority.

Recruitment counselor A member of a Panhellenic sorority who disaffiliates from her sorority during formal recruitment to assist new members through the process. (NOTE: These persons go by many names, depending on the universities. Other names may include: Pi Chi, Gamma Rho, Gamma Chi, Pi Gamma, Recruitment Counselor, etc.).

Rho Gamma: See Recruitment Counselor

Round: One way to think of a round is a theme day. During recruitment, there are a number of rounds. For example, Round 1 may be an open house where PNM visit each sorority and interviewed by members in each home. When the PNMs arrive, they may be greeted with door chants or songs. Round 2 may be philanthropy, where sororities present skits or slid shows to discuss their platform or causes. Round 3 may be sisterhood where PNM listen to active members discuss what it is like to be a part of a particular sorority. The number of rounds may vary depending on the size of the college/university. The themes and order of these rounds also have some variation. After each round, PNMs meet individually with their recruitment counselor and discuss how they liked each sorority. During this meeting, the recruitment counselor helps the PNM narrow her choice of sororities she is interested in.

Rounds are themed parties that occur during sorority recruitment that are scheduled times (via sorority invitation) for PNMs to visit sororities. Usually, only one round is held per day. Large colleges/universities with lots of sororities may have rounds that last over several days. Sororities do not set the rounds. Instead, they are set by the college/university.

Ritual: Rituals are the practices and traditions of a sorority. Often they are secretive and shared only once initiated. The purpose of rituals is to connect current members with the roots of the sororities and remind members of the values, purpose, and responsibility of the sorority and members.

Ship (Line): This typically is used in relation to NPHC organizations and is a group of new members in a specific chapter, in a specific semester/quarter

Silence: This is a period when there is no communication between PNMs and active members that occurs at the conclusion of the preference round and the PNMs begin their final ranking. The purpose of this is to allow PNMs to make their preferred choice without being influenced.

Sorority: An organization of college/university women who bond in declared sisterhood.

Soror: This is an NPHC term that refers to one’s sorority sister

Snap bidding: Sometimes, a sorority may find that they did not fill their quota after they have gone through their preference lists. When this occurs, snap bidding is an option. Snap bids are offered to PNMs who did not attend any parties in the preferential round. In other words, these are PNMs who would not be extended a bid by sororities they listed on their preference rankings after preference round. Snap bids are only given before bids are distributed. A potential PNM would receive a phone call by a sorority offering her a snap bid. If the PNM accepts, she would participate in Bid Day activities with all the other new members. Members do not know who are snap bidded unless the member tells them. It is not advised that a member tell others she was snapped.

Stepping/Step Show: A tradition in all NPHC and some MGC and organizations where routines are performed.

Strutting/Strolling: NPHC and MGC organizations use coordinated movements performed in a line by to show unity.

Suicide Bidding: At the conclusion of the preference round, PNMs are to rank their top two (or three, depending on the university/college) sorority choices of which she wishes to join. If a PNM decided to only list one sorority (and not list a second-choice) on her preference card, this is called suicide bidding. The reason it is called suicide is that if the PNM’s single choice sorority does not select her, the PNM will not be in any sorority and will not be eligible for COB or snap bids.

Total: The College Panhellenic determines allowable chapter size of sororities and fraternities on a campus. This includes new and active members. Chapters that failed to reach total may be allowed to participate in COB until they reach total.

Twin: When an upperclassman becomes a mentor (Big) to two new members (Littles), the relationship between the two new members is labeled as twins.

Unanimous Agreements: These are agreements between the 26 NPC sororities that help create equality and fairness between the sororities. Many of these agreements address recruitment procedures.

Underground Pledging: To understand this, one must understand what is meant by aboveground pledge, a term that is rarely used. Both aboveground and underground are terms used when referring to NPHC pledging. Aboveground pledging was the common practice where NPHC organization had engaged in hazing practices (e.g., walking in lines, wearing uniforms, shaving their heads, being beaten, etc.). Much of this was visible to the public. After several deaths from hazing, aboveground pledging was disbanded hypothetically and made illegal. Pledging was changed to Member Intake Process. However, not all members/chapters were onboard with these changes and attempted to emulate aboveground pledging through underground. Some of the same practices from aboveground pledging are involved; however, it may be kept more secretive to avoid being noticed publicly. Some members attempt to convince pledges the only way to be accepted and respected by members is if they are hazed. Underground lines are kept hidden from the university and possibly national chapters by not turning in paperwork that acknowledges pledging is occurring. With no paper trail, accusations of hazing easily can be denied.

Values-based recruitment: In value-based recruitment, the focus is on recruiting PNMs who will have a positive impact on the sorority. Active members attempt to engage PNMs in meaningful conversations about the core values at the heart of their sorority. This usually occurs in later rounds of recruitment.

Variable Quota: This is an effort by the Panhellenic Council to create an equal membership in all NPC sororities due to substantial differences in the retention rates of some sororities. By using variable quotas, the set number (quota) of invitations to join (bids) are different for each sorority. Sororities with higher membership numbers would be given lower quotas than a sorority with fewer members.

Whew! Honestly, when I undertook the task of tackling this subject, I had no clue as to how many terms were used in Greek Life. Having been around it for so long, it seems that everyone I know speaks this language. There are, as I noted previously, plenty other terms that I did not list here. However, this is a good list for a novice to begin understanding Greek life.

Additional sites readers may find helpful:

Greek Apparel & Accessories

Greek Gear https://www.greekgear.com/

Greek Videos

Corey Jones (YouTube)

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Published on December 10, 2018 08:00

December 5, 2018

Plagiarism & Fanfic

Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery—maybe. Or the largest form of theft and fraud. Plagiarism. What an ugly word. Plagiarism occurs when a person represents the ideas, words, art, productions, images, music, or works of others as one’s own without credit or citation to the creator or original source. However, plagiarism goes beyond that. It also is the use of someone else’s work without prior consent, using a majority of another person’s ideas regardless if credit is given, and incorrectly providing the source of a citation. This is one reason why fanfic is controversial. Is it homage or stealing?

Let’s view it from the eyes of an author. An author spends months and sometimes years writing, toiling, researching, and editing to create a unique, entertaining, and well-written story. He/she may hire editors or recruit beta readers to help perfect the story. Additional funds may be spent on illustrators, cover art, and marketing. Endless hours are invested in branding and promoting. Then, one day, everything is brought together, and there is a finished work released to the public. Great…until that author sees that someone has taken all of his/her efforts and twisted his/her story into something that it was never supposed to be, has twisted the author’s creation into a new vision never intended or desired to happen. It’s the author’s intellectual property being used without consent or payment.

Many new or upcoming authors cannot financially afford to do anything about their work being used in this manner. For one, they may have spent the majority of their money on the previously mentioned things, especially if the author is self-published. Or they may not have the time to fight the battle if they work another job or is a caregiver. Since many authors become attached to their work, for some, it is like helplessly watching their baby being ripped from their arms and torn apart.

Some author’s do not mind their work being used in this way. Actor, playwriter, comedian, and filmmaker, Tyler Perry, has gone on record to state that he can credit a good portion of his fame to bootlegged/pirated videos. According to Mr. Perry, when he was beginning, it was the pirated videos that help spread his work to the public who had not heard of him or could afford to come to see his plays. According to what he has stated in interviews, he was poor and struggling at the time. That is no longer the case, and Mr. Perry respectfully has asked all the bootleggers to respect his work and not sell him on the black market. It costs him thousands and thousands of dollars in lost revenue. And while I imagine Mr. Perry could absorb that financial loss unnoticed, he is a person who gives back to his community (e.g., hurricane relief). What he does not gain in sales, he cannot pass along to the community.

Other authors have gone on record to indicate they do not mind the use of their work in fanfic as long as the fanfic author remains respectful to the original source. Some authors enjoy seeing what their fan develops or how their characters are expanded. The issue is that those authors have no control or say what happens in fanfic work. So, if an author wanted to write a story about a wholesome nun, there is nothing that prevents a fanfic writer to transform that character into a pornographic, drug addict. The author then has to resort to seeking a cease and desist, perhaps legally.

Some fanfic writers may not understand why it is an issue at all and believe it does not hurt anyone. If an author gives consent, then, it is not a problem. But consider the music industry and how, in the past, many new artists came on the scene sampling music from other musicians and did not credit them. And even some that gave credit to the original source, did not pay for use but racked in the bucks. Or go further back to when more famous artists recorded music by less famous musicians without paying them. There were many musicians who had their works stolen and made into chart toppers and didn’t receive a cent. They went to their graves broke.

Some acts of plagiarism are so common that they are overlooked and ignored. Sometimes, they are accepted without question because they are not recognized as plagiarized. Take, for example, the song Happy Birthday. It has been sung it seems forever. Imagine my surprise when I learned several years ago that the song is copyrighted. Yes, it is true. And each time the song is sung or played in a movie/film, a fee must be paid to the copyright holder. How many people have stopped to think about the creator of Happy Birthday—or rather, that it’s not free for use? I’m not going to get into the odds and ends of that copyright, but the point is, most consider the song free to use (and it is, just not in movies or stage productions).

Does that mean fanfic is bad? It depends on who one asks and how the work is being used. For example, if a one writes fanfic to learn sentence structure, packing, or following a story arc and this work is never published anywhere, then the work has been used as a learning tool. As long as a person is learning the basics and not having anyone else view the work, this may be a good way to start. Maybe. As long as growth is occurring, it will be. However, it is important that a writer learns his/her style and find his/her unique voice. What makes bestselling authors bestsellers is that they broke the mold and did something no one else was doing. J.K. Rowling was not the first author to write about a boy wizard, and Stephanie Meyer didn’t create vampires. What they did was present the material in a new way that readers found refreshing. But Harry Potter and Twilight stories are told. Now, what if everyone rehashed those stories constantly and in the same style? What if every book written by a new author from now was just another sequel to Harry Potter or version of Twilight? It wouldn’t take away from the original stories, but most readers would become bored of the newer works. The new creations would be compared to the originals. Would newer works measure up?

Think about when a classic movie is remade. How many times have viewers walked away complaining that it should not have been attempted or the newer version becomes a box office flop? Many people prefer familiarity and reject change. Think about wearing a favorite shirt or snuggling beneath a favorite blanket. When these items become tattered, owners are reluctant to throw them away. Readers enjoy re-reading books. They are quick to judge something as a knock-off/rip off or label a writer a hack. Successful writers are not carbon copies. They may use common troupes, but they cast a new spin.

So, what do new writers need to do?

Start by writing the story as if telling it to yourself. Don’t worry about the grammar of plot holes. The point is to get the thoughts on paper as it is heard in the writer’s head. Clean up and spit shining it can happen later.
The author should write on subjects that make him/her happy and not just what is popular at the time. There are several reasons for this.
Fads come and go and are easily forgotten. Most authors hope their works stick around a while.
Books/novels take time to write. Some people may pop them out in thirty days, but for many, it takes much longer. Of course, flash fiction and short stories may take less time. By the time longer works are written, edited, and polished, the heyday of the fad likely has passed and the short window to have people interested is gone.
The story won’t make the author happy and suck the joy out of writing. If they only reason a writer is creating a work is for the money or because it is popular, unless it is a subject/genre the author has an interest in, writing may be tedious and dull. It may not even be good. I once read a story from a fellow author, and I instantly could tell she was miserable. She said to me that she felt so out of her element writing in a different genre but had been pushed into it by her publisher.
Writers should experiment with different styles until they find one they are comfortable with writing.
Writers should not believe their first book will suck or be awful. The first draft likely will be, yes. But the first book does not have to be. With proper editing and the basic principles of writing intact (beginning, middle, end, story arc, plot, character development, appropriate pacing, good grammar, etc.), a first book can be great. Drafts, on the other hand, are just that. By definition, drafts are not intended to be final copies and will require work. Many new writers may erroneously believe that writing “The End” and performing a spellcheck means a book is done when there is so much more. If a first book does not sell or is not received by critics well, it isn’t because of some “first book curse”. First books are hard for lots of reasons, but it isn’t because they are doomed before being written. If that’s the case, no writer should ever publish a first book. Writers should write their first book to the best of their abilities and then take steps (e.g., professional editing) improve it. It is true that writing does get better with experience for most. Yet, that does not mean all first books are horrible.
Writers should join writing critique groups or writing organizations and clubs to improve. Writing is a craft. The more one does it, the better he/she horns his/her skills. Somewhere along the line, I learned what is now a writing error. Now, I say “what is now” because I truly believe I was taught this in school. I’m not the only person my age who I’ve seen do it, and I don’t recall it ever being corrected when I was in college. Even professionally, no one had said anything about it until recently. It was pointed out to me in a writing group. When I researched it, it is in fact, a grammatical error. Because I have done it for so long, it is automatic. I must remind myself to specifically check for it in editing. To me, that is part of honing my craft—learning and growing. That is one less error consistently through my stories, which allow my editors to focus on other areas.
Even if not in a writing group, new writers should ask other writers for feedback.
Editing is always a sticky subject. Some writers argue because editors charge a fee that they cannot it; and therefore, should publish without a professional edit. It’s my opinion that all books should be edited by someone. There are numerous ways to pay for it. Some editors offer payment plans while other barter services. However, writers should be warned that not all editors are created equal. For one thing, there are different types of editors (copy, line, development/structure, etc.). Editors have different amounts of experience and training. Some are simply better than others. Before paying for an edit, ask for a small sample edit and a list of references to get a feel if the editor is someone the writer will work well. A good editor can help a writer find and maintain his/her voice in writing.
Be cautious of relying on word count. Many new writers measure their progress by the number of words they write per day. While writing daily is good, it is pointless if what is being written is just material that will need to be chunked. That’s not to say that writing has to be perfect. On the contrary, it likely will have many errors and elements that will need to be corrected. Writing daily is to create a foundation upon which to build. Writing 10,000 garbage words is less productive than writing 1,000 usable words that can build upon to create a story. Image stacking a plate with cookies. Sure, the cookies are food and will satisfy hunger, but they also are empty calories that provide no true substance. Eating too many will cause a bellyache. But have a few may be tasty and leaves room for a healthier diet. Words written need to not be the empty calories that fade are unusable and turn to fat. Having word goals are not bad as long as the words are usable. After all, anyone can write 10,000 words on paper. Writing “cat” 10,000 times isn’t going to make a story.
Remember that there is a market for everything. Some markets are larger than others, but they exist. Do not feel the need to remain in the status quo if your heart is demanding a different type of story be written. A writer should write the story he/she is called to write and work about where to place it later. A good story will find a home eventually. A writer should not be discouraged because a market is small. Take a cue from independent films or underground music. Many have started as small, unnoticed projects and bloomed into massive successes. I’m reminded of a Field of Dreams moment, “If you write it, they will come.” Well, that wasn’t exactly the quote but the sentiment is there.
Avoid writing in a voice that one “thinks” something is and find it out. As a southern Creole, the accent and says depicted in some films are atrocious. What is portrayed are stereotypes that do not happen. I often tell the story of how I once received a bad edit. (I warned that they existed.) The editor insisted on changing the name from Natchez Trace to Natchez Trail, thinking it was a typo. No. Now, technically, I supposed the Natchez trace back in the days of Pocahontas was a dirt trail, and it would make sense that it would be called that. But, that’s not how it is. It’s a “trace”. Locals refer to it as “The Trace”. The signs say “Natchez Trace.” What search engines drag up, I can’t say. What I do know is referring to it as “trail” is wrong. Any local reading the story would immediately call it out and not buy that the character is from the area. The editor then argued that using “regional” terms would alienate people not local. I argued that it reduced authenticity. What the editor thought was not the reality. Authors sometimes stretch to write about places that they may not reside, and there is no sin in that. However, if an author is writing about New Your, the Big Ben shouldn’t be sitting in the middle of Time Square unless it’s an apocalyptical fantasy. The writing needs to be genuine. This entails the writer to be knowledgeable about the environment.

If a write utilizes these tips, there is no reason to write fanfic, other than for personal enjoyment that is not being published. However, it should be noted that some people consider fanfic a genre. Again, it should be emphasized that some authors do not mind their works being used as fanfic. In fact, some authors encourage it. For those authors, there is no risk of plagiarism (although some universities state that a person can plagiarize self by using the same assignment or contents from the same assignment for multiple classes), as they give informed consent.

I hope these writing tips are helpful. If so, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Don’t forget to visit Creole Bayou again. New posts are made on Wednesdays. Furthermore, my special series on Greek life, sororities, and everything parents or students wanting to join a sorority (or fraternity) should know is posted each Monday. If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors.

Life’s Roux: Wrong Doors, my steamy romantic comedy, is available at Red Sage Publishing. To order, follow the link to http://bit.ly/2CtE7Ez or to Amazon at http://amzn.to/2lCQXpt.

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Published on December 05, 2018 08:00

December 3, 2018

Sorority Recruitment: What PNMs and Parents Need to Know an Introduction

This is the kickoff post to my new series on college sororities and recruitment. I will post new articles on Mondays and continue my regular posts about writing, romance, food, and everything Creole/Cajun on Wednesdays. If you like the content of this new series, please give it a like and share it with others.

Now, some readers may be wondering 1. Why I am doing this series and 2. Why am I doing this series now and not sooner. There are several reasons. The answer to the first question is simple. I became interested in this top this summer as my daughter prepared to enter her freshman year at college. For the first time, I felt old as dirt—not because I have a kid old enough for college, but because I could not answer many of her questions. So much has changed since I was a college student. And as I began asking questions, no one could answer mine. I spent house scrounging for answers on the internet and hounding friends on the phone. But as I found answers, I formed more questions. Other parents began asking me to share what I had learned.

The second question easily is answered, too. It has taken me this long to find the answers and write them all down. What I thought would be one quick post developed into over 30,000 words. I was like, “Mon Dieu! I’ve birthed novella.” But I couldn’t stop writing because not having answers was straight up frustrating. I could empathize (and sympathize) with other parents of young women heading to college who were experiencing the same as I had. I couldn’t leave them hanging.

It’s not that a lot of the information in this series is not already posted somewhere on the net. One of the largest issues I encountered was that information was dispersed in multiple locations across different medians and sparse in details. What I mean is I had to search blogs, websites, vlogs, newspapers, documentaries, books, and online interviews. Some articles were unclear while others offered no useful information. Many would focus on/ cover a small segment/portion of recruitment. The most frustrating aspect was the repetitiveness. After a few weeks of internet searching, all I found was repeated, general information. I understand this topic is difficult to discuss in that there is much variation in the process itself, but I was unable to locate many sites that attempted. Searching was time-consuming, and still, not all of my questions were answered. In fact, they were increasing because some sources introduced concepts but failed to explain them. In all fairness, recruitment and Greek life constantly are changing and progressing. I believe it is impossible to detail every aspect in an article or book.

I’m not going to lie and claim to be the most patient person in the world, either. While the majority of material I found was helpful (even if repeated), some were the anthesis of helpful. Many of those were unstructured, unedited blogs, where the vlogger rambled, fumbled with words, lost their train of thought, and repeated self profusely. And I won’t even get into the hair flipping. I started getting burnt out on searching, and I reached out to asking/interviewing friends and associates who I knew were or had been involved in GLO. Many were so helpful, and I owe them an endless thanks for putting up with my constant and excessive questions.

The part two answer to my second question is this information is useful now. Despite many sororities holding their recruitment/intake/rush during the fall, some hold it in the spring. But even for fall recruitment, as my articles will reveal, it is never too early to begin preparing. Depending on the college/university, participating in recruitment/intake can be a time-consuming, stressful process.

I attempted to organize my posts in the same order as recruitment occurs, beginning with how to things/events that frequently occur before rush starts and common terms/definitions that help simplify understanding the process. For readers already familiar with recruitment, they may find some of the beginning articles basic. But then as the series progresses, the information becomes more in-depth and addresses less frequent topics. Because there are so many steps and variations, readers may find some things are different in their area. For example, in some states, there are laws prohibiting physical sorority houses, or there may be sorority houses, but members are not allowed to reside in them. It basically is a meeting lodge. In those areas, there may be no house parties. I encourage readers to use my articles as starting points to conduct their own research.

This series is in no part sponsored by any Greek (or non-Greek) organizations. Information posted is information that I have gained from interviewing sorority members (active and alumni), sorority parents, print media, cyber media, and observations. At times, I have included my opinions, and I note in the text when I have done so. It is not my intention to ever mislead readers that my opinions are facts. Again, I clearly will indicate which thoughts are my opinions. Unless otherwise stated, the information is what my investigation/research supports from outside sources.

In no way is this series intended to harm, disrespect, discourage, or belittle any person or organization. I cannot stress this enough (and probably is the reason I repeat it in nearly every article). Some topics can become sensitive when negative or less flattering information is introduced. The information I post is intended to be objective, unbiased, and comprehensive. I hope to debunk myths and discuss positive and negative points. As always, I strive to make Creole Bayou a drama-free blog that does not cast shade. That does not mean I shy away from some controversial topics.

Because the content of this series strays from what I generally write and is long, I will a page and link it here where I have provided links to each article in order. Hopefully, that will make following along easier for readers who want to revisit previous posts or hop to a topic quickly. Be sure to save and share this and future posts. Follow me on Creole Bayou (www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com) to be notified when new articles are posted. And please do leave comments. I love to hear from you. Also, feel free to roam the other areas of Creole Bayou.

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Published on December 03, 2018 08:00

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