TOCC
by V.E. on January 9th, 2006
filed under entertainment, fyi, ladyamedeus
The Overly Complex Chimera by Jeff Mates
Travel Plans
by V.E. on January 9th, 2006
filed under ladyamedeus, school, to do
Back to school with me! Assuming all goes well, I’ll be in my dorm by noon on January 11.
flight
leaves California = 9:10 pm, Jan. 10
arrives in Philly = 6:34 am, Jan. 11
train
leaves Philadelphia = 8:45 am, Jan. 11
arrives in Lancaster = 9:55 am, Jan. 11
what I need to do before I leave
pack my belongings
cancel eFax account
cancel Great Fun account
cancel Disney Movie Club account
revise living will
complete SME marriage equality week stuff
complete Diplocon 2006 stuff
complete campaign school homework
what I need to do after I arrive
jury duty stuff
update Quicken, pay bills
complete gift card promo
email “Widows” to Writers Notes
Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities
by V.E. on January 9th, 2006
filed under ladyamedeus, thoughts
Wow. I am really glad that my experience in a sorority is not like that of the girls in the book Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins (available at amazon.com in paperback and hardcover). I highly recommend that any girl considering joining a social sorority read that book first, since it will give you an in depth look at what usually goes on behind the Greek letters and sorority colors.
Like Robbins,
However, my sorority experience involves/d no hazing, terrible sisters, drinking, sleeping with gross frat brothers, or anything of the like. Now, granted, there is drinking that happens in Kappa, but I don’t feel obligated to do so to “earn my letters” (or “keep” them). I went to Rush with the determination to give Kappa one chance; the first sign of hazing and I knew I’d be history. When Esther told me (before either of us pledged) that Kappa didn’t haze, I nearly laughed out loud. However, when I accepted my bid to join and went to the Bid Night party, one of the sisters sat us all down and told us they wouldn’t haze us because they didn’t believe that’s what made a strong sisterhood, and they kept their word.
I joined Kappa for a few reasons. First, Daylin signed me up to attend Rush with her. When she didn’t return to school the following semester, I decided to go anyway, just to see what Kappa was all about. Then on the second night of Rush (“Meet the Sisters Night” or something like that), two things happened that caused me to even consider pledging. First, I told them I was part of LGBTA and interested in gay and lesbian rights. They all nodded and one girl (it might’ve been Sigma, but I don’t remember now) said something like, “Hey, that’s cool. One of our sisters is a lesbian. You probably know her.” I didn’t tell them that I was bisexual, but their acceptance of my gay rights activism and their lesbian sister was a positive point. Also, another sister noted, “Our philathropy is the AIDS Foundation.” The second thing that happened that night was that when I expressed my concern over “the drinking issue” (I don’t drink), I was told that Noel, one of the senior sisters, also did not drink often or very much, and never before she turned twenty-one. I also joined Kappa because it’s a small, intimate gathering of girls who actually know and care about one another. They told the pledges they wouldn’t haze us, and they didn’t, earning my respect and trust and showing me that I wasn’t wasting my time with these women.
So, let’s compare.
Typical Sorority (as depicted in Pledged)
focused on fraternity relations
racist, classist, homophobic
catty sisters, backstabbing, “the works”
rushees judged by how they look, what they wear, and what they own
pledges judged by how much shit they can put up with
hazing, forced sexual relations with frat brothers, forced drinking
Kappa Beta Gamma (as my experience allows)
focused on the sisters within the sorority
no hazing, drinking optional (and not too often encouraged)
focused somewhat on philathropy and community service
openminded about size, shape, color, sexual orientation of sisters
positive role models, including emphasis on good grades
trust and respect between the sisters and pledges, and each other
SOOOOO, my thoughts on this whole thing are summed up in the form of advice to non-affiliated women: Read Pledged and go into the Rush/pledging process with a keen eye. If the sisters to whom your pledging haze you or force you to do something you don’t feel comfortable doing (ie: sleeping with a frat brother to “prove” yourself), dump them; they’re not your friends anyway, and they certainly won’t make good “sisters”. However, don’t be nitpicky (ie: “The sisters told me not to walk on the grass for an entire week!!! That’s definitely hazing!”) and DO give your potential sisters a chance. I know that Robbins’ book shows what it would be like to be in a typical sorority, but hear this. Not all sororities are “typical”, and there ARE some women and sororities who won’t haze you and who really do sincerely care for you.
I know there’s at least ONE such sorority: Kappa Beta Gamma, Nu Chapter.
The LIST-u
by V.E. on January 9th, 2006
filed under ladyamedeus, to do
Here’s the list
SME’s Marriage Equality Week stuff (IN PROGRESS)
Diplocon 2006 stuff
applying for scholarships
creating a list of New Year’s resolutions
Six Flags Magic Mountain with Dad
figuring out a money plan for 2006
SUPERSECRET gift planning with siblings for parents
helping silly Bobby get his silly DRIVER’S LICENSE
looking into grad schools & tests
applying for internships for summer 2006
finalizing SME’s wedding ceremony
watching movies
–Rent, Brokeback Mountain, Narnia, Memoirs of a Geisha, Casanova
–Syriana, Good Night & Good Luck, King Kong
reading books
–Nickel & Dimed, Motivate Your Writing! (IN PROGRESS), Hands & Hearts, Pledged
–Letters to a Young Poet, Becoming a Writer, Voluntary Simplicity
