The Greek-Gear Girl Essentials

As a trendy sorority lady it is important to have the essential items that represent our sororities.  College Lifestyles is here to help you show off your Greek girl pride.

Click the pictures of the items to purchase from GreekGear.com

Lettered Sorority V-Neck T-Shirt: Most of us already have t-shirts with our letters embroidered in it.  What makes this shirt better though is its cut; a v-neck cut makes the shirt more feminine and form fitting.  Glam it up with a fun letter pattern!

Lettered Tote Bag: There are many styles to decide from, but getting a bag is a must!  Keep your books in your bag and you can show off your letters everyday as you walk to and from class.

Sorority necklace/rings/bracelets: Turning your letters into jewelry allows you to wear them all the time in a simple and classy way.  Your letters will always be with you!

Sorority Greek Hats: Baseball caps are a cute way to wear your letters.  A Greek baseball cap can make your look more sporty and casual along with fun and playful.

Greek Lettered Hoodie: Keep warm and cozy with your sorority letters!  A hoodie is a college essential in general, and the best way to wear it is with your letters.

Sorority Charm Key Chains:  These key chains display your sorority letters along with your colors and symbols.  They are cute, fun and practical!

These are few of the many products that are available to chic sorority ladies.  What is your favorite way to accessorize and wear your sorority letters?

Nicole is a CL intern who goes to Marist College.  She is a Communications major with a concentration in Journalism and PR.  Nicole is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Marist Ambassadors, and Communication Arts Society.  She enjoys running and hanging out with her sorority sisters and friends.

Ask the Intern: Sorority Relationships with Former Members

Last week, our sorority writers were posed with the following question from one of our readers.  Our sorority writers gave each their point of view on the situation, and we are encouraging our readers to do the same.

I am in a sorority and our chapter is experiencing a problem. We had a girl quit last year but she is still hanging around everyone and reaping all the benefits of being a sorority member without being a member. She even lives with someone who is still a part of the sorority. Recently she has been creating problems within the sorority by talking about members and it’s creating problems. How can we get this girl to back off without being rude or how can we get our members to see that they need to be careful who they hang out with?

That’s an extremely tough position to be in. As a member of your sorority, you want to embrace other women in your community with a sense of love and care, but you also need to look out for your sisters and the health of your organization as a whole. In this situation, the best solution may be to confront her in a casual, private setting. Try asking her out for coffee to explain the situation and how she is affecting the other members of the sorority. Calmly explain that because she withdrew her membership, she opted out of several activities that are reserved for active members. While you don’t want to shut her out of your life completely, it is okay to let her know that things have to change for the benefit of everyone involved.

In my opinion, it would be best to just be honest with this girl. She needs to know that by dropping out of the sorority it means no longer being there constantly. Although it would be fine to still talk to her occasionally, or even get dinner she is no longer a member of your organization and the longer you let her think we can do what she is doing the worse the problem is going to get. If she is creating drama that is even worse and needs to be dealt with immediately. The best way to begin to deal with this would be addressing it in chapter when most of the girls will be there and the most people will hear your complaints about it.

That’s a very rough situation.  You can’t be controlling though and tell people who and who not to hang out with.  At your next meeting create a time to talk about this situation, it is important to address the chapter as a whole so you’re not singling one person out.  Tell them that though they should act sisterly and kind to a former member, they should remember to keep sorority business to themselves and put their active sisters before them.  Make sure they know that it is a sister’s responsibility to squash any rumors about another.  Good luck with this!

We had a similar problem with our chapter. Usually in the spring we have cook outs with different fraternities or plan day trips to the pittsburgh zoo and she would still want to come along so we had the girl she was closest with and tell her that she can still hang out with us but meet us after an event.  As far as the gossiping, my best advice would be to talk to her one on one and tell her that she was once in the sorority and knows how much gossiping can hurt the chapter and that if she still wants to maintain good ties with the chapter and hangout with us the gossiping should cease.

Last year we had a girl quit our sorority, and she also lived with one of the active members. She still attended all of our events and was over at the house frequently. She did this for about three months, however after the semester ended she backed off. If this girl continues to intrude on your sorority I would explain to her that even though she quit, she is a sister for life. And as a part of that role, that means you have to respect all of your sisters and respect your ritual- meaning it is perfectly fine to continue friendships within the sorority, however she is creating issues that is none of her business which is not acceptable, and definitely not living out her ritual. My suggestion is to remind her of the ritual that she used to hold so close to her heart, and hopefully you will see a turn around.

What is your answer?

A classy sorority woman- 30 years later

Sorority sisters last forever. Often times, people laugh at girls for saying they are sisters, but the friendships made in sororities are always the ones that last the longest. Still not convinced? Take Mary Deming, a classy sorority woman that is still treasuring her days at Sigma Sigma Sigma. She has also instilled these values in her daughter, who is also a part of greek life. Oh yeah, did I mention she’s my mom? Check out what she has to say about the way sorority life affected not only her college life, but also who she is today.

1.) Why did you join a sorority?

I joined because my sisters were in the sorority and it was a good experience for them.  I had met their friends and everyone was very nice.  I did not know anyone when I first went to college and going through rush and joining the sorority was a great way to meet people and get involved at college.
2.) What were your most and least favorite parts of being in a sorority?

My favorite part was hanging out at the sorority house and doing activities with my pledge sisters, so I could get to know all the girls better.  I enjoyed Greek Week and the functions with the fraternities.  My least favorite was that sometimes the meetings were too long and sometimes it was hard to fit everything into my schedule.  For example, when we had practices for Greek Sing, it really made for a busy time.
3.) Did you want your children to join greek life?

I enjoyed Greek life and it was a good experience for me at the university I was attending.  I would want my children to make their own decisions, based on their needs and the activities they want to be involved in.
4.) What did you gain from joining a sorority?

I gained a sense of responsibility and learned how to manage my time.  I learned how to work well with a large group of people and how to interact with different personalities.  It gave me more confidence and it also gave me a wider range of people to learn from.  I had more friends to go to for advice and I also learned how to look at things from another person’s perspective.
5.) What is one of your favorite memories?

I always enjoyed Greek Week in the spring and Greek Reunion in the summer.  Everyone was there from all the sororities and fraternities and it was just great to be able to see everyone.  For Greek Week, we had different games and races and the week ended with Greek Sing on Sunday.
6.) Are you still in contact with your sisters? If so, how?

I gained the best friends of my life.  My group of pledge sisters and I still get together once a year or so from around the country.  We meet in different cities for a long weekend and it is like we have never been apart.  We keep in contact my phone and email throughout the year.  We laugh and cry together.  These friendships have lasted a lifetime.
7.) Do you think your college experience would have been less enjoyable if you hadn’t gone greek?

I am sure the experience would still have been enjoyable, but not nearly as much because I almost all of my friends through the sorority and most of my extracurricular activities were centered on the sorority.  I really cannot imagine not having all of those experiences and connections with the girls and the other people I met through our functions.
8.) What was your favorite event?

I loved the informal and formal dances we had.  For the informal dances, we would have a theme, such as a 50′s dance or barn dance, and we would dress accordingly.  For the formal dances, we usually went to a hotel out of town and spent the night.  The dances were great.

An Interview with the Fabulous Co-ed/Sorority President Katelyn Deet!

Did you ever wonder what it took to be the president of a sorority? Katelyn Deet is the President of the Beta Delta chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau at Duquesne University. Although it has been a long and sometimes difficult road she rose to the challenge of being President during her senior year. Katelyn served as Treasurer during her junior year last year, and will be taking on the huge commitment of being number one this upcoming academic year.  During my interview with Katelyn she explains why the sorority life is right for her, and what she plans to do to better her chapter.

Why did you join a sorority?

                The reason I wanted to join the sorority was because I was so busy and involved in high school and needed to find a way to get involved on Duquesne’s campus.  Joining Greek Life seemed like a good way to get involved while meeting more people.

Why AST?

                AST was the group of girls I felt most comfortable with during Formal Recruitment. I felt the conversations were effortless and the girls had some of the same interests as I did.

Before holding an exec position how were you involved in AST?

                Before being Treasurer my junior year I was an active member. I participated in all the events that AST held on campus like Miss Duquesne and was part of Carnival and Greek Week.

When did you realize you wanted to be President?

                Watching all of the time and effort our former President, Maria Baker, put into improving our chapter to be the best it could be really inspired me to run to President. I wanted our chapter to keep growing positively as it did while she was President.  I also think being a part of the Executive Board as Treasurer helped me realize that I enjoy being almost like a role model in the chapter. I think that with all that AST has done for me, I wanted to give back to it the best that I could with being President.

Has it been a tough road getting to where you are now?

                I think that hardest part of being President right now is learning everything I need to know to be in charge of an organization. Since we transitioned with only about three weeks of the spring semester left, this summer has given me time to figure out what needs to be done as President. The things that help me get through times where I doubt myself or a tough situation is that I will learn what I need to learn to through the experience. My sisters are also very supportive with everything I have done thus far which helps a lot.

How are you planning on making your sorority better?

                I think that main thing a sorority must have is Sisterhood within the chapter. I hope to improve our sisterhood even more this year as President. With solid sisterhood things like recruitment, philanthropy events and relations on campus will improve and will fall into place easier.

What does being President meant to you?

                Being President means that, with the support of my fellow sisters and Executive Board, I am the spokesperson for the Beta Delta Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau. I have to have Beta Delta in the back of my mind with every action and decision I make on campus and in life in general. I am honored to have been voted as President by my sisters because it means they trust me with something that is so important to all of them.

Lastly, how has AST impacted your life?

                AST has made me who I am today. Because of my sisters I am way more comfortable with the person I am. I think I have grown into a stronger, more responsible person as well because I am not thinking of myself all the time, rather my sisterhood.  AST has brought me to some of the best friends and best memories of my life.

Brooke Mendoff is a sophomore at Duquesne University studying Integrated Marketing Communication and is a proud sister of Alpha Sigma Tau. She is OBSESSED with: orange soda, the Washington Capitals, Victoria’s Secret, Mexican food, her friends and family and the color purple.

CL! Exclusive! Interview with Jessica Quirk Creator of “What I Wore” Blog

You wake up in the morning throw on a cute outfit and as you’re walking down the street you start getting compliments and then you want to make sure everyone on campus notices your cute outfit.

If you haven’t heard of Jessica Quirk she is the amazing creator of the “What I Wore” blog that showcases her amazing daily outfits (photos courtesy of her husband Adam). She posts her outfit creations on a daily basis and not only are they trendy and cute but they also mix a lot of couture items with vintage items to give them a fun twist!

 

What girl doesn’t want the whole world to see the amazing outfit she created?!

“I’m thrilled with where the blog has taken me, but no, I didn’t start it with these opportunities in mind. I sincerely just love getting dressed every day,” said Quirk.

Her blog has taken social media by storm and has now become a popular selling novel dubbed the “Cookbook for your Closet.”

Quirk’s Cinderella moment came when the PR girls from Kate Spade sent her the perfect, crème, satin heels accented with a ruffle for her wedding day in September of 2010.

“At this point, I don’t accept many of the gift offers I receive, simply because I don’t have the closet space,” said Quirk, “I’m so grateful to be able to work with so many talented designers be it through collaboration or attending their fashion shows.

While many of us look at celebrities like Lauren Conrad or Kim Kardashian for style inspiration, Jessica takes her own spin by looking at fictional characters and decades to create her ultra trendy outfits.

“I look more to fictional characters from decades past for inspiration.  I love the late seventies and the styling in Annie Hall and Love Story.  I also have a thing for the 50′s housewife, especially Betty Draper.”

 

Her style is not only unique and trendy but also classy to model a CL’s closet after. Jessica Quirk leaves us Classy Coeds with some words to live by:

“Really use the resources you have available to you.  Many other students donate or sell their gently used clothing and that’s a great place to shop when you’re on a budget.  I don’t think I found my real style until a few years after I graduated and had disposable income to use for that purpose.”

Every CL girl should check out Jessica Quirk’s book What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style.

What Does Ritual Mean To Me? National Ritual Celebration Week Answers.

In honor of National Ritual Celebration week, College Lifestyles asked our readers, ‘What Does Ritual Mean To Me?’ Read below at our responses. Ritual is the constant that holds together the years of sisterhood between the generations. Although the world around us is changing, ritual remains the same. Each and every one of my sisters have a respect for our sisterhood, and I believe ritual is a way to celebrate that. ~Christie Wolf, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Zeta Chi Chapter, Niagara University Our rituals are something just between us I always feel closest to all of my sisters even the alum that cant be with us during rituals, especially initiation as I watch all these new great girls join something that has brought such great things into my life. ~Courtney, Alpha Sigma Tau Alumna, Epsilon Gamma Chapter, Armstrong Atlantic State University Ritual to me is the connection between past, present and future. Founders or past members created the ritual for our organization. Many women before me and many more to come will share the same experience I did. It is the connecting thread between all of us and is the beauty we keep in our hearts. ~Sally Brancheau Belknap, Alpha Sigma Tau Alumna Ritual, to me, is the most sacred part of sorority life. No matter what, my sisters and I are bound together by this ritual we share. Each ritual is so special because I know it’s unique to Alpha Sigma Tau and has only been shared with the women I am privileged to call my sisters. ~Unsigned Ritual helps me stay centered on my commitment to my sisterhood. The pillars of personal development that were formed for me by the real, strong, women that came before me are an integral part of helping me to achieve my goals. When I find myself drifting away from the high standards emphasized in our ritual, it keeps me from succeeding in all areas of my life, especially my relationships. And it’s with the support of my sisters and the leadership experience I have obtained through being an Alpha Chi Omega that I can Seek the Heights. ~Shelley Johnson, Alpha Chi Omega Alumna, Delta Epsilon Chapter, Southeast Missouri State University Ritual is the thread that links everything in Alpha Chi together. It bonds women separated by thousands of miles, it gives purpose to our actions as sorority members individually and as a whole, it shapes the decisions I make and determines the paths that I choose to venture down. It’s a beautiful link to everything in AXO, the purpose and keystone behind every lettered shirt I wear, song I chant and sisterly moments that happen everyday. ~Audrey Wayne, Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Omega Chapter, Marquette University Ritual is similar to tradition in my mind. In relation to Greek life, ritual means a set of tradition, values, morals, and activities that are important to my specific sorority and chapter. It means that what the sisters did 100 years before me, I am doing today and this makes me proud! ~Erin Pitkow, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Phi Mu Chapter, Binghamton University Ritual is the meaning of each individual sisterhood to me. You would not have a difference in sororities if it were not for the rituals that instill the personal and group values and morals in each sister. ~Jordan Ellis, Delta Zeta Sorority alumna, Lambda Xi Chapter, Texas A&M University. Rituals instill tradition within the hearts of every sister. Unique to every Greek affiliation, each house maintains and renews its unity and strength through the practice of rituals. A bond shared amongst sisters across the country, across continents ties the bonds of sisterhood tighter through demonstrating respect and active leadership. ~Kaitlyn Monteiro, Delta Gamma, Rho Chapter, Syracuse University Shelly Marie Redmond, MS, RD, LDN is the Executive Director/CEO of College Lifestyles.  Ritual is her way if identifying the tradition and sisterhood of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority.

Runway Done the CL Way: Spring is in the Air

Recreate this Alice + Olivia look without breaking the bank. It’s the perfect outfit to wear on a sunny spring day.

Runway:

CL Way:

Get the look:

• Ikat woven romper-  Forever 21- $19.80
• Side-rouched belted trench coat- Express- $89.60 (Sale)
• Style&co. belt, skinny grommets 2 for 1- Macy’s- $19.98
• Tookie platform sandal- Bakers- $80.00

All of these pieces are very versatile and can be worn separately and added to other looks for a completely new (but still classy) vibe.

Erica Avesian is an intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a communications major at the University of Michigan. Erica is excited to wear cute spring rompers and platform sandals.

College Lifestyles Interviews Kris Bridges, National President of Phi Mu Fraternity, on National Ritual Celebration Week.

National Ritual Celebration Week is well underway!  Fraternity men and sorority women from coast to coast are participating in the festivities by hosting programs within their Panhellenic and IFC communities, discussing ‘what Ritual means’ in their chapter meetings, and personally reflecting on the significance of their ritual.

National Ritual Celebration Week began March 1st and will end March 7, 2011.  College Lifestyles had the honor of interviewing Kris Bridges, National President of Phi Mu Fraternity, on her reflection of National Ritual Celebration Week.  Bridges is an alumna member of the Delta Nu Chapter of Phi Mu Fraternity at Michigan State University.

College Lifestyles: Why is ritual important to you?

Bridges: My Ritual is important because it reminds me of the core values of my organization which are also my values.  The Ritual principles that all of our organizations were founded on, whether decades ago or centuries ago, are still relevant today.  Every member of a fraternity or sorority should strive to live by their Ritual.

College Lifestyles:  How will you celebrate National Ritual Celebration Week?

Bridges:  I will celebrate National Ritual Celebration week by celebrating Phi Mu’s Founders’ Day on March 4 and celebrating National Panhellenic Conference Badge Day on March 7.  Our Founders’ Day Ritual is a wonderful time to appreciate the women who started this organization and spend time with collegians and alumnae.  I will also celebrate with my sister, who is also my sorority sister, by sharing memories of Phi Mu and how we felt when we first took the oath we both hold so dear to us every day.

College Lifestyles:  What are your best suggestions for chapters to celebrate National Ritual Celebration Week?

Bridges:  Phi Mu has developed a number of tools and resources for fraternity and sorority members.  They are available online at www.phimu.org/nationalritualweek.  The tools and resources can be used by individuals, by a chapter, or by a fraternity/sorority community to plan programs to celebrate Ritual during the week.  I think it’s important that Greeks reflect back on their own Ritual and how they felt when they first took the oath of membership that would guide them for the rest of their life.  It’s important to reflect on why we, as Greeks, have a Ritual and for each one of us to consciously think about how we live our Ritual each day.  The Ritual week programs were developed with that goal in mind.

College Lifestyles: What makes National Ritual Celebration Week exciting for all Greek women and men?

Bridges:  National Ritual Celebration Week is exciting because this is the first time fraternity and sorority members across North America will be celebrating their shared interfraternal Ritual and reflecting on what being a member of a Greek-letter organization and the inter/national Greek community means to them.  It is also exciting to see how many other organizations are providing programming for their chapters to join in this celebration!

College Lifestyles is excited to participate and partner with Phi Mu Fraternity in National Ritual Celebration Week.  We encourage our readers to participate in our 2 programs:

Picture celebration: We are asking for pictures of your Greek Letter organization celebrating events.  Please send us your best group pics of bid day celebrations, pre/post ritual events, members wearing their badges, and alumnae celebration events.

All pictures can be sent to the following email:  info@collegelifestyles.org

Please include in your email your name, Greek affiliation, event, chapter, university.

Question of the week:  College Lifestyles is asking our readers, ‘What does ritual mean to me?’  Please visit the following link to discuss – (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GGNHLKW)

If you have any questions relating to National Ritual Celebration Week, please contact Gabby Leon, Director of Leadership and Programming, at Phi Mu National Headquarters, at gleon@phimu.org or 770-632-2101.

Shelly Marie Redmond, MS, RD, LDN is the Executive Director/CEO of College Lifestyles and is enjoying the responses College Lifestyles is receiving on ‘What Does Ritual Mean to Me.’

Bonding with the Ladies of Phi Sigma Sigma

Sisterhood Bonding activities are a staple of any Greek organization, but coming up with new and exciting ideas for these events can prove to be quite a challenge.  I talked to the ladies of  Phi Sigma Sigma (Theta Eta Chapter) to discover the chapter’s most popular sisterhood bonding events.

“I love Senior Sunrise [also known as Senior Pass-downs] because the house history gets shared among the sisters. A ton of stories get passed down along with all the sentimental personal items. I have learned so much about the sisters who have come through this chapter before me through Senior Sunrise.” – Cara S.

“Bid Day is by far my favorite. I love meeting all of the new members and celebrating with all of my sisters.” – Stephanie D.

“My favorite times are when a bunch of sisters are just hanging out in the house together, watching movies, listening to music, or just simply talking for hours about nothing at all. Our random adventures come in at a close second though.” – Megan M.

“Anything that we do as a house is always a fun time, but I loved when our Sweetheart [a particular fraternity gentleman who is lettered to the house through a house vote] bought us all tickets to go see the midnight showing of Twilight – New Moon. We all had an amazing time.” – Katherine J.

“I personally loved our latest event. We held an “America’s Next Top Phi Sig” night. The sisters were put into groups and one girl in each group was picked to have her group give her a makeover. There was a 20 minute time limit, and each girl who was picked got to walk the runway and competed for best smile, walk, and outfit. All the girls looked great and had a great time.” – Sara C. (Me)

“My favorite sisterhood bonding event was last semester’s Sapphire Sister Night because some of the sisters that I am closest to decided to prank me by lifting me up and putting me in the recycling bin. These incredibly random times are one of the reasons I absolutely love my sisters.”  - Rebecca K.

Now that you know about some of what these Phi Sig ladies do in order to bond with their sisters, I’m interested to hear what events your chapters hold.

Sara Chobert is a senior Journalism major at Rider University and a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma. She loves listening to music, watching movies, and attending broadway musicals.