Beginnings of the Milwaukee chapter!

Just so yall know....this is going to be a slowly updated thread

For background... I'm looking to start a Nu Phi Mu chapter in the Milwaukee area. I hope to start pulling a group together (right now it's all me) this winter and start having interest meetings and the like at the start of spring term. But today at work I typed up a letter to send out to all the other Milwaukee area greeks (figured it was polite to tell them first, right?).

Tell me what you think:
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Hello fellow Milwaukee Greeks!

I wanted you to be the first to know that there is a new sorority coming to the Milwaukee area! Beta Sigma Phi is an international non-academic, community based sorority that is looking to colonize in and around Milwaukee.

We are looking to invite women from several campuses in the area to form a single chapter. This chapter will not be based on any one campus, nor will it be strictly limited to college students. The opportunity for membership in Beta Sigma Phi is open to adult women of all ages who are willing to dedicate themselves to the goals of Life, Learning, and Friendship.

Founded on April 30, 1931, the first chapter of Beta Sigma Phi was established in Abilene, Kansas. The sisterhood was born from a common need for connection among women and the world during the difficult years of the Depression. Beta Sigma Phi has grown to more than 250,000 members in every state, every Canadian province, and 20 other countries of the world. The purpose of Beta Sigma Phi is to provide women with the opportunity for social, cultural, and service activities. The sorority is dedicated to helping women grow mentally and spiritually, while fostering lifelong friendships. Beta Sigma Phi is non-political and non-sectarian.

I would like to invite all of you (both male and female) to attend one of our up coming informational meetings and find out more about us. Perhaps some of you ladies may even find another group to call sisters – while membership in Beta Sigma Phi is by invitation only, as a non-academic sorority, there is no issue with dual membership for women already affiliated with a NPC or local sorority! Many of our sisters nationwide (myself included!) are sisters of another social, professional, or honorary sorority.

I would also invite you to visit our international website at http://www.betasigmaphi.org , and our local website at (insert future site address here). Please feel free to email me at (again, insert future email address here) or call (my phone number) with questions or just to say hello!

May we all join together to further the bonds fraternity and sorority membership may bring.

Yours truly,

Ginger G.
Beta Sigma Phi -Milwaukee
Interest Group Leader
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Did I say anything I shouldn't have? like is it okay to call myself the "interest group leader". I know I used "we" a lot, even though it is just me, and I'm not a member yet, but I meant it sort of as me-speaking for what I hope will be come a new chapter? does that make sense? am I overstepping my bounds?

[MTSUGURL]

I think it sounds great Ginger!

[wvapogirl]

Ginger~

The letter/flyer sounds great! Good luck with recruitment and starting a new chapter of this wonderful organization! Please keep us updated.

Nicole

[erica812]

That sounds great!!! I think you covered all of the most essential information, and you came across as friendly and well-informed. "Interest Group Leader" is a good way to put it. I've been calling myself "Chapter Organizer."

Erica

[cutetiger]

I'm so glad that you are looking to start a chapter! I hope that everything goes the way that you are looking for. Remember that we are here to help you out with whatever it is that you need to know. I may not be close, but I can help you as much as I can in whatever it is that you need to know.

Hugs,
Bernadette
Vice President

Well, I'm a little embarassed by how it turned out, because I haven't written a website in forever - but here is the first version of the Milwaukee area webpage!

Tell me what you think...

(and I do realize that the table on the third page is blank...I haven't set dates/places/times for the info meetings yet)

http://pages.ivillage.com/bspmilw

Edited to add: Thank you much to Erica for letting me borrow text liberally, and Laura for the amazing graphics!

[erica812]

Ginger,
Your page is excellent! I completely love the Teddy Bear with the Beta sign. I never saw that one before! I'm going to try to add him to my page somewhere.

Have a great weekend.

Erica

I warned yall this was going to be a slowly updated thread!

I'm not sure whether to be excited or disappointed......

I received a call last night from a member of the Milwaukee City Council for Beta. Turns out they have 6 chapters in the area! I expressed my suprise, and mentioned during the course of the conversation that I was thinking of starting a Nu Phi Mu chapter (even though I'm outside the age range, my understanding is that only a majority of the girls have to be of one degree to make that chapter be such?).

Her response was, well, why don't you want to join one of our chapters? and I didn't really know what to say. The youngest member of the area chapter, from the sounds of it, is in her 30s, with most of the members being of "a certain age" and she (the woman I talked to) said that they have functions only once every other month. She also repeatedly said "well, this isn't really a sorority" every time I would use that word. She also asked me why I wanted to start a chapter at a college, like college was a dirty word.

She invited me to a meeting tonight, which I can't make (and really, after that conversation, I don't think I would have gone anyway), and said that she would give out my name at the City Council meeting last night.

I don't know what to think. On one hand, I'm excited that there are chapters in the area after all, but disappointed that I'm so much younger than everyone else involved. I'm also concerned that I'm not going to get much support, if everyone thinks like her.

I don't know, I'm just fretting now. I'm afraid that she told the whole city council that "there's this girl out there who thinks we're a sorority and is trying to start a chapter at other schools, we don't want her around".

I'm thinking maybe I should just give up. I still don't feel well since my concussion over a month ago, and therefore haven't been able to make much progress. The few people I've been able to talk to have been uninterested or flat out negative. I've been really excited about this, but it just seems doomed.

Somebody give me some hope??

[MTSUGURL]

"Beta Sigma Phi International is a non-academic sorority with 200,000 members in chapters around the world."

Ginger, I took that straight from Beta's website. It is a sorority. You are undertaking something that some people will not be supportive of, but that most people will be thrilled and excited about. Don't give up - this is going to be an accomplishment that 30 years from now you can look back on and say, "I helped bring this about!"

Don't let the well meaning (I'm sure she meant well) comments of one person discourage you. You're in my prayers, and I know everything will work out for you!

Crystal

I know... I was getting really frustrated when she kept saying "it's not a sorority"... I wanted to say "YES IT IS!!!" but I was trying to be really nice I don't know what she thinks it is if it isn't a sorority!

I guess.... I sort of feel like I'm reliving the past here. When I pledged Delta Omicron in college, we were a large, socially active sorority. A few years later, we'd pledged (apparently) the wrong group of girls, who decided that we should no longer be social (ie. have mixers with other fraternities and sororities) and no longer call ourselves a sorority but instead a "professional music organization" because they didn't want to be thought of as Greek. Many of us didn't like these changes, but we were outnumbered, and now DO on my campus has all but died out.

I guess I feel like I'm encountering the same situation all over again, with the Milwaukee area not wanting to be called a 'sorority', rarely having social events (I asked what kind of stuff they do socially and she said they have a tea once a year and that's about it), etc.

Part of me says, start a chapter and make it be about what I want it to be about (ie. actually enjoying ourselves?), but the other part of me feels that I'll be fighting a losing battle against the city council.

*sigh* very disheartened.

[OPAGal]

Don't give up on Beta Sigma Phi!! Start your chapter and show them what Beta Sigma Phi's really all about! We're all proud of you.

[erica812]

I wrote you a big long message a few days ago, but it wouldn't post

Most importantly, I wanted to assure you that many many Beta Sigma Phis will be so proud and so supportive of your efforts to spread our ideals to younger women. You are doing a wonderful thing for your self, your community, and the sorority....(and YES, it IS a sorority).

Please do not give up! Ignore the skepticism and down-right negativity that came from the chapter member, and make the most of this experience.

Everyone here is pulling for you.

Erica

I'm baaaaack....

After getting a PM from a kind GCer who attends the school I was at, I'm a little more "heartened" about Beta again!

I'd told him about my very poor experience with Greek Life at UW-M and mentioned in passing that I'd toyed with the idea of starting a chapter of Beta there, because the school definitely needs a breath of fresh air.

His response was a resounding Go For It! The sororities all haze something awful, and I guess none of the fraternities like doing anything with them. Plus, there may be more fraternities may be colonizing there soon, so they will need some balance! (right now there are only 3 sororities, with average numbers around 20 members or so I think)

So.... I'm beginning to consider it again! I'm pretty sure the Spring semester starts soon (if it hasn't already), so I know now would be a good time to get going.

I'm so scared to do this by myself, though. I wish I had just one person to do it with me, but I don't have any girlfriends that are interested. That is my biggest stumbling block right now.

But I'm back!

[erica812]

I'm so glad you are back. I've been away from my computer for a while, so you're message was wonderful news.

Keep striving!

Erica

[OrigamiTulip]

Glad to hear things are looking up!