Sorority Rituals - Reflections On Rites of ... - Mari Ann Callais

numbers vary from chapter to chapter and differ among campuses. Some chapters have as few as
ten members with many averaging between twenty-five to eighty members. It may be that the
structure of sororities has changed so much since their founding that the application and value of
the ritual to the current generation needs to be evaluated. Individual sororities need to assess the
understanding of the ritual by their undergraduate members. If sororities are indeed the values-
based groups that they purport to be, then all aspects of the sorority should exemplify what has
been stated in their ritual. Additionally, sororities must evaluate the way that they recruit and
educate members. In 1991, NPC began to promote and encourage a “no frills” recruitment
process as a way to demonstrate to potential members what sorority life encompassed. The intent
was to eliminate what was considered to be more entertainment rather than informative. While
many campuses and chapters implemented these changes; others continue to stage elaborate
performances and are very “showy” in their recruitment process. Some campuses have
implemented philanthropy events and fraternal values events that actually promote not only the
social aspect of sororities, but also the community service and values aspect as well. In order for
women to really understand that sororities are more than social organizations and focus more on
the real meaning of why they were founded, the recruitment and new member education
programs need to be evaluated and further developed to incorporate those types of expectations.
Summary
The National Panhellenic Conference is currently addressing the need for assessment of
the sorority experience and, in the near future, will make decisions as to ways that this can be
accomplished (M. Williams, personal communication, March 8, 2002). In recent years, colleges
and universities have begun implementing internal assessment programs on individual chapters
to determine whether or not they are in fact what they promote themselves to be. The National
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