Holiday Shopping for a Good Cause

Today (Wednesday), Phi Sigma Sigma is hosting an event at Douglas to raise funds for Gift of Life, an organ donation organization that my friend (and sorority sister), Lindsey Goldhagen, was passionate about before she passed away in August.

From 7-9, you will be able to buy anything in the store for 10% off and another 10% will go to Gift of Life. There will also be a nail technician (I assume this means free manicures) and massage therapist on hand during the event.

I am really excited for this event! Lindsey was a very dear friend of mine, and the proceeds will help to advance an excellent cause!

Don't forget to mention this promotion when you check out! They won't give you the discount if you don't tell them.

Thanks for your support!

xAbby


The official details (in case I missed something):
Douglas Cosmetics and Phi Sigma Sigma are hosting a philanthropy fundraiser in honor of one of our sisters, Lindsey Goldhagen, who passed away at the beginning of the school year after a long battle with cancer. The event will take place at Douglas (between 36th and 37th on Walnut St. in Philadelphia) on December 2nd from 7-9pm. Customers who mention the event at the register will receive a 10% discount, and 10% of sales will also benefit the Gift of Life Donor Program, a non-profit dedicated to facilitating organ donations and Lindsey's favorite charity. Refreshments will be served and there will be free services from a massage therapist, makeup artist, etc.

We hope you will join us as we remember our sister and support others in need of transplants.

Recruitment Registration

Have you registered for Sorority Recruitment yet?

Early registration ends December 1st!

The registration fee will increase from $25 to $35 after December 1st.

To register, visit here.

Anyone registering between the beginning of the fall semester and December 1st will be entered into a drawing for a $75 Stephen Starr gift card.

∆∆∆ Annual Pancake Breakfast!

I have one simple question for you: do you love pancakes? If your answer is yes (and of course it is) then you absolutely positively must come to Tridelta's annual pancake breakfast. This year, the theme is D-HOP (Delta House of Pancakes...clever, I know), and will be held FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th (aka tomorrow) from 10pm-2am at the Beta Chapter House (3900 Spruce).

If the late-night pancakes aren't enough to draw you in, there will also be great dee-jays spinning, a performance by Tridelta's own LexyD (www.lexyd.com), and a pancake eating contest at midnight! So be sure to stop by. You can buy tickets on the walk or at the door for $10 and all proceeds benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Come find me and say hi!

Late Night at Philly Diner

If you've walked down locust this week, you may have seen a table full of SDT girls selling tickets for our annual philanthropy event.  The entire sophomore pledge class, especially our two late night chairs, have been working really hard to plan this fun event to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America.  Not only is it a really great cause, but it's going to be an amazing night!!  The event is this Saturday, and there's going to be UNLIMITED food, fun music, a grafitti artist, and really cool raffle prizes (think massages, tickets to Wicked, and gift certificates to restaurants and businesses around campus).

Get your tickets on the walk all week!

Here are the details for the night:

When: midnight to 2am Saturday night

Where: Philly Diner (39th and Walnut St)

What: ALL YOU CAN ∑∆T AND 90'S B∑∆TS!

Homecoming

For many of you who experienced Homecoming for the first time this past weekend, I'm sure you were surprised by all the commotion it created around campus. At least at my high school, Homecoming was only a big deal for current students who participated in a week-long celebration; alumni only came to watch the game. At Penn, Homecoming is all about the alumni. As freshmen, many of you are unacquainted with any alumni since, duh, this is your first year at Penn. As a senior, Homecoming was especially significant for me this year, since it's my last as a student.

What I realized, however, was that Homecoming wouldn't be so special if I didn't have a place to come back to next year when I'm an alum. The flood of alumnae who came back to the sorority house over Homecoming weekend was a comforting reminder that once I graduate, I'll still have a home at Penn. With only six months of my college career left before me, the thought of leaving all of this behind is a lot less scary knowing that I'll always have sisters in University City.

Slating

Hey everyone!

So, I decided I wanted to write a little bit about one huge aspect of sorority life--slating. Slating is the process by which sororities select officers for the following year. Each sorority has a different set up--for example, Tri Delta has 24 officer positions and 26 officers (social and philanthropy chairs both have two girls), while most other sororities typically have no more then ten (we are definitely the odd (wo)man out). Alpha Chi Omega, for example, has eleven officers, and Sigma Delta Tau has eight! Though every sorority has a slightly different process and result, the basic foundation is the same. Something important to note: slating is VERY different from elections because girls aren't allowed to promote themselves! (THINK: no obnoxious signs, slogans, buttons, or way-too-catchy songs.)

Slating occurs at any point in the semester; typically October or November. Some examples: AXO was the first sorority to complete the process this year, Tri Delta voted to pass our slate this past Sunday, Chi Omega finished last night, and Sigma Kappa is still wrapping things up.

So, although each sorority's method of slating differs (like I've said, sorry to be repetitive!), I thought it would be interesting for everyone to read about how Tri Delta specifically slates officers, just so you can get a feel for the process:

On the actual night of slating, each pledge class gets together and separately nominates girls for every single position. While the nominees individually step out of the room, they are "pro-conned" by the other girls. An example of a pro would be, "Sally is really organized," while a con is something like, "Sally is really busy with other commitments on campus." (Believe it or not, pros and cons do NOT relate to silly, artificial things. "Sally is sexy"...not so great of a pro. This is serious stuff, people). After this, everyone would vote per position. This can sometimes take a while. Sometimes, slating for the babies (sophomore pledge class) can last hours into the night.

However, the results of the voting and even the nominations themselves do not determine who ends up on the slate. The slate is ultimately determined by the Nomination Committee, i.e. Nom Com. Nom Com consists of the chapter president and two girls from each pledge class. Once Nom Com picks the slate (this year, Tri Delta's Nom Com spent over ten hours deliberating!), the slate is announced. Then, girls have 24 hours to deny a position or call in and propose a change for any of the positions. The following chapter, the sisters vote to pass the slate.

That's slating for you in a nutshell. It's a well thought-out process and places important emphasis on the fact that the "position seeks the girl." We aren't allowed to promote ourselves or campaign, it's all about the fit and what is best for the sorority as a whole. It's sad, because come January, I have to leave my position as Philanthropy chair, though I am passing it on to very capable hands. Next year, I have been slated for the position of Vice President of Membership, AKA Rush Chair. And I can't wait!

Please feel free to ask any questions about the process. It's confusing, but a huge part of sorority life. Slating is what determines the leaders of each sorority on campus, and therefore, the success of Panhel as a grander entity.

xoxo

volps

P.S. This friday is our annual WOODSER. And yes, it sounds like what it means. A date party in the woods. Can't wait to blog about it.

Open House

The Panhellenic sororities have an Open House for freshmen, sophomores and

transfer students coming up soon!

Each year, the chapters in Panhel throw open their doors in November to offer women interested in sorority recruitment a first look at the chapters. This year's open house event is scheduled for November 14 and 15th. All of the Walnut St. houses (Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Phi Sigma Sigma and Sigma Delta Tau) will be open on Saturday the 14th from 2-4 PM. The Spruce St. houses (Alpha Chi Omega, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Kappa) will be open on Sunday the 15th from 2-4 PM.

When you visit your first house, pick up a Open House Passport. Visit all eight chapters, turn in your passport and be entered to win a prize!

Still haven't signed up for recruitment? Sign up now!