Sorority Life Information for Parents

The National Panhellenic Conference has launched the nation’s first advice blog for, and by, parents with information and dialogue about sorority choices, sorority life and sorority recruitment.

The site, http://www.sororityparents.com, is intended to provide parents and their college-bound children with advice that matters—from the most significant of details to the most mundane (but still worrisome) for parents.

The three bloggers are Jane Heiserman, Southlake, Texas; Tim Martin, Acworth, Ga.; and Mary Beth Rice, Lincoln, Neb. None of the parents have blogged before, but were recruited for this project because of their personal backgrounds and passions.

“These are three parents from three different areas of the country who are writing about their experiences as parents,” said Julie Burkhard, chairman of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) in Indianapolis. NPC is one of the oldest and largest women’s membership organizations in the country.

“With the explosion of women blogging and seeking each other out as reliable and accurate sources of information, we felt it was time for NPC to offer an additional touchstone,” Burkhard said. The 2009 Women in Social Media Study published earlier this year by BlogHer showed that women are nearly twice as likely to use blogs as a source of information than social networking sites.

SororityParents.com features a variety of viewpoints—from a self-described “Panhellenically well rounded” mom, who has family and friend connections to nearly a dozen sorority and fraternity contacts, to the angst of a non-Greek father who experienced his daughter going through recruitment.

The new site is intended to promote and encourage honest dialogue, according to the participating NPC bloggers.

Rice, a longtime journal writer, former adjunct college instructor, and middle school adviser on leadership and etiquette, chronicled her 18-year-old daughter’s recent experience at the University of Nebraska. She also developed a music play list, which will post soon for moms who now sorely miss their daughters as her eldest of three headed off to college.

Martin, whose business is mobile marketing, said his 20-year-old Alpha Chi Omega daughter blogs and had encouraged him to take the plunge and post what dads might find relevant.

Heiserman, whose background is in fine arts and design, has written a newsletter for Pi Beta Phi for six years called “Etiquette Gazette.” Her daughter is a college senior so Heiserman’s posts will follow her daughter’s final year as an undergraduate in California.

Another dozen NPC experts, generally those who have served in advisory roles on college campuses, are also on board to answer and consult with the parents for purposes of accuracy and fact checking.

A few sample SororityParents.com posts:

Martin: Recruitment went very well for my daughter—and for me, too. I became so interested in the whole process that I researched everything. So much so that by the time bid day rolled around, I actually knew more about the philanthropies of the AOPi’s than I did about the depth chart of the UGA football team; more about the GPAs of the Zeta’s than who was going to start on the offensive line; I knew the flower of the Pi Phi’s and the Phi Mu colors but not who was leading the FedEx cup on the PGA Tour. And for an avid sports enthusiast like myself, that is saying a lot.

Heiserman: There is a lot of ready information about how a sorority makes these four years a happier experience, with enthusiastic assistance offered in scholarly pursuits, leadership opportunities, philanthropic traditions and social activities. All right, side-bar: Yes, I know that lots of people picture “Animal House” when they think of the Greek system. Aside from being a grotesque characterization of sorority life, do you really think there are no questionable choices made in dorms or apartments? But I digress …

Rice: I have never in the past been a fan (of texting) and have made it my passion in some of my educational endeavors to encourage young adults and youth to see the importance of face to face and voice to voice communication. Developing interpersonal skills as one matures is key to having healthy relationships. However, I have seen over the past few years as my kids have entered high school that there is a place for this more technically oriented mode of communication. I encourage all parents of teenagers to at least learn the basics of sending and receiving text messages so they can connect with their young adults.

About the National Panhellenic Conference
The National Panhellenic Conference based in Indianapolis provides support and guidance for its 26 member sororities and serves as the national voice on contemporary issues of sorority life. Founded in 1902, NPC is one of the oldest and largest women’s membership organizations representing women at 655 campuses and 4,500 local alumnae chapters in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit: http://www.npcwomen.org

About NPC’s SororityParents.com
SororityParents.com shares the real experiences of other sorority parents, while also providing parents and guardians with an outlet to share with and ask questions of NPC experts. For more information or to post a query, visit: http://www.sororityparents.com