And believe me, “incidents” still happen, these are 18 – 22 year olds after all…but at least they have a built-in support system for just about everything they might get into.

Without getting too technical, I’ll just say that there are “National Sororities” and “local sororities”. National Sororities (like Sigma Kappa) are govered by the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). They all have similar policies on underage drinking, hazing, risky behavior, and the other stereotypical behavior that we’ve all seen in the movies. In other words – it is not acceptable. NPC sororities believe in treating members with dignity and respect, and they foster an environment where the members can grow accademically and socially.

I live in San Angelo, which although it has very rural edges, is a city of approximately 100,000. Angelo State University has somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 students, and there is also a local junior college – so it is definitely a “college town”. ASU does not have sorority houses, which is nice – less headaches that way.

Advisors have certain collegiate officers that they assist in their positions, and we take turns attending collegiate meetings and events. We support the girls by answering questions and providing guidance when needed, but for the most part we help them learn to govern themselves and perform the duties of their sorority offices properly.

Each local sorority chapter is a branch of the national organization, and nearly every member holds an office that has its own duties and paperwork. That’s why offices held in a sorority are usually listed on early resumes; they are positions requiring responsible actions with repercussions when duties are not fulfilled. We help the girls keep it all straight, and yes – advisors are definitely available by phone, by email, or in person as needed. If something bad ever happens or if someone is very sick, we get a call.

Most National Greek Fraternity and Sororities are social organizations, with a strong emphasis on service. For example, Sigma Kappa conducts national fundraisers and donation drives for Alzheimer’s disease, Gerontology, the Maine Sea Coast Mission, and Inherit the Earth.

Locally the girls also participate in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk, they donate their time to Christmas in April, they volunteer hours at an adopted local nursing home for monthly birthday parties and BINGO games, they help with various charity food drives, and they assist with other local philanthropy events as they come up. They are in demand because most of the local philanthropy’s and service groups know that they can be counted upon to help.

Some of the biggest benefits to joining a sorority – beyond making lifelong friends – is learning leadership skills, learning to give back to the community through regular philanthropic activity, and learning that you can make a difference when you are part of a group of like-minded members. It’s not for everyone, but I think that most people who join are grateful for the experience.

How exactly do you act as an adviser? Do you simply make yourself available over the phone or email, or do you actually travel to sorority house on occasion to “check in”? I guess I kind of assumed that since you were ranching (I come from a farm background myself, and still work in agricultural industry), that you probably weren’t living in a college town.

For that matter, do they still do “frat” and sorority houses at most colleges, or has that pretty much gone by the wayside? It seems to me that there seemed to be a lot of “negative press” a few years back regarding several frat and sorority houses at some big colleges that were being shut down for a variety of reasons. Again, forgive my ignorance, as my only experience with frats and sororities is through the movies – and I kind of doubt that Animal House and its ilk are a true indication of what they are really like!