Let Values Guide The Decision

by Dr. Colleen Coffey-Melchiorre

I can remember very clearly the first moments of my first days as a college freshman. I was an always joiner. I would have found sorority if it was buried underneath the student union in a locked vault.

At an information fair, I went right up to the Panhellenic booth, handed in my application for recruitment, and informed the recruitment counselor that I had made up my mind about which sorority I wanted to join. She asked that I keep an open mind. This was hard to do since everyone around me, including but not limited to some of the cutest fraternity dudes I had ever laid eyes on, was telling me I would be “perfect” for Alpha Sigma Tau.

I am a little embarrassed to say that I chose AST because of what everyone else around me was saying. I liked the women in the sorority a lot and felt right at home there, but I closed myself off to other groups, not thinking critically about this life-long decision I was about to make.

I LOVE being an Alpha Tau – there is no other group I would rather be in, but it wasn’t until weeks into my new member program that I realized a) this decision was for the rest of my life and b) I was expected to understand and espouse the values of this organization.

I learned what Alpha Sigma Tau meant and fell in love with the meaning AFTER I joined. Thank goodness their values matched my values – I got lucky.

This fall, Phired Up will be piloting iValU, a tool for potential new members to understand how to apply their personal values to the sorority decision making process. I am honored to have been a major part of developing this project, and even more excited to see how this benefits young women who should think clearly and intentionally about this highly important life-long decision.

Sorority women: Do your best to help the potential new members this fall find organizations that will make them happy for the rest of their lives.