A brother passed this on to me. It was published in the Sisters News Letter. I find it to be a refreshing affirmation of the level of commitment the Sisters of Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority have to the Brotherhood.
“SERIOUSLY? NO NO…YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND…SERIOUSLY!?” by Alysia T. Rourke, Executive Director, Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority. NOVEMBER 3, 2008
The above quote is attributed to one of the Kappa Upsilon sisters who pledged me in over 20 years ago. It has become a bit of a running joke between the two of us over the past couple of years. Bear with me a few moments and I will hopefully be able to provide some form of explanation.
When I pledged Kappa Upsilon Chapter back in Spring of 1988, I promised to preserve and uphold the ideals set forth in the sorority’s constitution. I also promised to hold sacred the bonds of Sisterhood and the traditions of the Sorority. Little did I know what I was promising then would be so meaningful today.
During my fairly “extensive” undergraduate years, I held many offices and had much more fun than I should have had in the process. I experienced my first convention in April of 1988 at North Adams State and it served as a primer for all of the national meetings and road trips I made “back in the day”.
As my college years went by, for personal reasons my involvement with my chapter waned for a couple of trying semesters, but my sisters were there and pulled me through some very dark times and for that I will be eternally grateful to them and the organization which brought me to them.
Somewhere along the way, over the many years and through the many individual bonds created, my commitment to Kappa has deepened and the pledge I took back in the Spring of 1988 has strengthened my resolve to be involved at the National level and to give back all that I have gained. At this point, I have honestly lost count of exactly how many Conventions, PT’s and Summer Workshops I have attended but I can provide you with an unending list of sisters and brothers who over the years have affected my life and have made it all the better.
This sorority has many traditions, which as a sister, I have sworn to uphold; many are written in our pledge manual…many unwritten. Our most prevalent unwritten tradition is the relationship with our brothers. I will be eternally grateful to Ned Foster and his fellow fraternity board members who back in April of 1971 unanimously agreed to allow the formation of our organization. Without their vision and support in our infancy we would not be where we stand today.
The relationship between Kappa Delta Phi and Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority is no longer a unique one in the fraternal world, although we are unique in the fact that we share the same Greek letter designation, like a married couple sharing a surname.
Would our relationship be easier to explain to outsiders if we had different names? Possibly, but one thing I learned many years ago: “things that are truly great are worth the extra time and effort” holds true for our relationship with the fraternity.
But I digress, and return to my attempt to explain the above quote. I was the girl who was almost passed over for a bid; I was the sister who had a blast during her undergrad years; I was the sister who faltered when it came to academics. However, I am a sister who believes in the premise of Put Up or Shut Up; I am a sister who believes in her sorority and the affect it can have on the lives of individuals; I am a sister who believes in the ideals of this sorority; I am a sister who believes in the traditions of this sorority; and I am a sister who promises to fight to uphold the ideals and traditions of this sorority.
So, to answer the quote from my chapter sister – Seriously! I don’t really understand it myself sometimes. I don’t know how I went from being that sister to who I am today…but frankly, I kind of like the perspective the evolution has given me. It allows me to see potential in every sister and reinforces the lesson I learned so many years ago: “things that are truly great are worth the extra time and effort”.
