Parenting
Perspectives on Parenting©
by Nancy Lambert Davenport


Nancy Davenport's Column:
For Richardson News 11-08-94
Copyright Nancy Lambert Davenport 1994


From the sorority house to the board room

Ah! Sororities. You gotta love them. Granted, some people think they are exclusive, expensive, and sometimes feminist or anti-feminist. Others might determine what college their daughter goes to by whether there are sororities on campus. If your little girl is in one though, and is happy, what can you say?

We flew this weekend all the way to Nashville, where our daughter, Liz, goes to school, for a sorority event. Actually it was just a great excuse to see her and take advantage of the $135 round trip fares on American. (Don't worry. The airline is making up for that rate by sticking us with high fares for her at Thanksgiving and Christmas.)

Liz co-chaired her sorority chapter's major charity fund-raiser -- a style show. Of course she had a committee for everything-- one for table decorations, others for food, ticket sales, set up, to say nothing of organizing how to rush the Freshman potential new members without getting in trouble with the rules of rushing.

The show itself was entertaining, fast-paced, and well-attended with about 500 tickets sold.

I found it interesting that there was not an adult sorority member anywhere. It was the coeds running the show. Girls hired the light man, rented the hall, decided who modeled, negotiated with the store which furnished the clothing, arranged for free professional hair styling and nails, as well as free tuxes for the boys who served as escorts during the show itself. There were no alumni hanging around advising, criticizing, or helping for that matter. Not one. And it ran incredibly smoothly.

There was only one glitch in the whole weekend. That was when the "food committee" (who did the cooking themselves) got mixed up with some self-rising flour, causing the lemon bars to look like dessert on steroids.

All the girls involved in the style show did not learned these advanced skills of organization and coordination through English or Biology class. And many of them did not learn it at home. I know that because they are so much like the familiar young people from here whom we sent off to college two or three years ago. Some of them would not have been able to get to a fundraiser without a reminder, let alone put one on.

So sororities do have something to offer. Members will not only be able to do what it takes to put together a banquet and entertainment if required to in their future job, but my guess is they will also be able to run an efficient Annual Board Meeting.

And -- they will know when to use all-purpose flour.


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Nancy Lambert Davenport
EMAIL: nancdave@swbell.net
URL: http://www.nancyldavenport.com