nEMIEI
Panhellenic Council, which is
currently made up of nine
African American Greek-let-
ter organizations, met and
decided that hazing and other
negative pledging activities
would come to a stop, she
said. "Stopping is a gradual
process. It takes a while to
trickle down to every mem
ber," Herring said.
Millersville's Sigma
chapter was one of the first
to recognize that such nega
tive pledging practices were
not a necessary part of the
sorority' experience.
Lori Johnson-Negron,
former vice president of the
Millersville undergraduate
chapter, recalled what the
Sigma pledging process was
like in 1989. The sorority
would check on pledgee's
academic schedules, to make
sure everyone was doing wel I
with their c lasses, she said.
And, for two hours each
evening during the pledge
period, the women were
required to spend time in the
library, whether they had
specific course work to do, or
not. If a pledgee had a long
project to work on, pledging
participation was not expect
ed at that time. "You could
never give the excuse that
you didn't have time to do
work or a paper because you
were pledging," she said.
The taint of past
pledge processes is still with
some of the Greek-letter
organizations in terms of
potential members, Herring
explained. She did observe a
decrease in new black Gree k
letter memberships about 10
years ago, she said. "At this
time, 1 don't think there's a
decline. I think you have to
do more to market a sorority
or fraternity on a campus,
now," she said.
Today, other things,
such as jobs and other orga
nizations, campete for a stu
dent's attention. "We're
dealing with an older popula
tion of students," Herring
said.
Although Sigma never
had an abusive pledging
process, it now has no pledge
process at all. Today, young
women who want to become
Sigmas undergo a 28-day
period of completing forms,
attending to fees and other
requirements, and then can
be inducted on the 28th day,
Herring said.
Much of Herring' s
attention right now is also
focused on planning for a
celebration for Sigma's 75th
anniversary, which will be
held in Indianapolis, Ind.,
the weekend of July 10-13,
1997. Attendance will be
open to all members, and the
event will be called, "Sigma
Gamma Rho's 75th Birthday
Party."
Beyond their anniver
sary celebration, the Sigmas
have to consider their direc-
t ion as they enter the next
century. "It's going to e
imperative that we become
businesses that are patterned
after the business structure.
We no longer survive on vol
unteers," Herring said. The
sorority must have a regular
staff than can be available to
respond to members' needs as
they have emerged in the
computer age, such as com
munication through e-mail,
she said
Greek-letter organi
zations must take on a lead
ership role in their commu
nities in the 21-st century,
and bear in mind that many
accomplished and celebrated
people have been members of
sororities and fraternities,
she said.
At Millersville,
Tamiko Barber expressed an
optimistic view of Sigma's
future, worldwide. "I think
we're growing. We just
opened a chapter in the
Virgin Islands," she said
Then she considered her own
chapter. "I see it growing
because we are taking in
members next semester
We're not going to focus on
quantity, but quality," she
maintained.
In the future, as peo-
ple discuss African-
American sororities, Sigma
Gamma Rho is bound to
become a familiar name as
the sisters gain a presence
on more and more college
campuses. And if you hadn't
heard about them before, it's
a pretty safe be you'll be
hearing a lot more about
them before long.
From Fierce
The animals in Fierce
Creatures make the movie
even more funny. Just imag-
ine sleeping in bed with a
raccoon and an ostrich. Or a
Panda being ferocious. I
thought a twenty pound cat
whose only goal is to try to
-sleep on my chest was coml
The cast of F ierce
Creatures is quite short corm
pared to the sponsor compa-
vies in the movie. The movie
should have been paid for by
NEWS
the promotional spots or
endorsements. I can not
imagine this movie being
over budget.
The movie is quite enjoy-
able. I felt the promotional
spots in the movie toward
the end were a I i the much. I f
you need a break from the
rigors of college life, this
will provide you with it. Or
in my case, a break from
Statistics.
The quintessential company man, Rollo (John Cleesel, finds his sanity beginning
to unravel once he's reassigned by Octopus, Inc. to run Marwood Zoo in
Univemal Pictures' Tierce Gestures'
Mailing phone cards. No experience necessary
For more information send a self-addressed
stamped envelope to: Global Communication,
P.O. Box 5679, Hollywood, FL 33083
January 23
February 13
March 6
March 27
April 26
Call Jody, Kelley, or Joleen for ad rates.
my) 1 1 63-66431 D
Contributions from campus communit
CAPTIMES, February 13, 1997
Positions Available for students
interested in providing a summer of
recreation for special needs children
& adults. Beacon Lodge Camp,
located in Central PA, is seeking
camp counselors for the summer
camping program beginning May 28
and ending August 13. Also hiring
WSl's; Lifeguards; Program Director;
Unit Directors; Nurses and the
following instructors: Canoeing,
Kayaking, Archery, Riflery, Games,
Arts & Crafts, Music Drama, Nature,
Ropes Course. The summer offers a
well rounded program of activities
from bowling to overnight camp outs,
and canoe trips down the Juniata
River. To request an application
andiOr additional information, write
PA LIONS BEACON LODGE CAMP
114 SRIO3 SOUTH
MOUNT UNION PA 17066-9601
PHONE 814-542-2511
FAX 814-542-7437
* $2004500 WEEKLY *
',-
,
The Capital Times
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The Capital Times
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