FAQ

Alpha Delta Sigma is always looking for potential members. We recruit every semester and hold interest meetings and events between formal recruitment periods. Interest meetings and Informal Convocation are open to all women seeking more information about us while Formal Recruitment is reserved for prospective members only. This does not mean that you must have an invitation, but we do have a simple application for Potential New Members to fill out in order to officially register for recruitment.

Recruitment/Rush

What is recruitment?
Do Potential New Members have to Rush in the fall?
What does Alpha Delta Sigma look for in new members?
Will all Potential New Members pledge at the end of Recruitment?

The Pledge Process

What is the Pledge Process like?
What are the time commitments?
What about hazing?

Joining Alpha Delta Sigma

What are the financial obligations?
How will involvement affect me academically?

What Is Recruitment?

Formal recruitment (or Rush) usually takes place in the first few weeks of the semester. During Recruitment week the sisters of Alpha Delta Sigma hold a series of informal parties to get to know all potential new members. These parties also give potential new members an opportunity to learn more about Alpha Delta Sigma and sorority life in general. It is a very entertaining time, so kick back and have fun! Recruitment provides you with a great chance to meet new people and make wonderful memories.

Do Potential New Members have to Rush in the fall?

Alpha Delta Sigma traditionally holds Rush events in both the fall and spring.

What Does Alpha Delta Sigma Look For In New Members?

The selection process is not an easy one. Alpha Delta Sigma look for many characteristics in its potential new members. We search for women who embody the spirit of diversity, women who possess different interests, qualities, and talents. We look for women from many different cultural, socio-economic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. In this way, we attempt to form a diverse group in which each member benefits. Some of the criteria we use to select our new member class include previous academic performance, activities and interests during high school and/or college, and personal interaction with sorority members and other potential new members during recruitment parties. We strive to find, not only individual new members, but an entire new class! Each new group of members for our sorority should include leaders, athletes, scholars, artists, and hard workers.

Will all potential new members pledge at the end of recruitment?

Alpha Delta Sigma's recruitment process is one of mutual selection, both on the part of the potential new member and the sorority, and there are many different outcomes to this process. The sorority may or may not select a potential new member, and she may or may not choose to join the sorority if offered a bid. Participating in Alpha Delta Sigma's recruitment process does not guarantee you a bid, nor does it obligate you to accept one.

The Pledge Process

Alpha Delta Sigma's new member program typically lasts between six and eight weeks. During the course of the program, new members learn all about life as an A-D-Sig. They learn the history of Greek life, both nationally and locally, as well as the history of Alpha Delta Sigma. They strengthen their bonds of friendship with their pledge sisters as well as with actives. We strive to instill in our new members the importance of scholarship, leadership, service, and community. New members have required study hours and community service hours, in addition to other requirements to aid them in their journey to initiation in Alpha Delta Sigma.

ADSig's new member educator is the Vice-President of New Membership. She is dedicated to molding new members into Alpha Delta Sigma women. She makes it her personal goal to ensure that every new member of the sorority comes to love the sorority and her sisters as much as she herself does. She does her best to make every new member feel comfortable in her new "home-away-from-home."

In the effort to help new members adjust to their new status as sorority women, the first event of the pledge process is a new member retreat, in which new members and initiated sisters spend a weekend bonding and getting to know each other. This retreat is a very special one for new members as well as actives, and it is always a lot of fun.

The Big Sis/'Lil Sis program is an integral part of the new member program. Each new member of the sorority is paired with an active sister to guide her through her pledge process. The bonds of friendship formed between bigs and 'lils often last long after the new member period is over and the 'lil has been initiated.

A-D-Sigs place a strong emphasis on scholarship. New members are required to have a 2.5 Grade Point Average to be inducted into the sorority. Throughout the pledge process, new members have required study halls in order to keep their grades high while completing the other requirements of pledging. They must maintain the 2.5 GPA through the pledge process and after initiation in order to remain in good standing. Of course, higher goals than the minimum are always encouraged. A-D-Sig pledge classes typically have a GPA well above the required 2.5 at the end of their first semester.

New members also have required individual community service hours to be completed prior to the end of the pledge process. The Vice-President of New Membership and the Vice-President of Service work hard to make sure that all new members have ample opportunity to fulfill this requirement, and most new members find the task easy. They frequently go on group community service activities, which allows them to fulfill their individual service hours requirement while bonding with their pledge sisters.

Being well-rounded is a vital part of being an A-D-Sig. As such, we encourage our new members to be involved with other activities in addition to the sorority. Our Fall 2003 new member class participated in such diverse groups as Undergraduate Social Work Organization, Emerging Leaders, LEAD Team, Sigma Alpha Lambda, Blount Undergraduate Initiative, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Tri-Beta, Gamma Beta Phi, Rotaract, and the International Students Association.

What are the time commitments?

Because it is a time to prepare girls for a lifetime commitment to Alpha Delta Sigma, the pledge process is very intensive. In any given week, a new member will be expected to attend a one hour group meeting with other new members, as well as two hours of study hall. During the entire semester, she will be expected to complete fifteen hours of community service and attend several social and philanthropy events. Two weekend-long retreats are held each semester. As these retreats are a time for intense bonding, all active sisters and new members are expected to attend. Of course, we do feel that Alpha Delta Sigma should never interfere with other priorities such as school and family life. We understand that sometimes conflicts do arise (such as class schedules), and we are always willing to work with new members on such issues. The Vice President of New Membership is always available to help new members manage their time efficiently.

As an active sister in Alpha Delta Sigma, each sister is expected to attend our weekly chapter meeting as well as social, philanthropy, and recruitment events. All active sisters must complete a minimum of fifteen hours of community service. Alpha Delta Sigma may consume a small or large amount of time, but the level of involvement depends on the individual.

What About Hazing?

The University of Alabama defines hazing as any act that inflicts extreme physical, emotional, or psychological pressure or injury on an individual or which purposely demeans, degrades, or disgraces an individual. The state of Alabama has anti-hazing legislature, making hazing a Class C misdemeanor. Our sorority enforces a strict no-hazing policy. Alpha Delta Sigma prides itself on its commitment to treating all people with dignity and respect. We refuse to subject our new members to any treatment that might constitute hazing, either blatant or subtle.

Financial Obligations

An important consideration in deciding to join a sorority should be whether you can satisfy the financial obligations of membership. You should be well aware of the dues, fees, and other expenses involved with being a member of a sorority prior to making the commitment to join.

Alpha Delta Sigma's commitment to diversity in all its various forms means that we will always keep our dues affordable enough that almost no woman will be unable to experience the joy of lifelong sisterhood due to financial constraints. We strive to keep our costs as low as possible by refraining from extravagances that are unnecessary to sorority life and serve only to drive costs of membership beyond reasonable levels. At the same time, we practice excellent bookkeeping techniques and put every portion of our members' valuable dollars to good use.

Through our dedication to making membership in Alpha Delta Sigma accessible to women of all socio-economic situations, we have consistently enjoyed much lower dues than most other sororities on campus. The fifteen Alabama Panhellenic Association sororities have average fees of $1628 per semester. Alpha Delta Sigma's membership dues in recent semesters have averaged about $300 for the first semester of membership, including pledge and initiation fees, and about $200 in subsequent semesters. With our flexible payment plans, we strive to make it possible for all interested and qualified women to be able to enjoy sisterhood in Alpha Delta Sigma, without regard to financial constraints.

Also, one girl from each pledge class is awarded an Scholarship for her first active semester that will cover all of her dues for that semester.

Academics

Academic achievement is one of Alpha Delta Sigma's most important goals. Each sister is expected to maintain a Grade Point Average of at least 2.5/4.0 in order to remain in good standing. Of course, higher goals than the minimum are always encouraged, and most sisters have GPAs well above the required 2.5. Numerous study sessions and mentoring opportunities are offered, and our Vice President of Membership is always available to help each sister reach her academic goals. To encourage sisters to maintain our high standards, we traditionally offer a small scholarship each semester to the sister with the highest term GPA. We take pride in the fact that the typical Alpha Delta Sigma sister has a higher GPA than is average for females at the University of Alabama.