If you know a sorority woman you might have heard her talk about going to “chapter.” But, what is chapter and what happens there? The short answer is chapter is typically a weekly meeting where the sorority chapter conducts business, education or sisterhood activities. The long answer? Well, let’s dive in!
Business meetings
Have you ever seen the scene from “Legally Blonde” where Elle shows her law school admissions video? In the video, she asks her sorority members to vote on who opposes the use of generic toilet paper and then bangs the gavel when they all vote “aye.” Well, a business meeting is a little differently structured and usually, the voting topic isn’t toilet paper, but the general idea is there.
Business meetings follow parliamentary procedure. In parliamentary procedure, a motion must be introduced to discuss or vote upon by the chapter members. Typically, sororities will provide education on this process so everyone in the chapter knows how to follow the procedure. Chapter advisors, who are sorority alumna, will also help students through the process.
So, if sororities aren’t voting on what type of toilet paper to use, what do they vote on? A business meeting is for all the official business of the chapter, which includes a wide variety of topics. Some things sororities vote on is the budget of the chapter, which impact how much each member pays in dues. Sororities might also vote on amending the bylaws of the organization. These are just two examples of some of the business a sorority might conduct.
A chapter meeting is where the sorority conducts business, education or sisterhood activities.
Sisterhood meetings
Business chapters won’t happen every meeting and in between them, sororities offer educational workshops or activities that bond sorority members together. The workshops that organizations host will differ on each campus depending on the needs of students. These workshops provide preventative and educational tools to members such as mental health resources or academic resources on campus. All programming is designed to encourage sorority members to be the best version of themselves.
A major goal of sororities is to create strong friendships between members. Hosting sisterhood activities is just one way those relationships are fostered and strengthened. That is why we refer to these chapter meetings as a sisterhood meeting, though not all organizations will call them that. Activities at these meetings can be virtually anything that allows members to have a shared experience and bond with one another. You might see events like yoga, crafting nights, cookie decorating or specific relationship-building activities. This is a great time to learn more about your chapter members and connect with more women.
This isn’t a full list of activities that occur during a chapter meeting because each school and each chapter is different. If you want to learn specific activities chapters do, ask them during the recruitment process! They live it each day so they have the best perspective into life in their chapter. The good news is that these events change and evolve.
A chapter meeting is a great time to see your sisters and spend time with them. We all get busy and some weeks a chapter meeting might be the only time you get to see some sisters. Business chapters allow you to have a voice in how the sorority runs and stay updated on how the votes of the chapter will play a role in your sorority experience. During sisterhood chapters, it is a great time to unwind once a week and connect with your friends. Now you know just what to expect during a chapter meeting!