Page 72 - 1912 May - To Dragma

TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 191

I

ARE W E SETTING T H E RIGHT EXAMPLE FOR OUR FRESHMEN?

Certainly d u r i n g the rushing season we give the freshmen our atten-
tion and appear to be interested* in their welfare, but after they are pledged,
we look out f o r our own interest and let the freshmen go their own way,
never thinking that probably they have individual problems which are often
very discouraging and that a little help or interest f r o m an upperclassman
would be very welcome. I f the freshmen live i n the house, we are liable to
keep in close touch with them, but often they only take their meals i n the
house so that we only see them on rare occasions, unless we go out of our
way to b r i g them into close touch with all the girls.

When girls enter college they are usually in the pliable state, and when
they leave college, their characters and ideals are more or less formed. The
most important years of a girl's l i f e are spent in college and we must make the
freshman make the most of these years by setting the best possible example
before them.

A f t e r a g i r l is pledged, f r a t e r n i t y l i f e is new to her and she is apt to
act and do just as the upperclassmen do. We tell the freshmen they should
always place scholarship above every thing else, and have systematic methods
for study, but unless we abide by these same principles, the pledges w i l l not.
I f we associate only with Kappas and do not take any interest in student
activities, they are liable to think these are the ideals of Kappa.

We are hoping f o r success f o r the freshmen and f o r success f o r the frater-
nity, but we must realize the importance of our influence i n the making of their
success and the success of Kappa. We must always live up to Kappa's mean-
ing and Kappa's standards, so when these pledges are initiated they w i l l realize
what Kappa means to college l i f e . — K e y of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

For the last three years we have been t r y i n g to make our subscription list
the length i t should be f o r a f r a t e r n i t y the size of Delta Gamma. We have
not started a campaign in the chapters f o r we felt the chapters should be i n -
terested without any extra inducements. But we seem to get so f a r and no far-
ther. I n our summer letters this year we asked that everyone t r y to get one new
subscriber. I f they tried they had very little success. Every active g i r l is
required to take the magazine so all the growth must come f r o m the alumnae.
Every alumnae chapter is supposed to have two members at least subscribing.
Some have many more and some have just two. We have found however that
the greater number of discontinuances come f r o m the girls leaving college,
before completing their course. W h y is this? Are the girls who go one, two
or three years less interested? Are they or many of them those girls who
take the magazine and never look inside of i t ? Are they the "hangers on"
and not the "doers?" Otherwise why should they let go the only means they have
of keeping in touch with the national organization? What is the object of
belonging to a national fraternity rather than a local club i f you are not going
to make the most of it? Put on the coat i f it fits. This does not mean all girls
who have to leave college early nor does i t mean that some four year girls
should not be included.

A t convention we started our five year subscription plan to get these very
girls f o r we have found that i f a g i r l takes Anchora f o r a year after she is
out of college she is very apt to continue indefinitely. Is i t because she really
finds something o f interest iii the magazine when she takes time to read it?
I f the associate editors would get the girls who do not expect to return next
year to subscribe before leaving this year, they w i l l find they are able to get
more than the required number of alumnae subcribers.—Anchora of Delta
Gamma.