Sorority members go above, beyond the call of duty
Despite difficulty in completing mandatory service hours, women earned $77,557 for charities last year

By Sarah McClellan
Skiff Staff

TCU sorority members raised $77,557 for their philanthropies and completed 15,417 hours of community service last year, according to the Service Census 2000.

But sometimes sorority members find it difficult to complete their mandatory service hours.

Amy Rickman, Kappa Alpha Theta service chairwoman, said the chapter tries to plan a few activities each month to give members as many opportunities as possible to complete their hours.

“People can get their hours however they want, basically,” said Rickman, a sophomore social work major.

She also said there is a small fine for not completing hours, but she said she does not want to implement fines.

“I probably will give an alternative to service hours this semester,” Rickman said.

She intends to allow members to help color pillowcases with fabric markers, which will be donated to kids at Court Appointed Special Advocates in lieu of service hours.

“That’s something I’ll give them to do instead of fines because they can do it anytime,” Rickman said.

Erin Chandler, a senior radio-TV-film major and Delta Gamma member, said completing service hours can be difficult.

“Sometimes it’s hard to make your hours because they conflict with schedules,” Chandler said. “But if you write an excuse and have a valid reason, you can donate used glasses in place of your hours or pay a fine of $10 (an) hour.”

DG members are required to do five service hours each semester.

Jenny Davis, a senior radio-TV-film major and inactive Alpha Delta Pi member, said it was easy to “get out” of the service requirements for the sorority.

“We would get fined if we didn’t do enough of (the service projects),” Davis said. “So to get out of our fines, we’d have to clean the chapter house.”

Rebecca Hensley, ADPi president and a sophomore Spanish and nursing major, denied that members were allowed to clean the chapter house in place of service requirements. She said that to her knowledge, the chapter hasn’t had a problem with that.

“We don’t use our philanthropy as a punishment,” Hensley said. “We don’t allow cleaning the chapter house as a result of not completing service requirements. The only time that has been done is if they had a really good reason like being ill for the semester, but that sort of thing doesn’t happen in our chapter anymore.”

Hensley said ADPi service requirements can be filled at the Ronald McDonald House and at one other service project outside of the chapter.

Members are also required to do two nights of “beeper duty,” which means that they carry a pager on Thursday and Friday nights and provide safe rides home to other ADPi members who have been drinking.

“But that’s not counted in our total service hours,” Hensley said.

Hensley said ADPi, which comprises 90 members, completed 800 service hours last semester, or 11.25 hours a member.

Theta members are required to complete three service hours a semester. They can volunteer at places such as CASA, the Big Brother/Big Sister program and the Ronald McDonald House.

Danielle Sewill, former Theta service chairwoman, said substitutes for service hours are made.

“If it gets down to the wire and (members are) desperate, we’ll let them donate cans or clothing to a women’s shelter or give blood,” said Sewill, a sophomore nursing major. “But that’s not generally accepted.”

Sewill also said that the reason the numbers of service hours “seem inflated” is because a large number of sorority members participate in the Big Brother/Big Sister program, which takes more time than the other service projects.

Erica Bell, Alpha Chi Omega communications chairwoman, said Alpha Chi members often do more service hours than are required.

“Everyone is required to do six hours (a) semester, but it always works out that we all do more,” said Bell, a sophomore nutrition and Spanish major.

Representatives from the Office of Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council did not return phone calls.

Sarah McClellan
s.l.mcclellan@student.tcu.edu