You Paid How Much?!: A Guide to the Lilly Pulitzer Target Sale

As many of you have probably heard, Lilly Pulitzer put out a line of clothing, accessories, and various other items to be sold at Target on April 19th.  And to say it was a eventful would be an understatement.

For those unaware, Lilly Pulitzer is a brand known for being preppy, colorful, and not for those with a small budget.  So when the self proclaimed “Lilly lover” fans found out that there was going to be items that were significantly less costly for a period of time at Target the internet lit up with people’s reactions.  The anticipation built up for over a month, and then finally on April 19th the doors to Target opened.

The lines looked something like this…

Once inside customers were reported to be frantically grabbing any and all Lilly items.  Some Target stores were supposedly sold out of every single Lilly Pulitzer item within 10 MINUTES of the store opening.  And it’s not hard to believe once you see pictures like this as proof of how many of the customers were shopping.

Many people were upset by how fast all of the merchandise sold out across the country.  And many customers took to social media to express their discontent on the subject. But the Lilly for Target debacle did not end there.  As the day progressed people starting realizing that the Lilly items specifically sold at Target were being put up on Ebay.  And while normally this would not bother people, they quickly began to realize that the sellers of the items were severely up charging the items.  Clothing that was originally bought for $36 was now being sold for $120 simply because of the brand name.

People became increasing outraged.  Many loyal customers argued that the whole point of Lilly Pulitzer being sold at Target was to make the normally pricey brand affordable for more people to buy.  While the whole idea of selling Lilly at Target seemed like a good idea to begin with it clearly proved to not work out as people had hoped in the end.

So what do you think. Was the Lilly for Target sale a success? Or a disappointment?

How Many T-Shirts Do You Own?: A Guide to Sorority T-Shirts

When you join a sorority you learn to accept that there is a stereotype attached to it.  And while I will be the first to dispute many of the stereotypes, there is one that just cannot be. By popular belief sorority girls supposedly own many t-shirt related to their sorority or some kind of greek life event.  Well, I have to admit that while many stereotypes are not true, this one is.

Some women in sororities joke about having drawers full of t-shirts by the time that they graduate from college. I decided to put this to the test, and went home to reorganize my clothing just to see how many I have.  And the conclusion to this little reorganization experiment was that my t-shirts take up two full drawers.

So how exactly do we accumulate SO many t-shirts?! Well I did the math, and here is what I came up with.  I used my sorority as an example because I feel like as far as t-shirts go we run in the middle of the road when compared to other chapters.  We don’t order the most on campus, but we certainly order plenty.  Most sororities create a t-shirt for the following: semi-formal/formal, philanthropy events, at least one PR item per semester, and any “sisterhood” events.  For we have created t-shirts for the following events this semester:

• Crush Semi-Formal T-Shirt
• Carnation Formal T-Shirt
• Spring Philanthropy Week 2015 T-Shirt
• Rock Climbing Sisterhood Event Tank Top
• Spring 2015 Tank Tops
• Luau Mixer Tank Top
• Bid Day Long Sleeve Shirt
• Spring Family Weekend Long Sleeve Shirt
• Big Little Reveal 2015 T-Shirt

And those are just the ones we created for our chapter! There are many other events hosted by greek life each semester that often times create their own t-shirt for you to purchase. So when you do out the math and assume that a sorority chapter creates at least nine t-shirts a semester, you could potentially graduate from your sorority with 72 t-shirts. Which is a staggering number! I have to admit that I had no idea just how many t-shirts we create, and buy.

The lesson here that I have learned is, not only do I need to start getting rid of some of the t-shirts that are filling up my drawers, but I also need to start watching just how many of these t-shirts I’m ordering! So be careful and think before you hit the “select a size” button the next time you think about buying a sorority t-shirt ladies.

But Wait, Where are the Horses?: A Guide To Carolina Cup

College students often times joke about making certain events into college “holidays”.  For example, on the High Point University campus we tend to call Derby Day a holiday.  If you go to school in the Carolinas then you may know of another celebrated college holiday… the infamous Carolina Cup.  Carolina Cup is held on the last Saturday every March at the Springdale Racing Track in Camden, South Carolina.  While a fair share of adults do go to the event, it is notoriously popular with college kids drawing in students from all corners of North and South Carolina.

Carolina Cup is often called the college version of Kentucky Derby.  Essentially it is a horserace that has a tale gate beforehand and during.  People in attendance get dressed up just like you would for Kentucky Derby.  All things preppy, including Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, Southern Tide, floppy sun hats with monogram, and every style of Jack Rogers sandals, are seen adorning people throughout the crowd.

So why exactly is Carolina Cup drawing in college students by the thousands? Believe is or not, it’s actually the tale gate. Even though it is a horserace and you would think that going to a horserace means you actually WATCH the race, that isn’t exactly the case with Carolina Cup.  It’s a running joke that many people go to Carolina Cup and don’t actually see a single horse because they never leave the tale gate.  If there is one thing that college students are great at, it’s finding an excuse to create a party like atmosphere and indulge in drinking.  Carolina Cup provides the perfect atmosphere to drink, have fun, and take a day trip away from campus.

With every event that has drinking involved there is always a way to get into trouble and be unsafe.  But for the most part college students that go to Carolina Cup have a fun, safe time, and celebrate this “holiday” the way that they wish to.  Personally, I experienced Carolina Cup for the first time this year, and I have to say that I had a blast.  One of my favorite parts was all of the people watching, and seeing all of the different tale gate tents.

Long story short, I highly recommend going to Carolina Cup at least once if you go to school in the Carolinas. Just have fun, be safe, and maybe try to see a horse.

Wait, What’s a “Big”?: A Guide to Big Little Week

Big Little Week is a notorious event on college campuses.  You can always tell when Big Little Week is happening by the amount of glitter, decorated canvases, and completely cleared out shelves at Hobby Lobby.  For those of you who don’t know what I’m referring to let me explain.  Big Little Week is a shortened term for Big Sister and Little Sister Week.  All sorority chapter members receive their very own Big Sister sometime during their pledging period.  The Big Sister is someone that guides your through the initiation process.

Most sororities make it a surprise for the new members as to who their Big Sister is.  While the whole point of Big Little Week is that at the end you receive a Big Sister, there’s also A LOT of presents involved.  But the presents aren’t like the ones you receive on Christmas.  Most of the time new members don’t have a lot of decorations or apparel related to their sorority yet because they’re still fairly new.  So most of the presents are decorated canvases to hang on walls, painted greek letters, letter shirts, sweatshirts, basically anything to do with the sorority.  So each day of Big Little Week (which usually lasts 5 days) the Little Sister receives different presents everyday from her Big Sister.  By the time they get to the last day, which is when they find out who their Big Sister is, they have so many presents they don’t even know what to do. Most Big Sisters leave clues with the presents so that their Little Sister can try and guess as to who they may be.

While the presents are always fun, the best part of the week is the last day.  This is the day when you finally find out who your Big Sister is.  To this day, one of my favorite memories was getting my Big Sister my freshmen year.  It’s exciting to be able to have an older sister in the chapter that you can go to for anything you may need.

Even though the terms “big” and “little” are usually used to describe a size, just know that if you ever hear the phrase “I just love my Big/Little SO much”, they’re actually referring to a person.

The Importance of a Badge

Every sorority has there own thing that they’re known for.  Mascots, flowers, colors, phrases, philanthropies, whatever it is we all have our own unique symbols that make our chapter who we are.  One of the things that every sorority has is a badge or a pin.  There are two types of badges that sorority members receive.  The first one is a pledge pin, which symbolizes the period of pledging a sorority chapter.  Here are just a few examples of what some different pledge badges look like. The badge or pin is something that a member receives after they are initiated.  It’s viewed as a symbol of membership and ritual.

The second type of pin/badge is the one that you receive once you have become an initiated member.  Usually these look similar to the pledge pins, but are more elaborate in design, and have more meaning behind them.  While the pledge pins/badges symbolizes the pledging period, these pins/badges have a deeper meaning of ritual behind them.  You only know what the badge fully means once you are a member since ritual is something that is kept secret.  Here are some examples of pins/badges initiated sorority members wear:

While a pin or badge is just a small part of being in a sorority it’s overall meaning is big.  A badge isn’t just a piece of jewelry, it is something that you wear with respect and integrity.  So for all the sorority women everywhere, always remember what your badge represents and means to you and your chapter!

New Pledges on the Block: A Guide on How to Get to Know The “New Girls”

Bid Day is over, and has been over for several weeks now.  And it’s that in the semester where the workload is now getting heavier, and professors are expecting more.  While I will be the first to remind myself that yes I’m at this school to get an education, not just to be in a sorority, it’s hard to find a balance between it all.  So how do you get to know your chapter’s new pledge class in the midst of the mid-semester craziness?

First thing is first.  You have to remember that you were once a new member too.  It’s exciting, but scary at the same time.  I remember that I used to love it when the older sisters would invite me to go do something with them.  It made me feel like I was being included and welcomed by them.  Now keeping that in mind, my first piece of advice is invite some of the new members to do something with you! It can  be anything, and I mean ANYTHING.  Lunch, dinner, coffee, movie night, random shopping trip to Target because you ran out of your favorite eyeliner.  It doesn’t need to be a planned out and elaborate event, and I actually encourage you not to make it into that.  Don’t get me wrong, lunches and coffee invites are always nice. But it was the times that I got invited to just go by the sorority house to watch a movie, or got picked up from my dorm to go to Cookout for a study break that I remember having the most fun and getting to know people.  And thing about doing these kinds of things is that it doesn’t take a lot of time at all.  It can be as long or as short as you want to make it.  So don’t use the “I have too much schoolwork excuse”, because most of the time you’ll need a break at some point anyways.  Instead of taking that break from writing your paper to go on Facebook, go get coffee with a new member.

My second piece of advice is go to the events that your chapter plans.  I know that in my chapter we always have events for both new members and older sisters to attend.  We do different things like Friday Lunches at Farmer’s Market on campus, or “speed dating” where you get to talk to each new member for two minutes.  Another good idea is to have each pledge class or graduating class host a different event.  Recently we had the Juniors, Sophomores, and Seniors each host a night for the new members to go to where they could get to know more sisters and have fun while doing it.  I’m not saying that you have to attend every single event, because most likely you won’t be able to.  But try to go to as many as possible without spreading yourself too thin.  The more sisters that show up to these kinds of events, the more fun and successful they are!

Finally, my last piece of advice is to sit in public more.  And I know that this sounds like a weird piece of advice, but just bare with me while I explain.  While I know that it is all too tempting to go back to your room in between or after classes and watch Netflix, I strongly urge you to try not to do this at every possible opportunity.  try to make yourself a little more visible in public places than you normally are.  I know that when I’m not in class I’m generally back at my house doing whatever I need to get done.  So instead of going back to my house all the time, I’ve started going and sitting in the student center in between classes.  Most of the time I’m just answering emails, and doing other things that I don’t need absolute silence for. I guarantee if you do this you’ll be shocked, just like I was, at the number of people, especially new members, that will come up to you and say hi and chat for a minute.  Even if you have homework to do, try going to the library instead of sitting in your room or house.  You never know who you’ll see there, and most likely they’ll ask if they can join you.  Making yourself just a little more visible in public is easy and simple enough to do, and and helps you meet more of the new members.

Just remember that everyone was a “new girl” at some point.  Try to remember what it felt like to have an older sister do anything of these things for you. Make fun last minute plans, go on coffee dates, go to events, and start making yourself more visible in public.  I promise that if you do these things you’ll get to know the new pledge class faster than you thought possible.  So go out there and meet the new girls!

Life on Greek Row: A Guide to Living in a Sorority House

As a member of a sorority you will most likely have an opportunity at some point to move into your chapters house.  And if that opportunity comes along I highly recommend that you take advantage of it.  For my Sophomore year I was originally planning on living somewhere else on campus in a more traditional dorm style.  But after receiving a phone call saying that a spot had opened up in the house and it was being offered to me I jumped at the chance and never looked back.  I’ve had many great experiences during my time here at High Point both inside and outside the Greek System, but this was by far one of the best experiences that I’ve had so far. I moved into the house not knowing many of the sisters that I was living with, and by of Sophomore year I had made so many friends.  Because of how big my chapter is I’m not sure that I would have had the opportunity to become friends with those girls had I not lived with them that year.

The atmosphere of a sorority house is indescribable and unique, something that you will not find anyone else.  It’s fun, exciting, and ever changing.  It is never boring, and is constantly filled with laughter.  Even now when I walk into my sorority’s house I think of all of the wonderful and amazing memories that I created during the year that I got to call that house my actual home.  The couch in the living room was where you could always find me during the late afternoon when Ellen came on at 4 o’clock, and I was most likely taking a nap.  Every time I go into the kitchen I can’t help but laugh when I look at the microwave and remember the time that I almost blew it up accidentally while trying to make Mac and Cheese.  The room upstairs all the way to the left was where two of my friends lived, and where you could always find me hanging out or doing homework.  That house was where so many life events took place.  I got the phone call to officially be a Big Sister, and spent countless hours crafting Pinterest worthy crafts for her.  So many late night Cookout runs, random dance parties, and countless other priceless memories were created while living in the house.

Long story short, if you’re in a sorority you should try living in your chapter house.  I promise that you won’t regret it.

When Sorority Girls Turn Into Zombies: A Guide to Recruitment Exhaustion

With Bid Day officially being behind us I think I speak for every sorority girl on the High Point campus with this statement: we are absolutely EXHAUSTED.  Even the word exhausted doesn’t seem to cover just how tired we all really are.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Bid Day and Recruitment.  It’s just that after Bid Day I have to suppress the urge to hibernate in my room for a week living off of chocolate and Netflix.  Returning back to the real world from sorority land is not an easy transition.

So what is it exactly that makes us so tired you ask? And more importantly if we’re so tired than why do we subject ourselves to it?  Let me explain.

For those that don’t know, Formal Recruitment is the process that every sorority goes through each year.  On our campus we have our Formal Recruitment during the first two weekends of the Spring semester.  We invite girls that are hoping to join a sorority to come to our house where we throw “parties”.  And when I say parties I don’t mean that there’s blaring music with food and alcohol.  Recruitment parties are basically just sessions of talking to different girls and getting to know them.  It helps us to determine which girls we think will fit in best with us.  And while getting to know new people is fun it is equally tiring.  We have at minimum 6 parties, and maximum 8 parties a day.  We also have to get to our respective houses early to make sure that everything is set up, and then clean up everything afterwards.  I’ll save you the trouble of doing all the math to figure out just who long that all takes.  An average Recruitment day for a sorority member is anywhere between 12-16 hours.  And when you do that repeatedly for multiple days in a row you slowly feel like you are starting to turn into a zombie that is sleep deprived.

I know that sounds like a lot of complaining, but now I’ll explain just why it’s all worth it.

I love my sorority more than anything.  There are very few sorority girls that you will talk to throughout your life that will say that they do not like their sorority.  So because of our love every year each chapter goes through the Recruitment process with the hope that by the end we will have a new group of girls that love it just as much as we do.  Girls that we can call our sisters and teach them how to love our chapter even more than we already do.  I have met most of my best friends through my sorority and I can’t imagine what my life would be like if me or one of my friends decided not to go through Recruitment.

So basically, yes Recruitment is exhausting.  And yes, it is a lot of work.  But in the end it is all worth it, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Glitter Glitter Everywhere: A Bid Day Attire Analysis

“From the outside looking in you can’t understand it.  From the inside looking out you can’t explain it”

If you log onto Instagram and look through a sorority members pictures, chances are you will see a picture with this caption.  Usually it’s a somewhat sappy photo of a sorority “Big and Little” pair, or a pledge class photo of everyone smiling.  But when I see this quote I think about all of the mystifying, hilariously out there, and very “Pinterest” things that sorority girls do that non-Greek people don’t quite understand.  As a sorority member myself, I feel like I have the right to poke fun at some of the things that sorority girls do.  We do some things that may look weird to any outsider, but when you’re on the inside it seems completely normal.  One aspect of sorority life that we think is normal, but actually isn’t is… BID DAY ATTIRE.  If you are a non-Greek person reading this and don’t know what I mean when I say “Bid Day Attire”, then I dare you to go onto Pinterest right now and look it up.  Do you see it? Are you slightly confused, and definitely puzzled by the large amounts of glitter and feather boas? If you answer yes to both of those questions, then you definitely found what I’m talking about.  Yes, we know we may look ridiculous dressed like this.  No, we don’t care that you think we look ridiculous dressed like this.  With sorority Bid Day rapidly approaching on the High Point campus every sorority member is frantically crafting to make sure that her Bid Day attire is on point.  Not only do you have to come up with accessories that go with your sorority’s Bid Day theme, but most of us (or maybe just me) tend to get competitive when it comes to who did it best.  We get competitive with our sisters and other sororities, but all in the spirit of Panhellenic fun.  From tutus, to face paint we do it all.  Many sorority girls go as far as painting glitter onto their body, which I’m not gonna lie, I’m definitely guilty of doing a time or two.    We view Bid Day as a celebration of sorts.  It symbolizes the last day of Formal Recruitment, and the beginning of a new year for our chapters.  On Bid Day we get to welcome home a new pledge class of girls that we practically fell in love with during recruitment.  We want to give these girls one of the best, most memorable days of their college experience.  So we dress up like this to show how excited we are about them becoming our new sisters.  We do realize it might be way over the top, but it’s one of the few times left in our lives where we get to act like little kids again and dress up in crazy fun costumes.  With my college days starting to fly by faster than I can count them, I’ve learned to not take people’s negative opinions to heart when it comes to being a “sorority girl”.  At the end of the day, we do what makes us happy.  And if dressing up in sequins and boas makes us happy, than we’ll do it.  Even though looking at us from the outside probably makes people question our sanity, looking from the inside we realize just how crazy it is too.  But as long as we’re having fun, we’ll take those outside opinions with a grain of salt and continue on our way.

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