Any NPHC sorority members here?

[Raggedeannie]

I've heard of this - it's called alumnae initiation, and I know that my sorority does offer this option.

Here's an old feature in the Chicago Tribune:

articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-03-05/features/0303040385_1_alumnae-sorority-national-panhellenic-conference

[ssmjlm]

My NPC sorority can have alumna initiates, they have to have a sponsor, be active in the alum group and are initiated when a local collegiate chapter does initiation.

I believe from friends though that NPHC sororities can have new members beyond the college years and it's different from the alumna initiates NPC has.

[orangeblossom]

I am not. However, my family is full of members. I would have, had the sorority been on my campus at the time.

It is not at all uncommon to join after graduating. Some who did it during undergrad don't like it, and feel like it isn't real enough, but then again these are the ones that are probably doing a lot of hazing.

My mother joined when she was 50+. It was something she'd always wanted to do, and was invited to rush in college but life circumstances at the time prevented her from doing it. She also brought in her best friend a few years after she joined.

They can be an amazing source of support. My father is in a fraternity, and my mother was part of the wives auxiliary group as well as her own sorority. The auxiliary group had the repast at the fraternity house. My mother's chapter, the president of chapter came to the house and they did the ceremony that's done at wakes or funeral depending on what the family wants.

[BNL2]

I'm a member of a NPHC sorority (although I'm not financial and probably won't ever be again) and it's common for individuals to become members after undergrad. Grad chapters do a ton of community service, usually have a few fundraisers and have regular meetings like undergrad chapters. DH used to be very active in his grad chapter and they initiated 2-3 members every year.

I've never heard of chapters regularly sitting at funerals, but members tend to be very close so doing so is not really surprising.

[sarabi]

I am.
Yes, it's common for people to join after graduation. Most cities have graduate chapters and people tend to stay involved. My H just joined the fraternity his father and grandfather are in and he's 33. In my experience, NPHC sororities/fraternities are seen as more of a lifetime commitment than IFC/Pan, so it's not considered only a "college thing" or weird for people to join later in life.

People are typically pretty bonded to the people that the joined the sorority/fraternity with. So, it doesn't surprise me in the least bit, that they have rallied around your cousin.