What do Chi Omegas think? How different are our collegiate and alumnae experiences? Where do we go and what do we do? To satisfy our curiosity and as a bridge across generations and miles, this column features our members’ perspectives on various subjects.
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Side by Side
“Big sister-little sister traditions”
Our collegians’ responses reflect the fun of revealing big-little Sister pairs and of doing
things together, while our alumnae wrote about lifelong relationships and creating mementoes
for members of their big-little family.
For the next issue, tell us about the first leadership position you held. Please reply in
75 words or less to TheEleusis@ChiOmega.com. Include your first, maiden, and married
names, chapter, and initiation year. Deadline: July 15.
(Initiation years are listed with our respondents’ chapters and schools.)
Jessica Retzlaff, 2009
Chi Epsilon/U of Evansville
We have two traditions. The first is to eat lunch together
every Friday. The other tradition is to be together for
our school’s annual Relay for Life event: We have dinner
together, cheer together for our Sisters participating in
the Relay, and then sing, sing, sing, and dance together at
a karaoke party.
Paige Howard, 2009
Zeta Theta/Middle Tennessee State U
Annually we go to a small, country restaurant, Millers
Grocery, for Big/Lil Sister Reveal. There, each Big Sister
gifts her Little Sister with a picture frame featuring a
photo of the two of them. Then, families dine together
and lots more photos are taken. It’s always such a fun
evening of Sisterhood.
Melanie Perez, 2011
Pi Mu/Florida Gulf Coast U
Because our natural history museum has nights when
patrons can sleep with the dinosaurs at the museum, we
have “dino sleepovers” after Big and Little Revelation. My
Chi O family has had this tradition since the chapter was
chartered. It’s always so much fun!
Elyse Galloway, 2011
Chi Alpha/Tufts U
Chi Alpha loves the big-little connection. In my family,
on Hand-Me-Down Day during Big-Little Week, big Sisters
give their little sisters a Beta fish. It’s a fun, silly tradition
but every member of my Chi O family loves it.
Cathy Coers Frank, 1976
Psi Zeta/U of Houston
Ever since college, my big Sister, Janet Chandler Jones,
and I always exchange holiday gifts. Not just Christmas,
but Valentine’s Day, Easter, and more. We also try to meet
for lunch around every holiday, but sometimes we have
to meet when we can. I remember going to lunch one
May to exchange Valentine’s Day candy. The other diners
thought we were strange, but we were just happy to be
together for a good visit.
Amy Gregory Young, 1973
Chi Lambda/Winthrop U
In my family it was tradition for big Sisters to cross-stitch
the fraternity’s crest for little Sisters as an initiation gift.
Whitney McGinnis, 2006
Nu Zeta/Emporia State U
My little and I have life chats—some serious, some
funny—over Mexican food. We don’t live in the same
town so it’s a perfect way to catch up. Laughs, tears, and a
bowl of queso dip!
Marie Duong, 2008
Theta Theta/U of South Florida
Our tradition was to give everyone in the family a pair of
decorated scissors for letter-making!
Laura Shank, 2007
Mu Zeta/Adrian College
When we see each other, my little Sister, Tara Weber, and
I have tea at our favorite Tampa, Florida, tea lounge, Kaleisha.
During our college years, it was our usual place to
talk because it has such a relaxing atmosphere. Since my
graduation in 2010, we still go to Kaleisha whenver I am
in town. I always look forward to Tara, tea, and talking.
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