This all actually happened before Alton but I haven't wanted to write about it until now.
Back on like May 6th, Theresa texted me and asked me to call her when I had a chance and was, and I quote, "ready to be new shades of angry." This completely freaked me out because Theresa and I don't really talk on the phone, we text, so I knew it had to be bad. I also had a feeling it was about our sorority, and sure enough, she had wanted to tell me that our charter had officially been pulled by the director of bands at NAU.
Honestly, this is something that's probably been a long time coming, but it still sucks and is completely unfair, and it was still unexpected. Basically Dr. Schmidt, NAU's director of bands, is a gigantic tool, and he always has been. He was D.o.B. when I was at NAU, and I never liked him. He just always gave off a douchey vive, and he's a total misogynist. When I started at NAU, the associate D.o.B. was this amazing woman (Ms. Jones) who made band a blast and really made us into a great group, and she left after 3 years because she couldn't stand working with Schmidt. She flat out said he had always made it obvious that he hated having a woman working under him, and she had enough. That was why I left marching band, actually. He was (and probably still is) a huge alcoholic and kind of known for showing up to events and rehearsals drunk.
So of course someone like that isn't going to be a big fan of an organization that promotes, supports, and celebrates women in music. He was always demeaning when I was active, always acting like TBS didn't matter and wasn't important; I remember once he suggested us having a sleepover and giving each other mani/pedis as a service project, because why would women be good for anything else, right? He's been trying for years and years to pull the charter, there were rumors about it when I was active and there have been rumors about it since I left. And with no warning, with no catalyst or significant fuck up to warrant it, he finally got his way, and the Alpha Chi chapter officially no longer exists.
The Tuesday after it happened the chapter held an outgoing sister ceremony at Marshall Lake; Theresa came into town for it, and even though it was a sad occasion, I was thrilled to get to see my BFF. A couple other alumni were up from Phoenix (including one I hadn't seen since a very awkward encounter back in 2010 when I was dating Corey), so that was . . . nice. (This isn't really related to the chapter thing, but it was nice to make peace with this little bit of my past. This girl was the last person from the Corey era drama stuff that needed to happen with and I'm glad to have done it before I move away). Anyway, the outgoing sisterhood ceremony was really beautiful, and it was so nice to meet the active chapter. I was so impressed with all of them, and I found myself wishing I'd been a more involved alumni when I'd had the chance . . . but nothing I can do about that now, so I'm not going to dwell on it. It was sad and moving but it felt so good to be out in the woods around a campfire with my sisters, singing our hymn and sharing stories about sisterhood. It had been so long since I'd experienced that, and I am very, very grateful that I got to do it again before I leave. It feels fitting that it happened as my time in Flagstaff is coming to a close. I'm sad for the girls who loved TBS and didn't get to experience it for very long, though; but I'm also proud at how few of them are going to KKPsi. (Side story: we were out at the lake until freaking midnight. I went to bed at like 1 AM and actually made it to work the next day, I was so proud of myself! I haven't pulled that kind of shit in a loooong time!).
Some of the alumni and actives are still fighting the chapter closing, there's been a petition going around online and I know a few of them have coordinated letter writing to Schmidt. At this point I'm not getting involved any further because, as upsetting as the whole thing is, I have so much bigger and more important things going on in my life than my old sorority. And maybe that makes me sound like a terrible person but I honestly don't feel all that bad. In a weird way it feels good to be so far removed from it, to feel how far my life has come from when I was active and to have made amends with TBS.
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