Although it seems like a common topic of discussion for this assignment, I would like to talk about my sorority as a community that I belong to according to Haythornwaite. Three important attributes of a community include a social network aspect, common ground, and reciprocity. The sorority to which I belong, satisfies these properties as follows.
The social network aspect is probably the most obvious attribute and is apparent to the sorority’s members as well as outsiders. The social network consists of many ties between members of each pledge class, members of the chapter here at Cornell, members in other chapters across the country as well as alumni. In general the strongest bonds exist within the pledge classes but many girls are just as close with girls from the pledge class above and below them. Our community is held together through weekly chapter meetings which are held to discuss our sorority’s overall status as well as any upcoming philanthropy or social events. Our philanthropy events are another way in which we stay close and connected while also helping a good cause. Our social events are yet another way to stay connected. Weaker ties may exist between chapters in other schools, however, we are all considered “sisters” and therefore feel socially connected to each other. In fact, one of my friends from high school is in the same sorority at another school, and I now feel even closer to her because of this additional bond we have.
My sorority has a strong sense of community because of the common ground that all the sisters share. On the surface, we are simply one of the 12 sororities that exist on campus, however, our unique philosophy is what defines us and creates a common bond among every sister. At a time when discrimination was perhaps more accepted, seven women decided to form a sorority that would not deny membership to those of different race or religion. To this day, every sister is made aware of the importance of this principle. Also, the concept of sisterhood is connected to the value of true friendship On a more superficial level, common ground also exists when girls wear their greek letters with the sorority’s colors and therefore feel connected and form a community for others to visually notice.
Reciprocity exists within the sorority community in many ways. Sisterhood creates close ties that people value and therefore these girls are there for each other when anyone is in need of help whether it be for emotional support or even to help with schoolwork. We have established a tradition at chapter where people can write down comments which are then read aloud. These comments are only made to express any positive experiences or feedback to others who deserve recognition whether it be for a birthday or for simply a kind act.
CMC plays a role in this community most importantly through the use of an email list-serve. This allows emails to be sent out to every active member of the Cornell chapter. Information includes announcements, questions, etc. that can be sent be any member. The use of CMC in my sorority only strengthens the bonds within the community because it allows for more efficient communication between its members. Typing a brief email, followed by a click on the send button transmits that message to over 100 people within the community: a completely exponential effect.
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I think that your descriptions of both common ground and reciprocity within a sorority were very thorough in explaining this aspect of Haythornthwaite's theory. The idea that common ground can be built upon a history of discrimination is important in understanding what makes people feel such a close connection simply because they are members of the same organization. Additionally, the concept of shared Greek letters as well as just the term sister add a great deal to the pride of being part of a group. Your examples of common ground also remind me of the way that cohesive groups are formed, through the use of rituals, initiations, and feeling a sense of privilege to be part of that group. In this instance, the discrimination that occurred in the history of the sorority may represent both the common ground of the social network as well as what makes it such a cohesive group in general. These topics appear to overlap in that strong social networks are most likely built from cohesive groups and the factors that make a social network strong as well as those that make group more cohesive are very similar.
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