John Swales; discourse community
John Swales has outlined the six characteristics of discourse community. They include:
1. "broadly agreed set of common public goals"
The common goals of Chi Omega are best described in our six purposes, friendship, high standards of personnel, sincere learning and credible scholarship, participation in campus activities, career development and community service. These are our six main goals but we also have smaller ones represented in our symphony that are just expected of us. Being womanly always, discouraged never, thinking kindly, acting sincerely, working earnestly are all examples of other goals of the sisters of the Chi Omega fraternity.
2. "mechanisms of intercommunication among its members"
Chi Omegas, and most of the other people in greek life, know the greek alphabet and can recite it. They are also able to read greek letters which helps because each organization has two or three letters to represent them. We also use words like "chapter" and "slate" and terms like that on a daily basis. These are normal words but they don't mean to us what the mean to the general public. For example, to us "chapter" is our specific set of girls out of all of the women nationally in Chi Omega, it can also mean out weekly Sunday night meetings. "Slate" is the process in which we elect our executive board.
3. "uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback"
We have weekly meetings called chapter where we discuss upcoming events and talk about ideas that we have for new events that we could host or participate in. These meetings are held for the sole purpose of making sure everybody is on the same page and knows what's going on within the fraternity. The meetings are not technically "mandatory", as that would be considered hazing, but we are encouraged to attend each one and there are consequences if we miss too many.
4. "utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims"
Chi Omega has an executive board and a cardinal cabinet. The executive board is chosen at slate and the newly slated members of the executive board pick people to make up the cardinal cabinet. The executive board positions are president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, new member educator, personnel chair, recruitment chair and panhellenic delegate. The cardinal cabinet has a chair for each of our six purposes, sisterhood/personnel cardinal cabinet team, friendship/social cardinal cabinet team, career/personal development cardinal cabinet team, community service cardinal cabinet team, campus activities cardinal cabinet team, and scholarship cardinal cabinet team.
5. "acquired some specific lexis"
There is not too many lexical terms used in greek life except for the PHA, NPHC and IFC terms that not very many people know what they stand for. PHA stands for Panhellenic Association, it is all of the typical sororities that one would think about. The PHA sororities thats UNCC has are Chi Omega (ΧΩ), Delta Zeta (ΔΖ), Zeta Tau Alpha (ΖΤΑ), Alpha Chi Omega (ΑΧΩ), Kappa Delta (KΔ) and Sigma Kappa(ΣΚ). NPHC organizations are Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. (ΚΑΨ), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (ΑΦΑ), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.(ΑΚΑ), Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (ΖΦΒ), Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.(ΣΓΡ), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. (ΔΣΘ), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. (ΩΨΦ), and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.(ΦΒΣ). The typical fraternities that would be depicted in movies or thought of right off the bat are the IFC or Interfraternal Council. UNCCs IFC fraternities are Kappa Alpha Order (ΚΑ), Lambda Chi Alpha (ΛΧΑ), Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ), Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ), Phi Sigma Kappa (ΦΣΚ), Alpha Sigma Phi (ΑΣΦ), Delta Chi (ΔΧ), Zeta Beta Tau (ΖΒΤ), Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ), Sigma Tau Gamma (ΣΤΓ), Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦΕ), Sigma Chi (ΣΧ), Triangle, and Pi Kappa Phi(ΠΚΦ).
6. "has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise"
To be initiated into Chi Omega each member must complete the new member experience (attend the meetings and participate in events), fulfill academic obligations (obtain a minimum 2.0 GPA), maintain full-time undergraduate status (enrolled in twelve or more credit hours a semester), fulfill financial obligations (pay dues), be enrolled in the university, participate in at least one other campus activity, and uphold and adhere to the Chi Omega Fraternity policies and procedures.
1. "broadly agreed set of common public goals"
The common goals of Chi Omega are best described in our six purposes, friendship, high standards of personnel, sincere learning and credible scholarship, participation in campus activities, career development and community service. These are our six main goals but we also have smaller ones represented in our symphony that are just expected of us. Being womanly always, discouraged never, thinking kindly, acting sincerely, working earnestly are all examples of other goals of the sisters of the Chi Omega fraternity.
2. "mechanisms of intercommunication among its members"
Chi Omegas, and most of the other people in greek life, know the greek alphabet and can recite it. They are also able to read greek letters which helps because each organization has two or three letters to represent them. We also use words like "chapter" and "slate" and terms like that on a daily basis. These are normal words but they don't mean to us what the mean to the general public. For example, to us "chapter" is our specific set of girls out of all of the women nationally in Chi Omega, it can also mean out weekly Sunday night meetings. "Slate" is the process in which we elect our executive board.
3. "uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback"
We have weekly meetings called chapter where we discuss upcoming events and talk about ideas that we have for new events that we could host or participate in. These meetings are held for the sole purpose of making sure everybody is on the same page and knows what's going on within the fraternity. The meetings are not technically "mandatory", as that would be considered hazing, but we are encouraged to attend each one and there are consequences if we miss too many.
4. "utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims"
Chi Omega has an executive board and a cardinal cabinet. The executive board is chosen at slate and the newly slated members of the executive board pick people to make up the cardinal cabinet. The executive board positions are president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, new member educator, personnel chair, recruitment chair and panhellenic delegate. The cardinal cabinet has a chair for each of our six purposes, sisterhood/personnel cardinal cabinet team, friendship/social cardinal cabinet team, career/personal development cardinal cabinet team, community service cardinal cabinet team, campus activities cardinal cabinet team, and scholarship cardinal cabinet team.
5. "acquired some specific lexis"
There is not too many lexical terms used in greek life except for the PHA, NPHC and IFC terms that not very many people know what they stand for. PHA stands for Panhellenic Association, it is all of the typical sororities that one would think about. The PHA sororities thats UNCC has are Chi Omega (ΧΩ), Delta Zeta (ΔΖ), Zeta Tau Alpha (ΖΤΑ), Alpha Chi Omega (ΑΧΩ), Kappa Delta (KΔ) and Sigma Kappa(ΣΚ). NPHC organizations are Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. (ΚΑΨ), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (ΑΦΑ), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.(ΑΚΑ), Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (ΖΦΒ), Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.(ΣΓΡ), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. (ΔΣΘ), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. (ΩΨΦ), and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.(ΦΒΣ). The typical fraternities that would be depicted in movies or thought of right off the bat are the IFC or Interfraternal Council. UNCCs IFC fraternities are Kappa Alpha Order (ΚΑ), Lambda Chi Alpha (ΛΧΑ), Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ), Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ), Phi Sigma Kappa (ΦΣΚ), Alpha Sigma Phi (ΑΣΦ), Delta Chi (ΔΧ), Zeta Beta Tau (ΖΒΤ), Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ), Sigma Tau Gamma (ΣΤΓ), Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦΕ), Sigma Chi (ΣΧ), Triangle, and Pi Kappa Phi(ΠΚΦ).
6. "has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise"
To be initiated into Chi Omega each member must complete the new member experience (attend the meetings and participate in events), fulfill academic obligations (obtain a minimum 2.0 GPA), maintain full-time undergraduate status (enrolled in twelve or more credit hours a semester), fulfill financial obligations (pay dues), be enrolled in the university, participate in at least one other campus activity, and uphold and adhere to the Chi Omega Fraternity policies and procedures.