Viola

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Felicia Viola
Brandi Bradley
Enc 2135 Paper 1
January 16, 2016
Greek life is huge on Florida State Universitys campus. To keep these
organizations running there must be a great deal of communication sources to transport
the groups information to their members. Many of these groups have over a hundred
members in them so staying organized and keeping everyone informed can be a tough
task. Alpha Phi, a sorority on campus, has to keep over a hundred participants informed
with the events they are holding or taking part in. The leaders of this organization are
called executive members and are in charge of the sorority. The executive members relay
information to the rest of the sisters in the sorority by Facebook posts, chapter meetings,
and emails. Each of these different ways of communicating is a genre, which is a
category that offers different techniques, form, style, and subject matter to the executive
members to relay information (Bedford Book of Genres).
Once a new potential member gets a bid from the sorority, Alpha Phi, they are
added to the Facebook group so that they will be updated on casual information.
Examples of information posted on Facebook groups can be what time dinner starts on
Wednesday night or that the house is having a movie night Tuesday night with pizza and
popcorn. The time of chapter that week is announced. Chapter is where important and
private information will be discussed. Since Facebook is not as private as one may think
serious information is never posted on this social media site. Even though a Facebook

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group is private, members can screenshot posts or have her account hacked. Therefore,
Alpha Phi only uses social media to relay material that is not private.
Alpha Phi has different Facebook groups for different sections of their sorority.
All are private and only allow members in them who have received a bid from this
sorority. The main group is where executive members post only. They discuss what attire
to wear to chapter or explain a philanthropy event to the members urging them to sign up
for it, an example being Dance Marathon. The genre of this group informs and persuades
members so that they can be the best sisters possible. They are never in the dark;
therefore they know about upcoming events and can get involved in campus, which will
reward them in the long run. The rhetorical appeal used in these posts created in this
Facebook group are ethos because only the executive members post in it so it is very
serious and credible because these girls are the leaders of the sorority. Also, pathos is
used since the leaders are persuading members to go to events with emotion by
explaining what great benefits the girls will get out of these events. This is a very
effective Facebook group as important information is quickly sent out to the whole
chapter.
Another group is called random. This group is for anyone to post in to ask
questions or explain information to all the members. Need a book for a chemistry class?
Post in the random group. Are you president of Key Club and want your sisters to join?
Post about it in the random group. This group allows every member to be able to contact
the whole sorority with one post about anything they need or question. The media of the
group being digital helps the girls contact the sisters at any time. All three rhetorical

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appeals are being used, ethos, pathos, and logos, since the group is credible, and sisters
can persuade with emotion or logic to inform or question members.
The last Facebook group the sorority holds dear to them is the closet group. In this
group the girls can trade, sell, buy, or give away clothes. Alpha Phi merchandise and
regular articles of clothing go up everyday. If you are quick you can snag a cute Alpha
Phi raincoat for half the price! The mode being used in this group is visual pictures of
clothing articles. This allows members to see if they are interested in buying certain
pieces of clothing and if they are they can comment and make an arrangement with the
seller. The media of this group being digital truly makes it effective since the members
can view the clothing from wherever they are; therefore they do not have to meet face to
face. The rhetorical appeal of ethos is being used since the sellers and buyers are credible
sisters. Logos is utilized as the sisters selling persuade the girls to buy their items by
dropping the price logically explaining to them how great this deal is. The genre of
persuasion is used making this group highly effective as items are sold and bought daily
through the sorority sisters.
All these different Facebook groups relay important information to all the
members of the sorority quickly and effectively. The rhetorical appeal highly used in
these Facebook groups is ethos. Since these groups made on this social media website are
only made up of members of Alpha Phi the sisters trust that all the material posted is
creditable because sisters a part of Alpha Phi are trustworthy. An executive member
would never lie about what time chapter is and a sister would never try to sell a raincoat
with a hole in it to another member. This can be said because Alpha Phi holds their girls
to very high standards. They believe in the certain values like leadership, trust, friendship,

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and loyalty. They have distinct morals that each member takes on once they become an
Alpha Phi sister; therefore each individual is ethical and creditable.
Chapter meetings are a second form of communication Alpha Phi performs. Many
different organizations partake in these meetings face to face because they are extremely
private. Members can debate specific information and can create an idea as a whole. This
is an example of logos being utilized as arguments of persuasion take place to get the
most logical answer. Chapter meetings are formal and are taken seriously by members.
Cell phones are put away, there is no talking, and all of an individuals attention goes to
the executive member that is speaking at that moment. This forces the members to hear
and understand the material that is being presented. The genre to inform and persuade is
what these meetings are categorized as.
By chapter meetings being face to face there is no way for an outside source to
gain secret information about Alpha Phi, therefore these meeting discuss secret traditions
and customs the sorority holds dear. They also discuss upcoming events like the sororities
philanthropy, Red Dress Gala. The media of a power point presentation is used at Alpha
Phis chapter meetings to portray the information visually for all the girls to see. This
mode of visual text-based information helps the presenter not miss any important
information as it is all written down in front of her for her to present. Bullet pointed text
is shown. The media of using a projected power point truly captures the information and
displays it visually for all to see in the room. Pictures are used to capture the members
attention. If planning for a future fundraising event, pictures of the last successful event
will be shown to spark ideas through the crowd. These effective face-to-face meetings
bring the audience of the whole chapter together forcing everyone to contribute to the

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sororitys agenda. The main purpose of these serious chapter meetings is to relay
confidential information to members through audio and visuals.
Another form of communication Alpha Phi utilizes is email. The purpose of this
rhetorical situation is to communicate in a personal way. The genre is to inform any
member in a private and quick manner. An email is sent to an audience of one as only one
member is being contacted. If a member is going through some hard times, an example
being a death in the family, then an executive member will reach out to her to see if there
is anything that can be done. Using this digital media they could schedule a coffee date.
By checking in the member is shown that she is surrounded by women that care about
her. Also, sorority dues are emailed. Text-based mode is used when a recite is emailed to
a member that has paid her dues. If the dues are not paid an email is sent to the member
notifying her of her late dues.
Getting an email from this sorority can be bad or good depending on the
individuals actions. When a member performs an action that misrepresents the sorority
she receives an email explaining to her what she has done and why it is not acceptable.
This rhetorical appeal of pathos is used as she is persuaded with emotion to see her
wrongdoings and make up for her actions. When a member applies for a position or wins
an award in the sorority, like the academic award, the member is notified through email
and congratulated. The rhetorical appeals ethos is used as the member is informed by a
credible source. Email is greatly used in Alpha Phi for individual purposes. It is effective
as it allows executive members to contact this audience of one privately and relay
specific material.

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Alpha Phi International brings together every Alpha Phi chapter, around the
United States, watching over and helping them through hard and great times. The first
women that founded this chapter came together in the year 1872. Ever since then, Alpha
Phi has grown exponentially due to great communication skills and now covers a wide
array of the United States. Through the Alpha Phi Foundation members from different
Alpha Phi sororities can come together partaking in training and leadership programs to
better themselves. These programs are called the Chapter Leadership Development, the
Emerging Leaders Institute, the Educational Leadership Consultant, the Alpha Phi
International Leadership Fellows, and Leadership Conferences. These programs better the
womens leadership, management, and team building skills. Executive members discuss
these programs with members at chapter meetings and members can decide if they want
to partake or not. Also, Alpha phi has a Forget-Me-Not fund. This fund helps sisters who
are struggling financially. Once you are an initiated member of Alpha Phi, you are a
member for life. The Sorority will always be there to lend a helping hand if it is needed.
The communication of this program works through a Watchcare group. If this group sees
a sister struggling financially through academics or just everyday life, they help guide the
sister through her crisis by taking off a portion of the burden. Alpha Phi supports one
another through lifelong achievements and does not disregard any member whether they
are eighteen years old or eighty years old. Alpha Phi international uses a website to
communicate what they are all about to the public. On the website media is used through
visuals and texted-based information. All of these aspects are posted explaining the
sororities morals, values, history, philanthropy, and much more. The website
www.alphaphi.org will expand on this chapters loving way of life. This audience of this

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website the public but is also used by many different Alpha Phi sororities, around the
United Sates, to obtain information about what is occurring in the perspective of Alpha
Phi International. If you are an executive member of the sorority you can sign on and
digital information will be sent to you about upcoming events happening around the
United States relating to Alpha Phi. This genre to inform allows Alpha Phi sororities all
over America to unite and become stronger as a whole. It is effective because becoming a
part of this huge support group helps members know they are never alone and will always
have a sister whether they are in the same sorority at Florida State University or live
across the country.
The way information travels through Florida States Alpha Phi Chapter from
executive members to sisters has kept this chapter running for many years. From highly
effective and swift Facebook posts, to serious, formal Chapters meetings, the sisters
always know what is going on as they are informed and never kept in the dark.
Confidential emails sent to one person opposed to Alpha Phis International website open
to everyone portrays how every person in this sorority comes together to create this great
group of women. Communication is an important feature when discussing the survival of
Alpha Phi as a whole. Without good communication this chapter would fall apart. After
being part of this community members are able to truly diverge into what Alpha Phi has
to offer. From different skill learning programs to leadership positions no door is ever
closed. Every sister is there to help another and the net working opportunities are endless.
Being part of this community of respectable women will benefit any members future
greatly.

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Works Cited
Alpha Phi. Alpha Phi International, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
Braziller, Amy, and Elizabeth Kleinfeld. "Chapter 1: Understanding Genres." The
Bedford Book of Genres: A Guide & Reader. FSU ed. Boston: Bedford St.
Martin's Custom, 2015. 11. Print