Talk:Gamma Gamma Chi

Re-establishment

A source is needed to verify the closure of the original chapters and the formation of Chi chapter. For now, I have left this content, flagged as needing sources. Perhaps a citation can be added when the sorority creates a website? Rublamb (talk) 19:36, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

@Althiafali: Thanks for providing a new source. This source will do for now; hopefully there will be an independent source soon so that the article does not rely too heavily on publications from the sorority. Also, I updated the article's text that was copied from the new source as that falls under plagiarism. Rublamb (talk) 19:21, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

@Rublamb. Plagiarism? I think not! I wrote the new source and everything in it, causing me to feel free to use it. Maybe in Wikiland it's viewed as such, but it's a bit harsh to call my update plagiarism-it doesn't fit in the true sense of the word. I'm new to Wikipedia editing, and I am learning the ropes although I don't plan to spend much more time with this project.

I could provide the communication that went out in which the original chapters were closed, but there seems to be no interest in that. As for a source forming Chi Chapter, it's in the new source that I just added in the form of a proclamation. Both of these sources are only in the form of internal communications. We don't do interviews any more after having several instances where our story was twisted to fit a predetermined narrative.

I'd love to know why you have such an interest in Gamma Gamma Chi Sorority, Inc.; yet, you don't seem particularly interested in correcting misinformation which I have attempted to do several times. Althiafali (talk) 01:07, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

@Althiafali: I created this article as member of Wikipedia:WikiProject Fraternities and Sororities who has a particular interest in diversity and inclusivity. This is one of the hundreds of articles I have created about fraternities and sororities.

I understand your frustration in learning that you cannot simply reuse text that you wrote for another publication in Wikipedia. You are not the first person to hit this wall. Unfortunately, Wikipedia considers this to be plagiarism unless a work is shared through proper licensing. Although some fraternities and sororities have taken the steps to share publications through public domain, I find it quicker and easier to edit the text. That is what I did in this instance, so the bots should not flag this or remove content.

As I mentioned, the source you added is fine. We could not base an article around it, but there are amble independent sources that prove the subject's notability (thanks to am impressive public relations effort in the early days of the sorority). It is often challenging to verify that an organization has ceased operations; sometimes, we have to wait several years for an IRS determination. Thus, we are really lucky that this history was detailed in the anniversary booklet. It would be great to have a specific year of closure for each chapter. Although we can use organizational newsletters, websites, and event brochures as sources for non-controversial facts, internal communications are generally not considered usable as sources. I think this is at a good place in terms of now having sources for all of the content that was added.

Since you have verified your relationship with Gamma Gamma Chi, I am resharing the link I provided on you talkpage for Wikipedia:Conflict of interest which provides guidelines and instructions should you wish to continue working on this article. I don't see a big issue here but others prefer disclosure. Rublamb (talk) 05:13, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

Locations of Chapters

@Rublamb, can you PLEASE tell me why you persist in giving erroneous information about the locations for Beta and Epsilon Chapters? We have never had a chapter in Silver Spring, MD; no member has ever lived there. Some members of Beta Chapter once had a painting party at Color Me Mine, but otherwise there has never been a Gamma presence in Silver Spring. By the same token, we have never set foot in Elkin Park, PA as a sorority. To my knowledge, no member has ever given that place as a residence. Finally, you continue to disregard the fact that the FIRST chapter of Gamma Gamma Chi Sorority, Inc. was the National Grand Chapter. It was comprised of four women. Please correct these things at your convenience. Althiafali (talk) 02:06, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

Grand or national chapters are typically not included in GLO chapter lists. This is a norm that has existed for well over 100 years. (@Jax MN, perhaps you can provide some insight into this practice?) Please note that Gamma Gamma Chi's National Grand Chapter is described in the body of this this article, so it is not being disregarded.

Hello, and thank you, Althiafali, for your interest in this article. Rublamb, I am not certain I fully understand your question. Perhaps this will help:

1. Occasionally, a new national group will create a founders' chapter with a separate name versus Alpha. This occurs with an intent to separate and name early founders/leaders as separate 'visionaries' from the bulk of members of the first collegiate or community group. It's more of an aberration than a standardized practice, but we list them because of their defacto existence and we do so when they have an actual chapter name. Other than that, a "Grand Chapter" is simply a rotating committee of national officers, listed on the organizational website, but not here. Grand officers are too transitory, and chasing each of these groups to track their names would take too much time.
2. Honorary or Professional fraternities and sororities can be more dependent on a national president or executive director, and where this is the case we sometimes show these singular offices in the infobox. Especially if these appointments are multi-year. We've removed attempts to list secondary positions, like "National social media coordinator" or "Expansion Consultant, West Coast" because our consensus is that delving into such detail is outside our scope in these encyclopedic articles.
3. Most organizations will eventually name a chapter for deceased members, naming it Omega or something similar.
4. A few organizations have reserved certain chapter names from usage, often because those letters are part of the overall name of the organization, or some other quirk in their naming structure.
5. Alumni clubs that are related to a specific active chapter may or may not gain their own names and charters, with charters being less common. The significant majority of fraternities and sororities simply tie the names together, referring to these as an alumni club for XXX chapter.
6. A few honor societies have created a specific chapter for national recognition, listing awardees of a national honorary membership. However, in the case of notable members, it is far more common to denote honorary members with their original (~undergraduate) or nominating chapter, and proudly list members who later in life may receive significant recognition as alumni members, calling them out as alumni of a specific chapter. Jax MN (talk) 18:30, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

@Jax MN: So would you include National Grand Chapter in the chapter list in this case where it is a chapter that includes the four founders? Rublamb (talk) 19:10, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

Nope. Our standard, across thousands of these articles, is to list the founders either in body text in the History section, or as a bulleted list, which may be easier to read. Jax MN (talk) 19:56, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

The locations of Silver Springs, MD and Elkin Park, PA are the addresses provided on the chapter's websites, as cited in the article. For Wikipedia, we have to rely on sources rather than personal knowledge or recollections. Note that the chapter table provides details on both area served and location, making it clear that these chapters were not geographically limited to Silver Springs and Elkin Park. Rublamb (talk) 04:23, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

Are instagram and facebook pages considered credible sources Althiafali (talk) 16:19, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

Generally no. See WP:RSPFACEBOOK and WP:RSPINSTAGRAM for details. Rublamb (talk) 17:11, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

@Rublamb, I'm done. Althiafali (talk) 20:45, 13 April 2025 (UTC)