Local trying to go National

[ThetaKappa]

Our campus greek officials are forcing our sorority to either go national or die out. Our first option was have the other sororities on campus vote us on...which takes every sorority to say yes and there is a lot of sorority rivalry here...so not everyone said yes. Another sorority on our campus did the same thing, but they applied as a fraternity and they are its sister chapter...does anybody know how we can do that??? OR does any have any other ideas!!!

[SoCalGirl]

Clarify with your school what they want. Do they want you to affiliate with an existing NPC sorority? Any already established national group? Or, do they want your local sorority to become a national group?

[ThetaKappa]

Well they basically said do whatever you can.
We presentated to panhellic twice, and we were turned down by a vote from the local sororities.
So we have the option of a Kappa Delta Phi style affiliated fraternity which already exists here.
We could become a club, which isnt an option---we're a sorority!
Other than that...we arent sure what to do...which is why I am here for your help

[OmegaPDPrez]

Originally Posted by ThetaKappa

Well they basically said do whatever you can.
We presentated to panhellic twice, and we were turned down by a vote from the local sororities.
So we have the option of a Kappa Delta Phi style affiliated fraternity which already exists here.
We could become a club, which isnt an option---we're a sorority!
Other than that...we arent sure what to do...which is why I am here for your help

is your campus an all local or all national campus? i've heard of the process in which the existing groups at a university has to vote on the entrance of a new group, but i am under the impression that it applies to all existing organizations, not just locals. and in your're situation if you aren't allowed to be a local why are there locals voting?? perhaps you meant national? in either case, my advice would be to have a detailed talk with your greek affairs advisor, he or she knows all the rules about what you can and can not do as a local organization. as far going national... every council has different rules, my group is attempting to go national because many members who attend my university are not allowed to form a local group. we are now an independent sorority. unaffiliated with any university for the time being until our second chapter becomes affiliated with their school.

[OmegaPDPrez]

there really is no easy way to become national. it is a long process that takes many years. your best bet would be to continue looking for a national group that already exists and continue to apply for entrance into your school's council. You must know that being in a sorority is a lot of work, espcially if you are trying to colonize an existing organization. so make sure you definitely have the time and energy to devote to this organization.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by ThetaKappa

Well they basically said do whatever you can.
We presentated to panhellic twice, and we were turned down by a vote from the local sororities.
So we have the option of a Kappa Delta Phi style affiliated fraternity which already exists here.
We could become a club, which isnt an option---we're a sorority!
Other than that...we arent sure what to do...which is why I am here for your help

I am fairly certain that Kappa Delta Phi Fraternity is the only NIC (IFC) member that has a national affiliated sorority - i.e. KDFNAS. So something similar does not seem to be an option.

[OPhiAGinger]

Originally Posted by ThetaKappa

Our campus greek officials are forcing our sorority to either go national or die out.

Your best bet is to research national organizations heavily, find one that seems to fit your local organization's culture and personality, and approach them about affiliating. It's highly unlikely an NPC sorority will work out for you, unless your local Panhellenic organization has decided they need to expand... and that doesn't sound like the situation you are describing. But you still have a lot of options on the national scene --- multicultural sororities, service sororities, Christian sororities, and social sororities that aren't members of NPC --- so don't give up!

[GC@EC]

Dear Theta Kappa,

We are going through the same thing! Two nights ago our administration informed us that they were inviting NPC to join our Greek Community. As a result, Gamma Chi Sorority (because we are local) will no longer be a recognized organization on campus as of 2009.

Our only option is to become national by taking on another national sororitie's letters, or not be Greek at all.

Can we be an affiliate group of NPC? Do they have to strip us of our letters? What other options do we have?

Please help! I will let you know if I learn anything new! Thank you.

[MsDGP007]

Originally Posted by GC@EC

Dear Theta Kappa,

We are going through the same thing! Two nights ago our administration informed us that they were inviting NPC to join our Greek Community. As a result, Gamma Chi Sorority (because we are local) will no longer be a recognized organization on campus as of 2009.

Our only option is to become national by taking on another national sororitie's letters, or not be Greek at all.

Can we be an affiliate group of NPC? Do they have to strip us of our letters? What other options do we have?

Please help! I will let you know if I learn anything new! Thank you.

While I am not intimately familiar with the NPCs rules, I do know that no new organizations have joined since the 1950s (or maybe it's 1960s) and when you affiliate with one of their organizations, you take their letters. Under no circumstances could you keep your locals' letters.

[PenguinTrax]

Originally Posted by MsDGP007

While I am not intimately familiar with the NPCs rules, I do know that no new organizations have joined since the 1950s (or maybe it's 1960s) and when you affiliate with one of their organizations, you take their letters. Under no circumstances could you keep your locals' letters.

There are a couple of organizations that don't use alphabetic designation for their chapters and sometimes let the local that is affiliated keep their letters as they chapter designation (unless they are already in use, of course). So depending on what happened, they could become the Gamma Chi chapter of XYZ.

[GC2theEC]

So, basically for those of you having confusion here is what's going on with our organization:

We were originally a little sister group until 1989. They then decided that they didn't want little sister orgs on campus so we became a local sorority, Gamma Chi, that May. Basically they waited until a year before our 20 year anniversary, and told us that they will be bringing on a third NPC sorority to take our place and as of Spring 2009 we will not be a recognized sorority on campus. This was decided without as much as mentioning the idea to anyone in our chapter beforehand.

The reasoning for this decision is unclear and we continuously are getting different bs answers. They're also sending letters to other orgs on campus saying that it is to give us more opportunities to have a "more substantial greek experience." Meanwhile we are the exec boards in both Panhel and Greek Council, along with providing the most philanthropy events on campus. Seems substantial to me. Also, there have not been any incidents or accidents against Gamma Chi during my whole experience with the sorority.

Additionally, they want us to continue helping with the planning process of recruitment and even enlist rho gammas, despite the fact that we will NOT be allowed to participate in recruitment in the fall. So yeah, messed up.

[MaggieXi]

From the OP's post it seems like they are bringing on another National Sorority. Is the plan for Gamma Chi to be absorbed into the new sorority, or are the members allowed to affiliate individually after Gamma Chi is no longer recognized by the school?

Since it seems like the school is calling all the shots here, maybe you can try to come to a compromise. Once they receive any interest letters, ask if you can review those sororities and have a say in which GLOs get to come present. Try and find one that is similar to your ideals and principals.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by GC@EC

Dear Theta Kappa,

We are going through the same thing! Two nights ago our administration informed us that they were inviting NPC to join our Greek Community. As a result, Gamma Chi Sorority (because we are local) will no longer be a recognized organization on campus as of 2009.

Our only option is to become national by taking on another national sororitie's letters, or not be Greek at all.

Can we be an affiliate group of NPC? Do they have to strip us of our letters? What other options do we have?

Please help! I will let you know if I learn anything new! Thank you.

I don't get it...are you saying all the sororities are local and are now going to be NPC? If this is the case, everyone on campus is in the same boat.

[aopirose]

Unfortunately, Gamma Chi cannot join the National Panhellenic Conference in any capacity as a single chapter.

Is the university telling your chapter to affiliate with an NPC or are they inviting an NPC to campus regardless? If it is the former, find out how much “say” your chapter gets in “who” is picked.

Your only option at this point seems to be research the NPC groups not on your campus.
http://npcwomen.org/undergrads/membe...nizations.aspx Hopefully, you will be able to find a member organization that aligns closely with your sorority’s ideals. You also want to consult your chapter’s alumnae to let them know what is happening.

All of the NPC members have experience in absorbing local sororities so they understand what you are going through. AOII absorbed a Columbus State local sorority last fall and they will be installed as an AOII chapter this weekend. There is also a thread on this board regarding Alpha Chi Omega absorbing a local at Carnegie Mellon. It is a very interesting read.

Through the link that I posted, there is a tab called “Extension Information.” Click on that tab to find out more about the official process.

Best of luck!

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I don't get it...are you saying all the sororities are local and are now going to be NPC?

Doesn't look like. Based on the campus website, there are currently 5 sororties -- 2 NPC orgs, one NPHC org, one NALFO org and GC@EC's local.