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Quote:

Originally Posted by thetalady (Post 2462349)

As an alumna of the Theta chapter at Ole Miss, my heart is broken for myself and my sisters. The atmosphere among sororities AND fraternities at Ole Miss is nothing short of toxic. The tier system there is absolutely carved in stone and if you aren't on top, you are crapped on. The constant bullying and belittlement of Thetas on this campus has been unbelievable. Those women are incredibly strong to have risen above it for so long. No one at Ole Miss even knows what happened or remembers why Thetas became "that" house.

Frankly, I hope that Theta never returns to Ole Miss. The system there will not change just because they beat us down. This is the school where NPC nationals had to come in and hold a meeting of all sorority members to talk to them about how badly they all behaved toward one another just a few short years ago. Ever hear of that being done? The Greeks had to be instructed to be CIVIL to each other.

It didn't work.

Wow! I had no idea Ole Miss was that toxic. I know with many SEC schools the tiers are set in steel. How does a campus remove that?

It's not just a campus problem, it is also perpetuated by the alums.

Delta Delta Delta announced yesterday that it will temporarily suspend the operations of Gamma Theta chapter at UC Santa Barbara next year after a 31-year run, due to "several years of declining membership numbers," which have made it impossible to carry on. The suspension will begin next June at the end of the current academic year and last for a minimum of four years, after which it is hoped that the chapter can start up again with the support of the university and loyal local alumnae.

In the cruel world of top/middle/bottom tier ranking, Tri Delta and Gamma Phi Beta have been at the low end at UCSB for some time and their numbers have been on the downhill slide. A lot of senior members at Tri Delta graduated last June, and this year fewer girls went through UCSB's formal recruitment than last year, and so from what I've heard, Tri Delta's national and NPC jointly halted the chapter's participation in formal recruitment after Day 2 (of 5), in some kind of triage to allow stronger sororities better opportunities to recruit full quotas. Then the chapter was given one month to recruit 50 PNMs through COB or be suspended. They couldn't, and they were.

The social and political climate at University of California campuses can be unfavorable for recruiting in general -- that doesn't help. Also, there's an awful lot of fun things to do in SoCal without going Greek. Delta Delta Delta suspended UCLA after 2017-18, for low numbers, and a chapter at California Polytechnic University (Cal Poly), a state school just up the coast in San Luis Obispo, also got shut down years ago for the same reason.

Hopefully Tri Delta will reopen at UCSB in 2023 or soon after with a clean slate and a new generation of students on campus, reborn without the "bottom tier" stigma. It's sad though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polyglot (Post 2462357)

Then the chapter was given one month to recruit 50 PNMs through COB or be suspended. They couldn't, and they were.

50 COBs in a month? Geez. How about a Beatles reunion while you’re at it?

Yup, including the physical resurrection of John and George. And this was to happen immediately following the formal recruitment period, when the pool of prospects was bone-dry.

I'm sorry about the double-post, not sure how it happened. Please delete the second one!

Greek tiers at UCSB are pretty rigid, unfortunately. Since 1981, AGD, KD, Gamma Phi, tri delta and Sigma Kappa have all colonized. The only one of those chapters that is still open is Gamma Phi Beta. Back in the early eighties, when I was there, many girls would rush with mindset that they would only join certain chapters. When they did not get those chapters they dropped. It sounds like nothing has changed.

Alpha Epsilon also colonized, and has since closed at UCSB.

Always sad to hear of any chapter closing.

Just want to clarify quota as referred to in Polyglot's post. The simplified explanation of quota is the number of PNMs divided by the number of chapters participating, so DDD participating in formal recruitment would not have prevented other chapters of pledging quota-quota would've just been a lower number. Example: there are 20 PNMs and 4 sororities. Quota will be 5. If there are 5 sororities, quota will be 4.

Certainly not the level of "y'all suck so badly at being nice that your national president/exec board has to come in and tell you to knock it off."

But I have had the privilege of working with some chapters on different sides of Panhellenic toxicity.

OBSERVATION: THE GREATEST PERETRATORS OF TOXIC PANHELLENIC BEHAVIOR ARE NOT YOUR TOP TIER CHAPTERS. RARELY. The biggest perps were the middles and lower. The ones who have most to gain by Kappa not seeming "cool."

The chapters varied. Some were actively participating in it. Some were not partciipating, but rather doing nothing while other chapters behaved in a toxic manner.

bYSTANDER BEHAVIOR IS PROBABLY WORSE THAN BEING THE PERP.

Some of these girls were doing the bystander chapter thing of "Oh wow so glad that is not us." Hearing the tent talk, thinking how messed up it is, but not saying anything to dispel it. Seeing how other chapters talk about XYZ or DEF without saying anything.

This is what I always said (to those who were either perpetrating it or doing nothing as it happened to other chapters.) Based on a convo I had with the sister who works with our Panhellenic delegates:

You are only ever as strong as your weakest. Do what you can to build them up.

It is really easy to stand by and watch false info be spread about a chapter, let the tent talk about them get out of control because hey THAT BENEFITS YOU. Yes, believe it or not. It benefits you for everyone in recruitment to think Kappa sucks.

(Cue horror because like, we have never even done anything to Kappa. It's all DZ and Chi O doing that stuff. Or we are not even being mean we are just as small as Kappa.)

The idea that Kappa sucks does not really benefit the top tier chapter on campus. It benefits the middle so they prop up on it.

As long as everyone thinks Kappa sucks, people will see Sigma on the schedule and think "Oh no I got Sigma but hey at least it's not Kappa."

So when you hear something negative about Kappa, you let it slide. Hey, at least it's not you, and it makes middle and low tier Sigma look that much cooler. You may even say "Wow Kappa only got like 10 girls I wish they'd close."

What you don't see is that you are probably not that much bigger than Kappa and your entire idenity rests on being "not Kappa" in the totem pole.

So if Kappa closes, someone has to become the new Kappa.

Guess who the new Kappa is? Yep it's the Sigma chapter that stands by and goes "well at least we aren't Kappa." Or who lets Zeta openly mock Kappa. Or who laughs at fraternity jokes about about Kappa.

When you are in Kappa's spot (because you will be when Kappa closes) it will not feel as good.

Theta at Ole Miss

I hate to hear of Kappa Alpha Theta's closing at Ole Miss. There has been discussion about variable quota on this thread. I think that it has been a very good thing for most campuses when it has been implemented in order to let new chapters grow and offers weaker chapters the opportunity to catch up.

I know of campuses (especially in the SEC) where this has worked very well, but not in this instance. ADPi and Alpha Phi have come on campus at Ole Miss in the past 5 years and have become competitive for new members and COB.

I am assuming that KAT's national org realized that if they could not start to catch up over the past 3 years then this chapter could not recover. I do not like to hear that a college's Panhellenic is trying to "assist the chapter". They should have done that years ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladybug12 (Post 2462394)

You can have variable quota until the cows come home, but if girls don’t show up to bid day, withdraw from pledging, or terminate their membership in large numbers, it matters not one whit.

^^^Yes. If they're telling you frm jump street "I'd rather not be greek than be Theta" then it is not a recruitment structure/quota setting issue.

Congratulations to Phi Gamma Delta on the recent chartering at William & Mary University(VA).

Alpha Chi Omega has been invited to colonize at Northeastern University(MA) this spring. Congratulations and best wishes on colonization.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06 (Post 2462391)

I've given this exact PH speech at many conferences. Someone is going to be seen as on the bottom. And when that group leaves, someone has to take their place....it could be you.