It's funny to me, too! Also, they broke into a BOOKSTORE. How Hopkins is that?

It's interesting to see how academically rigorous private schools often skirt the rules of their IHQ. Often times, those schools have less restrictive requirements in regards to drinking, housing, and activities than state schools do. Often times, the flouting of the rules is ignored by national bodies since the organizations like the "prestige" of having a chapter of their organization at that school.

True, that is VERY Hopkins... though rumor has it that they were just breaking in to use the bathroom.

Hopkins Theta Chapter Closed
 

The JHU Newsletter reported today that Kappa Alpha Theta Nationals "unanimously voted" to close Zeta Chi Chapter at Johns Hopkins University yesterday. They may recolonize with a new group of women in at least 12 months if both Nationals and the Hopkins Panhellenic vote to approve it. From what I've heard, sisters in good standing will receive alumnae status. Their New Members from this year's Recruitment (we have deferred, so they received their bids this February) were never Initiated, so they'll be eligible to join one of the remaining three NPC sororities next Spring.

Just for the record, here's the Panhellenic history for JHU:
Alpha Phi: 1981-Present
Phi Mu: 1981-Present
Delta Gamma: 1990-1995
Kappa Alpha Theta: 1997-2009
Kappa Kappa Gamma: 1999-Present

I find the whole thing very sad. Approximately 140 women, of which 40 were un-Initiated New Members, are now without a sorority. Last fall Theta was the largest GLO at Hopkins and was considered by many of the students to be the "it" sorority... and now they're gone in the course of just a few months.

http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/m...-3713697.shtml

No kidding. That just seems like a pretty big slap in the face to their IHQ.

I'm surprised they'd recolonize so quickly. Don't they usually wait 4 yrs for all of the current ppl to graduate?

Might JHU be open for expansion again soon?

I honestly don't know. They tried to open for expansion last fall but were voted down by Panhel because one chapter (Kappa) was not meeting quota. Last year we only took about half of quota, but we quite nearly met quota this year (just 2 girls short!) so there were rumors of trying again to open for expansion soon. However now after Theta closing it's very up in the air. My feeling is that they'll probably wait a year and try to recolonize Theta before they try to bring a new group on. Panhel seems supportive of giving Theta another chance with a new batch of women - the article states that Theta "wouldn't have to jump through hoops" in order to colonize. I'm not from the Office of Greek Life, though, so I don't have the official scoop.

That'd be up to their Panhellenic, right?

Anyhoo . . . here's what Theta HQ's site has posted:

http://www.kappaalphatheta.org/whats...m=HomeAreaLink

Excerpts from ^:

"Zeta Chi Chapter Closing

April 16, 2009 - Grand Council regrets to announce the closing of the Zeta Chi Chapter at Johns Hopkins, effective April 14. Recent chapter activities constituted serious violations of Fraternity policies and were contrary to the Fraternity’s basic principles. While Theta’s presence at Johns Hopkins has ended for the foreseeable future, the Fraternity values Zeta Chi’s alumnae, . . . .

The Johns Hopkins College Panhellenic has agreed to the Fraternity’s request for a recolonization plan. Under this plan, Kappa Alpha Theta will be given notice and an opportunity to recolonize . . . prior to opening the campus to extension by any other NPC group. "

Let me preface this by saying--I am not in an NPC, but I am somewhat familiar with their rules and regulations.

I do have a question, however. The women that were pledged to Theta in February, why can't they pledge another organization in the fall? I guess I don't understand why they have to wait a full calendar year when they didn't depledge and had full intentions of becoming initiated members.

I was mistaken in writing that. My apologies! I was told after posting that they actually are eligible for Fall recruitment and do not have to wait a full calendar year. Usually if a woman accepts an NPC bid but does not initiate she has to wait a full year before she is eligible for another NPC bid, but I guess it's different if the chapter is closed before she is initiated.

If I'm wrong about this, please correct me!

Yes, as the chapter closed before they were initiated, they are allowed this coming fall to join a different chapter.

This is very common actually. Many groups have done this with a lot of success.

Um was it just me or did anyone notice the outdated terms used in both articles. The first one a poster said was written by a APhi NM.

Non-members don't know and don't care what terminology we use now.

Yea but one of the authors was said to be a New Member of APhi. Then again I can't believe she even wrote the article, never mind the terminology.

She's a new member. I'm sorry if this sounds mean, but new members don't really know much of anything.

Are today's pledges even aware of terminology that happened almost a decade ago? Pledge, new member, Frat Ed, NME, who cares?

Technically I think they could join a new sorority right now if they wanted to, it's just that there probably aren't any chapters recruiting new members right now. I believe they're eligible to join a new sorority immediately.