When they are competing against two locals whose dues are going to be significantly lower (because of no national fees/dues, etc), it's hard for the NPC to really get across the difference in benefits between the local and NPC. An NPC who is alone among locals has to really sell that "international sisterhood" concept and that's very hard to do when you're talking about college freshman who are mostly interested in the here and now.

ETA: I didn't really get to my point. I'm imagining they get a lot of girls asking why the other groups pay so much less and probably lose some women because of the higher cost of an NPC.

Get your priorities straight! :p

Looking forward to the rest of your story.

I hadn't thought of it that way. I just think about honesty being the best policy. Why trick people into joining then spring super high dues on them that they can't pay?

You're right, of course. I think that makes more sense to us as adults than as collegians who are trying to get the most/best new members :)

Is it just me, or does this strike anybody else as a HUGE risk management and rush no-no?

My understanding is that they got to the event on a public transit bus, not a bus chartered by either group. So RM problem no, rude thoughtless and tacky as hell yes.

It was a public transit bus. The problem was that they had way more rushes then they knew what to do with, so it wasn't really an option to take everybody home. One sister offered to get me a cab/cab home with me, but it was pretty out of her way since she said she lived about a block from the fraternity house. There were about ten sisters at the party, minus one who went home sick, and probably around 25+ rushes. My impression was that it was more about them being outnumbered and overwhelmed than thoughtless.

Still it is their responsibility to make sure everybody they invited to the event, which had alcohol at it, got home safely. God Forbid somebody got hurt because they were going home by themselves at midnight from an event that they were escorted to. I can see them having some kind of legal liability there, but I don't know the law, so that's just what I think.

Knowing a few of the Canadian campuses, I'm trying to figure out which one :-p Now if it was 2 NPC and 1 local I would've guessed my own alma mater.

Agreed. If I'd been in the sister's place, I would have found another sister who would eventually be headed your way, and then found you, explained that I wasn't feeling well, and introduced you to my sister. Part of sisterhood is taking care of your sisters when you're in unfamiliar (and possibly dangerous) places and situations - and that consideration should be demonstrated to PNMs.

Soooooooo? Wha happan???

In Canada it is not a reasonable question at all. Especially at the school I am fairly certain she goes to, locals have lots of parties and no dues so trying to explain high international dues when we don;t get any of the perks the US internationals does turns people off.

We would rather them love us first and work out payment plans etc to make sure they find a place they love then scare them off with a high price tag which we are capable of working around.

Hello stranger! (Old Darlinglilred from Zeta Eta in Ottawa) fairly sure you need to look closer to my home for the answer on this one.

I'm pretty sure that this is all happening in Halifax, NS. The city has 1 NPC and 2 locals, but students can attend any of 3 universities (Dalhouse, Mount St. Vincents or St-Mary's) but still belong to the same chapter.

http://www.canadiangreeks.com/directory/dal.html

As for fees, I can tell you that in NPC recruitment at my Canadian alma mater, the fees are presented pretty much "straight up" or as a range. Mind you, at my alma mater, we didn't have locals so we didn't have to worry about price wars with other chapters for the most part.

It's not a NS school she PMed me that I was probably right on with where I thought it was so I am even more certain it is an Ontario school and one that would have been my neighbour.

Having said that and being a past Panhellenic President and Social Council VP for the entire city where her school would reside the dues are usually not present by NPCs until 3rd party (we have 4 as a rule) to give the chance to find out why an NPC is different than a local. Of course at that point we explain fully why there are big differences.