I went to college in the mid-70s, at a small selective school that had just a couple of years before closed its "womens" college and recognized us as equal. We had five chapters; the largest was about 40, and total enrollment of women was probably under 1000. My chapter was about 20 the year I was president -- yep, we knew everyone. We might not have been close, but then I have biological sisters that I'm closer to than others. Total was in the 50s, but no one approached it, and no one bothered to re-set it; what would have been the point? (Today, the chapters are large, another has been added, and chapter size is approximately 100, but it's also 40 years later.)

I've spoken to other women at similar schools during the same time. We can recall the bid days when you gave out a dozen bids and prayed some would be accepted. One of my pledge sisters got bids from both us and Chi Omega and had to decide; few of the Chi Os spoke to her for the next couple of years. (We did not have a today-style rush, obviously.) MOST of the greeks on campus were first-generation greeks.

So I've been reading GC for a few years now and learned my experience was not typical of today's student, even at the small schools. GC has helped me to write recs (though I've probably done fewer than half a dozen in 40 years) and has definitely helped me to understand my alumnae sisters better - many of them had the big-chapter experience that is completely foreign to me.

But I've had questions similar to those AngelPhiSig. I can't imagine a chapter of 50 or more, much less 200 (and I've never been able to figure out if total is 250, and you pledge 100 each year, where the other 150 went). I've been thinking a lot depends on where you *choose* to go to school. Someone who chooses SEC is probably in a very different place socially than someone who chooses a small private college, and looking for very different experiences (my chapter never once went to a football game). The sororities reflect that.

Total isn't a "cap" on membership like quota is a cap on bids. It's a number derived at from the average chapter size on campus with consideration given to how many are way below that and how many are way above. The only time total comes into consideration at all is if a chapter is below total after recruitment, they can recruit (COB) up to total - not just quota. This allows the smaller chapters the chance to grow to a size more in line with the others on campus. Otherwise, they would only be allowed to pledge quota and would never have a mechanism in place to grow to met the size of the others.

Angel, The Beta Alpha chapter house at University of Maryland is GORGEOUS! Not too far from you, either.

As a regional official, I learned how all sizes of chapters operated, from one that had about 17 to one that had around 150. They operate about the same. They all have the same types of members, they all do the same types of things, just in different proportions.
A big chapter will have an officer for every aspect. For instance, a big chapter might have a chairman of swap T shirts and another chairman for other kinds of T shirts. A very small chapter would have a vice president: finance whose duties included ordering T shirts.

Alabama has chapters with about 280 members each - a couple have 300. Even the new houses can't seat all those members at dinner at one time. Heck, there are restaurants out there that don't have that many customers all day, but the sorority house kitchen is expected to feed that many 3 squares a day? I can't wrap my mind around it.
But with that many members, not all of them are going to be there at any one time, just like all church members are not all at church at any one time. A certain percentage is going to be out for an excused absence. The proportion is roughly the same as when we were a chapter of 50.

I see I'm the only man, but yeah I can't believe the size of some chapters I've seen, or the houses. Every time I walk down Greek Row here I am jealous of the houses. Then again I'm part of a chapter that just turned 13 this last year. So even our alumni only number about 100-150. I have met at least a third of the alumni of my chapter, so I can't imagine the chapters that have been around for over a hundred years.

I understand that. (I presume you were responding to my point). But since no one ever reached total, and at the time we didn't worry about all the chapters being the same size, or quotas, total was simply an abstract concept that had somehow been set. I'd bet 90% of my chapter sisters couldn't have told you what it was or what it meant. I wouldn't either, if not for reading here on GC.

Yeah, I think I need to go visit!!! :)

I went to a large university in the early 80's where the Greek system had only just come back on campus a couple of years prior (although my chapter had been able to maintain a small off campus presence during the "banned" years). Our total at the time I rushed was only 48 and my pledge class was only 7 (things have significantly changed size wise now, however). Our house held 12 women.

When my daughter chose a university whose chapters have pledge classes of 50+, I couldn't imagine what that would be like. I have enjoyed living vicariously through her to see some of the differences. There are definitely positives and negatives to both, but I have to admit that I think, for me, the larger chapter size positives outweigh the negatives.

I feel like I could have written the same post. When I pledged my sorority in the early 80's our total was 60 and my pledge class was 15 girls. I knew them all very well.

My daughter's new member class this fall was made up of 130 girls...more than twice my chapter's total! I still can't wrap my head around the fact that they have well over 300 actives present at their chapter meetings.

I completely agree that there are positive and negatives to both. Both have different experiences to offer, based on similar ideas, and big or small, I doubt any of us would trade our experiences for anything. :)

My pledge class this year was 112..and chapter totals around 300 I think (South Carolina). Alpha Gamma Delta colonized this Fall and it was just announced yesterday that Pi Beta Phi will be colonizing in Fall 2014 and Alpha Xi Delta in 2016. I will be long gone by the time Alpha Xi Delta gets to my campus but I am so excited to see the pledge classes get smaller at USC. While I feel like I know the majority of the girls in my chapter, it would be so much nicer to have pledge classes in the 60-80 range rather than 100+.

and here's where "relative" becomes glaringly obvious. Most people here would say 60-80 seems freakishly large ;)

Yes, it was an old dorm. They held the most women (52 as opposed to 14-16 for the rest of the sorority houses) BUT the bedrooms themselves were postage stamp sized AND most of the members had to buy meal plans (a lot of the reason of moving off campus, which our houses were, was to not have to eat caf food anymore) since only upperclassmen had kitchen privileges due to the amount of people living in the house. Since Ali and I were in school, the ZTAs are no longer in this house and the largest sorority house (D Phi E's) is more like a block of apartments - I'm not sure how they do the common area, the last time I was in it it was a fraternity house and scary.

Anyway - I can't imagine living in a large house with a cook, specific mealtimes, etc. To me it just seems like prolonging being under your parents' roof. Part of the good thing about our Greek houses was living on your own, eating when you wanted, etc etc. I guess it's all in what you are used to.

Living in a house with maids, a cook, house boys (that's what we called them. I think others call them waiters or something else) is great. I'm really glad I appreciated it while I had it. And no, it's not like living with your parents. It's not like living in the dorms or an apartment either, so I suppose too hard to describe if you haven't lived it. But my chapter house held 60 (and I think now they say it holds 50) in actual bedrooms - no cold air. It seems foreign to me to have 100+ and cold air.

Retention
 

Lane Swerve...

So if you have NM classes of 100+ and chapter size is 310ish. Wouldn't chapter size be 400ish? What happened to the 100 members that left? That is a drop out rate of 25%. What is being done to retain members? Sure we can say that part is finances, some don't like sorority life. But 100 members is HUGE! Then again, 25% is huge. I wish that this board would address membership retention more. I realize that it walks the line on membership selection, internal chapter operations, etc.

End of Lane Swerve...

From what little nosing around I've done, I think member retention is kind of a big problem these days. If we lost a single pledge or had 1 sister not come back to school in the fall, it was a HUGE deal. Now it seems like a handful or more is completely expected.