Phi Kappa Sigma does have traveling consultants (only one at the present); however, they supplement that with visits to chapters by national officers. Theri intention is that each chapter receive at least one visit per year.

33Girl
 

You're right, of course. As usual you make excellent points. I can't speak with experience about sororities, but I was once a traveling consultant for my fraternity. We taught rush and did all the things you describe. But, what I saw was that the strongest chapters were those that were the most independent from the national office. Their alumni advised them on rush, managed the alumni program, owned the house or oversaw its operation. The national office was most effective in starting new chapters. I suppose my point is this: the ultimate goal of the national office should be to make the chapters independently strong. Sometimes fraternity headquarters staffs, often like greek life staffs, start taking themselves and their role with too much self-importance. It's not all about them and their programs and initiatives....and by extension the ever-growing need to raise fees and dues from the undergraduates to fund them. Visit the chapters, educate about hazing, send out a good magazine to alumni that reinforces the national theme, and raise money for programs from alumni. That's all they really need to do.
33Girl - you know sororities. They have very structured rush and a thick binder of rules. Perhaps the national offices play/should play a different role. QUESTION: I know it's possible that fraternity chapters can operate effectively without a house on a big-house campus. Is the same true of sororities? Can a Pan-Hel sorority colonize and grow to competitive strength without competitive housing?

Re: 33Girl
 

I agree 100%.

As to can a sorority compete without a house...someone from a school where the sororities all have giant houses would be better to answer that than me. Our houses are all off campus and range in size from 10 to 52 people, and one of the strongest groups on campus was the last to leave the dorm suites and get a house.

No, it would be almost impossible for a sorority without a house to compete on a campus such as Bama, Georgia, South Carolina, etc. I disagree with the involvement of fraternity nationals. I know quite a bit about one in particular because of my husband's involvement and the chapters that are the weakest and the one's who cause the law suits are the ones with little or no national involvement. Good strong advisors are the key but they must adhere to national policies and see to it that their respective chapter does also.

You're right about the housing. Many houses here at UGA are old antebellum mansions on the National Historic Registry. It's not a coincidence that the stronger houses often have the nicer, larger houses.

I think more what Firehouse was referring to and that I was agreeing with was national programs that take a lot of the decision-making away from the chapter. State what needs to be accomplished, what hazing/risk mgmt policies prohibit, and then let the chapter go from there as far as member education and development. With the national pledge programs/rush techniques and such getting ever more detailed, there's very little leeway for a chapter to tailor things to best suit their members, location and campus.

Oh and I consider an advisor part of the local chapter, a liason to nationals, not a national officer. They should be their own person, not a rubber stamp (for the chapter or the national). It's one thing to have a good advisor who helps you and heads off possible disaster, it's another to have the national office so far into your business that you don't have room to breathe. As James says micromanagement.