Thank you for all the kind words and suggestions. :)

I'm undecided as to whether to contact nationals. When a chapter is in this situation, from what I've seen, nationals (I'm talking generally, not specifically about AEPhi) either steps in and tries to save the chapter, or shuts it down. I hope AEPhi would fight to keep a chapter open at my alma mater, but you can never tell. I would hate it if I put them on to the fact that my chapter is hurting and then find out they gave it up as a lost cause. :(

I like the idea of "borrowing" some fraternity rush techniques. I think that could lead my chapter to some great new members.

AEPhi did have a fall informal rush... but so did the other 4 sororities. I guess my chapter just couldn't compete.

On the Jewish tradition, yes we have Hillel. I remember that when I was an active (especially around rush), sisters would try to sit together at Hillel's Friday night dinners and wear their badges, but I have no idea if that still goes on.

On housing, 3 out of 5 sororities have houses. Alpha Phi has a huge (68 +/- beds) house, and (as APhigal pointed out) has to stay at total to keep it full, especially since freshmen must now live on campus. AXO and Sigma Kappa have smaller houses (~25-28 beds). Theta has a wing in a graduate dorm. AEPhi is unhoused. Actually, I think being totally unhoused is hurting AEPhi too.

You've made some great suggestions; I'm going to pass them along. Thanks again!

oh, I cleaned out my PM box :)

:( I'm so sorry that your chapter is going through this...

The same thing happened to my chapter a few years ago. We are the oldest house on campus and all the PMN's wanted to be part of the new houses. Along with COB'ing, we realized we needed to make Sigma Delta Tau a more recognized name. We decided to hold a huge philanthropy event that involved pretty much everyone on campus. It was a "Mr./Ms. University" Pagent. A representative from each GLO, ROTC, sports teams, clubs, etc would participate in a "beauty" pagent. We hung up pictures of the contestants all over campus and allowed people to vote for their favorite person for $0.50 a vote. On pagent night, the group was narrowed down to the top 10 from the campus-wide vote. Then, after a talent portion and the eveningwear competition, the winner is selected by the judges. The event was HUGE!!! Our first year we raised $15,000 (half goes to SDT's philanthropy, 25% to the charity of the winners choice, 15% to the charity of the 1st runner up, and 10% for the winner to keep). All of a sudden, everyone on campus was talking about SDT (in a positive light!!!) and women were interested in rushing us! After 3 years, our numbers are as good as everyone elses.

I hope you guys could do something like this to help get your name out. And I hope you have the same happy ending that we had!!!!!!!!

Since Theta has a graduate wing, do you think MIT would let AEPhi have a wing as well? That might help things out.

AEPhi was offered a wing, but turned it down. Most of the chapter would have had to live in the wing to make it worthwhile, and there just wasn't enough interest.

Do you know if AEPhi is close to AEPi? I ask not because of the supposed brother/sister relationship, but because one of my good friends from high school is a brother, and he's an amazingly sweet and fun guy. If his brothers are anything like him, they must know a ton of quality girls who probably aren't in the greek system, and could help your chapter out.

(As a side note, I find it interesting that AEPhi doesn't have a house, as they don't have a house out at UMass either. Is this merely coincidence?)

co-sign. My chapter did this with the help of nationals and it really helped. The problem is that there will be conflict between the "new" and "old sisters unless the chapter supports this move 100% before they implement it.

I was at pref for my sorority at MIT a few years ago, and talking to the sisters, it sounded like each sorority had a few fraternities that they hung out with and were really close to, but the others they never really did anything with. And I remember that there was a huge number of fraternities compared to sororities, something like 30+. I think it might be a good idea to work with the fraternities that AEPhi are closest to, and maybe do their best to expand their circle of fraternities a bit (I know they can't do this too much, only so many sisters!), so that some men are talking about AEPhi. If a pnm hears at a party that the guys like AEPhi, and the pnm likes that fraternity, it could certainly help out.

Now, for some reason I thought that deferred rush was ending, and they were going to go back to the way that things were before. Is that true, or am I just making it up?

Good luck!

lauralaylin, that's very true. There are about 25 NIC fraternities, 5 NPC sororities, 6 independent living groups (sort of like local fraternities - one all-women, the rest coed), and 3 NPHC groups. In my day, AEPhi was very close with a couple of fraternities and relatively close to maybe 3 or 4 more; if that's still the case, definitely the guys can talk us up! :)

I haven't heard anything about deferred rush ending, but when they moved from fall to spring formal rush, quota went from 30-32 down to low-to-mid 20's, so I think it would be a good idea to go back to fall FR from a numbers perspective (for everyone, not just AEPhi).

i think that ktsnake's suggestion
 

about asking the fraternities to send girls your way is good. when zta expands to a new campus, one of the first things done is to visit each sorority and fraternity with gift bags full of candy and let them know that we are going to colonize on their campus and would appreciate them sending any interested young women to our sign up tables. from what i understand, it has been very successful, with both sorority and fraternity bringing their non-greek friends to sign up. maybe a version of this approach could work for your chapter.

At my chapter of initiation we had deferred recruitment. We had separate totals for fall and spring so that way only the smallest chapters could do COB in the fall. Seems like that is only fair.

As You have seen by some of My Posts, We, My Chapter, was in very dire straits.

A lot depends on the School where the Troubled Chapter is. Is this silly, not at all. School Prestige is over built. A School is so big a one that is wanted is wrong in My estimation.

I know, that it cost @ $7,000.00. to Colonize a New Chapter. It also may be a little Higher.

I also know about what it cost to work with My Chapter and it was higher. But it seems to be paying off.

The thing That GLOs need to remember is that it is can be easier when there is Alums who are willing to work to Keep The Chapter viable. That is a big Key!

There are many variations that come into play here. GLO acceptence, size of GLOs being the main two in My mind.

Hope for the best and work with Your GLO!:cool:

PM Me if I can be a little clearer.

Yours,

Well I hope that after two years, the original poster's chapter is doing better.

I and all who have responded to this thread. It is insightful isnt it?

It can go along way in helping others in the same stuation cant it?:)

Are there any actual updates for this?

Things certainly have gotten better in the past two years. Thanks for asking. :)

- The chapter's numbers are still on the low side, but sustainable.
- My school is going back to fall formal recruitment as of 2007. I think that will help all the NPC chapters.
- My chapter has a house now. They wouldn't invest in a house if they weren't expecting to be around for the long haul.

So I am no longer quite so worried. The chapter just celebrated 10 years last fall and hopefully they will be around for many more years to come.

Well congratulations! :)