And concerning this year's lower recruitment numbers...

I think this year's numbers were just a fluke. The freshman class is smaller than the past few classes have been. Also, in order to go through recruitment, girls had to come back from Christmas break a whole week early and pay to stay in the dorms. (A dumb reason not to go through recruitment, IMO, but whatever.)

But reason enough if you weren't completely gung ho about joining. Are they doing that again next year?

that's how it's always done, so i doubt they would change it.

Chapter Total at Miami is 105. This semester there is one chapter below Total at 75. The next smallest chapter is at 153 and the largest is at 187.

The problem is with Quota, not Total. Quota in January 2004 was 44; in 2003 it was 55. A chapter can always take Quota even if that puts them over Total.

Adding another chapter at Miami should reduce Quota which should reduce the number of members in the chapters. This would also help with another issue at Miami: Suites that can't hold all the members of a chapter.

There are 17 NPC sororities at Miami this semester. Of the 26 NPC groups 23 are/have been at Miami. The groups that have not been at Miami are Phi Sigma Sigma, Delta Phi Epsilon and Theta Phi Alpha.

Miami is a tough market! The big chapters thrive and the small chapters struggle.

Perhaps the best way to address the issue is to make the chapters smaller by reducing Quota.

Must be an Ohio thing. We too can take over total with quota so if we get a huge number of potentials we can take over quota. We dont have number though like you do where total is 105. Total here has been brought down several years and is now at 65 to try to get all chapters at that total. We too have that same problem where all chapters are at total or right near it, but one chapter is way below it and is struggling. I know Greek Life has toyed with adding another chapter here at Akron, but I think they will wait and see what happens with this struggling chapter before they do anything.

I never realized Miami had so many NPC chapters on its campus. Thats awesome. Either way, I wish you luck with adding a new chapter, or helping the one that needs help.....

According to NPC Recruitment rules, all sororities are eligible to take quota during formal recruitment, no matter what total is. If that puts them over total, that's the way it goes. Sounds to me that Miami has a lot of large chapters, and that another sorority would be a good thing, although I question why other chapters are closing when others are opening. Reminds me a bit of Cornell.

Right now, the majority of the sororities have no official meeting places due to fire codes. The ADPi suite has a maximum capacity of 118, which we are way above. Adding another sorority would bring the sizes down and might be easier and more cost-effective than building suites or houses that are large enough for the chapters.

I think that all of the chapters here would be willing to help struggling chapters if they were more educated on the recruitment process. Since only one chapter does COR, the majority of the girls don't know that Formal recruitment isn't the only kind. (I had no idea what COR was until I learned it on GC.) My chapter has been discussing ways to help the smaller chapters, like holding recruitment workshops with them.

"Bet we've always done it this way".... the one phrase that keeps an organization stuck in the mud and prevents change. Organizations who don't change are destined to watch those who DO pass them by. Very little of what is done today on college campuses resembles my chapter life in the early 80s. That is NOT a bad thing.

BTW, it was not always done that way. Miami used to have fall recruitment (huge... in August before fall semester. I know because I was the Pi Phi reference chairman for Toledo). It was first moved to November in the early 90s and then to January more recently.

If making women pay for the week in the dorm IS a deterrant (and you'll only know that if you survey unaffiliated women), then it is something to discuss. Having parties only in the evenings so there is not a conflict with classes will make recruitment last longer but ultimately may increase the number of women participating and provide additional justification for bringing a new chapter on campus. Miami's administration seems more pro-Greek than many, so I doubt they would not listen to alternatives if presented well and supported by everyone.

if you are referring to my post, which i assume you are, then i guess i didn't phrase it correctly. i'm guessing when miami switched to january recruitment, they started it the wednesday before classes began and that's how it's been ever since. i know that this has been going on since the early-to mid nineties since my sister rushed in 1993 and that's how it was for her. i don't recall anyone complaining about going back early. we do have a long rush period since we don't have parties during the week. this is why we do have to go back early, it cuts recruitment down to two weeks instead of three weeks, which we have seen when new years day falls late in the week.

I've seen some really negative comments about Greeks from Miami professors at various places on their website. If rush was held during the weekdays, it might just make things worse. The rushees may only be at the parties till 9 or so, but we all know that the sorority women will be there a lot longer - especially with that many rushees!

When 'Formal Rush' was in August it began before school started, so the situation with extra charges for dorm and dining hall were the same as now - there were two differences however:

1) the weather was hot and muggy instead of wet and snowy!
2) the pnm's ('rushees' in my day) had little or no prior knowledge of or opinion of the sororities they were rushing - I think this leveled the playing field considering the differences in chapter size and the "bigger is better" mindset at Miami.

You read my mind, shadokat!