Any updates?

My 2 cents-- As others have mentioned, University relations are so important, especially when it comes to the longevity of your organization. You want their encouragement and support (funding, etc!).

Look at the big picture-- your university won't support locals, but they do support your goals. So they have come up with a compromise.

Your group has done fantastic work to establish a constitution and the extras-- your symbols and mission. So you have a choice to become a unisex campus club (there shouldn't be a problem having Greek letters and a ritual-- many of the Greek lettered honor societies, service orgs, pre-professional societies certainly have an initiation ritual, pins, letters, etc.) or to further research affiliation with a national sorority (NPC, NPHC or multi-cultural).

While going to a national sorority may feel like a disappointment after you've spent time creating a constitution and mission/symbols for your org and now facing the prospect of losing those, remember that your local mission can pave the way for discovering a national that meets your org's goals, mission and will encompass a ritual and symbols that match those goals. Local orgs are very fulfilling and can be very long-lived and successful orgs-- but if your campus doesn't support locals, then
please take advantage of the solutions they have provided! They recognize the need for this org on your campus, and want to help make it happen, all the while keeping their mission in mind. I hope you will talk with your fellow members about the options the university have provided and vote on a solution that matches your membership's interests.

PS, being absorbed by a national doesn't have to be your end goal. I'm from an all-local campus and our sororities are anywhere from 80 to 110 years old and still going strong. Don't be afraid to be local.

An Update

Hey everyone, first of all I just want to say thanks from the bottom of the hearts of every Delta Psi Upsilon sister. We have reached a compromise with our school. We can be a local sorority under the special interest umbrella, not the greek umbrella. We're allowed to use our letters and everything. They are allowing us to function as a sorority but administrative purposes (they said) we are not allowed to use the word "sorority" in our name officailly. We have to refer to ourselves as a society or a sisterhood. Which to me is pretty much the same thing so I just don't get it but whatever. I guess it's better than nothing.

~Virginia

Dear MissVirginia,

I am so glad that things worked out for you and your sisters. Good luck as you continue ot work towards your goal of being a recognized sorority. Maybe to give more legitimacy to your efforts to be recognized (at some point in the future) you and your sisters will look at expanding to other campuses in other states. Again, good luck.

Adualdi/Harriet

That's the plan. Next semester our goal is to launch a full out expansion project with other schools in the area.

~Virginia

Why not find another Local sorority with similarities and join up in efforts to expand? Just a thought.

Local LoVe!

I'm from an all local campus with 5 sorors 4 fraternities and 2 co-ed fraternities *(ones very old the other is very new) that are petitioning for recognition at this time. All of our groups here are Societies and as we've been around for 80+ years with our younged (not counting the two un recognized) is 65 years old. I don't even think it would be possible for us to affiliate with a national, especially considering the whole getting your societies logo tattooed on you thing that's been going on for quite a while.

But anyway i guess that was somewhat of a hijack, Sounds like youve got a good plan

My alma mater
 

well my alma mater has all locals and will never ever let any nationals onto the campus ever. I will put it to you like this. It will be a cold day in hell if there's ever nationals on our campus. So Olivet College will remain local until the end of time... yeahhhhh

Re: My alma mater
 

I have a feeling that Otterbein will be to. I think the system would die before becoming national...or die shortly thereafter. ATO had a short stint here, 5 or 6 years maybe? and died out. Alpha Sig has a smaller membership than most of the other orgs and has for the past couple of years. On the girl's side...6 of 7 original sororities exist today, with one in the works to be refounded. None have ever merged with national (however there have been local group mergers), nor do I think there has ever been a move to merge/absorb by either party. Don't know why, all the chapters are financially and membershipwise strong...but the resistence would be HUUUUUGGEEE. I think in order for it to work, that ALL groups would have to ALL go national at the SAME time, otherwise, the one national would probably have a hard time keeping up with the dues of the other chapters. Just a thought.

edited

edited

A group of women and myself and currently trying to start a local. We've done a lot of work; we have a constitution, risk management policy, colors, etc (we really just haven't decided on our letters). The rest of the Greeks on campus are really unhappy about it. They've been spreading some really nasty rumors, and they want us to join their sororities and not start our own. I'm not going to share what school I'm from or even some of the rumors that are out there because I don't know if any of the Greeks from my school are here.. But does anyone know any way that we can ease the tension? None of us have a problem with any of the other sororities and fraternities on campus, we just want to start something fresh. I really want some ways that we can make it be known that we're not bad like they think, and that we're not trying to do whatever they think we want to do. It's a lot of added and unnecessary stress to walk around campus and know what pretty much the entire school is saying about us. :(

To Miss Virginia:

I want to commend you on all of your hard work! And also ask a question-the entire goal in the end was to become a recognized sorority, but you are not able to use the term sorority on your campus at all?

Also I would focus on getting established on your campus first, eventually become recognized as a sorority, and then move on to expansion with other schools. After all it might be a bit odd to expand a sorority to other campuses when you're not yet recognized as a sorority on your own campus?

It takes a lot of time and hard work to get established, TNX was an interest group for 2 years before becoming a chapter, and a full 4 years after we had been established did we gain a 2nd Florida undergrad chapter at UF.

Have any of the women in your group gone through sorority rush with the existing groups? Sometimes people can get offended when you say (in effect) "I don't like what you're offering" when you haven't actually checked it out for yourself.

Are all the sororities on your campus at total, or are some of them way below it? If it's the latter, understand that those groups are feeling immense pressure from their HQ, their alums and from themselves to increase their numbers. An additional group could make it harder for them to do that. It may not be anything personal toward you guys, they're just worried about themselves.

I would agree with 33girl. I am not saying you should justify why you've decided to start something new to us here on GC, but often on campuses where there is a large Greek presence competition is really high.

Some chapters, especially sororities, may also have received threats of their charters being pulled if they don't reach numbers because it is really expensive for most nationals to exist if they are not able to perpetuate themselves on their campus.

If there is something about your sorority that sets your group apart from the others (for example a cultural, religious or academic purpose) it might be a way to explain why you want to start something new.

One way to help ease some of that tension is to host socials with them or to co-sponsor a program or community service event. When my sorority first came onto my campus, there was a great deal of tension. I know that the other sororities did not understand why we felt the need to start a new organization (even though we were fundamentally different). But a year later we had a completely different relationship with them. They no longer see us as a threat to their recruitment at all and we have socials and teas together several times a year. (You may want to start with the fraternities. In my experience, they are often friendler unfortunately than the sororities)

I think that those socials are the first opportunity that you have to become "human" and not "those people who are messing it up for the rest of us".

If none of this works, you should talk with your campus' Greek Director. They often have really good insight into what is going on with each chapter and may be able to provide you with some advice about working with the other organizations. Good luck-it is hard work, but not impossible.