Gamma Chi ladies:

Your best option is to work with your school and your school's Panhellenic to find an NPC sorority that you really connect with. Depending on the national group, your alumnae might have the option to affiliate as well. And even if they don't - there's nothing to prevent you from keeping them up to date on what's happening with the chapter and inviting them to summer picnics and things like that.

Help us understand exactly what is happening. You already have two NPC orgs on campus, so I'm not quite getting that the administration is "inviting NPC to join our Greek Community." Is it basically that the administration has decided that there will be no locals? From your school's website, it looks like all of your sororities and fraternities are nationals of one type or another (NPC, NPHC, NIC, NALFO or national outside any "council") except for Gamma Chi.

There are a couple of organizations that don't use alphabetic designation for their chapters and sometimes let the local that is affiliated keep their letters as they chapter designation (unless they are already in use, of course). So depending on what happened, they could become the Gamma Chi chapter of XYZ.

So, basically for those of you having confusion here is what's going on with our organization:

We were originally a little sister group until 1989. They then decided that they didn't want little sister orgs on campus so we became a local sorority, Gamma Chi, that May. Basically they waited until a year before our 20 year anniversary, and told us that they will be bringing on a third NPC sorority to take our place and as of Spring 2009 we will not be a recognized sorority on campus. This was decided without as much as mentioning the idea to anyone in our chapter beforehand.

The reasoning for this decision is unclear and we continuously are getting different bs answers. They're also sending letters to other orgs on campus saying that it is to give us more opportunities to have a "more substantial greek experience." Meanwhile we are the exec boards in both Panhel and Greek Council, along with providing the most philanthropy events on campus. Seems substantial to me. Also, there have not been any incidents or accidents against Gamma Chi during my whole experience with the sorority.

Additionally, they want us to continue helping with the planning process of recruitment and even enlist rho gammas, despite the fact that we will NOT be allowed to participate in recruitment in the fall. So yeah, messed up.

From the OP's post it seems like they are bringing on another National Sorority. Is the plan for Gamma Chi to be absorbed into the new sorority, or are the members allowed to affiliate individually after Gamma Chi is no longer recognized by the school?

Since it seems like the school is calling all the shots here, maybe you can try to come to a compromise. Once they receive any interest letters, ask if you can review those sororities and have a say in which GLOs get to come present. Try and find one that is similar to your ideals and principals.

The plan as of right now is that Gamma Chi will be disbanded and then members of our organization will choose on an individual basis whether or not they will join the national. Here is the outline of the current expansion process: a statement will be sent out to the 24 NPCs not currently on campus, then anyone who is interested will return to us with information for our girls to review over the summer. We will then rank our top five which will be taken to an expansion committee, consisting of the two national orgs already on campus. Gamma Chi will have staff representatives and one girl from our organization to speak on our behalf; however, we will not have a vote.

The expansion committee will pick three out of our top five. Those three organizations will come to campus to interact with our chapter, our adiministration, and other people on campus. After meeting each organization personally, we will rank those three in order of our preference, and the list will be taken back to the expansion committee, who will make the final call as to who we get. Then starting Spring of '09 the NPC will send workers from the National office to come recruit and set up the new chapter. All current actives of Gamma Chi will become part of the new member class of the new organization.

I am curious as to what the University would do if nobody from Gamma Chi wanted to seek membership in the NPC. I mean, would the school still want the NPC sorority and they (the NPC sorority) would just recruit a whole new member classs, or would the NPC not open a chapter on your campus? I know this is theoretical, but I am curious and thought I would ask a question to ponder.

They're bringing on a third NPC regardless of whether or not Gamma Chi joins. If we join we have a hand in the new chapter developed, and if we don't they'll just develop a new chapter on their own.

Then it really is in your best interests to join. Also, you might want to make sure that if you do decide to join, that the NPC chosen will take you all as a group, not pick & choose which members they want.

I know that it kind of sucks to have this decision forced on you, but better to be a part of it than to have your sorority's history die out totally. If you become part of the new NPC then your history will be part of that chapter.

My experience with national affiliation
 

I was in a local sorority prior to becoming a founding member of my Alpha Sigma Alpha chapter. Kappa Delta Sigma (the local we were prior to affiliation) started in January 2001 and we were installed as an Alpha Sigma Alpha chapter October 2002. While we sought national affiliation, the local sorority becomes part of your history. I felt the same way about having new letters at first but I grew to love my new letters and since I was one of the first members to join the local sorority I love to talk and remember what is now my local heritage. So you never lose your local sorority, it just becomes part of your heritage. I am still active within Alpha Sigma Alpha and without national affiliation I would not have had the opportunities that I have now. The whole affiliation process took a little less than 2 years. I would be more than happy to share what I remember of our affiliation process if you have any questions.

Which sorority is this??

Which quotation are you referring to?

Just wanted to give you an update!
 

So, Gamma Chi went through the extension process and we ended up having three great groups come to present on our campus. Ultimately Phi Mu was the one for us! I know that we were all down on this when it first started; but, now we're so excited. Nearly every single girl has decided to transition (the only one not transitioning is graduating at the end of the semester and couldn't spare the finances). They are a group of wonderful women and they have made this whole process so easy for us. Although the ending of Gamma Chi was bittersweet we have already gained so much just from being Phis.