Good luck Bamagirl! I know tomorrow is the first invitational party.... excited to hear how it goes/went since you are posting after the fact! Alpha Phi has an amazing pool of PNMs to choose from!

I SO WISH I were at Bama right now...and SOOO excited that we are colonizing in my beloved SEC!!!!

I know you are holding off on posting your thoughts until later, but I was just wondering what the physical house is like? I've only been to Bama twice, so I have no idea what the structure/interiors/exteriors look like! Any fun details to share about that?

I can tell you a tiny bit. The house is owned, of course, by Sigma Delta Tau. It's a brick house with a "New Orleans" look to it - wrought iron balconies all around. That's unusual at Alabama because it pre-dates the campus-wide architectural requirement that all buildings have columns (Kappa Alpha Theta's beautiful house also pre-dates this requirement).
It's on the corner of Colonial Drive and Paul Bryant Drive, right across Bryant Drive from Tutwiler Dorm, which is an all-girls dorm, and is next door to Phi Mu and backs up to Gamma Phi Beta. Bryant-Denny Stadium is across the street (Colonial Drive).

It's a rather small house - SDT has always been a smaller, more select group. It's a beautiful house. I've only been inside once, about 8 years ago. Two different fraternities have leased the house to use while their own houses were being built. I'm sure the SDTs are glad a sorority is now leasing it!

That reminds me...I wonder where the various sororities are having their chapter meetings now? Most of the houses' chapter rooms were only built to seat 100 or so. In fact, the only recently-built house is Pi Beta Phi's gorgeous structure. Many houses were built in the 1940s and 1950s.
Anybody know??:confused:

So far the inside is very nice but they aren't done yet with the remodeling. I may be able to give a few more details after tomorrow about the inside of the house since it's been over a week and they might have had some progress on it.

"That reminds me...I wonder where the various sororities are having their chapter meetings now? Most of the houses' chapter rooms were only built to seat 100 or so. In fact, the only recently-built house is Pi Beta Phi's gorgeous structure. Many houses were built in the 1940s and 1950s.
Anybody know??"

I've not been in the Chapter Room... but my Kappa tells me it's on the second floor and everyone can fit.

That reminds me...I wonder where the various sororities are having their chapter meetings now? Most of the houses' chapter rooms were only built to seat 100 or so. In fact, the only recently-built house is Pi Beta Phi's gorgeous structure. Many houses were built in the 1940s and 1950s.
Anybody know??

Alpha Chi fits everyone in the chapter room, but it's quite tight! Over 200 girls in a room probably meant for half that, but that's why it's great the campus is opening up to expansion!

"It's a rather small house"

What does this mean at Bama? 40 beds? Ten?
________
Elvina

Several chapters have started holding chapter business meetings in alternate locations, such as near by churches, due to lack of a large enough room within their house. I believe more will need to do this. Lots of talk about major remodelling plans for many in order to accomodate the large numbers. There is also a lot of talk about some investigating rebuilding completely. Either way, we're talking big bucks for just about every chapter on campus. In the meantime, I predict that since there are a limited number of locations large enough and close by that the traditional Wednesday night = all sorority chapter meetings will need to change. My .02.

This makes me SOOO excited! I hope the PNMs have enjoyed the parties so far, I'm sure the ELC's+ colonization team have put many hours/days/weeks of hard work into this colonization/recruitment blitz and will see it come to fruition so soon!

Also, does anyone know (I'm SURE someone on here must know!) how long a colony remains a colony/until it is instated as a chapter? Is there a set time period, or does it depend on the specific colony? Or does it vary from one NPC member to another? If there is no rule or set period of time, what is the average period of time?

Again, sending positive thoughts your way, Bamagirl!

For my chapter (years before I was initiated), the colony began in September/October and the chapter was installed in mid-March. In addition to the collegiate pledges, there were about 50 or so women who AI-ed.

Yeah, but some of these Rush harpies have no lives and make it their business to find out who random message board people are.

For us it is the same length of time as the NM program....6 - 8 weeks depending on the campus. Auburn was colonized in Feb and installed in April....(or was it January and March???)

For anyone:

*Generally speaking*, is a colonization preference party similar to a "regular" (for lack of a better word) preference party? For example, in formal recruitment when a PNM is invited to a preference party, according to NPC rules the PNM *must* be somewhere on the chapter's bid lists. Does this apply to a colonization? Are there first and second lists? Or is all of this left up to the individual organization and/or specific to the campus?

Thanks.

Ditto for Theta.

In 2007-08 we colonized at three different universities. In each instance there was about 8 weeks from colonization to installation.

I don't know the specific dates for our Auburn colonization in Spring 2009, but my understanding is that both colonization and installation will occur next semester- just as with the three chapters last year.