One of our rho chis told the girls who the smallest chapter was and who the biggest chapter was, and explained that it was supposedly "better" to be the biggest chapter (she was actually from the biggest chapter).

Another problem that I ran into this year was the whole "going out" subject. Rushees are not supposed to go out, especially to fraternity halls, so that they don't run into sorority women. Rho Chis are supposed to make sure that not only do they know this, but they plan events so that they don't go to the fraternity halls. The first or second night of rush, I wanted to go visit one of my guy friends that I hadn't seen all summer, so I went to his room, thinking that it was too early for any girls to be over there, anyway, and there wasn't a party going on, so that shouldn't have been an issue. There was a group of about 3 rushees, one of which came into his room (which I was hiding in when I found out that they were up there) and proceeded to introduce herself to me, not knowing that I was in a sorority. I was also invited to SEVERAL rush parties for one fraternity, and I felt completely mean by the end of the week, because I had turned the guy down every day. Why should I have to be the one hiding? Why should I have to be the one who can't go to parties so that these girls can go out? I went through rush, I did the whole staying in deal... why can't rho chis just make sure that their girls understand that this is not a cool thing to do?

Anyway, enough Rho Chi venting, I have one more rush vent to do... this year, a sister of one sorority told one of the rushees that another sorority was a "lesbian sorority" and that's why they didn't mix with anyone. Those were both lies. I could have told plenty of lies about other sororities, but why would I want to? If a girl chooses a particular sorority even though I didn't like them, I won't say, "Yeah, they were my last choice because they are the most unclassy girls I have ever met." Please. Where's the greek unity?

CarolinaDG

Yeah, because of one member, we were known as the "lesbian sorority" too. It sucks. Way to scare off the PNMs. Except it wasn't only the other sororities; it was the fraternities, too.

Thanks, kids.

Tom,

I believe you're mixing up two very important terms for sororities. Total is set by Panhellenic and is the goal for every chapter on campus. Quota is the number of women attending the last invitational round divided by the number of chapters (at least that's how my campus does it. Talk to Barbara for more detail there).

Allow me to enlighten you as to my campus's situation.

Our total is 50. We have three orgs. None of the chapters are at total. Chapters are at 42, 39, and 15 (rebuilding from a reorganization effort last year). There is no need to lower total. PNMs are not going bidless. Therefore, there is no need for another org to come onto my campus. Nobody has tried to bring another one on. There is simply not enough interest. Twenty years ago, total was at 70 and the chapters hovered in the 60s. Total has lowered in accordance with the declining number of women going through Recruitment.

This fall we essentially did bring a new org onto campus. Mine.

Zeta Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma began the year with four women. Our pitch was, "Rush Kappa and build a new chapter." That's essentially what we have now: a new chapter. Why would we need to bring an entirely different organization onto campus when we can offer the same building opportunities? If we had died, there would not have been another chapter to come on campus. It would have gone from three to two.

Your questions.

1. Do I fear competition?

No, I do not fear competition. Now ZE Kappa is competitive again. I'm saying that there is not enough interest on my campus to make further competition necessary. It would be disasterous for NPC to expand onto my campus. Instead of splitting 30 PNMs three ways every winter, we'd have to split them four ways. All the orgs would shrink and it would hurt everyone in the long run. It's simple supply and demand. We need to increase the demand for orgs before we supply more.

2. Do I fear for the longevity of my chapter?

Not anymore. But I did.

I rushed a dying organization. I knew this when I rushed it, but I didn't care because I loved the women who were to be my sisters with a passion and I loved the Ideals that Kappa Kappa Gamma stands for. I became our membership chair. I ran my office from Italy for four months because there was nobody on campus to do it. I held it together with four other sisters while other orgs on campus had 40 members each and were talking trash about us both behind our backs and to our faces. We rushed our little butts off and we came up with 10 beautiful, strong new members. Fabulous women. I had people I didn't even know coming up to me and complimenting the job we'd done. Now we are competitive.

The only reason we're still here is that certain members of our Grand Council were present at Zeta Epsilon's installation twenty years ago. They got together and said, "ZE's not going down on our watch." They agreed to stand behind us with one more push. They enlisted the help of alumnae and other active members from other chapters. Sisters we did not even know rallied behind us. Last year was do or die. If we didn't make it, they'd pull the plug. Well, we did. And each of us is stronger to show for it.

And the GDIs on my campus? They would have laughed, rejoiced, and paraded in the streets to see another chapter fold. Or they wouldn't have even noticed. Now, I can't reach the ones who would parade in the streets. But I can reach the ones who wouldn't have noticed. I can make them notice. I can make them want to become Greek, or at least be an Independent supporter. And then, when the number of PNMs has reached a point where we have room, where we have a demand for another chapter, then bring it on. I'd like nothing better to expand the Greek sisterhood on my campus. I'd love to bring Pi Phi, Alpha Chi, or Kappa Delta back to Lawrence. I'd love for Panhel to be strong again. But in order for those sororities not to wither on the vine within ten years of arriving at Lawrence, Kappa needs to be strong first so that we can help them.

I'm the first VP now, the VP Standards. I went to National Convention in Orlando in June with our President and our second VP, the VP Organization. I got to walk up the aisle with my active sisters and two ZE alumnae sisters who are now chapter advisors, to receive our national Recruitment award. I got to hear our Grand President tell me how proud she is of me, of all of us. Numerous women came up to me after reading my chapter name on my nametag and compliment me. I had our past Grand President, last year's NPC president, tell me that ZE Chapter's efforts over the past year are the embodiment of the spirit of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Nobody thought we could do it. We did it.

I'm getting very emotional, Tom. As I write this, I'm actually fighting back tears. I think how close I came to losing what has become the most important thing in my life. I think how much I've put into Kappa, and how much she's given back. And it hurts me more than anything else to hear someone who doesn't even know what I've been through suggest that my chapter should have sacrificed itself to bring someone else on campus for the health of Greek life.

Well, Greek life isn't healthy on my campus, but it's getting back there. Our rebirth is making it healthier. If we hadn't been reborn, there would have just been a hole where we were. No new chapter.

I can't even respond to the rest of your post. I can't understand what you're referring to, and I'm way to emotional to make a logical, rational argument.

I'm here to tell you that it was worth it.

Way to go....
 

...kappakittykat -- wow! sounds like you need to start a thread on reviving chapters that many would write off -- I am proud of what you did and I even had a lump in my throat reading your post -- all I can say is Way to Go Kappa!:D

KappaKittyKat,
Your post made me tear up! I think it is strong members like you that help greek systems stay alive. Many schools have dying Greek systems and other GLO's, and while many people may dismiss the idea of becoming part of it, exceptional people go through the recruitment and stick with their organization through good times and bad to help them out as much as they can.

Best wishes to you and your chapter!

KappaKittyCat,

Honey, all I have to say is: Well Done. Your post was wonderful, and, even though I'm not a Kappa, I'm overwhelmingly proud of you and your chapter at this moment.

Greek Love,
dzrose93 :)

KKC,

Reading your post gives any of us who may be looking at a similar situation hope. It CAN be done, you and your sisters have shown that. Thank you for posting!!! Here's hoping that Kappa and all of your schools GLOs will continue to grow and endure.

Best of luck in the future, it sounds like it will be a bright one for Kappa!

Fraternally,
Christin

KappaKittyCat and Tom I may be VERY WRONG here, so feel free to correct me.

I honestly interpret Tom's post very different from others. What Tom was calling for us to do is EXACTLY what you DID KappaKitty!
He calls for us to not fear the problems and watch as we get weaker and weaker but to get out there and fight for members-you did. You have people on campus who want to see Greeks disappear. You are combating the problem. This is what he is asking us all to do.

You love what your sorority stands for as he loves LX. I don't see any chasm here. I see a meeting of the minds as we look at the bigger picture. It's this "bigger picture" that I THINK Tom is addressing. To change things, we MUST look at our OWN chapter and our own campus. If Panhellenic IS the problem (and inaction is as great a problem a too much interference) we, AS THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE SYSTEM, should take responsibility to correct the things we KNOW are wrong. That's my take, I may have read more into it, but your actions are what Tom would admire in ANY member of a GLO, I know I sure admire you!

Back on point. Even though there are indeed WONDERFUL Rho Chis-a single, bad apple can do so much harm to a sorority that given the right circumstances, that "harmed" sorority could feel the effects for years.

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for the support in your posts and PMs. I didn't quite expect that story to come spilling out like it did. I just got a little worked up, there. Yay, PMS! I have trouble understanding Earp-isms at any time of day, and last night was late and I was worn out. Upon re-reading his post, I think I may have overreacted a bit, but oh well. The master of typos and mixed metaphores strikes again.

That said, I stand by my original statement that the NPC Formal Recruitment system works if it is not abused. It is not designed to protect us from ourselves or each other. It is designed to carefully regulate supply and demand, to give PNMs the best chance of finding a home, and to give the sororities the best chance of finding new sisters who are compatible. In my case, had our chapter died, Panhel would not have brought another group onto campus because the demand is just not there. Beyond that, no org in its right mind would have colonized Lawrence. It would have been a wasted investment. Once we confronted the internal problems in our chapter, the problems that had caused us to shrink in the first place, the system did nothing but help us. It works as long as it is not abused.

My thoughts on Recruitment Counselors are as follows.

On a campus with deferred rush, being an RC is even more of a job because it involves disaffiliation for the entirety of Fall Term and the first two weeks of Winter Term. Being an RC is a commitment and a sacrifice. It is a labour of love for the Greek system as a whole. On my campus, Panhel selects the RCs. It is an honour and a privilege to be selected to represent your chapter in this way. And yes, you are representing your chapter. On a campus like mine, with deferred rush and a pre-existing anti-Greek bias, most women go through Recruitment because an RC talked them into it. People naturally attract others who are like them, so it stands to reason that a Kappa is going to attract women who would be more compatible with Kappas, and so on. This holds true regardless of whether the RC is wearing her letters. This is not intentional. It just happens.

We as women are far more focused on emotions than men are. Most of us process things emotionally before we think through them logically. We also tend to be more verbal. When we have problems, we need to talk them out with other people. When we have blessings, we need others with whom to rejoice. We need people who understand where we're coming from because they've been there. Think about the job title-- not the Greek letters, but what they stands for: Recruitment Counselor. Their job is to counsel, to offer unbiased, knowledgable advice. Going through Recruitment is a stressful and emotional process, and PMNs need someone to whom they can turn to ask questions about anything, from "Why was I cut?" to "Whom should I place first on my bid card?" Whether they be active sisters or PNMs, everyone involved in sorority Recruitment needs RCs.

I think we also need to remember the primary purpose of Recruitment week. Its purpose is not to get women to join a particular organization. Its purpose is to get women to be Greek. As a rusher, I'm always much happier to hear that a woman has regretted us and opted for another chapter than I am to hear that a woman has dropped out of Recruitment altogether. I want Greek women. On my campus, we need them. We are only as strong as we are united, and I say this with all sincerity on a campus where Greeks are persecuted with the full fury of the closed-minded liberal arts bias. An RC should do everything in her power to keep women in Recruitment. If a women joins the RC's chapter, then GREAT! If not, then at least she's gone Greek.

We got several women this past year via the snap bidding process. If it weren't for the RCs, none of whom were Kappas, those women would never have accepted their snap bids. They would have instead held out to COB into groups that might not have taken them anyway. The RCs encouraged the women to seek a family in Kappa, to go through the Pledge process and determine that way whether our organization was right for them. They did this with the intention of keeping women Greek and keeping Greek life alive on our campus. It was an incredibly unselfish thing to do, especially because I know the RCs were counseling women who would otherwise have COBed their chapters. I got one of my littles that way, and I'm grateful to the RC who encouraged her to join us.

As long as we Greeks are focusing on classical ideals, let's look back at another ancient Greek tradition, the Olympics. During the Olympics, all the Greek city-states put their hostilities on hold to engage in friendly athletic competition. Of course the competition was fierce, but there was no cheating to win. Cheating was considered the most dishonourable thing that any group could do. If a title was not gained legitimately, then it was not gained at all. The Olympics began out of a desire to bring unity and strive for excellence through peaceful competition. In my mind, that's exactly what Recruitment should be. It should be a cessation of open hostilities for a period of time to focus on the most important thing: finding women who will live up to our ideals.

Thank YOU JWOW (JAMOM) for your interpretation of what I was trying to say!!!!:)

In a perfect world, it should work, but I think, it has been shown that in many instances that some or maybe many abuse it! That is the problem!

I dont think there are to many more than me that want to see the Greek System Grow!

No, I cannot show proof in black and white of Greeks becoming smaller all over the country, but trust me, all you have to do is read some of the things about schools trying to get Greeks Off Campus, Alfred U in N Y for example! But on the other side of the coin, Shorter College in Ga has only locals and want to go to National Oganizations!

NO I do not try to understand what the NPC does. But to hold Organizations from coming on campus because some Soroitys are not up to qutoa is an impedement for the growth of the Greeks as a whole!

I for one would hate to have to put one of my Brothers through what the Soroitys do on the RC situation!

Is that what Brother/SisterHood is all about? If it is, it is a strnge way to show it!

I also do not understand women as I am sure most men dont. :D :eek:

Tom...
 

...you are funny! I could NEVER tell that you don't understand women! ;) I think you need your own talk show -- you'd be fabulous!:cool:

Anyways, back to the subject at hand -- I completely agree with Newsun's earlier post -- if Greek Affairs or whoever on campus doesn't act when RhoChis "go/do/act bad" -- then the problem needs to be brought up to NPC IMMEDIATELY as well as to that Rho Chi's own sorority Headquarters...

After reading thru all these threads, does anyone else wonder what the heck NPC thinks of this -- are there ANY national NPC officers even reading these GC posts/threads? What do they think -- I just wonder????

I wanted to bump this becauase I thought it was a good thread with a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas :)

Danielle,

Thanks for bumping this. I can't believe some of this things I have read. As a former Recruitment Counselor on a Florida campus, I can tell you this:

The interview process. When I went for my interview, I felt like I was being interrogated. The newly elected Panhellenic Exec and Recruitment Exec, as well as each Chapter Recruitment VP and Chapter President, sat a long horse-shoe shaped table. The Prospective PX sat at her own table, in the front of the horseshoe. You were asked questions about your motivation for being a PX, disaffiliation, scenario-like questions, bias, etc. At the end of 30 minutes you were excused, and the next night, the "PX Bid List" was posted. It was like getting into another sorority! We even had a PX Retreat where we were "initiated" into PX, played getting to know you games and reviewed things like first aid and recruitment policies. We met weekly to review recruitment rules, had to put 5-10 hours in each week at the Greek Affairs Office answering phones and processing applications, represent Panhellenic at Student Orientations, etc. That entire summer, we were not allowed to wear our letters, nor be around anyone wearing sorority letters. Greek Letters on your car? Off they came! The head PX had a vanity license plate that read "KD2NV" and she would trade off with her roommate, who didn't have vanity plates. Official Strict Silence began the night before Greek Forum, and all of Recruitment Exec and Pan Exec and PX's moved into a hotel. No one was allowed to be alone-- you had to be with another PX at all times who was not one of your own sisters, or you were in trouble. At parties, you were not permitted inside your own house to monitor, and at prefs you were not allowed to even be stationed outside your own house. Our role was to be there for the PNM's, not our own sororities. On Bid Day, it never felt so good as to be wearing my own letters again!

Our Panhellenic also rotates through sororities so there is no monopoly on who is on Pan Exec. The Pan President would never come from the same sorority two years in a row to ensure fair representation.

I must say I'm amused at the psycho Rho Chi rules some schools have. Since we have a deferred recruitment, we're not super strict (no wearing/displaying letters is about it). All the rushees pretty much know their Rho Chi's affiliation before Christmas break.

With our small Panhellenic (3 sororities), we do Rho Chi teams, with a Rho Chi from each chapter. We encourage the Rho Chis to bond over the summer and they usually do Rho Chi socials, sleepovers, etc. Only once have we ever had Rho Chi conduct be an issue, and our Exec. and also her chapter exec. dealt with her. Most of our Rho Chis really enjoy the experience, and say that are happy missing out on the chapter "drama" during recruitment. I guess that's why I have five returning Rho Chis (er...Gamma Chi, old habits die hard).