Yep. Welcome to today's college student where every situation is unique! :)

You can accept transfers even if you are above total.

I highly doubt this would happen that terribly often. Women may transfer to Big State U and try to affiliate all the time, but the number of women who specifically go to Small State U to get into a chapter through a back door is more advertised than reality. In my experience in a state that had a Big State U with the supposed issue, all the same chapters at the Small State Univs were also hard to get into.

Also in my experience, however, meeting at least 5 transfers from Big State U during my tenure in at Small State U, they had no interest in affiliating with their chapters upon transferring. (Who am I kidding, I'm talking about LSU and ULM.)

I can totally understand how when someone from [I]little[I] college transfers to [B]BIG[B] U - the girls at Big U want to maintain some control about who moves into the house with them.

Let's review. How about a top five reasons I have heard for transfer?
1. Money situation changes and need to move closer to home or need to save money.
2. Didn't get in at the school they wanted the first time, so they try again and get it on the second try.
3. Program that they want isn't offered at the school they started at.
4. Don't feel like you fit in at your school.
Oh and I almost forgot - 5. a boy (or girl? a sweetheart. whichever.)

I really REALLY feel bad for the folks in category number 1. Bad things happen to good people. Unfortunately, this could mean not being able to fully participate in Greek life at your new school (but in this case maybe early alum status might be a relief?)

In all the other categories - this is why we wanted to give you a 6 to 8 week new member period before initiation. You should see these things coming. You should talk to people about them. They are important. You are talking about the REST of your life.
But hey #2 worked when they didn't get into the school they wanted, right?

It's not always a matter of a top tier house at a competitive campus refusing to affiliate a member transferring from a "lesser" chapter. Here are a couple of other circumstances I have seen play out:

-An intensely academic chapter has maintained the highest Greek GPA for many years and are very competitive about it. Mary Marginal wants to affiliate and her GPA is barely at the national minimum and far below the chapter's minimum.

-At a strong chapter at a smaller regional school where almost all students come from the same general area and everyone seems to have known everyone since high school. Hannah Ho wants to affiliate but her antics at the new college already reflect her legendary patterns of behavior from high school and her previous university.

*snicker*

This is apples and elephants.

A-friggin-men. I feel the same way about getting rid of the word "suicide" and pretending that "recruitment" isn't really still "rush." And not to get on a tangent, but referring to your pledges as "baby [fill in the mascot]s" doesn't exactly convey to them that they are taking on a LIFETIME RESPONSIBILITY. If anything, it does the opposite - lets them know nothing is expected of them except to look adorable and move on when they outgrow it.

THIS!

It also doesn't convey that this is an honor or a privilege?
I thought we wanted them to be ladies?

Originally Posted by 33girl
And not to get on a tangent, but referring to your pledges as "baby [fill in the mascot]s" doesn't exactly convey to them that they are taking on a LIFETIME RESPONSIBILITY

Wholeheartedly agree with both of you. That has turned into one of my biggest pet-peeves; especially considering they are women (I've never heard of fraternities doing this) who will become the leaders of their chapter, and maybe even officers/leaders in the larger organization one day.

I agree. By trying to go PC and get rid of words that have bad connotations, it would appear that some of the ideas have been lost. Mainly I feel this with "pledge". I also feel like most of the PC terms are pointless. Oregon changed "Greek Life" to "Fraternity and Sorority Life" because first term had bad connotations with it. Does it really change anything? No. Does using the terms, rush, pledge, or suicide change the fact that some people will haze or have PNMs SIP? No. It will still happen. Does New Member really carry over the idea that a person is pledging an organization?

Also have seen Linda Lost transfer from one private school to a couple of notches better/same size private school affiliate with the chapter and then stand around talking about how the other chapter and her previous school was better ALL the time. Classic was bringing a friend-who-was-a-girl (not a girlfriend cause that would have been ok, too) to formal because she did not have a date and had the two of them standing around and snarking about other ladies dresses and dates all night. So WHY did you transfer? :confused:

Actually, this was very prevalent in the south in the not so distant past. They were actually called "feeder" schools as they "fed" additional members to Big State U. I can name "chapter andverse"on this but won't to protect the innocent. Almost anyone from the deep South can tell you it was common.

33girl,HQWest, aggiegphi, & WCSweet<3, you are all so on point here ^^^ I want to weep in support.

I think that this is more apt to be Big Flagship U to Small State-Owned U, and that the dues go down along with the tuition. In that case, transfers are usually met with open arms - if they desire to be involved. More likely what happens is what AOIIAngel mentioned.

Actually the stance for the NIC (NOT IFC! I always cringe when people use that term in this context.) is pretty strict. We do allow somebody to resign membership, but that usually is not granted, at least not with the IHQs sending a formal letter to each other.

I think we had this conversation when you first started posting on GC lol

I don't remember NIC rules stating that the I/HQs had to communicate with each other.