This may be a dumb question but about how many colleges/universities are in SC that have NPC groups?

I *believe* there are 13 schools with NPC groups in South Carolina:

Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
College of Charleston
Francis Marion University
Furman University
Lander University
Newberry College
Presbyterian College
University of South Carolina – Aiken
University of South Carolina – Columbia
University of South Carolina – Spartanburg
Winthrop University
Wofford College

Re: Chapter Rundown
 

Based on that and my own feeling about the situation... I think the four asked to present will be Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and (this last one is tough... either AXiD or AOPi) i'm going with Alpha Omicron Pi!

Re: Chapter Rundown
 

By this list, I'd say that Phi Mu, Sigma Sigma Sigma, or Delta Zeta are the obvious choices, but I think a list of the Alumnae Associations would also be in order.

Sigma Kappa will soon have two chapters in Georgia - our colony at North Georgia College and State University will become the Kappa Lambda chapter of Sigma Kappa in April.

That's an impressive list of potential groups!

Good luck to the Clemson ladies in making the choice!

Of the eight sororities mentioned as possibilities for Clemson, three of them were at USC at one time or another.

AOPi had a chapter from 1933 - 1937 and again from 1978 - 1983. Sigma Sigma Sigma had a chapter from 1977 - 1983. Sigma Kappa had a chapter at USC from 1932 - 1939.

A few other groups at USC that are no longer there are Alpha Epsilon Phi (1945 - 1949 and 1967 - 1969), Sigma Delta Tau (1932 - 1933 and 1956 - 1960), Pi Beta Phi (1931 - 1984), Delta Gamma (1985 - 2003) and Kappa Alpha Theat (1989 - 2001).

It will be interesting to see who comes to Clemson. I'm surprised that Pi Beta Phi was not interested in re-establishing their chapter at USC when presentations were done here last year. I thought they might be on the list for Clemson but I guess not.

Hi ladies, I'm new, but I wanted to add my two cents since the Southeast is my home.

I don’t think it’s just the number of chapters or number of alumnae in the state that matters in this case. I think you should really look at the dedication that a group will give to a potential new chapter. If an organization has a dedicated and solid base that will support the new chapter they can probably be very successful without other chapters in the state.

You need to look at each organization's success at colonizing on similar campuses. Someone posted the schools in SC with NPC groups above. Ladies, we all know that just because schools are in South Carolina doesn’t mean they are like Clemson. For example Wofford and Winthrop are not exactly similar to Clemson.

I would also look at what each group has done on campuses with larger Greek systems in recent history, whether they have a lot of current extension commitments, what kind of support they pledge for a potential chapter, and whether their strong leaders dedicated to making this chapter successful. I heard that a couple of nationals closed colonies recently before installing them and that several others have done poorly on large colonizations lately. I don’t remember who it was, but if they applied I’d take that into consideration too.

For those of you who really care about numbers, I think it is also important to look at how many chapters these groups have nationally. My perception is that Clemson is a growing system in a growing state. I called one of my friends who is knowledgeable about these things and here is how many chapters each of these organizations have nationally:

Alpha Phi: 143
Alpha Omicron Pi: 101
Alpha Xi Delta: 111
Delta Zeta: 161
Phi Mu: 118
Sigma Kappa: 108
Sigma Sigma Sigma: 106
Theta Phi Alpha: 39

Not to nit-pick, but I know these numbers are not correct. Alpha Xi Delta has at least 113 active chapters...I'm not sure about the others though. :D

I'm so excited AZD has submitted info to let Clemson know they're interested! Of course I'm biased, but I really do think they'd be a great fit. There is at least one strong alumnae association within driving distance to Clemson (the one I'm a member of here in Charlotte)...I don't know how far Atlanta is but there's another strong association there as well.

But as everyone mentioned (and I mentioned before) Phi Mu, DZ and Sigma Kappa would all be great fits as well!

Thanks for the updates! Keep them coming!

You might be new to GC, but you've been around enough to know what you're talking about! Very intelligent post, SuthrnBell -- welcome!

I agree with most everything you've said. I also would add that if I was a member of the selection committee -- I'd look at how many LOCAL alumnae the group has -- and how many are there for the presentation & would be willing to serve as advisors, etc.

These extension "dog & pony shows" can be quite impressive with slick videos & PR brochures and a room full of balloons, but the fact of the matter is that you need good local people ALONG with a strong inter/national support to pull it off.

WOW when did Alpha Phi get a chapter in GA? We used to have two chapters, but I thought they closed. We have four chapters in NC (Duke, App, UNCW ECU)

While Alpha Phi does not currently have a chapter in Georgia, we have four very strong chapters in North Carolina, and many other strong chapters in the Southeast. Our current International President lives in Atlanta and is a part of a strong and well-recognized Alumnae Chapter. We also have another current board member who lives in Shelby, North Carolina and a Foundation Board Member who lives in South Carolina.

I know several Alpha Phi alumnae within an hour of Clemson who are very excited about the prospect of a chapter there.

LD

I would be curious to know what happened in 1983-1984 that made 3 chapters leave. I know DG, Chi O, and Theta all came here in 1985, and Alpha Chi came later, so I would just be curious to know what led that on. Also, I didn't realize that tri-sig left so long ago... we were thinking it had been within 10 years.

As far as Pi Beta Phi not being interested, the reason we were told for a lot of organizations why they weren't interested was because of the house issue. Any sorority that started a colony had to build right away. There's an empty lot in the Greek Village for Gamma Phi Beta right now.... kind of brings up some bitterness with the other organizations that are trying to get a lot in the village, but we won't go there right now.

I know when I was on extension committee, we looked for the organization that was most like the rest on our campus. If you think about who we have, we had (including DG and Theta) 10 of the strongest national groups, including the largest nationally in number of members and the largest nationally in number of chapters.

With that said, I know that it's completely up to Clemson, but I still am holding to DZ. I think some of these other chapters, though, need to be on the lookout if Winthrop or C of C ever needs a new chapter... I would personally like to see Alpha Phi or Sigma Kappa come in, but they would have a tough time lasting past the 5 years at Clemson.

I am out of the loop on colonization. Those chapters closed within the last 10 years. I was kinda bummed because I really thought we did have a GA chapter.

I take it back, i think it would be fun to colonize at Clemson.... there are a lot of close Alumni groups that love to help out and send goodies. I also think it would do ok because of the hall situlation at clemson.

With it being hte only SC chapter, I would think it would get lots of attention from internationals and hopefully get an ELC.

Chi O has been at USC since the late 1920s. The Chi O chapter at Clemson was one of the 1st 3 (KKG and Tri-Delta were the other 2) chartered in 1970.