Unless you know who blueGBI is and know for sure she's talking about you, don't get so defensive. If you kept service FIRST then you have nothing to worry about. I was in a service fraternity, and we had some great parties - after the service was done. But I seriously doubt that a group that is scheduling socials 4-5 days in the week is putting service first.

I was a little overly defensive, and I apologize if I insulted anyone. (I've been sick for a week and may be just a little overly sensitive! ;)) I agree with you completely 33girl.

Getting back to the original topic... Congratulations to all of the new members!

Gamma Sig has absolutely nothing to worry about, they have a national governing board and are not getting kicked off campus. They can continue to exist just as they are right now. I honestly doubt that BlueGBI is talking about them.

PSUSigKap and 33girl are correct when they say that I didn't mean the locals were the plague, I just mean that NPCs have rules and regulations to follow and end up getting the short end of the stick. The local "service" sororities party all week long and don't have to register their socials with panhellenic which means they're free to do whatever they want doing social hours.

The whole Penn State issue of no longer recognizing some groups may be more about insurance/liability and staff than anything else. Although we are a social sorority, our Phi Sigma Rho chapter at Penn State was only recognized as a student organization, not by Greek Life. Now we are required to also be recognized by Greek life and will soon be a part of Panhel.

I am glad we are a national social sorority, I do not see how any of the local social sororities or the local service sororities are going to survive without recognition by the university.

I would like to say that you cannot generalize ALL locals as being the same. It is unfortunate that some local organizations abuse the system. What many national GLO's don't realize is that there are MANY local organizations out here that are equally as strong (and oftentimes stronger) than national organizations. But it is also to acknowledge that not all locals are the same at each campus, just as not all chapters of a NPC are the same at every campus.

In my chapter (a local at NJ Tech) we are one of the largest out of 7 sororities. We have survived for 12 years because we follow the rules set forth by the Inter Fraternity/Sorority Council and the university. We have to-because we are local if we mess up once, we're out. And because we do not give the university problems, we are still recognized even after the university has made the ruling to no longer support local organizations. We are lucky to have been grandfathered in under the old constitution.

I think that it is important to note that the reasons for universities only recognizing NPC and NPHC sororities is a risk managment issue. Local organizations typically do not have insurance to protect themselves for suits. It goes much further beyond lack of insurance. I would not make the generalization that just because they are local, that they party every night.

I know that if my university were to have told us that we would no longer be able to be recognized, we would have been crushed. We have worked hard for 12...almost 13 years to uphold the traditions and values of our sisterhood in accordance to university policies to ensure that our sisterhood lives on. In the past 12 years we have earned Sorority of the Year, Community Service Award, and Highest GPA Award, several times, over NPC sororities. So there goes your theorey that locals do nothing but party and not follow rules.

So yes to restate what has been said before....if you were told you couldn't exist at your university...wouldn't you be upset?

Graceanne Brown

Good for you. Your post sounds really defensive. Good that your local sorority has done so much in its nearly 13 years of existance.

Penn State is a different animal than NJ Tech. Different systems, different people. Your sorority and the PSU locals are under two very different situations. The locals here were subject only to Undergradute Student Government and Student Affairs. There was no involvement from Panhell here with them. And, since they were under Undergraduate Student Government, they could no longer socialize with fraternities because that is against the rules. I'm assuming that your sorority is affliated with your Panhellenic at NJ Tech.

The sororities are no longer recognized and will either go underground, become more like regular student orgs, or merge with one of the sororities here that needs members.

Just a note, USG stands for Undergraduate Student Government. I know at other campuses the student government is called something else.

D'oh! Edited to reflect that change. I get so caught up using PSU terminology that I forget that nearly 99% of GC isn't from PSU.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THEY ARE LOCAL.

If they were a local social sorority and on the local Panhel and following their rules, no one would have a problem with it.

It has to do with the fact that they are wrapping themselves in the cloak of a "service" sorority when the majority of what they are doing is partying, not service. And they're doing it to get around the rules NPC groups have re alcohol.

If it was a chapter of a national service fraternity like A Phi O doing the same thing, I would be just as irked about it. On the other side of the coin, if there was a chapter of a social sorority who never did anything with the rest of the Greek community, I'd be irked about that too.

I love locals, I think they're neat and great and cool, and I've never said anything to the contrary. What I do not love is groups who say they are something they are not.

SDT
 

Can someone tell me how Sigma Delta Tau did?

Phi Mu and Penn State
 

The reorganization of the Beta Mu Chapter at Penn State was very very very successful.

With careful consideration and concern, many changes were made...both with the existing chapter membership and the new members of the chapter. Many members of "Theta" local at Penn State chose to become sisters of Phi Mu.

At this time the chapter has gone from 14 members to NINETY EIGHT!!!! (98) members. It is exciting and thrilling and a great time to be a Phi Mu at Penn State.

At 98 sisters that makes Phi Mu the largest chapter on campus. Total is 85.

Whoa! Congratulations to Phi Mu! I lived in the same dorm, and they really are a wonderful bunch of ladies!

how exciting!!!! it is a pretty awesome that they could grow so much! i wish the whole chapter best of luck!! 98 new phis!!!! hurray!!!