33 is so right! So many parties have to be on board with expansion. Panhellenic has to support expansion, the current sorority women have to support it and the university itself has to support it. A chapter house is a must at some campuses, like Arkansas, and without university support it just won't happen. I have been watching my own campus work on extension, and it seems like Arkansas is similar in its traditions. Until all the parties are on the same page, the Arkansas pledge classes are going to be huge.

I think someone is going to have to take a very expensive leap of faith. Since it sounds like the school is very crowded, housing-wise, I wonder (again, no basis here) if they could build an Auburn-style dorm environment for 3 or 4 chapters all at once. That would be in addition to the existing. Probably not as nice, but also probably more affordable (not that 18 year old girls are very in tune with that). THAT would be a way that the school could support the system. And if they did a multi-chapter expansion all at once, maybe they'd have a better shot at selling the new housing option.

I think we are all going to have to just sit and wait, but I bet we hear something in the next month or two. If not that quickly, the school's recent meetings with NPC were apparently a failure.

And I would take that one step further. There will have to be widespread support, as in the alumnae chapters throughout the state of Arkansas will need to *genuinely* preach to their local girls that it is socially acceptable to look at new groups. And then those alumnae will need to back that statement up by being just as ecstatic about local girls joining new groups as if they joined the same ones that the alumnae and other family members have joined.

I don't know that it will happen, but that is the kind of cultural shift that is necessary for new groups to make it.

^^^THIS.

Thank you. Blondie93's advice can be applied to the University of Arizona, which desperately needs to expand, and faces real estate challenges. How can a chapter or chapters compete without housing? It's doable but requires a paradigm shift...and true Panhellenic coming-together.

Blondie93,

I totally agree but it looks like AOPi has done extremely well and with so many girls coming to Arkansas from out of state, now they are not as insular as they use to be, say even 10 years ago. There were more girls going to Arkansas from Dallas than to Texas Tech ( at least girls wanting to go through recruitment)

It's good hear that things are becoming a little more open, but I still think it will need to be a multi-pronged approach to successfully bring in the number of chapters that will be necessary to relieve some of the burden. I would hate to see the mentality of "sure, bring in 3 more" when really what is intended "sure, bring in 3 more groups as long as they take our leftovers."

Bama was a great example with the return of Delta Gamma not only being positively promoted in the campus Greek community but outside of the Capstone as well.

I don't think that style of housing would work at all. It would be nice if it would, but it just wouldn't happen. I would say a more plausible scenario would be if a stretch of land could be made available where multiple Greek houses could be located together. This way no sorority would be the only one not located in the Maple area. Previously, sororities that were housed away from Maple have all closed, and their alumnae have cited the house location as one factor.

In my opinion, expansion needs to include more than one sorority - 2 or 3 would be wonderful.

I also think that the tremendous influx of PNMs from Texas and Oklahoma could mean that groups previously at UA could do well there now, when they wouldn't have made it before. (Because of great reputations in the border states.)

Blondie93 hit it though - the alumnae need to take a hospitality pill or two. They are a HUGE mitigating factor in the close-mindedness at this campus.

Unfortunately, I think at the SEC schools, any situation where most of the sororities are housed and a few are lodged or have a suite doomed to failure. You might as well label them a different group. Girls will drop them during recruitment saying they wanted the "real sorority experience" i.e., living in house.

I completely agree with you.

Thank you.

It's either build a house or don't colonize. And right now, theres just not a lot of room on campus for a house, unless they want to build right on fraternity row on Sig Ep's lot.

Btw, considering the numbers of these pledge classes...Congrats to AOPi at 137, I have a sinking feeling that one sorority again didn't make quota. Goodness.

EW - I heard they did make it.

Really?

That's sort of been my problem with expansion, because there is no point in adding another house (due to large sizes) if you can't fill up all of them.

There's one SEC campus -- UF -- where there is one housed NPC sorority that's on fraternity row, separated from the other sorority houses. They seem to be a healthy chapter. Can someone who knows that campus better comment on whether there are special circumstances at work there, or whether it's a model that might work on another campus?

It never seemed to be an issue when I was there. The women of that chapter actually capitalized on it during recruitment - they had a part in their round 1 'skit' when they talked about being the only ones on fraternity row, and how great the location was. They also didn't have to compete for parking on chapter nights the way the rest of us did. Of note, there are three other chapters at UF that are not exactly on sorority row - two are a block away in either direction, and the third is on the other side of Norman Field (several blocks away).

I hope the daughter of PNM11 had a good day. There were lots of parents on campus with excitement all around. It was hot, hot, hot out there at the Greek Theater. All of you mommies who traveled to U of A - God bless you. Your girls needed you today.

I was just informed that all chapters at Arkansas achieved quota. I am extremely pleased with this news!

Look at how quickly the numbers jump...

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...t=89569&page=4
That was 2007 UofA recruitment thread.

The pledge class sizes nearly doubled. Or did double, actually.

UA Greek Life just updated their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Unive...6356260?ref=ts

Quota 131 and they confirmed that all chapters made quota. 90% Retention rate of PNMs. Woo Pig Sooie!

That is awesome and speaks highly of the open mindedness of Arkansas PNMs.

I am on pins & needles to hear about PNM11's daughter! Fingers are crossed for her. Pledge classes of 131 girls absolutely staggers me... I can't even imagine!

So even with as big as the groups are (although they all hit quota this time) there's still a chapter that struggles? Add that to the list of things that scares away any NPC thinking of coming there.

There was... irish says they made quota this year, which would have to have been the first year they've made it at least in the last 6 or 7 years. Probably two or three years ago, quota was 90 or so, and they still only hit 55.

The thing is, it shouldn't scare new groups too badly. They're not the newest house on campus...they're the third newest. Close to middle of the pack.

The "newness" isn't the sole issue (as we talked about in the rest of the thread).

Bid Day
 

I'm doing this from my phone, so I hope it works. Details to follow, but my daughter is VERY happy to have accepted a bid from "Risky Business" which is...
















Kappa Delta!

Terrific news! Yea!

I am so happy for both of you, Congratulations to your daughter!

Yay!! Congratulations and so happy your daughter is part of the Farmville Four!!!!

YEA!!!! A Kappa Delta ending!!!!

Congratulations! Daughter's favorite roommate is a KD. Great group!

Yes! for a Kappa Delta ending - congratulations, and fwiw I love the KD badge. a LOT.

I am so excited that Lindsey is a Kappa Delta new member! What a great ending for her and for us!

Hip hip hip hip hooray!!!!!! Welcome to the family :)

congratulations!

Congrats to Lindsey!!!

I have only heard from 3 of my rec girls so far
2 went AOTT
1 Chi O

I am think the 90 percent retention rate is fabulous!

Congratulations to Lindsey & to KD! I know that you are happy you made the trip.

Congrats!
 

Congrats to Mom and new member Kappa Delta!


With those numbers i.e. quota and chapter size without a doubt they will be expanding soon. Especially with housing issues already at the University.

Congrats to Lindsey! The best is yet to come!

For those who were following closely or who will look at this in the future, Lindsey got two pref invites (the max) to Risky Business and Weird Science. She had decided to drop if she only got Ferris Bueller or suicide (properly called Single Intentional Preference) if she got that one and one of the others. I continued to try to talk her out of that, but she was sure she'd rather not pledge, and I finally realized I didn't want to pay all that money for something that didn't thrill her. It would have been hard to go to bid day not knowing if she would accept a bid or be greatly disappointed, so it made sense for that reason too. Luckily, it didn't come to that.


Saturday (Pref Day) was very long because I knew nothing all day. Not hearing from her meant that she got invited back to at least one house she liked, so at least I had that. Lindsey finally left me a voice mail when she got back to her dorm at 1:08am. We had planned to have brunch together Sunday morning, so I called her at 9:58am to let her know I was there to pick her up. She freaked out when her phone rang because 10am was the cut off for getting a no bid call from her Gamma Chi!


I dropped Lindsey at the Student Union after brunch and then went to the Greek Theater for Bid Day. The energy there was amazing! I could not stop thinking about how the members could not have had much sleep, yet were jumping around, cheering, and dancing like crazy in the heat! When they opened bids, I could not even see my daughter, so I had to wait for her text. Then I drove over to the Kappa Delta house. The older KD girls already there were extremely hospitable and invited us inside out of the heat and offered us food and drinks.


When my daughter arrived, she looked so happy and relaxed! As soon as I saw her face, I knew it had all been worth it. The girls did a group picture and there was a brief parents' meeting. I was able to meet some other parents and the house mom. I'm so glad I was able to be there. It will be a very special memory for me.


I couldn't write this earlier, but one of the many reasons Lindsey wanted to be a KD is because she was a Girl Scout for many years and is very excited about getting to work with Girl Scouts as a philanthropy.


Lindsey told me later that day that the new members were told to wear a white dress for a meeting Monday night. Lindsey had found one on sale this summer because I had told her to get one based on GC advice. Other girls were having to rush around that evening to find one. Thanks to you wonderful women on GC, my daughter and I felt like insiders for knowing about the white dress!

Based on the fact that 90% of the girls rushing were matched with a bid at this very competetive school, I think any girl considering NPC recruitment should give it a try. My daughter was from out of state and had virtually no connections on campus and still found a great home. I imagine that most of the 10% not receiving bids dropped out on their own. We knew of many girls who had dropped and only heard of one who was allegedly dropped by all chapters for having an outrageous high school reputation.


About the HUGE pledge classes...the KD's (and probably the other groups) assigned the new members to small groups of about five girls with a sophomore leader to help them make connections. I think that is a great idea.


Again, I can't thank you all enough for all the support, advice, and now congratulations!

What is the Farmville Four?

The Farmville Four:
Kappa Delta
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Zeta Tau Alpha
Alpha Sigma Alpha

All founded at Longwood University in Farmville, VA. :)