Well I am a Sigma Nu Phi at Eastern Michigan University. I know...I know...all of you are probably thinking "I have never heard of that" that is because we are local. And to be honest with you, I like being local. I started to pledge a national at Ferris State, I wanted so badly to become a Phi Sigma Sigma there. I started pledging and then I ended up having to transfer schools so I could not continue. Well when I came here I looked at the Phi Sigma Sigma's here and I didn't like the girls. So I looked into what else I could do. I came to find out that I could not join another National but there was one local sorority on campus that I could join. So I went an checked them out. The girls were awesome. To be honest with you, I like being local so much better than being National. I can sit in a room with all my active and some of my alumni sisters right now and tell you their first and last name and at least 5 things about them. When I was pledging Phi Sigma Sigma, I was lucky to know at least 10 of the girls names, first and last. We have a former Phi Sigma Sigma in our sorority now and she said the same thing. She said that she could never tell you the first and last name of half the girls in her sorority when she was National. I like being local so much better because of that reason. Everyone can try to tell me different, but there is no changing my mind. Being local is so much better.

Oh i do LOVE being local. Don't get me wrong. And I know it is like htat with some nationals. I just feel that if you have girls in there that work to be close, they will be. It just depends how you feel about your sorority. Everyone joins for different reasons. However usually in our case it turns into the same one by the end of pledging. We love being Phi Nu!

Yeah I guess you are right...but from talking to all the girls around here...none of the other Sorority's are as close as we are. And we are the only Local Sorority. I am not saying anything bad against Nationals...I am just saying that its more likely for a small group to be closer than a large group and most Nationals are large

I totally agree. Being in a local rocks! Smaller groups do tend to bond easier and they way we do our pledging you have to spend time with every active girl before you can be activated. Its really great and one of the most fun parts of pledging!!

Uhm, i could the same thing and I'm in a national fraternity. Granted, I don't know people from the 70s and 80s because I haven't met them, but I knew everybody that was active during my time as an active.

I'm not going to argue which one is better. That is relative to your experience. However, to say that being in a national means that you don't know your brothers or sisters is gross generalization.

Re: agree to disagree
 

I really don't think the number of sisters or brothers in your org matters. Personally, I'm not best friends with all 100 of my sisters. Sure, we all go out together and I care about each and every one of them, but I wouldn't say I'm equally close to all of them. This could be true in a sorority or fraternity of just 40 people. It's all about personalities, and you aren't going to be best friends with every single person just cuz you wear the same letters. If 200 girls want to call themselves best friends, more power to them.

Re: Re: agree to disagree
 

This is incredibly true. I was in a chapter of 25. There were girls in my house I just wasn't especially close to, and that was fine with me.

I think asking us to "prove" closeness is ridiculous. It's not mathematical. What's closeness? Knowing every sister's favorite color and shoe size, or seeing your sister crying because her fratty boyfriend just dumped her and going to comfort her with a box of Kleenex and a hug?

Basically, smaller Chapters are where each Brother/Sister know each other.

Whether they all get along, of course not. As the Founder of a Local, there were some that were like oil and water.

But when push came to shove, We Did Work together, not the few, but The All.

I am sure as We became a International, there were the same problems where some did not just hit it off whille otheres did.

It usually is the Old 20/80% type thing. Those that do and those that are just there.

There are so many spaces for Officers and We all depend on them for everything dont we?

But, isnt it in the overall Picture for All to do what is needed?

Utopian of course but not realistic.:(

I just wonder how the Doers Do in the real after Graduation World!:confused:

Great Tom, you basically just described my chapter.

Although, during my four years as a greek, I'm not going to be able to have some of the social perks (socials, exchanges), I'm really glad I found 19 guys who are completely different from each other. Our differences, for some reason, bring us together, and I know I'm going to be cool with these guys even after I graduate.

I mean, I guess being in a small house sucks in the long run, but I found the situation that best fits me, completely void of every other stereotype that the rest of SDSU's greek commmunity perpetuates.....

I am not at all saying nationals cant have closeness. In fact I started posting in this thread saying that we shouldnt assume just bc a national has large numbers doesnt mean they cant be close. It all depends on how hard you work and your attitude towards your org. If you awnt to be close with your sisters/bros you will be. It may be easier to get to know a smaller amount of people but it doesnt mean you know them better. And I dont think all Nationals fit into a cookie cutter description. I think its hard for peopel to realize that even differetn chapters haev their uniqueness to them and differenct success stories! I respect you all very much! :) I love it here!

Maybe not so Stan.

Say for example, I, You, DeltAlum, Erik C. ktsnake were all Brothers of the same Fraternity at the same school with a 150 + membership, would we really meet each other or find ourselves on GC, saying Oh guess what, I was a Brother at that School at the same time? Who are you and when were you there?

Just a thought. :)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

I am from a large chapter, usually around 180-200 members after our deferred recruitment. I LOVE being from a large chapter, because there is always someone around to hang out with, there is always another ADPi in all of my classes, and it enables me to have lots of friends. :)

I know every girl in my sorority. Naturally, I have my close friends- but EVERY sorority has some girls that click better than others. And that's OK. If you want to know everyone, then put forth the effort to know everyone! I know all the girls because I make it a point each week to eat dinner or grab coffee with someone I don't know very well.

It's easy to blame a lack of closeness on chapter size. But unity comes from within...and my large chapter has it.

Those people that decided to attack Erik derailed what could have been a good discussion about what can make chapters tighter as a group.

That would have been the natural progression from Erik's original idea.