I should have known I wouldn't make it all the way through the responses to this thread without someone getting too butthurt about something or other for me to put my thoughts on this issue into words. :(

Even when I want to be SRS on GC yinz won't let me.

The sun itself sees not til heaven clears.

+2 to anyone who gets the reference (the movie reference, not the actual quote-source).

:confused:

I don't get it.

Jump in!!!

There is plenty 'o room in the pool!

Fine.

Re: citywide chapters - true, most NPHC chapters are not citywide, but I could not see any of the D9 sororities giving up even one chapter in order to pursue membership in the NPC. It's counter intuitive - a group should join a council like the NPC, NIC, NPHC, NALFO (etc etc I can't remember the names of the ones that start with something other than N right now) to increase their strength (through numbers, bargaining capabilities, etc etc.), but not by weakening themselves first.

It would be interesting to me, though, whether or not some of the NALFO organizations who do meet the NPC criteria might seek membership if the NALFO does "clean house" as referenced in the other thread.

I'm in support of the NPC growing, but there will certainly be some pains along the way. And yes, I see it more likely that current NPC organizations may start absorbing others (again), even though that breaks my heart.

ETA: Bite me. I'm trying to be SRS here and I can't even see that picture (whatever it is) since I'm at work. I'm on the last two days of this survey and anyone wanting to cross me can kiss my ass. Harrumph.

Touché. :D

Although it's also about non-NPC sororities attempting to come into the NPC, so some consideration of other ways of doing things may come into play. And when the discussion turns to "councils," then that does widen the scope.

As a general across-the-board rule, no I don't think that umbrella organizations necessarily help with the three things you mentioned. I don't think we noticed any difference as to those three things when we decided to leave the umbrella organization we used to belong to. Frankly, as far as I can tell, we haven't noticed any difference at all.

With the first two (insurance and housing), I think the size, resources and bargaining power of the specific organization are much more important. (And as mentioned, housing isn't really an issue for many orgs.) As for university relations, my experience is that colleges and universities that have a concern (1) want orgs to be accountable to a national entity and (2) find a local council (sometimes an inappropriate one*) to stick the chapter in.


* The example you gave of a non-NPC org being forced by the university to join the CPH would be an example of inappropriate. That's the school trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. If it wants every org to be part of a campus coucil, then it needs to make sure there's a campus council appropriate for every org, even if that means IFC, CPH, NPHC and "other."

*woooooosah*

But I agree with the main part of your post

Laneswerve: what NPC groups would be the most likely to be absorbed? What happens to the members of the NPC group that gets absorbed, especially actives?

(I don't know if that made sense)
If AB and DEF were on the same campus when the NPC decided that DEF was going to absorb AB- what would happen? Is absorption a gradual process?


ETA: omg my spelling is atrocious

The bigger wave of absorptions happened so long ago and when all the organizations were so much smaller that to be quite honest, I don't know what would happen nowadays. But there are definitely organizations that are struggling in some way (for whatever reason). They don't need to be named, please let's not make this a "buaha your org is smaller than mine" thread or cause even more people to get butthurt about other things.

Also please do not conflate fewer chapters or smaller numbers with "weak" - often times small numbered orgs can be quite powerful - often when a group is facing closure/absorption there's something else going on internally that's no one's business but their own.

Actives/alumnae would still be members to the new larger org (or, if there's a name change, to that org) if they choose to. I would imagine it would be similar to a chapter of a local organization being absorbed by an NPC organization, if that makes sense. Also, the NPC wouldn't make that decision, I don't think. It would be made between the leadership bodies of each individual organization.

See, I think this has the potential for more controversy than any race-related issues between NPC and NPHC groups. We all know that some of the NPC groups are newer and have fewer resources (in the form of real estate, money, and volunteers) than others. It would stand to reason, then, that those sororities would be the ones to either be absorbed by other groups or leave the NPC all together.

No one, however, really wants to say that.

Just a thought -- this is definitely a discussion that can cause a trainwreck fast. Do you really think anyone wants to look at GC and see a discussion about how her sorority is having a hard enough time or is so small that it might be absorbed by another?

I must admit, I know little to nothing about those orgs that were absorbed in the past. Which ones were they? How many chapters did they have at the time? What was the reaction from alumnae? And what were the "internal problems" that caused them to close?

Although this might happen before any addition to the NPC ever does, what do you think the chances are of this really happening, considering how established all of the NPCs are now?

Or is this something that simply can't be answered..?

Also I feel I should add that absorbing groups doesn't necessarily even have to be two NPC groups merging - it could be that an NPC absorbs a non-NPC group, that's happened in the past.

I sure hope no one answers your questions. I don't think anyone is in a postion to close up shop at this point.

A true benefit of NPC membership for a up and coming GLO is protection from other NPC groups. This can be seen in the recent acquisitions of KBG chapters in the past few years. If KBG joined the NPC, that would never happen again. There are actually chapters of NPC groups that have been other NPC organizations. I have an eight edition of The Sorority Handbook and was surprised to see the number of Theta chapters that were previously Zeta chapters or Pi Phi chapters that were once Phi Mu chapters,etc. (I can't remember the exact interchange so don't quote me. I can look them up tonight.) With the UAs, this no longer happens. Once an NPC member chapter, there is no changing to another member organization. This would, hypothetically, protect KBGs investment in a chapter. As a non-member, they have no protections, as unfair as that may seem.