Why Local?
 

Ok so my friend and I were talking about this and we can't agree. I can't see why someone would want to join a local GLO. Look at everything they miss out on, the national connection, the network of sisters/brothers, the sense of history (seeing how most locals are younger than most nationals)

Quite frankly, it just doesn't make sense!

I can think of three good reasons, right off the top:

You didn't click well with any of the NPCs at rush/COB.

There AREN'T any NPCs at your school.

You are already in an NPC, but you transfer to a school that doesn't have your NPC, but still want to be involved in greek life.

dues are lower

But that just means that if there WERE NPCs that you clicked with, or at you school that would be the best option! So are locals only second best?

You get what you pay for ;)

yea well I have enough friends, don't need to pay for any more

But if you weren't in a local with only, what, 4 chapters, you would have the advantages of being involved post graduation. Or that extra benefit of "Hi I'm an XYZ" "Really, me too, you're hired!"

Ok not quite like that, but the networking's a big plus!

eh I only really joined so I could have greek letters in my profile and I figured that KLY looked cooler than FNM

"You'll end up where you belong":p :p

Seriously, some people are in a sorority because of the national networking, and a local wouldn't be a good fit. Others are in it for their 4 years at school and aren't interesting in Alum stuff, and locals might suit them better. I'm not saying that a local alum couldn't be active, but if they move out of the area, I'm sure it makes it difficult. I wouldn't say one is better then the other...it's all about personal preference. Also, I believe locals can be more lax in their policies if they want to, and don't have to adhere to NPC guidelines, and I believe that would be a HUGE benefit to those who want to be in a sorority, but don't feel like they want 200 rules of life to follow.

It's wrong that I'm laughing at this, but I am.:D

figured you'd appreciate that

Yeah but doesn't that have a tendancy to lean towards hazing? Those rules aren't really just for grins and giggles... there's a purpose for all of them. Including working together on a campus.

It just seems that people in locals lead an underdeveloped Greek Life.

Some of us <3 hazing. Just ask DZTurtle06.

You should have made some up rather than go local

I knew it! You BEAT PLEDGES! This is why universities don't like locals!

I tried to start a sorority called SKEP but no one else was interested. :(

At least you were close to wanting to be a part of something awesome... even if you went about it the wrong way...

I still just feel like you're missing out. Like it isn't real.

Then again, if all locals are like KLPDaisy's...

what is real?

But if you weren't looking for that option in the first place, what would you be missing out on?

And trust me, non local organizations are not immune to hazing allegations. Just look at the Risk Management forum.

When you become active, it's easier to haze!

I feel that all this thread is missing is a SHIM reference and ShamikaT.

Ok, I'm not from a local, but we only have one other chapter on the east coast and it's in Maryland, and our chapters are smaller than NPC chapters, so I think it sometimes can have a similar feel to a local or regional GLO. I love that my sorority is smaller. I feel like I got to know everyone pretty well in a short amount of time. It's easier to get everyone together since there's fewer people. Some may look at it as we had more work since we had fewer members, but I see it as all members got a chance to hold leadership positions. And in any given semester, we have few, if any, girls that are just members-at-large. Our dues were lower, which makes a huge difference when your parents aren't supportive of you going Greek and you have to pay your own dues. We didn't have to follow a certain schedule of events for rush, so when I was rush chair, I had a lot of room to make decisions about what events we were going to have, how many events we were going to have, and when/where we were going to have them. This way I had the freedom to space out rush events a little bit so that nobody iis getting burned out. We also didn't have to worry about if a rushee walked out of an info session with a napkin or a soda. And lastly, even though we've had girls graduate and move far away (California, Texas, Florida, China, Korea), we still keep in touch through AIM, blogs, phone calls, and emails. And we've had alumnae use their vacation time to visit one another. During the summer (when everyone goes to their respective hometowns), we have undergrads and alumnae meeting up in Philadelphia, New York, DC, and even Seoul, Korea. We've had alumnae visit Penn State from New Jersey, New York, Virginia, California, and Illinois. Even though our alumnae may not live nearby, they're still there for the undergrads when they need help or advice or questions answered or just someone to talk to.

A little bit off on a tangent (I didn't want to start a whole other thread), but can someone from an all-local university or someone familiar with an all-local university explain to me what the school's reasons are for banning national GLO's? At Penn State, they're trying to get all the GLO's to go national and the reasoning Penn State gave was that we would be accountable to a national office and would have to follow certain rules and meet certain requirements to maintain our charters. I'm just curious as to how schools justify going to other way (not allowing nationals and only allowing locals).

People usually join a local GLO because they can't get into a real GLO. So instead of waiting until they are 45 to AI, they just go local.

Or, they go local, and then AI. Those kind of people suck.;) :p

A local GLO can offer just as much, if not more, than a national GLO...it just depends on the chapter and the individual person. A local GLO is just as "real" as a national GLO.

And, for those universities that only have local GLO's, it's not the individuals fault for wanting to join a GLO, but not having a national one to join.

Yeah, go Alphafrog!

:D

Excuse Me?:eek:

I started a F**king Local and am damn proud of that fact!:mad:

There are differences of opinion about Nationals and Locals.

So becoming a Member through AI is wrong also?

you better check and see how many GCers are AI members and very proud of the fact and are hard working within their GLOs!

How big are Your feet as You just stepped on something or is in something?:rolleyes:

I think the D9'rs would agree that if you really have your heart set on something you'll go for it and not accept 2nd best!

i've been lurking for a while, but i suppose it's about time to finally talk. :-)

i'm part of a local jewish GLO at CU boulder, and the reason that we're local is that with all the bad press CU has gotten (as i'm sure you're all aware of), they aren't looking to expand. we've been struggling for 2 years to change their minds, but it's not looking like it's going to happen any time soon.

we decided to go local so that there would be a jewish sorority on campus, even if it wasn't SDT or AEPhi like we wanted. we're still trying to be national, but this is just kind of a stepping stone for right now.

so i suppose that some peopls go local just for the fact that they can't find what they're specifially looking for in the national organizations on their campus. there's two (soon to be three) jewish fraternities on our campus, but no national jewish sororities.

and i just wanted to add that i've learned so much from reading the threads and posts on this website, i'm relatively still new to the greek world, and i'm trying to learn as much as i can before this new school year. so thanks for that. :-)

The very Best of Luck!:)

You are right CU is a snake pit whe it comes to Greeks.

Set Your Course and stay with it!

Only those of us who:

1) know what it means to have a heart and stick with something even if it means hard work and determination

and

2) aren't in a 2nd best organization that wasn't our first choice.


;) :) :cool: :p

Why would someone want to be in a local sorority?

Sisterhood
Scholarship
Service
Support
Networking

I think the question we're asking is, "why would someone want to join a sorority".

I joined a local because, well, aside from the NPHC groups, I didn't have an option. BUT! That being said, there's absolutely no way I could afford the dues of a national.

and as far as the "you get what you paid for" comment (:eek: btw), that's BS. Just because you pay a grand for prada shoes doesn't mean they're immune from dog crap. Lower dues mean we get sisters from all walks of life and economic backgrounds, these are QUALITY girls who probably couldn't fork over the hundreds of dollars a quarter and then initiation fee to join a national.

The local system is a breed apart. It's incredibly fun, incredibly unique, but most of all, it is authentic. It is just as authentic as a national sorority. Its lovely and laid back...none of this craziness about hundred thousand dolalr recruitment, matching dresses, and rules about having your legs crossed in letters. We've got sisterhood, and that, for me, is enough. And when you get letters from alumnae living abroad and letters from your 104 year old founder...yep, that rules.

It's not the letters, but the sisters wearing them...and my lovely, glorious sorority, is celebrating 85 years of sisterhood this year (well chuffed!).

**and the rest of our sororities are all 90+ years old this year!**

Wow drolefille. Thanks for starting this thread. I had wondered from time to time what members of national GLOs thought of members of local GLOs. Now I know that my sisters, my sorority, and my alumnae association are all "second best" and that my experience was "not for real." I must have imagined all of my chapter meetings, rituals, sister retreats, formals, fraternity exchanges, Derby Days, and Homecoming fun with fraternities.....

Thanks for the wake up call.

[QUOTE=Drolefille]I still just feel like you're missing out. Like it isn't real.

Then again, if all locals are like KLPDaisy's...[/QUOTE

Could this thread also be posted in the Local forum?

Locals are just as real as nationals. I'm truthfully shocked that we are having this discussion!!!!! The decision to go local instead of national (when national is an option) could have been made for a variety of reasons. The sisterhood/brotherhood is just as real! And in the end, the sisterhood/brotherhood was the real reason that we all joined anyway!!! It's really wrong to question how "real" someones sisterhood/brotherhood is!!! :mad:

I felt the same way when I read this post originally.

Isn't the point of any GLO to have sister/brotherhood? Who cares if you find your home in a local or national GLO? As long as you find it, and that's where you belong, then that's all that should matter.

And people should respect your decision, and be happy that you found your GLO, national or local.

Ok. We've had this locals vs. nationals debate a hundred times on GC. (See Similar Threads below.) This thread was started as a joke to give people something better than actually work during their work hours. Clearly some people got upset. (If I hadn't known that this wasn't a real thread, I would've gotten upset too.) I'm asking that a moderator please lock this thread before it gets out of hand.