how can a local become national?
 

my sorority is trying to become national and keeping our letters because we were asked to become a national at my campus in Rochester, New York because the college doesnt want locals any longer. What are the expectations to become a national? What are the requirements to be part of NPC, NHPC or a small national sorority. please let me know.

It depends on what you mean--is your local trying to establish a Beta chapter of your sorority, or does your local want to affiliate with an NPC sorority? If your local wants to affiliate with a national sorority, then it is up to your college administration to decide if your campus is open for expansion. If they decide your campus is open for a new national sorority to establish a chapter, then your sorority would have the option of affiliating with a national. I would check with you college's student affairs or Greek Life office to see if they would consider your campus open for expansion. For more on how the NPC handles adding new chapters/expansion procedures, go to www.npcwomen.org

ok.. my sorority had been around since 1984 at my college and was asked to do either of the following: become a national (keep our sorority letters, and become a national without combining with other sorority); or combine with another national sorority which is the Sigma Sigma Sigma and become part of that sorority; or shut down the chapter entirely.

We, as the first option, want to become national without combining with another national sorority and have the NPC to add us (our sorirty letters) to their other fellow chapters.

any ideas how this works

It's a REALLY big process and the last groups to join the NPC joined in what, the 1950's? You have to have a certain number of established chapters (13? I have no clue of the exact details). A single chapter cannot petition to join the NPC.

The first option is not a viable option for your group in an semi immediate point in time. It would probably take decades for you to achieve what is necessary to become a member of the NPC.

If I'm understanding correctly you don't want to join an existing NPC chapter but instead have your sorority join the NPC, become the 27th member?

This is not an option at this point. To join NPC you have to have X amount of chapters (I believe it's about 12) and your youngest chapter has to be X amount of years old (I can't remember, but it's over 10 I believe). Also, joining NPC with the min. amount of chapters would be ridiculous, for reasons we don't need to get into, seeing as though ya'll only have one chapter.

It looks like your only option is affiliation with an existing NPC. I'm not sure where ya'll decided on Sigma, but they would also have to decide to take you as well. Usually, if you want to become an NPC chapter, you invite several different NPCs to present, and then the sororities choose to accept the invitation to present, and then you choose from those who present, which NPC you would like to affiliate with, upon their approval.

I believe you need to have 15 chapters, and your youngest chapter has to be at least two years old in order to apply for NPC membership.

yes thats what im trying to say

the reason why i mentioned the Sigma is that we are the deaf local sorority on campus. Sigma is also another deaf national there. my college mentioned to join the Sigma

We have 2 other chapters, one at DC and other in California

Umm...I'm a little confused. Are you saying Sigma Sigma Sigma National Sorority that IS part of the NPC is on your campus, and you want your chapter to become a part of them, because they have a deaf chapter??

If you have 2 other chapters, I would consider that at least regional if not national. There are many sororities that are national without being members of the NPC. Does your sorority have some type of national council and (really important to your school) national liability insurance?

Ok, so ya'll only have 3 chapters...still a far cry from the 15 or so needed for NPC. And like I said, entering NPC with the min. amount of chapters would pretty much be suicide for an org. That may be the requirements, but NPC is not structured for a national org that weak.

From what I understand, and I think I know what school the OP is in, since the Tri Sigma chapter at her school is a deaf chapter, and her local is a deaf chapter as well, they would just become a part of the Tri Sigma chapter there.

OK. I think I know what's happening. Your university has decided to have the locals obtain national backing. Even though your sorority has two other chapters and could be considered a small national, steps to create a National Board and all that other stuff were never done. Correct? The university mentioned affiliating with Sigma because the chapter on your campus seems most similar to you. (Sigma may or may not be aware of this.) If you don't obtain national stature/affiliation of some sort, your sorority chapter must disband. Has the university set a deadline?

I think she's saying that her school suggested Tri Sigma because they already have a deaf chapter.

In that case, I doubt Sigma would just take the whole chapter...they'd probably have to rush and get bid, just like all the other PNMs.

Greekgal7 - Just to let you know (cause I wasn't sure if you knew from your post) Sigma is not a deaf sorority on a national level. The chapter at RIT (where I'm assuming you are) just happens to be deaf.

I think the school telling you to merge w/ the Sigma chapter is kind of offensive, just because it sounds like they're saying "well Sigma's deaf and these girls are deaf...sounds like a plan!" If you wanted to join Sigma, you would have joined Sigma to begin with.

I would definitely take steps with your other two chapters to create a national constitution and obtain insurance and such and become national like that. Especially if being part of the deaf community is a big part of your sorority's mission. You don't have to be NPC to be national.

Sigma Sigma Sigma is part of NPC on my campus, and since we are a deaf local sorority, my university wants us to consider to have our chapter to join the Sigma since they have deaf members on the same campus (to clarify, both of the chapters have deaf members)

how does "small national" work? i havent heard of that possibility. is there some small nationals out there and how is it processed? The greek affairs have mentioned a year deadline, but one thing, that lady in charge of greek affairs NEVER told us the deadline, she says we are "safe" but other greek chapters on campus warned us that SHE MENTIONED we have a year left to become national.

the current sorority president is going to question her about this asap because shes hard to get ahold of

[quote=33girl;1333019]Greekgal7 - Just to let you know (cause I wasn't sure if you knew from your post) Sigma is not a deaf sorority on a national level. The chapter at RIT (where I'm assuming you are) just happens to be deaf.

I think the school telling you to merge w/ the Sigma chapter is kind of offensive, just because it sounds like they're saying "well Sigma's deaf and these girls are deaf...sounds like a plan!" If you wanted to join Sigma, you would have joined Sigma to begin with.

I would definitely take steps with your other two chapters to create a national constitution and obtain insurance and such and become national like that. Especially if being part of the deaf community is a big part of your sorority's mission. You don't have to be NPC to be national.[/quote]

how is it possible to become national without NPC? i looked online and couldnt find anything and but came across this forum.

yes the Sigma chapter at my campus is deaf and i know its the only deaf national chapter out of all Sigma chapter out there.

NPC is only a conference, like the Big 10 or SEC. Just because Old Miss is SEC and Illinois is Big 10, doesn't mean they can't play against eachother. Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Sigma Gamma Rho (I know I'm missing one, I'm having a brain fart, and apologize to that group) are national sororities, but they are in a difference conference, the Divine 9. And, you don't necessarily have to be in a conference to be national.

ETA: Zeta Phi Beta...I knew it would come to me as soon as I hit the "post" button.

I'm certainly no expert, but it is possible to be a national organization without being a member of the NPC. My sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, is an international sorority, but we are non-collegiate and therefore non-NPC. Kappa Beta Gamma and Phi Beta Chi also come to mind. They are both national sororities (one social, one Christian...not that these are mutually exclusive). They have multiple chapters and are governed by a national executive board. There are many others. Some are catered to a specific interest group (religion, ethnicity, nationality, cause, or common academic field); others are not.

I don't know very much about how a group like yours would become national, but you will certainly need a constitution and board of officers as 33girl suggested.

Other posters will probably have more info.

Erica

Thats new to me, the college didnt mention about not necessarily joining the NPC. Do you have a process how to become a national on our own?

It has to do, mainly, with having a National Board that oversees all the chapters of your sorority, and of course, insurance, which I'm sure is one of your campus' main concerns.

This does raise the valid and rarely addressed question of what actually makes a national sorority a national sorority. Besides having plural chapters. I think, from reading way too many national websites, that it starts with INCORPORATION. Sorry about the caps, years of reading posts in which the D9 members are so very very proud of it have rubbed off on me. ;)

There's a forum on here called "up and coming nationals." Some of the people there could probably give you ideas on where to start.

The Greek advisor may not have told you about this possibility because she may not have known. Some people (even those in authority who should know better) think there's NPC and NPHC and that's it as far as nationals are concerned...so not the truth.

SoCalGirl, pretty much hit it on the head. A key component in becoming “national” is having your business side in order and being a legal entity. It would involve being incorporated according to the laws of your state. Those laws definitely vary from state to state so you may find an attorney helpful. Things to include are national officers and/or a board of directors, a tax ID number, and liability insurance. Your alumnae association can be a valuable asset in getting these things together. Rally them.

Here is a list of some sororities with less than 15 chapters.

Kappa Beta Gamma – www.kappabetagamma.org/
Arethusa (Sigma Gamma Phi) - www.arethusa.org/
Agonian (Alpha Kappa Phi) - www.agonian-kappa.org/
Clio Sorority (Phi Kappa Pi) - www.geneseo.edu/~clio/

Your president and chapter adviser really need to sit with the Greek Adviser. Have the GA outline in writing what is expected of your chapter. Only then can you determine what to do next.

I think you are all going about this the wrong way.

You need to think about the reasons WHY universities are requiring sororities to become national.

-Insurance
-National Affiliation


Insurance is a MUST. No University today will recognize your organization without it. They might ignore the fact that you are not national, but without insurance, it is a liability. But it is very expensive. They only way to afford it is to save, and to have many chapters paying for it.

So if you're planning to try to expand I suggest that you maintain high numbers of membership, continue excelling academically and maintain a good reputation with your own university administrators. You may need your university to back you in the process. If you aren't fulfilling their requirments they wont' put in a good word for you.

You will also want to make sure you have alumnae support in expanding. Undergrad members are busy with classes and work. You will need alumnae to help present to other schools, and also contribute financially. Write a National Constitution to include National Board and expansion process/requirements.

Find out what requirements you are NOT meeting at your university that is causing your organization to go national. Find out the details, and possibly set up a meeting with your active members, alumni association and greek advisor to discuss and explore your options.

Some friendly advice...

The same thing happened to the local sorority I was in, in college. The University required that we affiliate with an NPC sorority or we were going to lose our charter on campus. We looked into trying to fulfill the requirements and stay local because we didn't want to loose our sorority, but honestly it is impossible to do so. Your best option is to affiliate with a NPC sorority that is not currently on you campus. We affiliated with Theta Phi Alpha and it was a great decision. They allowed us to keep a lot of traditions that we had as a local sorority. All of our Alumna we also allowed to colonize along with the active sisters, so we didn't have to lose the support system that we already had, we just gained a larger one. Since we colonized and chartered our chapter has grown by leaps and bounds, not just in numbers, but also in involvement on campus and the community. I know that it feels like an awful decision that your chapter has to make, but it greatly helped mine. I hope this helps you and let me know if I can help you if you want any contact information for Theta Phi Alpha extensions.

As the OP has stated, their chapter is rather unique and any NPC that they joined would need to make the necessary accomodations. They also have two other chapters. Unless those other two chapters want to join them in becoming part of TPA or any other national sorority, their best bet is to do the things they need to incorporate and obtain insurance as the entity they already are.

Hi Greekgal7,

I'm part of Kappa Beta Gamma's national board. We are a small national sorority (currently 6 chapters) with plenty of room for expansion. If you are looking to join a national sorority but are not really sure where to turn, we'd love to talk to you! We are NOT a Pan-hellenic sorority, and we are definately willing to work with you in order to keep your chapter's personal traditions strong, but aid you with the support of a National Board.

I sent you a personal message, feel free to drop me an e-mail if you want more information to take back to your members!

This is outstanding for you to post this and your offer.

In this day and age, it is hard to join any of the Greek Conferences as a member.

Expansion has been seen the the many new GLOs that have come to the fore.

Expansion is good for the Greeks in many cases. But when a school dictates it is for one or two reasons only as mentioned above. Covering their rears from risk responsibilities.

Not really knowing which College this is, is a hiderence and what other GLOs are there.

By saying just Sigma, it is misleading.

As to the offer from this poster, It is outstanding and can lead to many things down the road for your group, theirs, and the future members.

Sigma is a national nickname for Tri Sigma. The original poster goes to Rochester Institute of Technology where the Tri Sigma chapter is composed primarily of women who are deaf. RIT has a high population of deaf students due to the NTID.

we are currently taking a look onto becoming national. we have talked to the greek affairs at RIT and our college is based on quarters not semesters so we will have a meeting about this matter in winter starting in December. I have the offer from Kappa Beta Gamma which just emailed me in mind and what you all have mentioned. Thanks for the help! Appreciated it all:)

Trying to become a National is a huge undertaking, much more than you may realize especially in this day and age..

The offer of KBG may be the best thing to check out. Of course, it is your groups decission to make.


Good luck in anything that you decide!:)