Vent about Nationals website
 

I wish they would list which chapters are active and which arent and a date of when they closed on the chapter list page.

And help the active chapters get a website together.

- They really should keep a more detailed listing on their chapter page. I know some of those listed are dormant.

- Whenver I stumble across a chapter website that they don't have, or they have wrong, I always email it to them to update that page (headquarters@sigmanu.org). They are kind of slow, but they get to it eventually. (I take that back... I sent them an update that Bethany now has a website ages ago http://www.bethanywv.edu/sigmanu/, and they still haven't updated the chapter list page with it).

- If you go into the members area, they keep a good list of all initiated members per chapter. You can even pull up the most recent active/candidate numbers from there... Wish they would total them, but as it is you have to manually count.

- I offered up my House Pics webpage for them to do with what they please. They said they would have to pass, due to liability or something like that.

Yeah, I've been upset with the website for awhile now... Rarely updated, hardly any news comes out of HQ unless it's through the Delta, and just a poor layout in general...

Website sucks, especially the store. There isn't even a simple shopping cart system, you have to email them to order things.

And they [HQ] via the "Pursuit of Excellence" are asking the chapters to keep current websites. To be honest though, it's a pretty decent improvement over what we had before. It's just that some parts have been "under construction" for years now.

The website of your chapter (or HQ for that matter) is a bigger deal than most would realize. Recruits and parents go to it as a source for information. If it's less of a source than another organization's site, you may be put at a disadvantage.

If your chapter doesn't have a website, that can be a huge problem. Unless your chapter is able to sit back with minimal effort and have potential pledges come to it, then there's no excuse to have no website (or a poor one).

And it's SO not hard. I don't understand some chapters sites I go to and they have broken links, or haven't been updated in a year, don't have updated member info, or don't even have any contact (email) info (example: Maryland).


At the VERY least, a chapter should put a little one page site with the following:
- Welcome page (blah, Sigma Nu, link to nationals, won this that the other, house phone/address).
- Picture of the house (Personal favorite to see right when I go to a page)
- Member list (with total # at the top, so I don't have to count). Or hell, a link to the latest composite.
- and Current Officers....

Exactly... I keep preaching to my chapter that having a current, up to date website is a huge recruitment tool, especially at a school as large as UCF with 47,000+ students. Apathy can be really hard to deal with at times...

We have a great layout and some good content, but everything else is so out of date... Blah.

I really like these nationals chapter listings:

Pi Kappa Phi - Picture of the USA, state links. Each state link shows the chapter size for each chapter. Wow.
http://www.pikapp.org/collegiate/cha...chaptermap.cfm


Pi Kappa Alpha - Also a state by state map. Click the state and it pops up the Regional Consultants. Click on the chapter link and the window that pops up shows a pic of their chapter house, mailing address, and link to their website.
http://www.pikes.org/student/about/c...rDirectory.xml

I also wish it'd show who was dormant and who was not.

well our national site in general is a bit lacking. the content is convulted and the opening intro is about 5 years old now. eeck.

our chapter site is under permanent construction!

http://www.sigmanusjsu.com/index.php

I've been bugging one of our alumni to apply for a web development position at Nationals... Carl is currently the Old Dominion U webmaster, and has done some fantastic stuff on short notice.

I've always disliked the organization of the National's page, and the lack of effort that goes into updating/maintaining the site.

Short of Press Releases (re: WSU closing, VTech Shooting) and the Delta updates, there is very little news on the site.

The Delta update from Fall 2006 you mean :-)

The funny thing is that they already have those releases -- I'm on the alumni listserv. I get things within hours of when they happen.

So why is it so hard for them to update the main website then?

- The "news" area is terrible (under "press").
*Fraternity News last update is from 2002.
*Chapter News last update is from 2004.

I don't get it. It is VERY easy to update a website that is already created. Just give me the login and I'll update it damnit!!! :D

There should be info on:
- Chapter re-births at Arkansas, North Carolina, Louisiana State, Florida, Arizona State. Complete with numbers info, "re"-founding fathers, etc.
- Pictures of houses going up or getting work around the nation. Arkansas is new. LSU is being renovated.
- News on famous Sigma Nu's like Paul Rudd (I think he was a KU snake).
- I understand if they don't want to advertise closing chapters (Wash State).

I don't mind having it be public knowledge that we close chapters. I'm actually proud that we close chapters. Sorry to all of y'all who are members of such chapters, but liability insurance is positively crushing us.

probably the reason dues went up to national AGAIN at last Grand Chapter


The funny thing is that our reps told us that they had some national big wig get up on the podium and give this invigorating speech saying things like "don't you want a better organization?! Don't you want to be the number one fraternity?!" and the various chapters were cowed into voting "aye" for a due hike. The California chapters voted "nay" almost in unison realizing A) we feel we get little support, B) our composition is mostly working class and middle class kids without a long family Greek tradition and most Sigma Nu costs are absorbed by the actives themselves rather than parents.

Grand Chapter is VERY political.

That said, what you need to do is communicate with each other and lobby the rest of the chapters! What goes on in session is pretty much a done deal 99% of the time. It's only when actives get together and talk amongst themselves that they can make a difference -- and you can.

Back in '00, in Arizona, HQ wanted to push through an alcohol free housing initiative. The brotherhood simply wouldn't have it. They voted it down. In the end, much weaker legislation was passed.

Grand chapter is basically a year away. If Cali chapters are so similar, start communicating with each other. Decide to take a unified stance on legislation and decide to lobby the rest of the organization to get your way.

The way the Grand Chapter is set up, basically every chapter gets the same representation. That process lends itself to smaller chapters (as there are more of those) having the most say -- but only if they speak with one voice.

While we celebrate our flagship chapters in the SEC, Big Ten, Big XII, etc., it is easily forgotten that most Sigma Nus are not at those big schools. They are mostly smaller chapters like yours.

-- just make sure you're not steamrolled.

It would be nice if we had a unified Sigma Nu forum or something....

I feel as though it's difficult for us all to communicate. If national set up a forum on its website we could make it private by putting it in the Members Only section. It seems as though GreekChat.com and a couple MySpace groups are our only means of national communication

If you want to make Cali chapters aware of GC, I can't stop you :)

I think the format here is much better than the myspace groups.

If you guys haven't read the new Delta...seems like HQ is going to revamp the website..lets just hope it's true and has updated info and more stuff for brothers

I remember reading it back when I was in school and it had updates on a lot of chapters (whoever sent in news), like rush numbers, philanthropy info, awards.... I miss that.

I'm reading the new "digital" delta right now. It is boundless what they can do with this format - I hope they take advantage of that.

they're pushing the digital version BIGTIME. Because it's obviously cheaper to publish maybe we can expect more updates? Can't wait for the new site re-vamp we need it!

I opted in for the paper magazine. You just can't replace that.

I don't like how they cut a lot of our non-internet-savvy alums out of receiving their magazines though. To opt in to receive the paper magazine, you have to go online.

It kind of reminds me of that Dudley Moore book where the Notice of Earth's impending destruction was posted at the courthouse on Alpha Centauri.. and had we just looked, we could have sought redress before they destroyed our world...

I just finished.. Lackluster. Why do they limit themselves? It's online! Go wild!

Hell, they had a part on the Bama house rededication and had a TINY little pic.. I can do much better, here:

Front:
http://swhitehorse.phenominet.com/si...mages/bama.jpg

TOP:
http://swhitehorse.phenominet.com/si...ages/bama2.jpg


NEW ADDITION (Alumni Hall / Party area)
http://swhitehorse.phenominet.com/si...ages/bama3.jpg


Why not have tons of updates on as many chapters as possible??? bits and bytes are inexpensive......

Well, it seems the new Delta is an improvement over simply sending out *.pdf files of what would have (and should have) been printed.

Not as interactive as I would have liked, and not enough information about the many house projects and chapter news bulletins that COULD have and should have been in there...

Perhaps if nationals coordinates with the chapter PR chairs, they can have a digest of chapter events and news from across the US? I'd gladly write a 300 word column and take a few photos once a month to see it published in our national newsletter!

Overall though, it's a step in the right direction, and welcome news about the website update!

well you gotta realize that the Delta is really geared towards alumni who want to hear about the National org, famous alumni doing interviews, war vets, who's publishing a book, etc etc.

ungrads like ourselves would probably like to hear what other chapters are doing as far as community service, AS positions, parties, etc etc but you gotta realize what the Delta is about...

that being said there's no reason we can't combine those two into one kick ass publication!

hey bro! you still haven't uploaded the San Jose State house photos I sent. Did you get them?

Something to have our chapters bring up at college of chapters in a few weeks, perhaps? It really would be awesome to see what other chapters are up to. The only chapter that mine is close with is the VA Tech chapter, and even then, we only hear their news when we plan roadtrips to go see them.

Yeah I found if kind of interesting that they published that article about AXID...for some reason about a week ago I was looking up information out of boredom of the history between Sigma Nu and Alpha Xi Delta and I found a link that leaad me to their Newsletter and it had a whole story there and I was thinking to myself, It would be interesting if The Delta would publish a story like this...long and behold it's in this Delta.

I think as time goes on and once they revamp the website, the Digital Delta will just take off and incorporate what undergraduates want to see and read and what Alumni want to read and hear.

Yup. Sorry about that.
Working on it right now. I was able to get in contact with alumni at other chapters to, so I'll have pics for Lehigh, W.Mich, Houston, Ole Miss' renovation, ASU, Colorado, Dartmouth, Drury, Maine, San Jose St., U.Washington, Texas A&M, and some old old old pics of Wisconsin - back when we had a chapter there.... This is a pretty fun little project.

I think that would be an interesting part of the new HQ website....adding pics of houses and info about each chapter

Here ya go Kyle. Added SJSU.

http://www.oklahomasigmanu.com

I asked Nationals about making a link to this site; but I got a 'no' response due to liability or something or other.

So I just decided to do it myself. Don't mind the domain, it's just one I had. I'm thinking of registering "sigmanuhouses.com" or something like that.

Nice domain name... OklahomaSigmaNu -- is that yours?

Would you mind linking the Oklahoma Sigma Nu chapters main websites?

Good idea Kevin! Yeah, I'll do that today.

See, in my mind I had this WHOLE community idea for "oklahomasigmanu.com" - for alumni snakes in Oklahoma, or from one of the Oklahoma chapters. However, my design guy is being way lazy on putting it together for me... Maybe I'll buy him an 18pack and force him to do it this weekend.

DO any of you know the new site for Epsilon Epsilon? This old one is the only one I can find: http://www.osusigmanu.org
But I KNOW I recently stumbled on a newer, and updated site of theres.... Just can't find it again!?!

done and done, updated.

I wonder how long this new website is going to take to make....honestly I'm kind of anxious and looking forward to it (yes I'm a geek what can I say)

They announced the current website at the '02 Grand Chapter. It was up very shortly thereafter.

If precedent is any indication of the future, it won't be long.

Lets hope that they don't announce it again till Grand Chapter and we have to wait a whole year till Grand Chapter is over

Wasn't this change announced in Indy?