Schools with most inactive NPC chapters
 

I thought it would be interesting to see which institutions have the most inactive NPC chapters. The information below is very revealing. There are 32 schools with 6 to 13 inactive NPC groups. Several actually have more inactive than active!

An asterisk indicates that a colony exisits, or will be this fall, and the number will reduce by one when it is installed.

U. C. L. A. 13 inactive, 11 active
Syracuse 13 inactive, 12 active
U Minnesota 12 inactive, 9 active
Louisiana State 11 inactive, 10 active
U. Michigan 10 inactive, 13 active **
Ohio State 10 inactive, 14 active
U. Oregon 10 inactive, 8 active
U. Pennsylvania 10 inactive, 8 active
U. Wisconsin 10 inactive, 11 active
U. California 9 inactive, 12 active
U. Colorado 9 inactive, 9 active
Ohio U. 9 inactive, 9 active
U. Oklahoma 9 inactive, 11 active
U. Southern California 9 inactive, 11 active
U. Missouri 8 inactive, 13 active
U. South Carolina 8 inactive, 9 active
Arizona State U. 7 inactive, 11 active **
Boston U. 7 inactive, 8 active
Florida State 7 inactive, 15 active
Michigan State 7 inactive, 13 active
Oregon State 7 inactive, 10 active
U. Texas 7 inactive, 14 active
West Virginia U. 7 inactive, 8 active
U. Alabama 6 inactive, 15 active **
U. Arizona 6 inactive, 11 active **
U. Illinois 6 inactive, 19 active **
U. Iowa 6 inactive, 14 active
Kansas U. 6 inactive, 13 active
U. Maryland 6 inactive, 14 active
Miami U. 6 inactive, 17 active **
Northwestern U. 6 inactive, 12 active
U. Pittsburgh 6 inactive, 11 active

Unfortunately, the cost to revive chapters at most of these institutions is very expensive, even when the opportunity arises. Some groups have determined that several chapters could be created at less competitive schools for the same cost and effort than at these major schools.

The sororities and number of inactive chapters at the above institutions are as follows:

19 Alpha Xi Delta (1 colony)
17 Alpha Epsilon Phi (3 colonies)
17 Alpha Omicron Pi
17 Phi Mu
17 Zeta Tau Alpha
16 Alpha Gamma Delta
15 Delta Zeta
15 Sigma Kappa
14 Sigma Delta Tau
13 Alpha Delta Pi (1 colony)
13 Delta Phi Epsilon
12 Kappa Delta
12 Phi Sigma Sigma
12 Theta Phi Alpha
8 Alpha Sigma Alpha
7 Gamma Phi Beta
7 Sigma Sigma Sigma
6 Pi Beta Phi
5 Delta Delta Delta
4 Alpha Phi (1 colony)
4 Chi Omega
3 Delta Gamma
3 Kappa Alpha Theta
3 Kappa Kappa Gamma
2 Alpha Chi Omega
2 Alpha Sigma Tau

Did they tell you this personally??? :confused:

What about Southern Methodist University? I think they have something like 9 inactive chapters.

Also, I think it is somewhat meaningful to look at when the chapters closed. Were they recent or were they during WW2 or the laste 60s?

I'm not sure what it reveals. Can you explain?

Schools with more chapters are bound to have more inactive chapters. A school, such as Mizzou, with 8 inactive chapters, yet 13 active chapters is a bit different than one that didn't make your list, like Bucknell, with 8 inactive chapters but only 6 active chapters.

I would agree that it is hard to recolonize a chapter at some of these schools because housing or land for a new chapter is not always available due to zoning laws even if the sorority's HQ could finance it.

My reaction EXACTLY.

When the expansion thread said that Bucknell in PA was open for expansion, I checked irish pipes' thread. It showed that Bucknell has 6 active and 8 inactive chapters. (Not sure, oldu, what university criteria you must have used to limit your list?)

I agree with ForeverRoses' comment re: the significance of timing on the chpater closings. Admittedly, I know very little about the colonization process. I would be skittish, however, to pursue colonization on a campus where the "survival rate" of NPC sororities is less than 50%. At Bucknell, TriDelta just closed a single letter chapter in 2003 that had been in existence since 1904. It brings up all those questions re: when a campus is ready for expansion.

It was interesting to go back and look at the issues discussed in this thread on When Is It a Good Idea for Campus Panhel Expansion:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ight=expansion

I don't think Tri Delta closed at Bucknell for numbers-related reasons.

Primarilly I took the largest Greek systems. Otherwise the list would be very very long. I have a good friend who is president of her sorority's foundation and she told me it is a big internal struggle for groups when a large prestigous institution like Illinois or Alabama opens for expansion and the debate begins as to how much the sorority wants to gamble in time and funds to develop a chapter there as opposed to a school where housing is less important and the competition is less. Her foundation is one of the largest and she told me that they had turned down opportunities to revive some lost chapters because they could not justify the investment required and the risk to be taken, much to the disappointment of many alumnae.

Foundations deal with managing the charitable aspect of the sorority - its donations to various causes, etc. Not with the every day deals of where to colonize and where not to.

One person's opinion from one group does not make it fact.

I agree with the other posters who have said that the time the chapters went inactive is important. There's a huge difference between the chapter going dormant in the 1920's or 1930's than going dormant 2 years ago.

Also: It reveals nothing other than someone with time on his hands to do some statistics. To extrapolate more from it is conjecture.

Exactly. Some of these schools (Syracuse comes to mind as one) have transitioned from a period in the early period of the 20th century where they were pioneers of Greek life and probably most of the women on campus were in NPC groups. They have transitioned now to being modern universities, and it's very unlikely that they'll have such high participation rates in NPC again.

Oh come on -- most of the Foundation leaders (certainly of the groups with the largest/oldest Foundations) have been Fraternity leaders and are not far removed from what is going on.

As usual, I find oldu's thread interesting and value his input in this forum.

You stated that the list is very revealing. I'm wondering what exactly it reveals. Are you suggesting that the reason that those closed chapters don't re-open is due to the risk in investing in them?

He's taking one quote from one unknown unnamed person as gospel to be applied to all 26 groups. Mine own school is on that list, and what it would take to recolonize would be minimal...

Yes yes yes, we know you love oldu. I would tell you two to get a room, but.....
There are so many other factors that could be taken into consideration beyond cost. Campus climate - support for greeks, risk management issues, culture of the campus to be welcoming of a new group, etc.

Where'd you go? Pitt?

I know! That's why I was asking him if that was what he thought. (that it was just cost and risk)

Ohio University is on the list, and I have to say that greek life is on the decline there (pledge classes are down to 25ish members each). And even when I was in school (back in the days of 50-member new member classes and adding new sororities) it wasn't the end all be all to be greek. I think SMU (which is not on the list) has a more important greek life- it's more important to be greek there than OU.

Yes, she went to Pitt. To say that the expense/effort to recolonize at Pitt is the same as it would be at LSU or even Ohio State is laughable. And she's right - ONE quote from ONE person from ONE sorority certainly doesn't apply to all groups, or even to the majority of their own group. (Stop laughing Sandy, I know you are.)

LA - I don't know exactly what he's intimating but I do know if I was an A Xi D I'd be kind of pissed.

The next thread will be "colonies that never chartered at schools that have a wild animal as a mascot." In all seriousness - we've been here before - I think a lot of people appreciate oldu's stats, but the commentary, not so much.

Oldu: "Oh, no! Really? Well, at least they're at the bottom of the list. Hmm, maybe if I choose different campuses I can get those numbers down a bit. Darn it!"

It just bothers me that some of you swarm to oldu's threads to pick apart and criticize. It's like his connections, experience, longevity, and perspectives are not as worthy as your 10,000+ posts on Greek Chat.

Connections - 1
Experience - None (he's not in an NPC)
Longevity - ???
Perspectives - Skewed

Old u I like your stats...keep them up!

In a few years this will be 4 inactive and 17 active after Alpha Phi and DG colonize. That is if all our current chapters stay active.

I always knew that there were tiers among sororites at my school but I never knew there were national tiers until I started seeing these threads and some of the self-important comments within it. Seriously though? Some of you really care which sororities are the strongest nationally? It just seems like a way for grown adults to wield a big stick long after graduation which I personally find sad.

I can only speak for a campus I'm more familiar with, but at UC Berkeley almost ever chapter closed is a single letter chapter. I think not only were the 60's and 70's a trying time for Cal, but also the structures we have in place now for recruitment, quota, total, large houses etc. where not so rigid back in the early 1900's so it was probably easier for groups to start chapters.

If I'm remembering correctly, DG's Berkeley chapter only had 13 charter members in 1907, but if any group were to expand on campus now I doubt they would feel comfortable starting a colony with 13 members!

Maybe the lack of a big stick is the issue.

My question would be this: Do these statistics show "new" chapters among the statistics.

What I mean is that when I return to Ohio University, there are some houses that weren't there when I was a student way back when.

So, do the statistice identify new groups that have failed as well as more established ones?

There can be a number of reasons for a chapters failure -- not always having to do with relative strength of the system as a whole on campus.

Specifically, in terms of OU, the "new" president (of about three years) is a BGLO member, whereas the former president was not particularly supportive of GLO's.

Also, when was the list compiled.

Here's a link to a list of active GLO's and Colonies at Ohio:

http://www.ohio.edu/campuslife/greek/chapters.cfm

L. O. L. O. L. O. L.

Exactly.

...and a discussion is what's happening. Even discussion of whether it is indeed interesting or has merit is still part of the discussion.

So........

The stats are not the problem
 

but

Oh, you know me so well.

Right.

I checked to see why Southern Methodist was not included. My cut-off was institutions with 9 or more NPC groups and they have 8. However, it would easily fit the pattern I suggest. Nine inactive chapters, three of which were closed in the past 15-20 years, at a place where a multimillion dollar home is a must. Believe me, ask any of your top officers and they will assure you that they will not casually make a decision to enter one of these institutions. That is why many group make a decision NOT to present when an opening arises -- they have evaluated the situation and concluded that time and money would be better invested elsewhere. My sorority friend, who is a former council member, tells me that is why it is such a difficult decision when alumnae of the former chapter badly want it revived, and they are unable to commit to do it. I am aware of several very expensive sorority houses which were sold at a loss to another group because the chapter failed. No group, however wealthy they may be, can afford many of those mistakes.

I think some international officers need to learn discretion.

I think we already knew that. Did anyone here not know that?

A-Freaking-MEN. :rolleyes:

I think that discretion should be The Wave Of The Future.

So where's the one for the fraternities? I would think that would be of more interest to a fraternity alumnus.

Just on the basis of a few schools on "the list" that I'm familiar with, it looks to me like current NPC orgs are the ones included. The list might look slightly different if it included the former NPC groups -- Alpha Delta Theta, Delta Sigma Epsilon, Pi Kappa Sigma, Theta Sigma Upsilon, Phi Omega Pi, Theta Upsilon, Beta Phi Alpha and Beta Sigma Omicron. In some cases those sororities had chapters that became inactive before a group merged with / was absorbed by another NPC org.

However, digging for that information might be a lot more trouble than it would be worth.

And of course a similar list for fraternities -- well, men's fraternities, for those of us who strive to be hypercorrect when we remember to be -- might be be difficult, and huge.

well, statistics are relative and adding one variable or leaving one out of the equation can really skew the results.

several posters brought up taking into consideration when the chapter/colony was closed. another variable which would make a difference would be the agressiveness of the sorority's expansion program-how many colonies/chapters had been established in the set time period. some sororities seem to be more cautious than others when they are considering expansion.

Yep! One example would be UCLA. When it became part of the UC system around 1920, sororities flooded the place. In 1930 there were 35 sororities on campus....all housed! These were NPC, now former NPC and locals. It slowly dwindled down to the current 11 over the course of 70 years.

University of Maryland, on the other hand, only had a few locals that quickly became chapters of NPCs starting in the mid-1920s. The number of chapters grew over the next 30-40 years peaking at 18. Now there are 14.

The point is that you can't make one definative statement about how expansion could work or does work for campuses so drastically different from eachother.

For what it is I think it's interesting. And I think we all know that extension isn't something that you just fling a chapter at a wall and hope it sticks. You really do have to investigate the financial, school, city, traditions, general activity, and enrollment aspects as well.

I don' really sit around in misery and my own group is pretty much at the top. Nor do I feel "better" about the ones at the bottom. It's a list, it's just some information. It is what it is and it's kinda interesting that someone did the work so I could see a different aspect of this issue.

Another thing worth pointing out is how often (in modern NPC times) have these campuses been open to expansion? You can't just go round re-colonizing anywhere you want. You have to be invited.

7 inactives here? I know all 15 recognized ones but not a single unrecognized... thats weird.