reistablish greek life- start a new chapter. ideas?
 

I attend a small private school where the only fraternity and sorority were suspended two years ago. the frat is back on this semester but the sorority won't be coming back. I want to start a new chapter and there is a lot of interest. i'm not sure were to start. I checked the NPC website and looked thru all the sororities that are listed. Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated. I have a meeting set up with the dean of student accounts next week.

Bold = answer to your question. That's the first step. The school needs to be open for expansion before you start anything.

That's the appropriate thing to do. The University adminstration will have to decide to open for NPC expansion and there is a process for them to do that. The Dean can address that with you and perhaps you could help gauge student interest for him by starting a petition or some other method he might suggest. Working with the administration is the best way.

I would know clearly why the previous sorority was shut down before going into this meeting so you can have some answers ready for why this incarnation will be different. For instance, every sorority has firm anti-hazing rules, and as a new chapter you would be firmly in compliance as inter/national representatives support you in your colonization. Same with alcohol policy, grades, whatever. Just KNOW what the problems were and have answers ready. It may have been a lifetime ago for you, but the administration probably remembers it not very fondly.

Also, have some stats ready about Greeks and Fortune 500 companies, Greeks and the Presidency, Greeks and university donations, etc. I don't know how much selling you're going to have to do to get this done, but there is a LOT of data ready for you and I'd be using all of it.

You might also have 3 or 4 sororities in mind and why you think they would be a good fit for your campus. Not that they WILL be, but it's easier to sell something concrete than ideological.

Good luck!

Kind of random, but you aren't by any chance at Greensboro College are you?

You could always go to nearby schools with a Greek system and find out more about how it works and how it operates. Chances are if the school has a Greek life office, then it will at least say that it supports Greek life on its campus - find out what the reasons the school supports Greek life are, take it back to the dean, and basically make the case that "if they have X, Y, and Z there, we could have X, Y, and Z here." There have also been studies that show that Greek alumni typically contribute more in donations to their alma mater than non-Greeks. At a private college especially, I imagine that that argument would carry a lot of weight.