Mega Chapters
 

I am not sure if this is the correct forum for this question or not.

I am curious as to how chapters deal with 70+ new members. How is that even managable? I think back to my own chapter and it was a challenge for our New Member Educator to manage 45 new members.

I would love to hear how those from mega chapters deal with the logistics of that many actives and new members.

I'm also guessing there isn't just one NM Educator, but a whole committee.

I wonder if it makes it easier if new members move into the house following recruitment.

That happens sometimes, right?

I don't know if Mega Chapter is a new term or not - it came to mind as I am reading about these chapters with 70, 80, 90 new members, with a campus total of 200 plus, and all I can think of is "this is like those mega churches with 10,000 members that meet in old convention centers..."

Only speaking for my group - KD's NM Educator in our VP-Member Education. She has more than just new member education in her job description, so she (both big and small chapters) use SET leaders (a SET is a smaller group of the new member class, used to make sure they are getting acclimated) to facilitate the new member program. In several large chapters, the VP-ME acts as the manager of lots of NM educators (ie, SET leaders). Sure, new members may all meet together in new member meetings with the VP-ME, but there are lots of sisters who work hard to ensure that our new members are learning about being Kappa Deltas. There is certainly NO WAY that 1 person could handle a group of 70+ women on her own, and thankfully she has a great team who works with the new members.

Please post ideas.

We have 91 new members, an awesome Education Advisor and fabulous Vice President Education. The VPE is already thinking "committee" and is planning, with the Vice President Development, meaningful Sisterhood events.

Our total is considerably over 200 now. Way over, actually.

I'm trying to help the Risk Team and Exec problem solve the logistics of fitting everyone into the dining room. They are excellent leaders and this will all work itself out.

At Arkansas, where total membership for many groups will likely be over 330, the Kappas are (as far as I have heard from daughter) planning to subdivide the new member class into smaller groups, each with a member leader or two. The group will engage in activities together, then be reshuffled into another small group for round two, then reshuffled again for another round of stuff. Doing this should help make the NM class feel more intimate and engaged with each other.

Of course, another BIG factor that throws a curveball at megachapters when trying to help forge bonds among pledge classes, is the now much shortened new member period. It is pretty hard to cram in several bonding opportunities, get to know members in order to get paired for Big/Littles, go to class, experience campus activties, etc all within 5 - 6 short weeks. All of the sudden - boom - you are a member.

And don't even get me started on how hard it is for the members to remember just exactly WHO are their new members when they run into them on campus.

It's actually pretty unusual since new members are already locked into housing contracts.

How do chapters this big manage to go on retreats? I don't know if every chapter or organization does this, but at my school all of the sororities (and fraternities) go on a weekend retreat. I just can't imagine how that would work with 100+ girls.

Hm, I was under the impression that this was why some schools had recruitment prior to when everyone else moved in. Must just have been something I made up in my noggin.

So then how DO they do it?!

The chapter that I advised had the largest new member quota in the country last year (101). Our corporation budget, which is driven predominantly from room and board, is finalized in the prior Spring semester. So, all housing contracts are signed that Spring.

As to how the chapter manages such a huge new member class, you've got me. I know that chapters at Arkansas are getting creative on how to create a positive greek experience, but it can't be easy.

I do think that the mega chapters lose some of their individuality. In a lot of ways I think that can be a good thing - no chapter is "better" or "worse" than another because with close to 300 members, each gets a pretty good cross-section of personalities.

The only NPC system that I know of (off the top of my head) that has new members move in on bid day is the University of Washington. Most chapter houses are filled with current members prior to spring term ending.

It can be a real challenge! The available budget obviously goes up given the number of women paying dues, but finding an activity that hundreds of women can do at once is pretty tough. I am advising our sisterhood chair this year; she did a trip to DisneyQuest in the spring (a huge hit with the actives, who mostly split up into smaller groups to ride the rides or hang out in Downtown Disney) and this fall she is planning a beach trip/paintball day. They will probably have to play paintball in several different rounds, but that's fine because the rest of the women will be able to sit on the sidelines and cheer on the sisters who are currently playing. The more routine sisterhood activities (not the big trips/retreats) are also challenging, because if you want to go to Melting Pot to have dessert as a group, you have to get them to seat all 200+ of you!

As far as the seating at dinner goes, AzTheta, they may end up needing to eat in shifts. I'd recommend alternating who goes to which shift and encouraging them not to just sit with their established BFFs, so that there is plenty of opportunity for the new members to get to know the sisters, as well as making sure that exec is there for all of the shifts so that they are available to all of the women in the chapter on a daily basis.

Idaho has new members move in on Bid Day.