Rushing a Recolonizing Chapter
 

Has anyone here rushed/pledged a reclonizing chapter?

I'm considering rushing (or whatever the correct term is) a chapter that is recolonizing and I'm wondering how its going to be different from formal rush.

Check out this thread: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ad.php?t=96791

It really depends from group to group.... but from what I know, it's different in a few ways:

* at some schools the re/colonizing chapter will participate in the first few days of recruitment only, and have their events after FR is over. At other schools they will participate in the full recruitment rounds.

* During recruitment the existing groups are only allowed to take "Quota" with a few additions if that school allows. The re/colonizing group can bid up to total. So for example, if campus total is 100, and that year's quota is 45, all the groups can take in around 45 members, whereas the new group can bid 100 women.

* the re/colonizing group may hold interviews with pnm's before handing out bids

There are a number of women here on GC that joined a new group on campus that I'm sure will chime in. Best of luck!

I was a founding father of a brand new colony. I might want to add that effectively, you've got to answer for a lot of stereotypes. If your chapter was deactivated because somebody got hurt 5 years ago while mixing grain alcohol with Viagra, you might have a reputation to live down. Depends on how stupid the reason for deactivation is mainly. But sometimes the reason is minor (ie lack of interest) and you get a perfect chance to make a name for yourself in a positive manner.

Of course it also presents some wonderful opportunities. I've met people all across Canada that I share a terrific bond with, and I was even working in a city 600km away when I ran into a brother from my chapter.

HQ should probably give you lots of help to recolonize. After all, all fraternties are businesses first and organizations second and they want to see 100 dues paying members living in a house previously filled with unremarkable students.

Thomas

Canadian, since this is in the sorority recruitment section, I am assuming she is considering rushing a sorority colony. If a sorority mixed grain alcohol with Viagra, they would not be recolonizing - ever.

hahaha. I'm not sure why the sorority closed down in the first place (its been a while). I'm not sure they'd ever tell us anything except "lack of interest" even if it was grain alcohol and viagra.


I'm also kinda wondering what its like after you join compared to joining one thats been around longer. I mean are there still social events like other sororities or is it just trying to get things up and running? And how long are the national people around. Is it like "here's your pledge class - go!" or are they around for 5 years trying to get things running smoothly.

I'm just super curious I suppose.

I am confident that no NPC HQ is going to say "Here's your pledge class - go!" A great deal of time, money and energy goes into opening a new chapter. HQ wants that chapter to succeed, and will continue to provide support long after the charter is granted.
As to the social aspect, it has been my experience that being a new chapter means that the rest of the Greek system is very open to doing joint mixers/social events/philanthropies with the newbies. I'm sure a GCer who colonized will weigh in on that soon.

Being in a colony has many similarities to an established chapter. So yes, you will be able to host service projects, participate in homecoming, and have exchanges/mixers with fraternities. What will be different is that the entire colony will be going through NM education together. The colony also will have the added responsibility of creating bylaws and chapter traditions.

Colonies are not left to their own devices. A Resident Consultant, who is a national representative and each sorority has a different name for it, lives with the colony for a year or two. This is in addition to the local alumnae who will serve on the colony’s advisory board. Once the colony is chartered, it will be placed in network like the other chapters and be monitored accordingly by the national organization.

There are very few people, in general, who can claim to be a founding mother. It is a great and worthwhile experience. Give it a shot

Correct.

Usually, sororities do not recolonize a chapter until many years have passed. At one particular - maybe even the one you're at - one group has been gone more than 40 years and the other has been gone more than 30 years. I heard all kinds of wild rumors about one of the groups - even though those spreading the rumors weren't born until long after it closed. The rumors were quite amusing, because they were wrong. The other group was unknown because there are very few other chapters in that part of the country.
Yes, there will be plenty of social events. The Greek community usually tries to be very welcoming...the new group will probably have more social events with many different groups - sororities and fraternities - the first two or three years because they'll want to welcome the new group.
International/national HQ usually sends a specially trained pro to live with the group the first couple of years, with close supervision and frequent visits from regional/international officers. It might even stretch to another year or so. Often, this pro is a graduate student at the same time.
That's been my experience with my group, anyway.
"Your Mileage May Vary.";)

I agree that a colony's social calendar is likely more active than an established chapter because the established groups on campus may try to include the new group more than they would otherwise.

Being a colony member is a rewarding and exhilirating experience, but I will warn that it is definitely harder than joining an established chapter. There are certainly struggles that established chapters don't have, but then, the rewards may be commeasurate.

One thing that makes colonies a challege is that the colony members haven't chosen each other. The sororitiy's national representatives have put the group together. It takes a while to gel and find a niche, especially if you're talking about a large colony. Sisterhood doesn't just happen. Colony members need to work at it.

Being a part of a (re)colonizing chapter is a different experience, at least for the first few years, imo. Do not go into expecting that you will be alone, however. My chapter had a year-round consultant, has a massive advisory board and still has supervision from nationals. They do not let you "on your own" until they feel that you are capable of running the chapter (this may be years). Yes, there are socials and mixers, philanthropy events and everything else associated with a chapter. However, I would go so far as to say that it is in some respects more difficult to be a founding member of a chapter because of all the work everyone has to do.

Good luck!

I know no sorority would mix grain alcohol with viagra. The point I was making was that if the chapter was closed for an outrageous reason, you may have to demonstrate otherwise because somebody rembembers Sister XYZ and some of her wild stories. Even if it's a 2 year clean break between deactivation and recolonization, some people (alumnae especially) will be there who are concerned about events which resulted in deactivation. So you've not only got to start a sorority, but also rebuild a new image.

Thomas

You're quite correct, Thomas.

However, 2 years is not nearly long enough between a charter surrender and a recolonization. 30 years may not be long enough. Sororities have a much harder time fighting rumors and changing public perception. A fraternity chapter can go from the cellar to the penthouse (so to speak) in a couple of years with no harm to the guys' reputations.
Women have much, much longer memories.;):cool:

If you are interested in the (re)colonization process and the organization as a whole, I would check out the national organizations web sites. From what I have seen on GC, and from my own experience, there can be a lot of information posted about colonies and recolonizations on those websites.

Your point about alumnae is a good one. Even if the chapter closed 30 years ago, there may be alumnae who are bitter about the closure or who carry baggage from it. Additionally, I hate to say it, but alumnae from other NPC chapters have been known to refresh the memories as to why the group left campus long ago. It just depends on how panhellenic the community is.

I also think it may be more difficult for sororities to recolonize than fraternities (image-wise). I think girls are less forgiving. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but with fewer sororities than fraternities on most campuses, the playing field seems more competitive. Kind of, oh yes, we want you to come to campus and recolonize, just don't do TOO well.