Campuses with Only 2 NPC Chapters
 

I volunteer as an advisor for a chapter that has only two NPC chapters on their campus. There are some challenges with having only two chapters such as agreeing on what chapter total should be and handling voting. What happens if ABC votes yes and DEF votes no? Does someone break the tie?

We're currently trying to review total and since one chapter is half the size of the other one, there has been an ongoing discussion for the past few years about whether to lower total, raise total, or keep it the same. Do any of you have experience with this situation?

Any advice you can give me is much appreciated!!

I think that the Greek advisor breaks the tie. This is, of course, operating under the premise that you have a Greek advisor who knows his/her bum from a hole in the ground - not always the case at schools with smaller Greek life.

What you need to do is look at WHY one chapter is half the size of the other one, and have both groups try to remedy it together. Housing? National programs? Stereotypes? What?

do the Panhellenic by-laws say who breaks the tie? Usually the chair breaks the tie and doesn't vote otherwise, but with only 2 chapters and the chair being a member of one of those chapters, that doesn't seem fair or a good idea.

have you contacted our NPC delegate or the NPC advisor for your campus for direction?

I agree with 33girl. The chapters need to brainstorm why the smaller chapter is smaller and work on ways to get them bigger. If they don't want to be bigger, contact their NPC delegate for help. The larger one needs to understand that they NEED to help the smaller one grow too. I'm going to assume both chapters have different personalities and don't really recruit the same type of member, so there shouldn't be any competition issues there.

I work with schools/chapters in the same situation and it's important for both chapters to work together to build the image of NPC sororities on that campus. That may require one or both chapters to suck it up by putting aside differences or attitudes, but that's the only way both will grow.

Good idea.

Also, the Greek Advisor (like 33girl said, if there is one!) could seek ideas from other professionals through AFA (Assoc. of Fraternity Advisors). I'm sure there are other campuses which face the same challenges.

AlphaXi1997,
I would love to know what campus you are at. Feel free to PM me....I would LOVE to brainstorm!

I advise where there are only 2 NPC groups....when it's good it's great and when it is recruitment, it's down right nasty. We don't have quota or total yet and we meet our individual national standards, but it's really crazy. My recruitment favorite this year was the other chapter bringing fresh baked cookies to the PNM's in the dorm's the night before preference when it's written in the rules twice not to do things like that! When you don't know it happened and PNM's come to your pref asking why you don't like them because you didn't give them gifts the night before....well that's impossible to compete with! Or why you didn't take them to fraternity party before Day One parties or why you didn't go on Facebook and list them as ABC's before pref night even starts! (Can you tell I'm gearing up for our Panhellenic fun fest tomorrow?)

How do I teach integrity to my chapter and tell them that they should play fairly when the egg is on their face? And you are correct!!! With only two chapters, Panhellenic is moot!

My campus has always had a problem dealing with this total situation.

When it came to a discussion about total, my chapter would abstain.

The problem for us was that there are three NPC chapters. The first chapter was near, or at, total year after year. The second chapter was probably about halfway there. The problem rested in the fact that chapter #2 has to pay national dues based on what total is. So even if they had 20 girls, and total was at 40, they would have to pay national dues as if there were 40 girls in their chapter. The first chapter wanted more girls, the second one didn't want to spend any more money, and for us, neither was really a concern because we were nowhere near total, and we paid dues per sister. We never wanted to vote with one chapter or another, because to do that would be like taking sides, as there was really no basis for us to make a decision either way.


But in recent years, the chapters have been more than 10 girls below the total of 40, so it hasn't really been a concern. But everyone eventually realized that the only way it could be discussed and voted on would be if all of the chapters grew to the point where total needed to be raised.

And as has been mentioned, in order for discussion about total to be productive, both of the chapters have to be at a level playing ground. Encourage them to work together. If the smaller chapter proposes, in a very nice (and logical) way, that in order for this to come to a conclusion, their chapter has to be larger, the other chapter might make more of an effort to help them. You help me, I help you.

Be realistic, though. Change takes a long time. I know that they probably want to see this whole debate end soon, but it might even take a few years before the chapters have about the same number of members, depending on how many more that second chapter needs in order to catch up with the first one.

WOW....this sounds so similar to my campus.... :(

[QUOTE=33girl;1716044]I think that the Greek advisor breaks the tie. This is, of course, operating under the premise that you have a Greek advisor who knows his/her bum from a hole in the ground - not always the case at schools with smaller Greek life.

i agree-that is what i thought happened in the case of a tie.

does the smaller chapter hold cob events? are they getting help from their national office?

if one chapter is half the size of the other, why is anyone considering raising total? are there that many girls going bidless?

This is a shot in the dark, but I'm wagering that Big Chapter has lots of girls who want to join and can't take them all and they don't give a rat's rump that Small Chapter is floundering.

It also needs to be explained to chapters sometimes that if total is lowered, they don't need to kick girls out to get down to it. :rolleyes: It's called a grandfather clause, look into it. But seriously, I have seen chapters just lose their crap thinking they would have to kick girls out or retract bids if total is reduced.

My school is similar to what the OP is talking about (in fact, it might even be the same university) and its not the fact that many girls are going bidless, in fact, since there are few #s of PNMs going through recruitment, most (if not all) get bids.

From my years at my university, i've seen the size of the two NPCs grow and then fall. When I first started at school, both NPCs were pretty equal in size, and getting close to total. Now, XYZ definitely larger than ABC. It seems as though ABC has more trouble with retention than XYZ does.

To the OP: If your school is like my school, I'd suggest you focus more on retention than raising/lowering total.

And honey, she is speaking the truth! I know it well...