Quote:
Originally posted by STL Kappa
The reason the chapter closed was simply that they were struggling with numbers. The SK chapter had about 55 members going into 2003 recruitment. Nationals said that in order to keep their status as a chapter, there would need to be at least 100 members by December 31, 2003. (The other 13 sororities at Mizzou had totals between 150-200... give or take a few!) When that was not achieved, the chapter voted on January 28, 2004 to become dormant. Both the chapter and Greek Life said they could not "pinpoint a specific reason" why the numbers declined... Sigma Kappa's number were declining even though recruitment numbers were increasing.
I have several good friends who became Sigma Kappas at another chapter, and one urged me that this was not the "real" reason the chapter closed... but I'm confident that was speculation or rumor because she (and I!) were still in high school when the SK chapter at Mizzou closed... leading me to believe she may not know all the facts.
There have been a lot of proposals flying around this past year regarding the chapter. One suggested that panhel waits four academic years to consider a recolonization of Sigma Kappa so that all the Greeks who were members at the time of the chapter's closing will have graduated. (I guess just so there will be no knowledge or speculation of why the chapter closed in the first place.) Another that if the campus is opened for expansion, SK should be approached first to recolonize before other organizations are invited to present... but I really don't know the outcome or if decisions have been made on any of these things.
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The greek system at Mizzou is an interesting one, that's for sure. It's hard to say why exactly some chapters work and some just don't. I was a junior (?) I think when Sigma Kappa decided to leave. I remember the things those women had to go through and how hard they tried, it was really sad when they decided to close the chapter, even though many people had been talking about it for at least two years.
This year I think something like 6 or 7 out of the 13 sororities did not officially make quota and even though everyone snap bid or COB'd up to quota by the end of the next two or so weeks after FR, I don't think expansion is going to happen here any time soon.
Housing is a huge issue here. In the area of campus where the majority of the greek houses are there two houses that are vacant (SK and the AKL annex) and those are the only empty places left, whether they're going to stay with the original chapters or someone leases them. The rest of greek town is completely full, and there are no vacant lots over on College Ave. where Beta, KA, Sig Chi (LXA is leasing their house until next year though), Ag Rho, Fiji, and Sigma Nu are. I'm pretty sure there is no room left over by SAE, Delta Chi, and Kappa Sigma and those houses are really located in a more residential area so they'd have to tear down some peoples houses to make room for a fraternity house which I really don't ever see happening.
It sucks because right now Sig Tau, Pi Kappa Phi, and Acacia are all unhoused and I have no clue where they will build houses. LXA recolonized my sophomore year and they had a hugely successful one, they were able to lease the Sigma Chi house (Sigma Chi left at the beginning of sophomore year) for four years, but after next year they're going to have to find a new place to live. I think if anyone is going to lease out SK it would be them, but that's not based on any actual fact, just my opinion. As for the AKL annex (which I think has been condemned) I don't know what they're planning to do with it...
And it seems like fraternities at MU can do ok without a house, but I cannot even begin to imagine a sorority trying to recolonize here or colonize here without a house. All 13 sororities have huge, very expensive and absolutely gorgeous houses. It'd be next to impossible I think for anyone to try and compete with this fact without having any concrete plans for a house that would be built very soon after the opening of the chapter. I know when my chapter recolonized in 2001 a lot of girls in my rush group were like "I don't want to join a chapter without a house" blah blah blah, but we got lucky and got our original house back that was finished at the end of my freshman year. It was hard enough our first year trying to compete even though we HAD a house, it just wasn't finished yet. It really makes a huge difference here and good or bad, that's just how it is.
And I can't believe I just wrote all of this at 7 am on a SATURDAY...
