Quote:
Originally Posted by macallan25
I don't see any top tier Southern Chapters being listed for closing in any of the threads that I am looking at in Risk Management. I see the likes of Case Western, Central Florida, etc.
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I'm not totally sure what being a top tier southern chapter has to do with being a good chapter. Just because you're a huge chapter doesn't mean you're good, just because you have a lot of rich alums doesn't mean you're good, just because you're stupid amounts of proud doesn't mean you're good.
So explain to me what good means, first of all, and why it can only happen in the south.
Call me biased (because in this situation, I am) but there are some really great chapters at Case Western. Not great in numbers (I think our largest sorority is at something kind of like 55-60 (cap is 50), and the largest fraternity is at something like 60-70), a lot of us do have very wealthy alums, but that doesn't make us great either.
What makes a great chapter? IMO, a great chapter is a chapter of members who are not defined by their membership, but who help define their chapter. It's one where the members feel a strong bond to their brothers/sisters and feel at "home" in the house, and that they have a strong support system to help them reach their goals both while they're in undergrad, and once they graduate, and where they know that there are people to help them when things start to fall apart (depression, slip in grades, death in the family, etc). A chapter that knows and respects it's history, and not only knows what the colors and letters mean, and what the aim and motto etc are, but who know what those things mean to them, a chapter where each individual knows exactly what their symbols mean, and exactly what the meaning of those meanings is to them. That is great in my opinion.Chapters where all members are equals, but the elders are respected because they do in fact know more about chapter operations and general facts since they've been around longer. A chapter where no one is afraid to voice their opinion on an issue, or afraid to talk to the right person if they're having trouble. That's what a great chapter is to me.
And you don't get those things, IMO, from making pledges do pushups for being wrong, you don't do that by making them think that they're worthless. True respect and reverence for our organizations cannot be earned by fear, these things are learned by understanding how important the organization you're joining is to the existing members, and how important and usefull and fantastic it can be for you, and they're learned by conversations, and in depth history, and getting to know the pledges during their pledge period. If you make someone afraid, if you tear them apart as I seem to have read somewhere in here is the first step of your process, and then build them back up how think they should be, you wind up with a group of clones, who are afraid to disagree with the chapter, who are afraid to be themselves because, god forbid someone in greek life actually be their own person.
Then again, what do I know right? I'm in a sorority and I'm from the north I must not know anything...right? Wrong. I know only what I have experience with, and don't claim to know anything else, and what I know is that the chapters here that I see that are the "best" chapters IMO, are the ones who teach respect, not fear.
(excuse the rant/rambling, it's late and I've had a bad day)