[FuzzieAlum]

As far as having a whole new group of women being your sisters - that happens all the time - that is, when freshmen rush and join sororities. Suddenly you're thrust into this big group that you really don't know that well. Your situation is a little different, though, because the news girls will be joinging you, not vice versa.

I know when I joined AXD, they had only been a chapter for about two years. So almost all of the original colonists were still around. What I noticed primarily was the diversity in women - they hadn't chosen each other but been chosen (they hadn't been part of a local previously). So there were girls who partied a lot, quiet studious types, etc. If they had gone through formal rush they might not have all chosen the same sorority. But having been chosen by Alpha Xi Delta gave them a strong bond. They were all working together to form a new sorority, a strong one different than any of the other groups on campus. That's a bond that's pretty strong.

Also, UCSC is a pretty decent-sized school. I bet that most of the new sisters will be people you didn't even know about - folks who maybe didn't know about NBO, and girls that NBO didn't know either. But I bet most of them will be wonderful additions - not girls you would have rejected before now.

The fact that AXD has expressed interest in NBO means they feel you are the kind of women for them. That should tell you what sort of potential members they are looking for - women like you. Now, I'm sure there will be a sister or two you can't stand - the same thing will happen in any sisterhood, even when you have a voice in who is chosen.

But - honestly - how selective AXD will be in choosing new women will have to do in large part with how many women express interest. Let's say they want the colony to be 30 people, and 35 people sign up. They might reject a few, but basically everyone will have a good chance. If instead 100 girls show up, AXD can be a lot more selective about picking women they believe in. (Although they still won't be too selective re. NBOs.) So getting the word out there, picking new sisters who you want now, will have a direct impact on who your colony sisters are.

I don't know if any of this helps ... and I don't know why AXD's policy is to recruit to size initially rather than letting the group do it. I can give you my speculation, but that's all it is: That way the chapter starts off without a size disadvantage. Generally, a colony has several checks against it - no house, no reputation, being viewed as a threat by others, having few experienced leaders - and this is a way to remove one obstacle in its way.