[irishpipes]

While having approximately 70 fewer members than total may not seem relevant - after all, 150 is a decent-sized chapter - the organization has to consider the practical effects on that campus. Someone mentioned that one group's dues are about $1,200 per semester. Multiply that by 70 members. That is $84,000 (obviously an approximation) that the new colony would NOT have that the existing groups do have. Compounding that issue is that the expenses for a new colony tend to be greater than an existing chapter. The colony has to secure housing, ritual materials, has greater PR and recruitment needs, more training, etc. The list goes on and on.

I know that the intangibles of sorority life are important - the people involved are the very reason for the organization's existence. However, without sound business decisions being made, the intangibles tend to be affected. Fewer members means that fees have to be increased to meet the budget. Higher fees in a fledgling group can make it difficult to recruit. These are all circumstances which the national organization can foresee that a heartbroken PNM may not.

I've been involved with colonies and budgeting, and being under-funded/under-sized can create painful drama.