Although this is a sorority-related topic, please allow me to offer the point of view of a fraternity man. The Delta Phi Epsilon regional offier suggested that if membership is declining, it may be because the sororities' "product" isn't as popular as it once was. I respectfully disagree. My observation has been that the sororities deliberately restrict their market in a way harmful to themselves. There are many junior transfer students who would make terrific members, but none of the good sororities will pledge them. They fill their pledge class with freshmen, and the juniors tend to not want to go through rush, not because they don't want in, but because they know the prestige houses won't pledge anthing but freshmen! The juniors won't join lower-status sororities (they don't have time to come in and work to re-build them), and so any sorority not making quota and having to rush outside of formal rush, is often branded a loser. The sororities' strict rush quota system means in effect that the good sororities only rush the women who come through rush. If they see a decline in overall memebrship, they tend to think in terms of changing the product rather than changing the way they recruit members. Don't do that; the product is great! If you change the product, then REALLY no one will buy it. Do you wonder why even though there are many beautiful and accomplished female athletes on varsity teams now, they aren't found in sororities? It is NOT because they wouldn't join, or because they don't have time or because they're 'different'. It is purely and simply because the sororities do not rush them. Period. Sororities have a mindset that rush efforts outside of formal rush are for losers. Either that, or they just don't know how to do it. Please, do not read all this as a criticizm of sororities; I am their biggest booster. The talk about pledging non-traditional students concerns me. I am confident that any sorority trying to fill their ranks with non-traditional students will fail as an organization. There's not a thing wrong with pledging a non-traditional student, providing that student wants to fit into the traditional profile of the organization. Again, the product is great. Don't change the product; just expand the way you recruit. I feel very confident that if the rush rules & requirements were suspended, and if someone who really knew what they were doing were to come in and have the advantage of open rush, that person could create, literally overnight, a new sorority strong enough to rival any on campus. Thank you for allowing me to comment. I think sororities are fantastic, and I want them to continue to be successful.
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