Speaking for myself and not my entire organization, I do believe that expanding to smaller schools in places where we don't have strong bases is CRUCIAL to allow us to expand to larger universities in the future. As DPhiEAngel has stated, we are colonizing at TAMUK and at Schreiner University in Texas right now...our first chapters in TX in awhile. These groups help establish a base in TX, so if some day UT Austin decides to open its doors, we have a base there to work from. Expansion isn't always about finding the biggest schools and going there. Especially not for the smaller NPC sororities. DPhiE is not KKG, and our resources aren't the same. We don't work from the same mindset as the "big guns" in NPC, but we continue to grow and expand.
Like 33girl said, the smaller sororities were formed from either educational/social sororities or for a group of women who didn't have the same opportunities to join the older, larger NPC groups. D Phi E, while having ALWAYS been non-sectarian, was formed by 5 Jewish ladies who were looking to start a diverse group. Yes, they were all Jewish, but they began a sorority that would provide a home for all women. If in the beginning that included just Jewish women, it would be because they were not welcomed at other NPC sororities. As that is no longer the case in today's university environment, DPhiE has had to come up with newer and better programs and ideas to fuel their expansion, and they are doing an amazing job with that! I can't speak for the other smaller sororities in this vein. But I do know one thing...if you want to succeed, you have to take calculated risks, and DPhiE breaks new ground on that often
Kudos to them! (OK, I'm a little biased)
