Quote:
Originally posted by DWAlphaGam
That would be my house (actually I was in 1 of the 2 groups on my campus that never made quota or total). I think it's completely WRONG to just say that the smaller house(s) will never make the numbers, so let's just give up on them and bring in a new group. Chances are, that new group won't help the situation AT ALL, because girls will still be superficial and want the top few houses. What's to say that the new group will do well, since they won't be established and they'll be starting from scratch? I doubt that the girls who drop out/single pref the top houses and end up going bidless would be interested in a new chapter because they're not interested in joining a smaller chapter that's already there and trying to help them improve their situation. Why take a chance on the no-name sorority? Introducing a new chapter will probably also kill the smaller group that has already been established on the campus for however-many years, and how fair is that?
As far as the idea of "give them a year or two to shape up," I can say from personal experience (and I'm sure that anyone else from a small/struggling chapter will tell you the same) that it's NOT THAT EASY. I think that a lot of the time, the small chapter is doing everything in their power to get back on their feet, and they're doing everything by the book, exactly how they're supposed to, but outside forces (i.e. stupid reputations and stereotypes) keep them from attaining their goals.
Ok, I'm going to refrain from writing more right now and sounding like an even bigger b!tch than I already do. I just hope that those of you nodding your head in agreement about expanding when not everyone is up to total will SERIOUSLY rethink your stance. (And I don't mean anything personally against Angels&Arrows or sugar and spice, but this issue just really ticks me off, so I'm sorry if it seems like I'm flaming you!)
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I don't think you sound like a b*tch -- I know this is a subject that a lot of people are very passionate about because of their experiences. I'm sure there are a lot of other people out there who agree with you.
The problem is that on some campuses where reputation is very important and the top groups seem to remain the same for decade after decade, the sorority that is small because of a bad reputation will probably not be able to break from the cycle. Your point about rushees not wanting to take a chance on a no-name sorority is valid at some universities, but at other campuses where reputation is so important, if the rushees can't join an established "good rep" sorority, many would rather join a sorority that has no reputation, whose reputation they can help shape and mold, than a sorority with a bad one. At other schools where rep isn't such a big deal and the sororities seem to cycle through reputations (the group that was "the bottomfeeder" ten years ago is now the biggest on campus), the better solution is generally to wait it out and see if, in three or four years, they seem to be catching up with the rest of the groups and membership is stable at or near total pretty much across the board before expanding. Those are the schools where it's easier for the smaller sororities to pull themselves up and make it to total.
But there are some schools where it might be impossible for the smaller sororities to do that. For whatever reason (bad reputation, earned or unearned, they're bad rushers, the cycle of being the smallest group is impossible to break, whatever) they have been the smallest for years and can't seem to change that no matter what they do. And if the rest of the sororities at their school are at total, and many rushees are going bidless yet your sorority can't seem to make it to total no matter what, you have to start questioning if you're holding the system back by refusing to allow expansion. I know the NPC likes to worry about keeping the bonds of sisterhood intact and that is great . . . to an extent. But what about all the girls going bidless that are denied the experience of sisterhood because they don't fit in with your group, they were cut from other groups, and Panhel won't allow a new group on campus even though there's the need for one? In that case, it might (emphasis on might -- depending on your campus culture) be better for the Panhellenic system and your national organization to bring in a new sorority or reorganize/recolonize yours in a few years.
Like I said, this really does depend on the campus. And it's always sad when a chapter closes due to numbers. But sometimes we need to look at what's best for the system overall and Greek life in general rather than what's best for our chapter.