Quote:
Originally posted by sugar and spice
Awww, yay! I think you rock too. And I didn't mean for my post to come off as an attack on Chi Omega, if it sounded like that to anyone. They are a fantastic organization (didn't get to be the biggest sorority in the NPC for nothing  ) and in general I have all the respect in the world for them. I just see things like this as indicative of a larger problem in the Greek-wide community, and I've seen it happen in my organization and many others, not just Chi O.
We ask ourselves why Greek numbers are declining, and I see this as a perfect example. Whether or not we like to admit it, the majority of students do not join GLOs primarily for the philanthropy, the connections or even the brother/sisterhood. They join primarily because they think it would be fun -- specifically for the easy access to alcohol and the opposite sex that we're known for. With the kind of draconian rules in place with some GLOs, numbers are going to decline because we're losing out on our biggest market.
I live in the house right now. If I want to drink, I have to go to a fraternity party or a friend's house. My friends who live in their own apartments can drink whenever they want. Even my friends who live in the dorms and aren't technically supposed to be drinking can drink as long as they keep their doors shut. They can have boys over whenever they want, but if I want my boyfriend to come over, I have to kick him out by 2. (And on my campus, that's considered good -- there are some sororities who don't allow boys on any floor but the first floor, ever.) If we have parties, we have to hold them halfway across campus and go hiking around in heels and dresses in the cold, because we can't have them at the house or at a fraternity. At the parties, we can't drink unless we're 21, even though some of us have been drinking for years without incident. And the list goes on.
If people are looking for fun, why SHOULD they join a fraternity or sorority? Provided they're social, they can make tons of friends in the dorms. They can party and drink and have boys over in the dorms -- and let's face it, for a lot of college students, alcohol and sex are a huge part of the college experience. For some they're second and third only to academics. And we as Greek members are subjected to many rules that the rest of campus isn't, and we pay hundreds of dollars a year for the privilege. No wonder Greek numbers are declining!
Now I'm not blaming the national organizations because most of the time they're just trying to cover their own @$$es. But I also don't blame students for not joining. It's basically a lose-lose situation.
Also, Blaine, you know you love me. 
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as usual, I feel like we are sharing a brain, cause I'm thinking exactly the same thing.
yes these women were breaking rules regarding alcohol. I doubt if now is the first it's happened. It is, however, the easiest thing to target. I mean, how do you gauge a person's loyalty? Is following policies you see as detrimental to your group's future loyal? I have no idea of the atmosphere at this school, but if they followed extremely strict policies and no one pledged because of them, how loyal would that be?
And I will say without going into too much detail, that it is very, very hard when the things that you see as strengths of your chapter, the reasons you joined your chapter, are things your national sees as weaknesses. It creates a gulf that is almost impossible to close. It appears that the long history of Fideles was that sort of gulf.
oh, and I'm guessing/hoping the natl office wasn't aware of it, but having to make that sort of decision when half your sisters are out of town, let alone the country, really blows.