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Sigma Kappa and Tri-Sigma have folded twice in the last 20 years at FSU. I believe, and I might be wrong, its because they came back to soon; less than 4 years.
Gamma Phi Beta folded sometime before I was a freshman (Fall 1985 is when I started at FSU) and they came back successfully. Gamma Phi retained ownership of their house, so they were able to be competitive when they returned (1986?) I'm sure that there were nasty rumors and innuendo about Gamma Phi, but they just moved forward and past that.
I never heard the witchcraft rumor about AOPi, so I doubt its validity. Even if there is some grain of truth, I wouldn't hold that against them. 15 years ago, one of the sororities, who shall remain nameless, had one of their sisters involved in a local scandal. Her house was named. They were able to move past that. I don't believe that FSU institutionalizes superficiality like some other Southern schools; at least not beyond a 4-5 year period. AOPi owned a higly competitive house that was sold to Sig Ep. Sig Ep, from what I've read is moving to a new development. If anyone knows who owns that house now, that information will be helpful.
AEPhi and SDT have strong Jewish roots, and I believe that this would hurt them. Not because of anti-semitism, but because every house on campus, including those with a reputation as "very Christian houses," has Jewish members. SDT colonized at FSU in 1989, and folded 2-3 years later. They got a decent amount of women, but they didn't have competitive housing. There is simply insufficient demand for a Jewish sorority at FSU without a competitive house.
DPhiE also is known as a "Jewish sorority" in that neck of the woods, so I would classify them with AEPhi and SDT for the sake of local/regional perceptions. Also, DPhiE was there from 1925-1950, and then again from 1968-1971. I don't know if they accumulated sufficient assets, and if they did, I have no idea if they still possess the funds to get competitive housing.
I don't know why Alpha Phi folded, but they had a great house. It is now owned by the university.
One of my pledge brothers's mom was a FSU AZD, so I do know why Alpha Xi folded. I won't repeat it in public, but its the same type of scandal that I alluded to earlier in this post, with another house. If no one from the region, who is college age, knows, then they are in the clear. They had a competitive house, that was then sold to Lambda Chi.
Basically, as I see it, there is no real demand for any type of new sorority at FSU, if there is no competitive housing. What did Alpha Phi, AZD, and AOPi do with the money, when they sold their assets? If it is now available to buy, or build, then all three deserve a shot.
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