prdlocal - You asked why some chapters wanted to go national, and others stay local...well this is kind of like a mix between the two...in a way...I think you'll understand in a minute.
I attend Southern Illinois University, and I rushed for a sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, a nationally linked sorority. Well a few weeks before initiation, nationals sent 2 representatives to us to tell our sorority that they were taking our charter, and at the end of the semester we would no longer be an active sorority. That's just about every sorority\fraternity's nightmare...even if they don't know it.
After what felt like being ripped apart from something that we all held so dear to us, we were devistated, and it felt like we had lost everything.
Maybe it was the name...Alpha Chi Omega...that held us together. That's how we met, that's how we became friends. That's how we are sisters. Then again, maybe not. After realizing what nationals can do, and what little power we had when they came to deliver to us the news, I think it actually made us stronger.
Here we are....most of us, that is...trying to form a local sorority.
I'm not trying to bash national sororitys, but I think more credit should be given to the locals. It may be just a name...but the name makes many bright, wonderful individuals part of something much stronger and gives a chance to be more than they ever imagined.
Locals wanting to be part of nationals? It's something to strive for, and a goal some want to reach.
Nationals becoming locals? They want individuality...no big name that people may associate with others...it could mean cheaper fees, more freedom, a chance to form something bigger and better than what they could be under restrictions from nationals. It's just a choice.
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