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1. This is the same discussion that the American Heart Association would have about a new group created focusing on heart education for women. All our organizations get our money to implement programs from membership dues, government grants and private and charitable organization contributions. There is not an unlimited amount of money, and if group A gets a grant, there might not be enough left over for group B to execute its programs--so the more crowded the playing field, the more it can effect an organization's programmatic success. If only for that reason, it is a topic worthy of discussion.
2. I would daresay that most of the D9 groups do partner with a variety of other organizations--there is strength in numbers, and a need to collaborate using each’s core competencies. I don't know if that translates to individual chapters partnering with brand new sororities and fraternities, but it could if that made sense for the chapter. Certainly we have allied with organizations that might be considered "competitors" to the D9, like 100 Black Men/Women and others of that ilk as well as organizations like the March of Dimes.
3. I'm guessing that new sororities and fraternities have been being created for many years. The advent of the Internet has made them more visible to the general public, but they have always been there. Personally I have no challenge with their creation. If someone wants to form a social group and call it a sorority, so be it. If someone takes a service group and calls it a fraternity, I think that’s cool. I do take a bit of personal umbrage when the rationale is because "D9 groups are not doing enough, visible enough, down-to-earth enough..." but that's because I strongly disagree, not because you have no right to say it. As many have said on here, it will be time that tells.
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