[33girl]

As far as when should the national throw in the towel - I think that whether you are housed or unhoused (I'm talking 50+ person houses) is a HUGE HUGE HUGE part of it. If you're on a small campus where no one has housing, if your national has no problem with you having 20 when everyone else has 60, your sisterhood is strong, and you won't stop another chapter from coming in if it's decided expansion is needed - I don't see any reason that chapter should close at all.

Or heck, even if they are on a huge house campus, if the alums or the national office want to dump every single dime they have into that chapter so 3 girls can live in the 50 person house, IF THEY DON'T HOLD UP EXPANSION, that's their prerogative. But if everyone else wants expansion and this group is holding it up, then that's when they lose my support.

A lot of times, the incessant pressure from the national to increase numbers is counterproductive - if you worry about numbers 24/7 it's hard to have any sort of fun. And sometimes groups get accused of being "resistant" to national help - well I am here to tell you, what works for your chapter that has been around since Socrates and has always been on the top of the heap at your campus will not work for the chapter that's 5 years old and has always been somewhere in the middle of the pack. You don't realize how much you've coasted on your reputation that the 8000 sisters before you have built up till you get somewhere where your letters mean the exact opposite of what you're used to them meaning as far as campus reputation and image. volunteers and alum have to ask questions and learn about the culture of the campus before they can help the chapter w/ recruiting methods.

RUAST, I'm sorry your campus had a bad experience with a recolonization, but that is NOT how it is supposed to work. If the recolonizing group was overstepping the bounds that had been set for them prior to rush, their headquarters should have been contacted and told what was happening.