Colonizing

33girl · #1 03-19-2001, 09:27 PM

This question is for those who have been a member of a colony of a national organization, or those who have worked with a colony.

How long did it take you to go from interest group to colony to chapter status? Did you have to be a functioning org on campus for x number of months? Was this longer, shorter or the norm for your org and your campus as a whole?

sigmagrrl · #2 03-19-2001, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl:
This question is for those who have been a member of a colony of a national organization, or those who have worked with a colony.

How long did it take you to go from interest group to colony to chapter status? Did you have to be a functioning org on campus for x number of months? Was this longer, shorter or the norm for your org and your campus as a whole?

I am a founder of my chapter and, during the colony stage, we had goals to accomplish in order to be eligible for our charter. We received the notice that were we selected as a colony in April 1993. We were colonized in Sept 1993, and received our charter on May 1, 1994. It depends on how hard the colony works to accomplish the goals set for by the organization. Other colonies take a little longer, but the goal is usually one school year. It really shouldn't take longer than that, truthfully.

We didn't have to have been a local for any period of time. One school year from colonization to chartering was about the average on our campus.

gamma_girl52 · #3 03-20-2001, 11:23 AM

My chapter of Gamma Sig was chartered in May of 2000. It took us two years to get a charter. I think that the only thing was that you have to wait a few weeks before you take in new members once you become a colony.

Nationally it says you must be a colony for one year before become a chapter, but sometimes it takes longer. I agree with sigmagrrl. It depends on how hard you as a colony work to get a charter. Sometimes though, it can take longer because you may need a certain number of women to charter. For Gamma Sig you need 15, and during the time we were a colony, membership fluctuated a lot. There are lots of reasons why it may take longer, but the goal is to become a chapter.

Once you get it, you *sigh* with relief!! But the real work begins afterwards!!

Tom Earp · #4 03-20-2001, 05:08 PM

When I started the local, it took 9 months to affiliate with LXA. Then with much hard work, we received our Charter 3 years later and still working to be the biggest and the best on campus!

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Tom Earp LX Z#1
Pittsburg State U. (Kansas)

SigTauJake · #5 03-20-2001, 08:07 PM

It took us 4 years to get our charter back. We were founded in 1930 and remained one of the most successful chapters in the country and on campus until 1986, when our charter was revoked. The new colony started back in 1996, and it took until this semester to meet the goals of the national office. We had to have 40 guys to charter. We had a lot of problems and old reputations to fix before nationals would take us back, but they did, and we are on our way to the top again. This time for good.

coffeemug · #6 03-20-2001, 10:53 PM

I have been both charter member of my chapter and a colony supervisor for another chapter in Alpha Phi. Both colonizations took a different amount of time from colony pledging to chartering. I know that Alpha Phi tries to look at both what is realistic for that group (ie there is a difference in the timelines when you are starting with an existing local or a colonization from "scratch") and what is realistic for that campus (are most groups at ceiling, do you have the same amount of frosh/soph as other groups)

I hope that helps...are you in the process of going "national"??

LexiKD · #7 03-20-2001, 11:21 PM

We were a local org from 1990-2000ish, particiapted in all events with other Greeks except Recruitment and sat on Panhellenic. We petitioned PH to allow us to search and then sent out an interest letter to NPC about mid Febuary.
We became colonyish April 5th but did not really colonize until September because of Fall Recruitment and April is so close to the end of the year and we had existing members.
We had a succssful colonization in Sept and joined the ranks of the other 124 active chapters of KAPPA DELTA on November 18,2000.
The entire process was challenging, but since it meant so much to all of us it beacame easier the more we learned about KD!
We also had a Chapter Develpoment Consultant(CDC) living with us and as much National support as you can imagine.
The chapter is doing very well and at the moment they are preparing to go through Fall Recruitment in August with the other 8 NPC groups! KD also allows us a CDC for 3 years to help with Recruitment, so they give their colonies ample help!
Our colonization wasn't too hard because KD has such an awesome colonization plan, they have it all under control and give the colony such attention and direction!
I had a blast and think of it as the best thing that has happend to me, I wouldn't pass up the experience and suggest anyone who is intrested in Greek life(and not in another org) to do it! You learn so much about the system and NPC because you are forced to start from scratch. And you get to know your organization better because we joined KD, not just the gamma sigma chapter of KD. The women get the oppurtunity to make the chapter whatever they want, they have no sterotypes or exsiting tradtions, they have all they freedom they want!

[This message has been edited by ecukd (edited March 20, 2001).]

33girl · #8 03-22-2001, 07:35 PM

coffeemug - no, already national, just curious as to people's different colonization experiences. Thanks for all the answers everyone!

Pike4Life · #9 03-23-2001, 01:16 AM

My chapter was recolonized in Fall '99 (October to be exact), and we submitted our petition for inspection to the Headquarters in October 2000. We were inspected in Jan. 2001 and received our Charter on Feb. 3, 2001. We were basically a colony for a full year, and then had about four months between meeting our colony goals and chartering. Other new chapter on my campus have taken between 10 months to 2 years to complete their colony goals and become a full chapter.

I agree that it depends on the amount of hard work that the members put into it. We fully expected to be ready for chartering by the end of Spring '00 because the majority of our members had been members of a local fraternity/interest group for 4 years prior to the colonization process. However, I now think this actually hurt our colony process because some of the older guys felt they had done their work and didn't have to contribute as much to the colony goals as the younger guys.