National VS Local Debate

[SiggieJilly403]

Hi...

I'm currently in the process of pledging to be a founder of the beta chapter to a local sorority. I'm sooooo excited!! But I was looking around GC, and thought of a good debate...

For those of you who are in nationals, what reasons would you give for it being better or having more advantages than a local?

For those of your being in a local...same question but vice versa.

I noticed that some of these posts started months ago or last year! Lol...I thought I would post something new (hopefully)...

Thanks for your input...

[Buttonz]

I pledged a local, dropped, and then joined my national. What's the single biggest diffrence between the two? the hazing. The same goes true for the other two locals oncampus (we have three). The locals are major hazers comapered to the nationals.
Also knowing that we have chapters all ove the place is pretty awsome. I am looking foward to meeting one of the SDT girls thats on GC that is coming up here. With a local, you don't have that.

[AGDee]

What I like most about being in an International organization is knowing that, no matter where I move, I still have leadership opportunities and alumnae chapters/clubs to meet new sisters.

Dee

[g41965]

If you look carefully, locals over time tend not to be as stable as chapters of a larger org. a benefit exists to the standardization of rules, leadership schools etc.
National Fraternities are much more expensive but on balance they serve a good function.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by Diamond Delta
Remember though-ALL (inter)nationals were once local.

That's not true. Some, and Phi Kappa Psi was the first, were founded to be national. Tau Delta Phi was founded by friends, in Greenwich Village, who were attending different colleges.

Also nationals are inherently superior with regard to stability, networking opportinities, organized leadership development (locals simply don't offer this, and I'm not referring to leadership opportunities,) continous organizational improvement (locals tend to be caught in a time warp from when they were founded, and are unable to reevaluate themselves, and implement improvement. This is why they have a difficult time surviving.)

There are some locals that are over 100 years old, but they are very, very rare. If you cherish your local fraternal experience, and want to see it survive for many generations, being part of a national organization insures the maximum chance that this will happen.

[PM_Mama00]

It really depends on what campus you are on. A local on one campus can be really strong and follow many of the same rules as an NPC, NPHC, IFC, or national organization would.

Then you have the local on my campus, who are still not really considered a sorority by the university of Greek system. They have some really nice girls, but some people don't respect the way and reason they were started, their name (KOX), and some stuff they do may cause tehm to be shut down by the university. Although they are getting better and are establishing a philanthropy and such, and are getting a little more respect.

[Diamond Delta]

I was answering the question from the point of-these girls have beta chapter now. They are still local, but expanding. Should they seek an already established international or should they continue expanding on their own? That was where I was coming from. I possibly missed the point of the question?

True-it is rare to find locals that are very old. But I was thinking specifically of the Agonians-founded 1892, Clionians (sp?) -1872 , Alpha Delta Epsilon 1886, Sigma Gamma Phi 1892 etc. and the girls at Lee University in Sigma Nu Sigma and Delta Zeta Tau-they've been around since 1964. I am sure there are more that I am not familiar with. But I said before, I may have missed the mark on the point of the conversation. I was just thinking there are pros and cons to both depending on what the purposes of your group are.

[Kevin]

One thing to add to the conversation here would be risk management policies and insurance. Nationals always have them. As far as I know, locals seldom do.

Insurance can be expensive. However, that one time where your organization gets sued, it can come in really handy. In many cases, members of an organization, especially officers can be held personally liable for what happens in the chapter -- even when they had no knowledge of what occured.

Of course insurance has a con -- it's expensive. So that's the risk you take. It's not nearly so high in sororities as fraternities though.

Diamond Delta, as for organizational stability, you may be able name one or two (and I'd guess accross the entire US, there are probably less than 20) locals that are 100+ years old. On the other hand, there are literally hundreds of national GLO chapters that are over 100 years old and still in operation.

What's more, if a national chapter closes due to poor recruitment or other circumstances, most likely, at some point, it will be reopened. Locals on the other hand stand a slim/none chance of ever being reopened.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by Diamond Delta
I was answering the question from the point of-these girls have beta chapter now. They are still local, but expanding.

A local is defined as being on one campus only. If there are 2, or more chapters, then it is either a regional, national, or international organization.

Also, the regional sororities in upstate New York, that were cited, may be an endangered species. The SUNY system has had it with these groups, and the dozens of locals that are on these campuses. They may be derecognized within a decade.

[thetalady]

Housing might be a factor, if Greeks have houses on your campus. As a national, you are more likely to be able to get the financing needed to build or renovate.

[Tom Earp]

ktsnake and russellwarshay, what great insight!

The pitfalls of Locals are many. Afilliating with a National have many features that are not available to Locals. Risk Management guidelines and Insurance being just two.

Granted, I think All Nationals as we know them today started as locals, only one Chapter. There was one Fraternity that Started as A group of Locals became a National Fraternity. Oh, they are no longer a Fraternity but highly Respected! TKN Merged with LXA in 1939.

I am also the Founder of a Local, Beta Chi!

Now, throw in the Hazing Standpoint if it is neccessary, well that is asnother whole ball of string!

[queequek]

Being a member of an International fraternity, I like being able to share a bond with 'total strangers', who went to different schools. For example, last month I visited Boston, and went to our Charges up there (we have four active Charges in Boston), and it is neat to see what we have in common and what not. *Ehem* and they offered me place to stay, totally accepted me as a brother for parties and hang out - which you couldn't find at local, since local=one chapter in one school.
I haven't talked about our International Conference and all Regional meetings - other discussions to be an international fraternity/sorority member.

[cammykaze1920]

I concur with many of the fellow greeks that have already posted. I travel to FL a lot, so when I go down there I get treated by my sorority sisters like I have lived there all along...It's great knowing whereever I go, I will have sisters to take care of me.

[SiggieJilly403]

Thanks for all the great input Part of the question was indeed about the pros and cons. However, I do feel as if locals are almost looked down upon from some of the comments. Maybe I am not reading those right...but even still, I'd like to defend my local A local and a national both have the same purpose (hopefully) and strive for the same things. Locals do not have the financial backing that nationals do, but tend to have more say and input. What is a sorority or fraternity though? Is it completely the vast amount of people that are from different states? Is it the alums or money factors? Is it having establishments of over a 100 years (which is nice though)? No...i think a sorority or fraternity should be defined as having people with similar interests in the same group willing to commit to each other to the enrichment of themselves as well as the community. Within the confines of those words, i do feel that BOTH locals and nationals co-exist if that is the mentality. I am a little saddened that nationals seem to be considered "better". Unfortunately, I do not know about hazing. But I have heard the opposite..that hazing occurs more in nationals. Then again, I am fairly new to this and could be quite wrong. I guess to sum up what I was trying to say...is that local sororities/fraternities care just as deeply for their foundation as an organization as well as the people they stand beside. I believe that their are advantages and disadvantages to both. But either way, the people make the sorority...at least in my opinion. We may be smaller, but we care and strive to be as successful as national GLOs do.

Thanks for reading my two cents.

*SuperJilly*

ETA After rereading this entry, I would like to say that by no means am I saying that those of you in nationals do not think locals are just as dedicated. I was just putting that out there. I do not want to sound like i'm putting words into anyone's mouth...or post.

[Optimist Prime]

nationals are better