Out of Curiosity

[CASIGKAP]

???

Of course any existing house on campus will feel threatened because that's less girls for the existing houses.

But then again, if your campus houses has been at total for many years now, then there's probably a need for another house to accomodate the demand of the # of girls going through rush.

Also, that's great that your campus is exploring the possibility of expansion, but for the sake of the NPCs and to ensure a fair expansion process for all, maybe it'd be a good thing to hold off on the "XYZ might be coming here". There's a formal process that Panhellenic goes through in order to bring a new sorority on campus, and one can't open a dormant chapter just like that.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally posted by OohTeenyWahine
Of course any existing house on campus will feel threatened because that's less girls for the existing houses.

But then again, if your campus houses has been at total for many years now, then there's probably a need for another house to accomodate the demand of the # of girls going through rush.

Also, that's great that your campus is exploring the possibility of expansion, but for the sake of the NPCs and to ensure a fair expansion process for all, maybe it'd be a good thing to hold off on the "XYZ might be coming here". There's a formal process that Panhellenic goes through in order to bring a new sorority on campus, and one can't open a dormant chapter just like that.

What she said..........

And, just because a group is "strong nationally" doesn't mean it will succeed at YOUR school. The smallest group on my campus is one of those "strong nationally".

We got the same reaction from a chapter at a school in OR that we were presenting at. It even went so far that they tried to put conditions on our first recruitment so we just said no.

[Little E]

We had something similar happen. A group of girls is trying to bring one of the largest (and richest in the eyes of many) to our campus. The local, and my chapter were totally afraid. They see this org as one who will come, throw a lot of money into colonization and end up burning the the other two houses. Many feel our system is not strong enough for a third organzation (condsidering the inbalance of the local trying to bring this NPC). A lot is fear, the other is hearing stories of women who have colonized at other schools, I hear how much money gets thrown in, that will bring them women, and make them more 'exciting.' does that make sense?

[aoiikristi]

I believe someone already said--just because a group is strong nationally doesn't necessarily mean that they will be strong on your campus.
I've seen a situation where a group that is nationally strong consistently doesn't make quota at a particular campus and is the "low man (or woman!) on the totem pole". I've also seen where a group that isn't strong nationally is THE top sorority on a campus with other groups that are much stronger nationally.
There are just so many other factors to consider. Being strong nationally is certainly a plus when it comes to colonization, but it isn't everything.

[AOII_LB93]

That rumor has been going around our campus(CSULB) for more than 5-7 years. It was a rumor when I was a collegiate. Before people on our campus go spreading rumors about who is coming and who isn't to campus maybe they should realize that the greek community at LB needs to strengthen and that Panhellenic ties need to be stronger and less divergent than they are right now. There are not that many women who go through recruitment who end up bidless at our school, and I can't think of a year in the last 15 (or more) where all the chapters have been around or near total, including my own, for more than 2 years.

I'm not saying it's not a possibility sometime in the future, but it's not a possibility now considering there are at least two chapters not at total.

As far as why people would be "threatened", that's just the competitive mind-set of "they might get our girls."

[33girl]

Originally posted by Little E
We had something similar happen. A group of girls is trying to bring one of the largest (and richest in the eyes of many) to our campus. The local, and my chapter were totally afraid. They see this org as one who will come, throw a lot of money into colonization and end up burning the the other two houses. Many feel our system is not strong enough for a third organzation (condsidering the inbalance of the local trying to bring this NPC). A lot is fear, the other is hearing stories of women who have colonized at other schools, I hear how much money gets thrown in, that will bring them women, and make them more 'exciting.' does that make sense?

They can throw every dollar Bill Gates has into it, but if they 1) don't get a strong colonizing class or 2) can't understand the campus culture, it won't matter.

Not to mention if there is that much imbalance and uncertainty, this national may not want to come to your school, period. They got "rich" because they are very very careful about how, when and where they expand.

[exlurker]

Excellent points, 33girl and AOII_LB93. The only thing I'd like to add is that a look at the active chapter roll on Kappa Kappa Gamma's web site might suggest that a new Kappa chapter at a school in the California State University system would be unusual. Of the KKG collegiate chapters in California, only two are at CSU schools:
CSU - Fresno (established around 1954, I believe) and CSU - Northridge (established around 1974). All the other Kappa chapters appear to be either at branches of the University of California (Berkeley, UCLA, Davis, Irvine, UC - San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Riverside) or at private schools (Stanford, USC, Pepperdine, and the University of San Diego). Even if the Greek system at CSULB were stronger, I wonder if it would be considered a good fit for that particular sorority.

[Little E]

Sorry I guess I was unclear.
For my school, with a struggling greek system, these stories were very intimidating. Every house was poor, no new houses would be available for equitable housing on top of the regulations that NPC brings, the idea of a huge national is scary to my campus. Add to the fear that Theta Pi Gamma has from their disaffiliation, it all eats on eachother and creates this hysteria of the 'power' of one organzation. Yea they may not come, and yea they have to have the right culture, but most greeks don't realize this, nor do they understand the complexities of colonization.
Hopefully this made more sense, if not, oh well, back to work.

[astroAPhi]

A lot of it depends on WHICH chapters want to come to campus. ZTA may not want to come back for whatever reason.

This year we're expanding at Florida Tech, and from all the rumors that flew last year, it ended up being a completely different sorority. Sigma Kappa has a dormant chapter here (Zeta Chi), but weren't interested in recolonizing. The first thing we heard was that Tri-Sigma and AST were coming down to present. Then later it ended up that 6 sororities applied, and Alpha Xi Delta, Phi Sigma Sigma, and a third sorority (I want to say D Phi E, but I'm not sure) were invited to present. AXiD and Phi Sig presented, and the Panhellenic community chose Phi Sigma Sigma. So it ended up that a completely different sorority ended up here than what we originally thought.

As for the chapters feeling threatened, well yes, it can be scary to have another group "stealing" girls, but what will hopefully happen is that MORE girls will come out because they have a new option. We're hoping that at Florida Tech more girls will come out because now they have a third choice instead of having to choose between 2.

Best of luck to your school though on expanding.

[33girl]

Oh Little E, I completely understand where you are coming from! There were 2 different groups who tried to bring one of the more prestigious nationals to my campus, and even the thought that they were looking at them freaked people out.

[AWDpike]

Personally i like when a new house looks at out campus cause we are a growin greek system here. But if the school had a long since established system with alot of houses and no real need for change then i can understand not really wanting a new house to come in and have to compete with them... KKGs do have a good rep with 99% of people, unfortunatly i fall in the 1 %

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

I find the mind-set interesting of people at a campus when the greek community opens for expansion. It's almost as if the students expect the members of the new fraternity or sorority to transfer in. "We need to get (insert sorority)- they're so hot" "(insert fraternity) are studs, we need them to come here"