small number

binks · #1 08-22-2001, 04:35 AM

Does anyone else have a small chapter? I mean Small!!(Like 10 girls!!) We are in the rebuilding period right now soo that is why it is soo small, but everyone on campus loves us!! YOu will never hear a bad word about a Phi Sigma. We have the Best Frat helping us Rush. I'm just wondering if you have any chapters that have been this small that have been successful. I am soo nervous about this year!! we are trying to double our size this semester, but still get quality. Does anyone have words of advice or comfort?

once a Phi Sigma, Always a Phi Sigma

33girl · #2 08-22-2001, 08:14 AM

My chapter was at 13 (right before I joined) and in 2 years we got to total, which was 50. So it can be done!! BE SELECTIVE, especially if you are at a small school. See if this is when your friends who you notice kind of envying your sorority experience silently would like to "take the plunge." You might be able to double, and you might not. Above all, don't take people just for numbers.

Vixenradio · #3 08-22-2001, 09:07 AM

My sorority is a local and I'm went to a small college, and so its always hard to have a "Big" sorority or fraternity... In fact in the early 90's my sorority was down to about 3-5 memebers at one point...
However when I started pledging (Fall of 1999), there were about 10 or so girls and then 9 of us pledged, so we were suddenly twice as big! And even though 8 of us graduated in 2000, over the next two semesters, 10 or so more girls rushed... I graduated in 2000, but am still close with my sorority and I think they have about 23 members or so right now.
So I really just think that sometimes with smaller schools the number of active members is always changing. For us, it's not so much about numbers, but more so about what each sister brings to the group. You can have 50 members, but it doesn't mean a lot if those in the group aren't committed, ya know?
But good luck with you Fall rush!

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"Once a Kappa, Always a Kappa" ...Kappa Gamma Chi
Emerson College Boston, MA

www.geocities.com/krxalumni

phisigQT · #4 08-22-2001, 09:33 AM

Binks,
I just wanted to wish you luck with the upcoming fall rush season! We are hoping to once again meet quota and maybe even total...which is 40! As was said earlier do not just take anyone. You will find that in the long run taking only the "best" girls will help your chapter out even futher! And it may take a semester or 2 but when word gets around to everyone on campus and even girls who are incoming freshman...the results are bound to be awesome!

PSLAM,
Meghan
Gamma Pi

shadokat · #5 08-22-2001, 10:19 AM

binks--

As a small chapter, I advise you to look at the positive sides of your group. So many small groups get hung up on the fact that they are small in comparison to other chapters on the campus. So, to sell yourselves, you have to be willing to show all that you have to offer in terms of sisterhood and fun and philanthropy, but also, let PNMs know how they will take a huge role in shaping the future of your group. I can't emphasize this enough. When groups get to critical levels, (on our campus 10 is very critical), it's time to focus rebuilding and not control. The PNMs you recruit will be the ones to carry on the legacies, and if they are aware of how important they are to the future of your group, this could be a really exciting venture for them.

We had a chapter at a school that got to critical numbers. The school had an interest group who was thinking of trying to start a new sorority. Instead, the women of our chapter offered the interest group the opportunity to be part of their organization and rebuild it. It worked, and today, this chapter is over total.

Best of luck binks!

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Delta Phi Epsilon, Celebrating 84 years of Dedication, Pride and Excellence!

MooseGirl · #6 08-22-2001, 10:41 AM

Hey Binks,
I'm a phi sig too and our chapter is small. We've been between 6-13 girls in the past 3 years. It is hard, you gotta know where to cut(since there are so many positions and not enough members). Having alum around has always helped. You have to stay positive and don't be afraid of letting members go if they are not helping the chapter. (that's what happened before, there were six but two were bringing down the chapter so they were disaffiliated....that year they had a pledge class of 13).
Just keep working. Our chapter is about the same size as the only other npc sorority on campus so that isn't a worry...try the vision method, it works.

best of luck

------------------
Delta Epsilon -
Phi Sigma Sigma

MoxieGrrl · #7 08-24-2001, 01:32 PM

*hugs binks* Oh God, girl...I know JUST what you are going through! Right now, my chapter is at 17, and we've gotten the "shape up or ship out" message from Nationals. I'm terrified, just as I imagine you are. I can't offer much advice, but a lot of sympathy. I'll be watching this thread, and maybe as the year starts we can offer what worked/what didn't advice for each other!

Another thing........I have come to the realization that I would rather my chapter go down in dignity (after 79 years!) for pledging the right girls & having small numbers than to get shut down because we have dead weight. My chapter is going to stick by this in the coming (as in 3 days from now-eeks!) semester.

I'll keep you girls posted.

shadokat · #8 08-24-2001, 02:08 PM

I wish you girls the best of luck. If you need any advice or help, please feel free to email me. I work with chapters in critical need all the time, so I may be able to help. I feel your pain...my chapter, which was a reasonable size when I graduated is now down to 22 girls, so they're one of my projects.

Best of luck with recruitment, and remember that no matter how small your group is, it's the sisterhood that counts...nobody can take that from you.

binks · #9 08-24-2001, 03:32 PM

Thanks for your support!! informal Rush has pretty much started. tomorrow is the Greek Cookout. BIG Recuitment!! I hate to say it but i know everythign i do is PR, soo i have to be nice to people, but the incoming freshman are RUDE!! ( i'm at VCU) I was at AKL's Big party Last night (i'm one of the AKL groupies, as they so call us)

I was doing some recuiting at the party, but there wasn't many girls that i would want to talk too. It's cool though cause some of the brothers are telling which girls would be good for our sorority and having me go meet them. After i get off work tonight. I have to go to a Rush event to meet girls. I am sooo Nervous about RUSH!! I will keep everyone posted on our our Rush went !!!

Greek lovin'
mary

aephi alum · #10 08-25-2001, 10:07 AM

My chapter was always very small compared to the other sororities on campus (20 or so, vs. over 100). Here's what we did --

- Visibility: We wore our letters around campus a lot, and pulled off one major charity fundraising event per year (on the same scale as the other sororities on campus) as well as several smaller ones.

- Informal Rush: We did a lot of this throughout the year. Every freshman was instructed to bring someone to every event (roommate, friend from class, etc) even if they thought they wouldn't be interested in joining a sorority. We changed a few minds in this regard! This resulted in a few one-person new member classes

but some of these people were among the most involved members of the chapter.

- Formal Rush: Don't go after sheer numbers; know when to cut. My chapter did cut pretty hard... they could have been at total by now if they took every warm body that walked through the rush room door, but we didn't want warm bodies, we wanted sisters. One danger of being small is that PNM's may cut you figuring "they're so hard up for numbers that if the other houses I'm rushing drop me, these guys will just snap bid me" - if you cut hard, you will tend to avoid this trap. By the same token, don't just cut for the sake of cutting.

This probably doesn't fall under the category of "words of advice or comfort" but my chapter did go through a reorganization at one point due to numbers. I was a grad student at the time, and I had to watch from the sidelines as some of the best and most involved sisters either disaffiliated on their own or were asked by nationals to take alumna status. About half the chapter was gone when all was said and done. The good news is that they're back up to pre-reorg numbers (about 25) and going into rush this weekend!

Good luck!!

tcsparky · #11 08-25-2001, 06:30 PM

aephi alum- I'm a bit confused. You wrote- "I had to watch from the sidelines as some of the best and most involved sisters either disaffiliated on their own or were asked by nationals to take alumna status." Why would the best and most involved sisters be asked to disaffiliate or to take alum status? Wouldn't they be the ones that would be kept, while some of the deadwood was cut? I have never known a chapter go through reorganization, so maybe it's just that I don't understand the process. Please explain.

aephi alum · #12 08-26-2001, 05:46 PM

The story of my chapter's reorganization is long - I'll try to keep it short. AEPhi has always been much smaller than the other sororities on my campus. Nationals basically told them "make quota during fall rush or else". They didn't make quota (though they still got some good new members).

The "or else" was a reorganization. Each sister was individually interviewed by people from the national office, who then decided who would be invited to remain an active sister and who would be asked to take alumna status. The new members who had joined that year were exempted, I believe.

No one was asked to disaffiliate, but a few girls were so upset by the whole thing that they chose to disaffiliate. When the dust settled, there were only about 10 active sisters left.

Some of the best and most involved girls in the chapter, including some officers, were asked to become alums. That really bothered me... I honestly don't know what the national officers were looking for when they chose who to keep.

But I must admit that it's worked out well - the chapter is back up to about 25 members, and currently in the midst of formal fall rush, where hopefully they will get some great new members!