Scared...

[AngelPhiSig]

Edited to say: I would like a non-TBSsister point of view!

Okay, I didnt want to post this anywhere else... so here goes...

Im scared about whats going to happen with my TBS chapter. For those of you who dont know, Tau Beta Sigma is an honorary sorority which is co-ed. On our campus we have 10 members and our brother org is doing much better. We cant seem to recruit. Our VPMembership SUCKS and dosent do his job. Thats a problem we've been having. Ill admit, I even have slacked. Were struggling to stay afloat. We used to have more members but a few left under bad leadership and one left due to a BIG problem and another because he left school. The last I mentioned being someone who was treasurer and didnt balance the checkbook and didnt work fundraisers right leaving us HIGHLY in debt. We do A LOT more than our KKPsi chapter (brother org) they always have money, but as soon as we make it, 1000 of it goes to cleaning the band uniforms, they dont spend that kind of money. The KKPsi's dont want to help us at all and are basically being asses. We're trying but I seriously dont see us lasting much longer. I hate to say that, it depresses me greatly. The fact that we went co-ed in the 70's nationally has done us in. We are losing our only male this sem., and the org isnt doing well in places that chapters are co-ed. In the south its strong with the single sex chapters...

Oi, too much on my mind. Granted a few of my TBS sisters are doing BSP with me, its not the same. Its not band service. Its ugh... just not the same.

We could always re-open under the name Psi Sigma Mu! Woo go org I made in HS!

[33girl]

Hey Ali -

since I'm kinda your TBS sister through osmosis (considering when I joined ASA 3/4 of the chapter was TBS too) I thought I would throw some comments out...

Is there any way your groups can (under the radar) go back to being single sex? I think part of the prob is females don't mind about joining a fraternity (like A Phi O), but males think joining a sorority is sorta, well, gay. This is what I would do...present yourselves as a sorority...don't really mention that males can join. if some guy gets really agitated about it fine, but I have a hard time thinking that will happen at Clarion. Definitely the rush chair should be female.

I don't understand why TBS and KKPsi didn't merge into one big group, instead of letting some of the chapters flounder when they went coed...but that's just me.

What happened last semester probably didn't help either...but that will subside eventually.

Ali -

You know how I feel about this with DO... expect an email or PM or something coming soon!

Your future Beta sister!
Ginger

[SapphireSphinx9]

Well there are several options here.

First and foremost, if you do not want your chapter to fold, then you will need to be the catalyst for the rest of the group. No matter what your position is in the group, someone has to be the leader... And you seem to have the drive and allegiance to be it, or you wouldn't have written to us.

So now for my suggestions:

Have you notified your HeadQuarters about this problem?
They might have some resources available for use to build your chapter up.

About the debt. You need to fundraise like crazy to get outta debt!!! Then, once you're in the +'s, you can worry about donating the money to clean the uniforms, and whatever else your organization helps out with... But not until you're debt free.

I agree with 33girl, go all female. If you market it the right way, you will be able to get the ladies, but at the same time, not get in trouble with not recruiting the men.
For example, (and I'm assuming that you can actively recruit...) for your recruitment banners use themes that are obviously directed toward women, but make sure that it's not blatant, so that if a man wanted to join he could...

Ask your Phi Sig sisters to help out. Yeah they have to worry about their chapter, and getting members too, but they can help with fundraising events, making banners, and even recruiting. If you need help at the recruitment table, ask a Phi Sig to sit there and help out. Use the resources you have available to you... (aren't you in another organization? ask them too! or if you have friends in different organizations ask them to help out.) I'm sure that you can get support from other groups, because no one likes to see any organization fold.

Talk with the KKPsi president to see what the issues are between the two groups. Present the problem to him, and ask for advise. Don't ask for help, because if he offers advise, most likely he'll offer help too. But if he doesn't, then at least you know where everyone stands. TBS looks good, because you tried to make amends, while KKPsi look like a-holes because they wouldn't help in a time of need...

Do you have a chapter advisor? If you do then use them to train the leaders of the group. Bad leadership will only bring the chapter down. No matter if you get new members or not, people will leave, or not be active anymore, because of it. So ask your advisor for help.

Well these are my suggestions... I wish you luck, and as you know, we are here for you!

LITP~Beth

[SAIPrincess]

with the exception of ali, all of our "good" members are graduating or going alumni this may (although right nowi really can't say anything about our two newest mebers cause they haven't been in long) and who knows who we'll get this spring. things are so not looking good for the delta omicron chapter. our fundraises fail because our treasuere isn't very good, and and our vpm isn't very good, due to one little thing that happened at elections. with fundraising this past semester the only group that did any good with it was kappa kappa psi...phi mu alpha, sai and tbs did terrible. we tried, but in band kappa's are the most popular organization. we try and try but no matter what we just don't get the money. it also dosn't help that the kappa's tell people not to join the other orgs, well except phi mu alpha, because suddenly the two groups are best buddies. and yes we have actually heard the brothers tell people not to join us. well that's the perspective from another member of the chapter. sorry for in vading your board
TBS

[AngelPhiSig]

TY for input Sandy You made A LOT of good points. The way its looking, Im going to be pres next year and I DONT want to see the chapter fall under me, its kinda scary, cos Ill be the one to blame when the blame falls on everyone in the chapter and our brothers. If we have a VPM who knew how to recruit, and not stalk PM's and a treasurer who knows how to run a decent fundraiser and sisters who dont hate our brothers and will TRY to work with them... ugh...