NPC adding new council members--do you think it could/will happen?

[psy]

The recent NAFLO and KBG threads made me wonder about this--do you think the NPC would actually be open to accepting a new member group if one or more met the requirements and applied sometime in that not terribly distant future? Considering it's been 60 years since they last expanded, I'm doubtful if anything would actually go through. OTOH, the NPHC did expand with Iota Theta Phi after 60 years of dormancy (yeah, I know they are different lanes and trying to make any generalizations across them is probably not a great idea), so old, long "stable" (read: same member organizations for decades) national councils have expanded in the recent past.

What do you think? Would a hypothetical new NPC group stand a realistic chance at being admitted, and how might any new additions be received ior change the NPC "landscape"?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by psy

OTOH, the NPHC did expand with Iota Theta Phi after 60 years of dormancy (yeah, I know they are different lanes and trying to make any generalizations across them is probably not a great idea), so old, long "stable" (read: same member organizations for decades) national councils have expanded in the recent past.

"Different lanes" but councils and conferences may consider similar things when making such decisions. Here is what came to mind when I read your post:

1. Are there any newer organizations (or older organizations) that want to be a member of NPC and are sustainable and have something substantive in common with the other NPC sororities?

2. Iota Phi Theta was founded in 1963 and joined NPHC in 1997. They had 34 years of longevity and sustainability as an historically and predominantly African American fraternity. The other NPHC orgs joined in 1930 or 1931.

3. The NPHC consists of both historically and predominantly African American fraternities and sororities, of which there are 9. In other words, the context of the Divine 9, a relatively small number of historically and predominantly Black GLOs, is different than that of the NPC's 26 sororities (and NIC's 75 fraternities, including 4 of the 5 NPHC fraternities). That's a lot of sororities and so much that the NPC and NIC are separate conferences, unlike the NPHC.

4. I'm always interested in how organizations withdraw membership from councils and conferences; and how some organizations rejoin councils and conferences. When reading about fraternities that withdrew from NIC, I always wonder what the "disagreement" was.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by psy

What do you think? Would a hypothetical new NPC group stand a realistic chance at being admitted, and how might any new additions be received ior change the NPC "landscape"?

Unless KBG kicks into super turbo expansion mode, or SAI/GSS/OPA decide they want to go full out social (not that there is any inkling of this happening whatsoever), conventional wisdom is that there will be contraction rather than expansion.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

4. I'm always interested in how organizations withdraw membership from councils and conferences; and how some organizations rejoin councils and conferences. When reading about fraternities that withdrew from NIC, I always wonder what the "disagreement" was.

I think that when Kappa Sigma withdrew, part of the complaint was that they were having to pay for lots of NIC-sponsored programs that were duplicates of what they already provided for their members. In other words they were sick of ponying up $$ to finance stuff for the smaller fraternities that couldn't afford it. That's really simplifying it and as I said that's only part of it.

[PhoenixAzul]

^ that's my thought.

I am thinking and I can't really come up with a sorority that would really fit the NPC profile plus provide national support and be "competitive". In my mind, the sororities that are outside of the NPC sprouted up BECAUSE they weren't NPC, either because of cultural or religious focus or desire to do their own thing.

Further, the NPC has ways of doing things that aren't the way things are done in other sororities...some require a statement of faith to join, others prefer a more NPHC type intake system and small pledge classes. It would take a huge change on the part of one of the two parties in order for it to mesh.

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Unless KBG kicks into super turbo expansion mode, or SAI/GSS/OPA decide they want to go full out social (not that there is any inkling of this happening whatsoever), conventional wisdom is that there will be contraction rather than expansion.

I think that when Kappa Sigma withdrew, part of the complaint was that they were having to pay for lots of NIC-sponsored programs that were duplicates of what they already provided for their members. In other words they were sick of ponying up $$ to finance stuff for the smaller fraternities that couldn't afford it. That's really simplifying it and as I said that's only part of it.

Gamma Sig is constitutionally co-ed, so I'm pretty sure that they would never join the NPC (and for various other reasons, as well).

[DeltaBetaBaby]

There are certainly sororities that meet NPC criteria for membership. SLG comes to mind, as I mentioned in the NALFO thread. There is also historical precedence for a group that sprouted from a non-NPC mindset later joining the NPC. The question is, what is NPC providing that one of those groups would not? Is there an advantage to being a full member of a CPH? Does NPC do national-level development type activities? Because the flip side is that joining an NPC requires an org to follow a lot of rules they didn't have prior. For what orgs might that be worth it?

[lucgreek]

I think I remember reading from BootyKBG that at one time KBG was on the path to joining NPC, but then some things changed. It also doesn't help that KBG is retracting and losing chapters to NPC groups. (For their old chapter at Loyola, KBG was not allowed to recolonize it since they were not an NPC and the school decided to have NPC groups only)

[Barbie's_Rush]

I think it would be very difficult for even a well established organization to achieve the momentum needed on many campuses that would be required to "compete" in the NPC game. Recruitment methods, quotas, total, houses being required to survive on many campuses and rules rules rules! I can see where many would look at NPC membership as a set of golden handcuffs even in the best of circumstances.

I think it's much more likely that some NPC groups will eventually be absorbed by other NPC groups. It's got to be increasingly challenging in this economic climate for some groups to survive as individual entities in the long run.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

I think it would be very difficult for even a well established organization to achieve the momentum needed on many campuses that would be required to "compete" in the NPC game. Recruitment methods, quotas, total, houses being required to survive on many campuses and rules rules rules! I can see where many would look at NPC membership as a set of golden handcuffs even in the best of circumstances.

Well, that's assuming that they have to compete. There are numerous campuses where SDT just does its own thing, and that's more the model I could see one of the Latina-founded orgs following.

[naraht]

In terms of particulars, why is the NIC easier for Alpha Phi Alpha (and two of the other NPHC fraternities) to join than the NPC is for Sigma Gamma Rho (or the other three NPHC sororities). Is it the standardly unified rush concept that NPC has at most schools?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by naraht

In terms of particulars, why is the NIC easier for Alpha Phi Alpha (and two of the other NPHC fraternities) to join than the NPC is for Sigma Gamma Rho (or the other three NPHC sororities). Is it the standardly unified rush concept that NPC has at most schools?

As an outsider, I would think that would be part of it. In broader terms, I would guess it has to do with the very different natures of the NIC and the NPC. It seems to me that the NIC exists mainly to advocate for the interests of its members, to engage in PR for the fraternity system in general and to provide educational programming for its members. So far as I know, it doesn't engage much in any regulations as to how member organizations will operate (for example, regarding rush or expansion). Through things like Unanimous Agreements, on the other hand, the NPC seems to be more involved in deciding as a group how its member fraternities/sororities will operate and cooperate. Does that seem on target?


FWIW, here's an earlier thread on this subject: Future NPC sororities. Sometning tells me there's at least one other thread on this as well.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by naraht

In terms of particulars, why is the NIC easier for Alpha Phi Alpha (and two of the other NPHC fraternities) to join than the NPC is for Sigma Gamma Rho (or the other three NPHC sororities). Is it the standardly unified rush concept that NPC has at most schools?

The NPHC orgs consider ourselves to be service organizations first and foremost, with a social aspect.

As far as the rush concept, I can only speculate that it has more to do with historical reasons versus anything technical like quotas, totals and having a house.

Also, I think that the idea of NPHC sororities joining the NPC would be rejected. For the NPHC, it is not just joining a sorority per se, it is seen as becoming part of a legacy in an org that has very strong family traditions, and in some cases, expectations. I think the nature and structure of the NPHC sororities is so ingrained and is such a major part in AfAm society, that I don't see it changing or even wanting to change.

This is just my opinion, and any other NPHCer can correct me, or weigh in if they want to.

[IrishLake]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

For the NPHC, it is not just joining a sorority per se, it is seen as becoming part of a legacy in an org that has very strong family traditions, and in some cases, expectations.

This can also be very NPC.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

This can also be very NPC.

Yeah, I know. I just did not know how else to describe it.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

For the NPHC, it is not just joining a sorority per se, it is seen as becoming part of a legacy in an org that has very strong family traditions, and in some cases, expectations. I think the nature and structure of the NPHC sororities is so ingrained and is such a major part in AfAm society, that I don't see it changing or even wanting to change.

Wouldn't this be true of the four NPHC fraternities that are also members of the NIC, though? Or is there a difference between NPHC fraternities and NPHC sororities in this respect?