Getting a new perspective

[DGTess]

No group of sisters considers they're in the absolute awful house and would really love it if someone like louloulee and her horde of other sophomores would come in and teach them how to be someone else.

This is a sisterhood. Girls join for many reasons - some perhaps to try to change things, but you don't do that alone, by yourself, or just because you'd like things different. I guarandamntee that they aren't sitting around waiting for her to come show the social misfits how pathetic they are.

[DubaiSis]

There's a difference between being an enthusiastic member with great leadership skills and a girl who says "yeah, thanks for pledging me. Now let me tell you everything you're doing wrong." As a struggling chapter, I'd probably bite down and take the group that may appear to be heading in a very different direction. Chapters change over time and chapters in growth mode will have growing pains. Hopefully the executive board can successfully nurture these girls in a positive way and not just get bull-dozed. But the only way to no longer be the struggling chapter is to make some sort of significant change, and a change in personality type of the girls you've been pledging is probably the biggest one.

[Shellfish]

I have to say this: it's horde. (Edit: Just noticed that DGTess seemed to be equally irked.)

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

There's a difference between being an enthusiastic member with great leadership skills and a girl who says "yeah, thanks for pledging me. Now let me tell you everything you're doing wrong." As a struggling chapter, I'd probably bite down and take the group that may appear to be heading in a very different direction. Chapters change over time and chapters in growth mode will have growing pains. Hopefully the executive board can successfully nurture these girls in a positive way and not just get bull-dozed. But the only way to no longer be the struggling chapter is to make some sort of significant change, and a change in personality type of the girls you've been pledging is probably the biggest one.

There are WRC's that are weak for NO REASON except that they have fewer women and a reputation as being the WRC. If you have to rush 2-on-1, for example, you are going to be weak at FR. There is no way around that. Every one of your rushers could be the best rusher ever, and the PNM's know that you are rushing them 2-to-1.

[33girl]

My junior year, we had a larger than usual pledge class that was VERY VERY VERY different than the then-current complexion of the chapter. No exaggeration that they changed things a lot. However, I think it got to the point that we all figured out how to find common ground.

This is the difference between guys and girls. If this situation would have happened to guys, they wouldn't have spent a second whining for a new rush or going to the Greek life director. They would have said "hey, we all seem to be on the same page here, let's turn this ship around." Guys know they make the organization, girls think the organization makes them.

[FSUZeta]

But it seems easier for guys to do. Many campus cultures seem to be more tolerant of a small, unconventional fraternity than a small, unconventional sorority.

[ASTalumna06]

And ironically, it's sometimes the guys who are determining (whether intentionally or not) which sorority chapters "make" a girl and which ones "break" them.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

And ironically, it's sometimes the guys who are determining (whether intentionally or not) which sorority chapters "make" a girl and which ones "break" them.

YES!!! We should take that power away from them. If ABC fraternity is too good to have a social with xxx sorority, then all the sororities should not have socials with ABC. They would soon change their tune.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

YES!!! We should take that power away from them. If ABC fraternity is too good to have a social with xxx sorority, then all the sororities should not have socials with ABC. They would soon change their tune.

YESSSS!!! THIS!!THIS!!THIS!!THIS!!THIS!!

[33girl]

I honestly can't imagine a group of 19 year olds saying "XYZ fraternity said mean things about ABC sorority. We are not going to associate with them anymore, even if they are the hottest, richest, funnest guys on campus."

Besides - mixers/socials are only one part of it. It's pretty impossible to tell your members they are not allowed to eat in the caf with XYZ, date them, or go to XYZ parties.

The best way to fix something like that IMO, if it's really bugging your chapter? Propose a double mixer with your sorority, ABC, XYZ and another relatively top tier fraternity. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. If anything, cutting off mixers will only make the fraternities resentful of the sorority in question, on top of them being the butt of jokes.

[ElvisLover]

I like your idea, 33. Sounds like a good solution to the problem.

[mshudec]

Originally Posted by carnation

I saw about the first 15 minutes of the thread. I have seen Greek chapters (mostly fraternities) that are like the OP described. They are geeky in their own way and they like it. The thing is that fraternities don't have quotas and many times aren't under pressure from their nationals to double their size or whatever.

These sorority members might have liked their group just the way it is and would've been horrified if a big pledge class had come in and changed the whole complexion of the sorority. Imagine that most of your sisters love HP, Twilight, Hunger Games, and various dystopian novels and suddenly you get this huge class of new members who decide that every member needs to be in 2 intramural sports or spend 10 hours per semester pomping floats. You didn't sign up for that! You only took all those girls because your International HQ made you! Now your sorority is 1/3 girls like you and 2/3 rah-rah girls.

People on GC often say, "If a bunch of you accept bids, you can turn the suffering sorority around!" You might. But you might change it into something that the sisters never wanted and ruin it for them.

Yes. I worked a Greek Council that had both local and national organizations. It seemed that the national organization felt pressured to have a larger chapter because sometimes that's the way they are internally organized, while the local organizations wanted to keep things small. They said anything over 35 would be TOO MUCH for them. I value that because they know what kind of sisterhood they want, they believe in being a close knit group and taking small classes of new members. I'm happy for them and I would never want to change that and ruin their experience.

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

She dropped out before prefs along with about 60 others. There were girls who received a bid from this particular sorority that did not accept them. She had a discussion with the GL advisor as to her options and GL advisor suggested that she and a bunch of her friends join and help build the sorority up, or start a new sorority. She realized that trying to change the personality of the chapter might not go over well with the present membership, and wondered what her options were. She did ask if there was a way to hold spring rush without xxx sorority participating. GCers took offense, piled on, and OP asked that thread be deleted. Thread was deleted.

Well, here's the thing. Sometimes you come in and you think, oh I'm going to change things and you realize that the chapter might not need as much change as you first thought. Recruitment is not an accurate picture of an organization. Sometimes, you'll find your people no matter where you end up. She could just end up being the most outgoing girl for that chapter.