NPC appoints Community College Task Force

[33girl]

Originally Posted by naraht

Given the fact that some of the NPC sororities had a major part of their early growth at two year schools, does this effort open some of those early chapters back up, or are those types of two year schools (mostly women's only finishing schools) long gone, leaving the public community colleges as the two year schools that could extend to?

I think those kinds of schools are pretty much long gone. It’s part of why ASA had to reorganize in 1914, because our chapter roll consisted almost completely of those type of schools and an anti-sorority sentiment was sweeping through them.

I’m not quite sure why this thread has taken the turn it has - I thought the primary argument against CC expansion was (and still is) the amount of turnover. It’s hard to run a GLO when the majority or all of students only stay at the school one or two years. It’s not because CCs are for The Poors.

[andthen]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I thought the primary argument against CC expansion was (and still is) the amount of turnover. It’s hard to run a GLO when the majority or all of students only stay at the school one or two years. It’s not because CCs are for The Poors.

This!! I know at least where I live and spent a semester at CC for a lot of people its either a path into a 4 year school after they've finished a year or two. For me it was a transitional point before I re-enrolled at a different 4 year university than where I first started.

I know for my cousin who is currently enrolled in CC he relocated from out of state, and wanted to establish his residency in the state with the goal of going to a 4 year university. Going to CC was a much more financially viable option for him as he has to pay for school himself. He figures get his gen ed classes done there and then take his core classes for his major at State U, and hopefully doesn't have as much debt when he graduates. For my niece who started at a 4 year school and I even wrote her a rec (when those were a thing), some events made her return to live with her grandmother, she finished out and got a two year degree from the local CC and then transferred back to a local 4 year university to get her bachelors.

I think for others doing CC they might be older students finally deciding to go back to school and CC is a good option for them to work and go to school.

Although there might be a decline in students interested in participating in greek life, I don't feel like exploring membership options at the CC level is the best long term solution. To me most CC's cater to commuter students at least all of the CC's I'm aware of in the general vicinity of where I live all have commuter students who are likely working full or part-time jobs, so then asking these students to say hey you want to join "ABC Sorority", I have a feeling this path is going to lead no where.

[*winter*]

Originally Posted by andthen

This!! I know at least where I live and spent a semester at CC for a lot of people its either a path into a 4 year school after they've finished a year or two. For me it was a transitional point before I re-enrolled at a different 4 year university than where I first started.

I know for my cousin who is currently enrolled in CC he relocated from out of state, and wanted to establish his residency in the state with the goal of going to a 4 year university. Going to CC was a much more financially viable option for him as he has to pay for school himself. He figures get his gen ed classes done there and then take his core classes for his major at State U, and hopefully doesn't have as much debt when he graduates. For my niece who started at a 4 year school and I even wrote her a rec (when those were a thing), some events made her return to live with her grandmother, she finished out and got a two year degree from the local CC and then transferred back to a local 4 year university to get her bachelors.

I think for others doing CC they might be older students finally deciding to go back to school and CC is a good option for them to work and go to school.

Although there might be a decline in students interested in participating in greek life, I don't feel like exploring membership options at the CC level is the best long term solution. To me most CC's cater to commuter students at least all of the CC's I'm aware of in the general vicinity of where I live all have commuter students who are likely working full or part-time jobs, so then asking these students to say hey you want to join "ABC Sorority", I have a feeling this path is going to lead no where.

That’s been my experience with CC as well. Even the “traditional” age students usually weren’t very traditional in the sense that they were working full time or had children/a child to take care of. It was definitely a place to go to classes and then go home. Everyone had this idea that this was temporary- even the people in associates programs knew they’d only be there for a short period of time. It doesn’t seem like a place where a time consuming (and money consuming) activity like a sorority would work out.

Maybe CCs in other parts of the country are different- idk- this is what it’s like where I am from.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by *winter*

That’s been my experience with CC as well. Even the “traditional” age students usually weren’t very traditional in the sense that they were working full time or had children/a child to take care of. It was definitely a place to go to classes and then go home. Everyone had this idea that this was temporary- even the people in associates programs knew they’d only be there for a short period of time. It doesn’t seem like a place where a time consuming (and money consuming) activity like a sorority would work out.

Maybe CCs in other parts of the country are different- idk- this is what it’s like where I am from.

This may come off as denegration of my own organization (Alpha Phi Omega), but if a service fraternity (where close together housing members *isn't expected) can't keep the large majority of its chapters at community colleges going why would organizations generally oriented to having communal housing as a part of setup work?

Let me phrase it another way. If a four year school offered to open itself up to an NPC sorority BUT declared that
a)not only couldn't the sorority have housing on campus
b)that while roomates could be chosen , housing otherwise would be random, meaning that no hall/floor could be concentrated into.

My guess is that this would be a nogo for most of the NPC. Community Colleges are *worse* than this.

Which in a lot of ways is the difference between community colleges and the 2-year schools that some of the sororities started at. The old 2-year women's schools *very* definitely had housing.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by naraht

This may come off as denegration of my own organization (Alpha Phi Omega), but if a service fraternity (where close together housing members *isn't expected) can't keep the large majority of its chapters at community colleges going why would organizations generally oriented to having communal housing as a part of setup work?

Let me phrase it another way. If a four year school offered to open itself up to an NPC sorority BUT declared that
a)not only couldn't the sorority have housing on campus
b)that while roomates could be chosen , housing otherwise would be random, meaning that no hall/floor could be concentrated into.

My guess is that this would be a nogo for most of the NPC. Community Colleges are *worse* than this.

Which in a lot of ways is the difference between community colleges and the 2-year schools that some of the sororities started at. The old 2-year women's schools *very* definitely had housing.

Not all 4 year colleges have/allow greek housing, but the fact you share that Alpha Phi Omega has had problems sustaining CC chapters speaks volumes as to another chink in the armor of possible NPC CC expansion.