Panhellenic Rules on Expansion

[MoxieGrrl]

pinkyphimu-
To answer your question based on what I have been on my campus: Panhellenic Councils on campus need to realize that the great way to help a struggling chapter is to punish the other chapters for rush infractions throughout the year. You cannot let chapters get away with promising girls bids, bringing the PNMs to their houses to party 1st semester, buying them drinks at the bar, oh geez...the list can go on. Name a gross infraction and name it here.

Of course, this is all theoretical. I have *never* seen this go on at my campus.

What does work? Supporting joint open rush parties for COB-ing, making sure that the struggling chapter is doing all they can do internally to stay open

[aopinthesky]

Pinky,
Sometimes a campus Panhellenic will make a firm committment to help a struggling chapter by encouraging girls to COB with them, by helping to advertise their events and just "talking up" the chapter in general. I guess it is more of an attitude of working together than anything else - which can sometimes change people's perception of a chapter and stimulate some interest in it. There is a fine line, there. Sororities are competitive and they have to maintain their own membership as well. Doing everything possible to help a struggling chapter is better for the system as a whole in the long run. Of course, if it is something more than a "public perception" problem and the chapter has internal problems as well, there isn't much anyone - outside of their inter/national hdq. - can do for them.

[aopinthesky]

>>>BTW, I didn't start this thread to start any arguments on whether or not opening a new chapter of another sorority would be the death of the weaker sorority. <<<

I didn't think that an argument HAD started. When you open a thread you are going to get varied opinions on the topic. That doesn't necessarily translate into argument. If what I posted was construed as argumentative, I deeply apologize.

I think I am just misunderstanding Tom Earp again! hehe I just can't follow him!

[Tom Earp]

Basically, if some Soros. on campus are not to quota, then new ones cannot come on!

What I am saying, if there are more or new Soros coming there may be a heightened interest from the independent ladys on campus. They may not be joining as they do not like the current ones.

The real world of Greekdom is not like GC where all try to help each other.

This of course depends on the size of campus and the feelings about Greeks.

At my Alma Mater, it is a Greek Sysyem of 3 Soro and 6 Fraternitys. The Greek Advisor told me that is the way it works!

We tend to have a positive look on Greek Life here at my school by professors and administration. Our VP of Student Affairs is, in fact, a Greek himself. Many of the professors and administrators are Greeks themselves.

Within Greek Life itself, even though we don't have snap bidding, we do remain positive about other sororities and I tend to think it's not fake. I could be a little naive about it because I have no qualms about other sorority personalities. I want everyone to do well. So, I guess we have an ideal Greek system.

[33girl]

I think it also depends on the housing situation. It seems to me that campuses with large houses are much, much more reluctant to expand, since any decrease in numbers may hurt the current chapters' ability to fill and/or keep their house.

[astroAPhi]

Originally posted by scpiano211
Is it true that the only way Panhellenic and/or individual sororities will allow another sorority to be expanded to a school that all sororities have to be at total? and/or at total for a certain amount of time as well?

Thank you for asking this question scpiano. Things are a little sticky around here since we have only 2 NPC sororities on campus. Last year, 12 girls decided to start a local sorority. We've been wanting to expand for years, but neither NPC sorority was anywhere near total (total was 40, and both were at about 30, but have been as low as 17).

What we found was that when the new local began, interest in recruitment went up. Unfortunately, it turned out that everyone became interested in the two NPC sororities, and both are near total (both were at -1 total, but because of graduating seniors, obviously, both are lower). The new local is struggling, however.

We've been told that if both NPC sororities are at total for 1 year, the local can petition to become a colony of another NPC sorority. Unfortunately, though, I'm not sure they'll make it through this next year, because their numbers are still low and a lot of their girls are juniors and seniors. Which is a bummer, because in my opinion, we really need a third sorority (of any kind... local, NPC, whatever) in order to keep recruitment numbers up. When girls are only faced with 2 choices, they tend not to rush because of the lack of variety.