Disaffiliation

[33girl]

We always had 2 pledge classes a year and I think it did help in integrating women into the chapter (this was a relatively low key rush and chapters under 70, so factor that in).

But considering the zeal with which national Panhel has tried to stamp out this practice - even if it was working for the school - I don't see it happening at any of the bigger colleges any time soon. The excuse is usually that rush is too time consuming and intense to have it twice a year. That's part of the problem - PC terms aside, we are still holding "rush" and for 90% of the systems out there are nowhere near "recruitment. "

[33girl]

And re the ever growing NM classes...a lot of that can be attributed to RFM and guaranteed bidding (if you follow the rules). Both these things look great on paper and inclusive, welcoming etc...all things that are great to dispel the "Greeks are too selective and snobby" stigma. But if disaffiliaion is increasing as well, are these things really helping our groups?

[ASTalumna06]

Could this...

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Good point, but I will say that on several occasions I saw girls who told us advisors that they could not pay their monthly dues- an unhoused chapter, so dues ran between $100-200/month- out for dinners and drinks at nice restaurants where the typical bill per person would average $40-50, and FB photos of said girls living it up at the clubs, where they easily could have dropped another $40-50.....therefore, had their priorities been different, could have paid their dues by missing one or two nights of entertainment.

Be because of this?

Originally Posted by Sciencewoman

It also seems like mandatory attendance at a variety of events, merit points, study hour tracking, and fines have played a part in discouraging enthusiasm with some. These tracking systems have increase exponentially since I was an active, and they can feel overwhelming. We have an app for tracking everything now. Again, if you're not 100% committed and feeling the love, these can be "one more thing to do" that isn't very fun.

Are the tracking systems and fines, in addition to required meetings, phanthropic events, recruitment prep, homecoming float building, Greek Sing practice, etc., becoming so overwhelming that sisters are looking for any kind of break from things mandated by the sorority?

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Are the tracking systems and fines, in addition to required meetings, phanthropic events, recruitment prep, homecoming float building, Greek Sing practice, etc., becoming so overwhelming that sisters are looking for any kind of break from things mandated by the sorority?

I think the fact that there's now an app to track everything is an illustration of how many obligations members need to track. And for those who are on the fence, membership starts to become less "fun" and more "obligatory."

On our campus, over programming in Greek Life is an issue, so others' mileage may vary.

[ForeverRoses]

I see #2 all the time. The women drop so that they aren't paying dues, but they still live with their pledge sisters, attend events, etc. It is no longer a big deal to drop.

(Until their biological little sister goes through recruitment and isn't considered a legacy and member that dropped freaks out)

[Kevin]

From my lane, also yes. I don't think our financial burden has changed that much and tuition is still only about $5,000 per year at our school.

[elicampbell]

Originally Posted by Kevin

From my lane, also yes. I don't think our financial burden has changed that much and tuition is still only about $5,000 per year at our school.

Wow! WKU is $4,741 per semester in state, $12, 066 for out of state.

[AZTheta]

What I like about GC: so many eyes and minds on a problem/situation/question. Makes me think.

Thank you, GC hive.

[shadokat]

I'm going to take a stab in the dark here, and it's not meant to judge anyone's programming, but maybe our programming that we all have is a bit outdated too. I mean, if you were a part of something providing meaningful experiences, you'd be less likely to drop out of it because the things you would have to sacrifice for it were worth the experience. Again, it goes back to the "loyalty" bond. The other thing is that NM programming is so lax. I mean, it's basically like a meeting or two a week, and that's it. Then you become active and you're expected to do philanthropy, recruitment, sisterhood events, socials, etc., PLUS attend a meeting a week. That's a big jump from what you had to do as a NM.

I don't know. This whole thing has started to bother me as I advise a chapter now, and it's a new chapter, so there's always a bit more attrition with a new chapter than an already established one. As an advisor, I feel like it's my duty to see these big picture things and try to work on them, but I'm at a loss right now.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by shadokat

I'm going to take a stab in the dark here, and it's not meant to judge anyone's programming, but maybe our programming that we all have is a bit outdated too. I mean, if you were a part of something providing meaningful experiences, you'd be less likely to drop out of it because the things you would have to sacrifice for it were worth the experience. Again, it goes back to the "loyalty" bond. The other thing is that NM programming is so lax. I mean, it's basically like a meeting or two a week, and that's it. Then you become active and you're expected to do philanthropy, recruitment, sisterhood events, socials, etc., PLUS attend a meeting a week. That's a big jump from what you had to do as a NM.

I don't know. This whole thing has started to bother me as I advise a chapter now, and it's a new chapter, so there's always a bit more attrition with a new chapter than an already established one. As an advisor, I feel like it's my duty to see these big picture things and try to work on them, but I'm at a loss right now.

Nearly two decades ago my org asked for major feedback regarding expectations, financials, sisterhood, activities, etc. provided to and expected of both collegians and alums. I responded with a polite, detailed response as to what I thought were outdated collegiate modules and trainings noting many were already provided nationwide at a high school level. My feedback concluded: who would want to join our collegiate org if we only provided the exact same trainings and experiences?

Looking back on the time since their inquiry, while it was great our HQ asked for feedback and they wanted to change it took a decade of spending money 'studying the problem' and seven years of 'testing their theories' before they came up with their 'solutions'. It's swell to want to change, but IMO it isn't coming fast enough to keep our women interested and involved.

[33girl]

I think a huge part of the problem is the insistence on integrating the pledge class too fully into the chapter too quickly. You need to learn to work with 20 people before you can work with 100. It's too overwhelming and completely opposite of how every sociological study ever has shown how people make lasting friendships.

[picardythird]

As a recent graduate, I'd comfortably say >85% of our disaffiliations are related to financial concerns. They'd have trouble paying for school, housing, extra-curriculars, and as someone said earlier, first thing to get cut is the sorority as it was by far the most expensive, second maybe to housing.

The economy wasn't kind to many of us since 2007 as I'm sure so many of you know. From a student perspective, our parents were getting laid off, we were working to pay for school, some took on extra jobs just to stay in the sorority. I went to a public flagship university that was touted for its affordability, but that doesn't mean the debt didn't pile on for many classmates. Greek Life got more and more expensive as our housing needed to be renovated, expanded, etc. Rather than go into more debt, they made the financially responsible decision they needed to make. I've cried with sisters who had to disaffiliate and/or drop out of school from financial burdens. They wanted to stay.

Sorry for the ramble - it was painful to lose so many sisters to something that felt out of our control.

[FSUZeta]

Good point, but I will say that on several occasions I saw girls who told us advisors that they could not pay their monthly dues- an unhoused chapter, so dues ran between $100-200/month- out for dinners and drinks at nice restaurants where the typical bill per person would average $40-50, and FB photos of said girls living it up at the clubs, where they easily could have dropped another $40-50.....therefore, had their priorities been different, could have paid their dues by missing one or two nights of entertainment.

[ColdInCanada11]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Good point, but I will say that on several occasions I saw girls who told us advisors that they could not pay their monthly dues- an unhoused chapter, so dues ran between $100-200/month- out for dinners and drinks at nice restaurants where the typical bill per person would average $40-50, and FB photos of said girls living it up at the clubs, where they easily could have dropped another $40-50.....therefore, had their priorities been different, could have paid their dues by missing one or two nights of entertainment.

THIS. This is what drives me insane. We have chapters of less than 30 here (meaning that pledge classes *might* be 10 if its an exceptionally crazy year) and there are STILL girls quitting because they apparently can't afford dues but can afford to go party 2-3 nights a week.

I know that I'm an oddity- I joined for ritual and tradition. I completely understand that everyone joins for different reasons. However, does our organisation mean so little to you that you can throw it away after a year? I find it incredibly disheartening, and I wish that there were longer new member periods with more meat in the programming (like others have said). I don't think that anything is going to be changing, unfortunately.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Good point, but I will say that on several occasions I saw girls who told us advisors that they could not pay their monthly dues- an unhoused chapter, so dues ran between $100-200/month- out for dinners and drinks at nice restaurants where the typical bill per person would average $40-50, and FB photos of said girls living it up at the clubs, where they easily could have dropped another $40-50.....therefore, had their priorities been different, could have paid their dues by missing one or two nights of entertainment.

Just because there are pictures of you out and about doesn't necessarily mean you're spending money there. I recall many times when people would be drinking pop or water at the bars simply because they were too broke for anything alcoholic, and their cover charge was paid with coins dug out of the couch.

I know there are those people who are doing what you say, but please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

(This argument would be more foolproof if we were discussing men instead of women, incidentally. )