Zeta Tau Alpha at Tulane

[nolagreek]

Total at Tulane is also 220 with about half of the houses over that. The University of Arizona is a large state school whose enrollment is two to three times that of Tulane. The houses are also much larger at Arizona and were built to be Greek houses. I don't think you can compare the two situations. With only seven groups, Tulane does need to expand its Greek system. It is unfortunate that Zeta could not be part of that expansion.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by nolagreek

nolagreek, yes the system CAN absorb 150 new members. Many chapters at AZ (where total is 220 and many chapters are ABOVE that) hold chapter meetings in on-campus facilities. Recruitment has been restructured to accomodate the 1200+ PNMs each August. Total has been raised repeatedly in the past several years. Think outside the box!

Total at Tulane is also 220 with about half of the houses over that. The University of Arizona is a large state school whose enrollment is two to three times that of Tulane. The houses are also much larger at Arizona and were built to be Greek houses. I don't think you can compare the two situations. With only seven groups, Tulane does need to expand its Greek system. It is unfortunate that Zeta could not be part of that expansion.

I think we all will agree on this.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by nolagreek

Total at Tulane is also 220 with about half of the houses over that. The University of Arizona is a large state school whose enrollment is two to three times that of Tulane. The houses are also much larger at Arizona and were built to be Greek houses. I don't think you can compare the two situations. With only seven groups, Tulane does need to expand its Greek system. It is unfortunate that Zeta could not be part of that expansion.

I think AZTheta's point is that the sororities at Tulane could absorb the 150 if they wanted to get creative and think outside of how things are currently done. While the individual chapters may not individually have facilities to accommodate larger groups, the university surely does.

If the existing groups don't wish to do so, which I think is the case since they voted to expand, that's not the same thing as can't do so.

[nolagreek]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

I think AZTheta's point is that the sororities at Tulane could absorb the 150 if they wanted to get creative and think outside of how things are currently done. While the individual chapters may not individually have facilities to accommodate larger groups, the university surely does.

If the existing groups don't wish to do so, which I think is the case since they voted to expand, that's not the same thing as can't do so.

The problem is that total is recalculated each semester and keeps getting larger. A more likely sceanario is that the university is going to impose a limit on quota or total. The adminstration is alarmed at the size of the groups and that they are all larger than the fire marshall limits for thier houses. Some groups are already using university facilities for their meetings because of this.

[ADPiEE]

I'm not privy to any inside knowledge anywhere but didn't I read on GC about something similar happening in Chicago last fall? And the potential colony went out and found more PNMs and ended up colonizing? Is this a possibility in this situation?

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by nolagreek

The problem is that total is recalculated each semester and keeps getting larger. A more likely sceanario is that the university is going to impose a limit on quota or total. The adminstration is alarmed at the size of the groups and that they are all larger than the fire marshall limits for thier houses. Some groups are already using university facilities for their meetings because of this.

Administration can't actually do that. Read you NPC rules.

[irishpipes]

While having approximately 70 fewer members than total may not seem relevant - after all, 150 is a decent-sized chapter - the organization has to consider the practical effects on that campus. Someone mentioned that one group's dues are about $1,200 per semester. Multiply that by 70 members. That is $84,000 (obviously an approximation) that the new colony would NOT have that the existing groups do have. Compounding that issue is that the expenses for a new colony tend to be greater than an existing chapter. The colony has to secure housing, ritual materials, has greater PR and recruitment needs, more training, etc. The list goes on and on.

I know that the intangibles of sorority life are important - the people involved are the very reason for the organization's existence. However, without sound business decisions being made, the intangibles tend to be affected. Fewer members means that fees have to be increased to meet the budget. Higher fees in a fledgling group can make it difficult to recruit. These are all circumstances which the national organization can foresee that a heartbroken PNM may not.

I've been involved with colonies and budgeting, and being under-funded/under-sized can create painful drama.

[AZTheta]

I'm not passing judgment on my Panhellenic sisters' leadership organizations. They closed for a REASON. It's not our business. PERIOD.

Where's the dead horse gif?

ETA: we don't know what the issues are/were, nor should we. Further, you want to argue about size, fine, let's all talk about Indiana. At Indiana, they actually thought outside the box; two "new" unhoused chapters are doing very well. Meeting in a room on campus is not the end of the world. The size of a facility should have no bearing whatsoever on the size of a given chapter.

...wait for it...

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

ETA: we don't know what the issues are/were, nor should we. Further, you want to argue about size, fine, let's all talk about Indiana. At Indiana, they actually thought outside the box; two "new" unhoused chapters are doing very well. Meeting in a room on campus is not the end of the world. The size of a facility should have no bearing whatsoever on the size of a given chapter.

...wait for it...

Thank you. Many campuses do not have any sorority housing or meeting facilities (including my alma mater), so they meet in school facilities instead.

Oh, and seven sorority chapters is not considered a small system.

This decision by Zeta, IMO, is likely more a reflection of the Tulane campus and the attitude of women on campus. Not the interested candidates in Zeta, but the other greeks (and would be greeks) in the system. On some campuses, the sororities may say they welcome another sorority, but really they just see that chapter as the new bottom chapter on the totem pole. On some campuses, women think there is a stigma with a new sorority, so they won't even consider it. No sorority wants to be the "bottom" house, and no sorority wants to subject its colony members - who are often outstanding women who could/should be in any chapter - to a trying process on a campus that really isn't going to hold them up and support them.

[Just interested]

Ditto! PeppyGphiB.

[MaggieXi]

If you are in a sorority you understand that membership selection is private and not to be discussed. The decision by Zeta to stop the recolonization is similar. It's their private business - they get to select what campuses have a chapter and they get to select their colony members. If they don't feel its a good fit - for whatever reason - it's their decision.
Speculation about why they decided to stop the colonization process is about as productive as a PNM speculating why they didn't get a bid.

[APhi4Ever]

Originally Posted by MaggieXi

If you are in a sorority you understand that membership selection is private and not to be discussed. The decision by Zeta to stop the recolonization is similar. It's their private business - they get to select what campuses have a chapter and they get to select their colony members. If they don't feel its a good fit - for whatever reason - it's their decision.
Speculation about why they decided to stop the colonization process is about as productive as a PNM speculating why they didn't get a bid.

WORD

[amIblue?]

I don't think its speculation that numbers were not what ZTA anticipated. Their press release indicated as much.

[33girl]

To summarize all of HonestTheia and nolagreek's posts....

Tulane told ZTA what to do. ZTA didn't listen. ZTA sucks.

Why on earth, then, would you want them to charter there and bring more years of suck to more girls? That is why we are saying "better to get out now than later."

Some GLOs just don't fit with some schools. Some GLOs fit GREAT when they charter and suck 25 years later. Some GLOs don't fit the first time they look at the school, and fit great when they come back and present 15 years later. It's not a reflection on the group or the school, just that the fit is not there.

In my collegiate tenure, my school had 2 different groups try to bring Tri Delta to campus. Tri Delta turned them both down - not because the girls weren't great, but because our campus is very far removed from what (at the time) the type of schools where the majority of DDD chapters were. They didn't want to put expectations on girls they knew would never be able to fill them (like housing corps and mothers' clubs) and I would never say that they were awful or mean, just honest and realistic.

[nolagreek]

Just to clairfy what 33girl wrote - I never said anything about Zeta "sucking" - those were her words not mine. One of the reasons that everyone is so disappointed in the failed colonization is because expectations were so high for ZTA. PhiMu was a great addition to Tulane's greek system and within a year or two was taking quota and near total. ZTA is a great group but obviously not right for Tulane at this time.