Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul
< Note, not attacking Buttonz, she just happens to have the unfortunate quote >
I understand what you're saying, but I don't know if it would fix the problem to go national, wouldn't the local "traditions" (as dubious as they are  ) stick around, just with some poor NPC's letters attached?. Just changing the letters and putting in some programming doesn't fix deep ingrained internal problems. I think it would have to be the full disolution of the group, meaning let it be dormant and then colonize a new (local or NPC or whatever) many years later. Perhaps greater oversight by Greek Life/Student Affairs?
I always go through the doomsday scenario of Otterbein's system going all-national. I say doomsday because I think that a LOT of women would be really, truly, seriously heartbroken to have their 70+ year old history wiped out and replaced by something else that they never pledged fidelity to, especially if it was simply mandated that we MUST be national by someone outside of our sorority. It would just hurt. I know that's not what you're getting at , but I can understand why people would fight to stay local. If it was of the general concensus of the campus sorority council and chapter members/alum, then ok, yeah, people will still be upset but eventually will suck it up, but if its administrators or just the NPC's on campus telling the locals/regionals to be national, there's gonna be some friction. The concept of "being local" is sort of isolating, and the defending of their existance is something that most local chapters (not looking for colonization) take very, very very seriously. Call it culture, I suppose. |
My campus decided to switch from all-locals to all-nationals in one swoop. I've been told it was because of hazing and the school's displeasure with having no real oversight re: rules, standards, etc. They just thought having (inter)national organizations would keep local chapters accountable and that the national reputations of NPC/NIC would actually draw more students into Greek Life (which it did). Almost all of the NPC sororities now on campus were orginally locals, meaning members of the local were actually initiated into Gamma Phi Beta along with the first pledge class (my class). So, some were members of both the local and NPC sorority.
The transition appeared to go pretty smoothly. All of the organizations sent consultants who remained with the chapters for the first full academic year and helped us learn new rules, bylaws, election procedures, ritual, songs, and international traditions. Some of the older members (mostly juniors and seniors) were a little resistant to change, but even they mostly went along with everything.
That said, for the years I was on campus, I became familiar with many of our local's traditions. Gamma Phi actually encouraged us to adopt the local's colors and motto as our chapter colors/motto. Our chapter's candle-pass song was actually written by the soon-to-be-fiance of one of our local's members from years past, so we retained the song and the chapter still sings it...it's a song no other Gamma Phi chapter sings, and is therefore very special to the chapter. So, going national does not always mean abandoning your roots.
ETA: although hazing supposedly occurred in the local system on my campus, my chapter of Gamma Phi NEVER hazed. I don't know if the local did before, but if it did, that was one tradition that did not stick around.
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