DePauw Rush Results

[PeppyGPhiB]

It looks like the "starting fresh" approach DZ nationals took did not help the chapter during recruitment. Why did they decide to kick those women out just before formal recruitment? I assume DZ will be doing a massive interview/membership drive now?

"Image" keeps getting brought up. Were the decisions made on personal, physical image, or the collective image, as in reputation, of the chapter? I do think it's horrible for a GLO to kick members out of a chapter because they decide they aren't pretty enough. That's just mean, and is cruel on a very basic, human level. DZ is a strong organization, but can you really blame women for choosing not to join during rush if this is the new image DZ is presenting?

ETA: for the record, I would feel the same way if it was my org. that did this

[33girl]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

It looks like the "starting fresh" approach DZ nationals took did not help the chapter during recruitment. Why did they decide to kick those women out just before formal recruitment? I assume DZ will be doing a massive interview/membership drive now?

Apparently, they were under the impression that even if they closed the chapter, they would automatically regain a spot if Panhellenic opened up again. The school told them this was not the case. I sincerely hope that "Wow, OK. What do we do now?" was not a direct quote from an international sorority's executive director. They then had to scramble for winter/spring rush.

I believe the Green Book says you have a year to be dormant/reorganize etc, but I'm guessing the time line they laid out to the school was longer than that.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

You know what happens when the bottom chapter folds? Someone else becomes the bottom chapter. However, it seems a little strange that on a campus with only 7, there would be two weaklings.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

You know what happens when the bottom chapter folds? Someone else becomes the bottom chapter. However, it seems a little strange that on a campus with only 7, there would be two weaklings.

It happened at my undergrad. We had two chapters in the 30-40s, two chapters in the 60s and three at total at 85.

[LaneSig]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

It happened at my undergrad. We had two chapters in the 30-40s, two chapters in the 60s and three at total at 85.

It happened at my campus, too (with 6 sororities). And after the two low chapters folded, the chapter with 50-60, that spent a lot of time bad mouthing the other two for being low, is now the lowest one and struggling to survive.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

You know what happens when the bottom chapter folds? Someone else becomes the bottom chapter. However, it seems a little strange that on a campus with only 7, there would be two weaklings.

Tri-Delta closed in 1991 and AOII closed in 2000. Nobody replaced those groups, so I think there has always been a clear separation of the stronger chapters and the weaker ones at DePauw (like anywhere). It is just that DZ and the other smaller chapter stuck it out longer. My best friend was an AOII there when DDD closed, and like you said, immediately AOII suffered as the new low group. Now it is DZ and there is an heir apparent already, unfortunately.

33Girl - going into recruitment, most chapters have around 100 members, but one usually is more like 70 or 80 and then DZ was more like 40 or 50. (Unofficial source though. The OP would probably have more exact numbers.)

[33girl]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

33Girl - going into recruitment, most chapters have around 100 members, but one usually is more like 70 or 80 and then DZ was more like 40 or 50. (Unofficial source though. The OP would probably have more exact numbers.)

I was wondering how many people it takes to fill the actual physical plant/house. (Remember, calling a chapter a house is my pet peeve, LOL.)

[DeltaDZ]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

"Image" keeps getting brought up. Were the decisions made on personal, physical image, or the collective image, as in reputation, of the chapter? I do think it's horrible for a GLO to kick members out of a chapter because they decide they aren't pretty enough. That's just mean, and is cruel on a very basic, human level. DZ is a strong organization, but can you really blame women for choosing not to join during rush if this is the new image DZ is presenting?

Physical image was one of the main reasons most of the women of Delta Chapter were forced into alumnae status by DZ nationals. They weren't pretty enough to fit into their steriotypical image of what a "sorority girl" should be. They kept the pretty girls and the girls who partied and drank a lot. Suddenly, girls that were right for DZ last year were kicked to the curb.
Unfortunately, DZ at DePauw had the rep of being the "fat house" with the girls that did nothing but study and nobody wanted to join a house with a rep like that. So nationals took it upon themselves to kick out all of the girls who weren't perfect in hopes of reviving the chapter. Well, Nats, you got 3 girls. Seems like that was a stellar decision to make - make DZ the laughingstock of campus where no girl in their right mind would join a house that might kick them out for not being perfect some day instead of gracefuly sliding into the history books. So much for sisterhood being forever.

[33girl]

How big are the houses at DePauw? Were there enough girls in DZ before the membership review to fill the house? Oh, and what's being done w/ it now?

Originally Posted by DeltaDZ

Physical image was one of the main reasons most of the women of Delta Chapter were forced into alumnae status by DZ nationals. They weren't pretty enough to fit into their steriotypical image of what a "sorority girl" should be. They kept the pretty girls and the girls who partied and drank a lot. Suddenly, girls that were right for DZ last year were kicked to the curb.
Unfortunately, DZ at DePauw had the rep of being the "fat house" with the girls that did nothing but study and nobody wanted to join a house with a rep like that. So nationals took it upon themselves to kick out all of the girls who weren't perfect in hopes of reviving the chapter. Well, Nats, you got 3 girls. Seems like that was a stellar decision to make - make DZ the laughingstock of campus where no girl in their right mind would join a house that might kick them out for not being perfect some day instead of gracefuly sliding into the history books. So much for sisterhood being forever.

My sympathy to you and your sisters. I, too, know how it feels to be dicked over by your HQ.

The fact that officials have kept mum about the situation is sketchy, and I really don't blame you for being so upset.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by DeltaDZ

Physical image was one of the main reasons most of the women of Delta Chapter were forced into alumnae status by DZ nationals. They weren't pretty enough to fit into their steriotypical image of what a "sorority girl" should be. They kept the pretty girls and the girls who partied and drank a lot. Suddenly, girls that were right for DZ last year were kicked to the curb.
Unfortunately, DZ at DePauw had the rep of being the "fat house" with the girls that did nothing but study and nobody wanted to join a house with a rep like that. So nationals took it upon themselves to kick out all of the girls who weren't perfect in hopes of reviving the chapter. Well, Nats, you got 3 girls. Seems like that was a stellar decision to make - make DZ the laughingstock of campus where no girl in their right mind would join a house that might kick them out for not being perfect some day instead of gracefuly sliding into the history books. So much for sisterhood being forever.

That really is sad, and I hope some DZs who are upset by the situation let HQ know about it. It sounds like HQ drastically underestimated the women at DePauw, who observed what was going on and decided they wanted no part of it.

[DeltaDZ]

Unfortunately, Nationals really doesn't care what anyone thinks. They've done everything in their power to keep this totaly under the table and it wasn't until the recent articles in The DePauw newspaper came out that people really knew the truth.
I know almost all of the Delta alumnae have been kept completely in the dark about this. When questions were posed to the alum group president - who is very active in the chapter - about the status of the house, she told everyone that the house was perfectly fine and nothing was going to happen or change. Only those alums who have connections to actives (well, former actives now) knew what was really going on. Letters have been written, phone calls have been made, but everything has been ignored. Nats was going to get their perfect house or nothing. Looks like it's nothing.

[OleMissGlitter]

Does anyone think that perhaps DZ Headquarters just wanted to keep that chapter alive because it's an older chapter for them? Also, Delta Chapter is not listed on the national website which I thought was interesting.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Look, I'm of the mind that if you want to scrap a chapter and start all over again, you REALLY start all over again. You don't pick-and-choose sisters to keep. If DZ had simply "reorganized" or closed the chapter, sadly, for numbers, and made everyone an alumna, they would not be in this situation. But because they decided to pass judgement on EACH member of the chapter individually, acting as if those women had done something wrong to deserve the treatment they got, they are in this bad PR mess.

Interestingly, the chapter Web site is still up, and it certainly doesn't look like a "fat girl" house at all. And there are numerous academic/professional accomplishments listed in one of the sections. You'd think HQ would be impressed with having smart girls as members.

[OleMissGlitter]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Look, I'm of the mind that if you want to scrap a chapter and start all over again, you REALLY start all over again. You don't pick-and-choose sisters to keep. If DZ had simply "reorganized" or closed the chapter, sadly, for numbers, and made everyone an alumna, they would not be in this situation. But because they decided to pass judgement on EACH member of the chapter individually, acting as if those women had done something wrong to deserve the treatment they got, they are in this bad PR mess.

Interestingly, the chapter Web site is still up, and it certainly doesn't look like a "fat girl" house at all. And there are numerous academic/professional accomplishments listed in one of the sections. You'd think HQ would be impressed with having smart girls as members.

agreed....and it's just strange that they are about to celebrate the chapter's 100th anniversary...