DePauw Rush Results

[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...

[PGD-GRAD]

I have read several recent articles on this, but I believe the DZ headquarters was surprised to learn that closing the house for awhile and going back with an empty slate was not an option. From what I understood, the Greek advisors at DePauw informed them that there were other groups ahead of them to come back onto campus, and they would not be able to just "come back on" whenever they chose.
That would change the approach of the hdqtrs., so maybe that explains part of what they did--not the method they chose, but certainly not closing altogether.
Can anyone from DePauw clarify this?

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by PGD-GRAD

I have read several recent articles on this, but I believe the DZ headquarters was surprised to learn that closing the house for awhile and going back with an empty slate was not an option. From what I understood, the Greek advisors at DePauw informed them that there were other groups ahead of them to come back onto campus, and they would not be able to just "come back on" whenever they chose.
That would change the approach of the hdqtrs., so maybe that explains part of what they did--not the method they chose, but certainly not closing altogether.
Can anyone from DePauw clarify this?

But I don't think closing down was the only option. They could have just reorganized...made all the current actives alumnae and brought in their own exec. team to interview a whole new chapter of women.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by PGD-GRAD

I have read several recent articles on this, but I believe the DZ headquarters was surprised to learn that closing the house for awhile and going back with an empty slate was not an option. From what I understood, the Greek advisors at DePauw informed them that there were other groups ahead of them to come back onto campus, and they would not be able to just "come back on" whenever they chose.

if that really is the case, I can't think of a better time for this quote...

When we assume, we make an ass out of u and me.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by 33girl

if that really is the case, I can't think of a better time for this quote...

When we assume, we make an ass out of u and me.

LOL I had never heard that before!

[UGAalum94]

People are usually just doing the best they can, and they sometimes make mistakes. I suspect everyone would do this differently in hindsight.

It's a sad situation for the individual women and for Delta Zeta. I think it's going to be even harder to recruit, and they may have essentually just destroyed this chapter.

It also got me thinking: when a chapter just kind of "dies" off on it's own, as in a gradual decline in membership until a decision is made to close the chapter, it seems that the international or national organization has done all they can to help it, and it doesn't usually seem disrespectful to the women or men who were last active in the chapter.

But when a chapter has sustained itself at a certain size level, and the organization "reorganizes" by having people go alum early, it seems disrespectful to those last active members. How would you feel as a member of the most recent pledge class to be told that your active experience was over? It seems unjust somehow.

Is there anyway to get the kind of "recolonization" energy going without shutting the last actives out?

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

But when a chapter has sustained itself at a certain size level, and the organization "reorganizes" by having people go alum early, it seems disrespectful to those last active members. How would you feel as a member of the most recent pledge class to be told that your active experience was over? It seems unjust somehow.

You can say that again; it happened to my sister in law. She was an AXiD at Purdue and the last class to be initiated before they closed and recolonized. She had no active experience at all.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by centaur532

You can say that again; it happened to my sister in law. She was an AXiD at Purdue and the last class to be initiated before they closed and recolonized. She had no active experience at all.

I know I harp on this in every thread, but a lot of it has to do with the housing situation. You can't keep a house open at Purdue if you don't have members to live in it and pay rent.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by PGD-GRAD

I have read several recent articles on this, but I believe the DZ headquarters was surprised to learn that closing the house for awhile and going back with an empty slate was not an option. From what I understood, the Greek advisors at DePauw informed them that there were other groups ahead of them to come back onto campus, and they would not be able to just "come back on" whenever they chose.
That would change the approach of the hdqtrs., so maybe that explains part of what they did--not the method they chose, but certainly not closing altogether.
Can anyone from DePauw clarify this?

I've been pretty vocal about this... and you know what? I don't give a furry squirrel if the campus said they couldn't just come back whenever they felt like it.

The fact that they just wanted to keep the chapter open - regardless what had to be done or how many of THEIR OWN SISTERS would be hurt in the process - really disgusts me.

I think this is a prime example of a sorority "running like a business". Who gives a crap about what the founders even started the sorority for... let's alienate some of our sisters so that one of our chapters can be "desirable" and make the 100 - year mark even if we have 3 new members.

[33girl]

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.

And as is evidenced from threads that have popped up in GC, even doing that can be a giant cluster$%@k. The only time an immediate recolonization seems to work is when 1) the school is super large and there are enough women to choose from who weren't in the "orbit" of what was happening previously 2) the women who are being made alumnae truly are OK with the decision and are treated with the respect due alumnae by the national organization. And even when that happens, sometimes the more the new alums think about it, the more upset they get. It festers.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the last two recolonizations my sorority did were at chapters that hadn't been open since (respectively) Nixon and Wilson were in office.