Delta Zeta Reportedly Sues DePauw

[sdsuchelle]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

KR, I made this point in the other thread, but it seems that it was only your chapter and mine who did this because everyone else posted about how their chapters were above this stuff.

Mine didn't.

Then again HQ closed us too.

:-/

Originally Posted by sdsuchelle

Mine didn't.

Then again HQ closed us too.

:-/

This is totally unrelated to the thread, but just out of curiosity...

Did your HQ attempt to do a re-organization or did they decide to close your chapter right away?

I only ask because I know SK tried a re-org on your campus this semester. It's really unfortunate that two houses closed back to back on the same campus in such a short period of time.

[ASUADPi]

Originally Posted by OTW

This is totally unrelated to the thread, but just out of curiosity...

Did your HQ attempt to do a re-organization or did they decide to close your chapter right away?

I only ask because I know SK tried a re-org on your campus this semester. It's really unfortunate that two houses closed back to back on the same campus in such a short period of time.

I've never heard of us "re-organizing" a chapter.

I truly believe, not just for us but for other sororities in general, that chapters are probably struggling for a while, and are most likely given help, prior to the decision is made for them to re-organize or close.

I don't think decisions are made lightly to re-organize or close, I just don't actually agree with re-organizing. The way DZ handeled the situation wasn't the best way to do it. What I personally feel they should have done is talk to DePauw and state that they want to close but would like to be able to recolonize on the campus in 4-5 years. Once the "reputation" of DZ has gone away a bit, then they come back with support from alums and HQ, and recolonize. I think that is a better idea than reorganizing and getting rid of 75% of the chapter. Plus, reorganizing doesn't alleviate the stigma or the rumors regarding the chapter.

Originally Posted by ASUADPi

I don't think decisions are made lightly to re-organize or close, I just don't actually agree with re-organizing. The way DZ handeled the situation wasn't the best way to do it. What I personally feel they should have done is talk to DePauw and state that they want to close but would like to be able to recolonize on the campus in 4-5 years. Once the "reputation" of DZ has gone away a bit, then they come back with support from alums and HQ, and recolonize. I think that is a better idea than reorganizing and getting rid of 75% of the chapter. Plus, reorganizing doesn't alleviate the stigma or the rumors regarding the chapter.

I see re-organization as a last ditch effort to prevent closing, because well -- no one really wants to close a chapter.

As many already know, the Alpha Gam chapter at Ohio State had a successful re-organization last January. I don't know the details leading up to the re-organization, but I know that all existing chapter members were granted alumnae status. Key word here is all. If I'm not mistaken, the remaining collegian(s) are set to graduate this semester, and I think IHQ waited to start re-org efforts so that the timing would allow the chapter to rid themselves of whatever hurt them in the first place.

I'm curious...besides AGD at Ohio State, have any other chapters been successful with re-organizing? I hate using that chapter over and over again, but they're proof that it does work and it can be a good thing. DZ HQ just didn't know to do it, I guess.

Re-organization saves the HQ from closing the chapter and a) having to wait until the next open opportunity to recolonize on campus or b) negotiating with PHC on an agreed time to come back on campus. I can think of two chapters off the top of my head that AGD IHQ closed recently that have agreements to return to campus by [insert date here].

If DZ HQ simply granted all (there's that keyword again) the Delta collegians alum status instead of picking and choosing, maybe they could have remained on campus to celebrate that darned Centennial they were so gung ho about.

[banditone]

Depauw should close them all down for 2 years and start over fresh

Originally Posted by banditone

Depauw should close them all down for 2 years and start over fresh

By all, you do mean DZ, right? Because if you mean all = DePauw sororities, then that makes no sense whatsoever.

After this mess, DZ's lucky if they're ever going to be invited back on campus again. I think it's safe to say that if President Bottoms (teehee just for you, 33) and his adminstration are still there, DZ has no chance.

[lauralaylin]

Originally Posted by OTW

I'm curious...besides AGD at Ohio State, have any other chapters been successful with re-organizing? I hate using that chapter over and over again, but they're proof that it does work and it can be a good thing. DZ HQ just didn't know to do it, I guess.

Alpha Phi has been successful with it. I'm not sure of how many times we have done it, but Cornell was recolonized the same time my chapter was installed (late 90s), and I know it was very successful. I never heard anything bad about it, no sisters that were upset or hurt or anything like that. I think as long as it's done right it can really be a good thing.

[KillarneyRose]

Originally Posted by OTW

I'm curious...besides AGD at Ohio State, have any other chapters been successful with re-organizing?

There was actually an extremely successful recolonization at the University of Pittsburgh in the late 1980s. The chapter had about a dozen members, their National gave alum status to the majority of the sisters and they worked very hard to recruit some great girls.

I understand they're still doing very well today.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by KillarneyRose

There was actually an extremely successful recolonization at the University of Pittsburgh in the late 1980s. The chapter had about a dozen members, their National gave alum status to the majority of the sisters and they worked very hard to recruit some great girls.

I understand they're still doing very well today.

I might be speaking out of "school" so to speak, but considering I was just in grade school in the late 1980's, wouldn't it be strange to compare something that happened almost 2 decades ago to something going on very recently?

I would think that the campus climate might have been very different back then, and I would think NPC would have been also. A lot of things that happened in NPC-Land back then are no longer tolerated in NPC organizations. NPC seems to be more 'politically correct' in recent years based on some things I've heard (can't really compare because I was in grade school back then, but we are no longer allowed to call "new members" "pledges", we can't go on scavenger hunts, and we have 'equal opportunity type clauses on every NPC website... I would imagine that "back then" things were way different)

[KillarneyRose]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

I might be speaking out of "school" so to speak, but considering I was just in grade school in the late 1980's, wouldn't it be strange to compare something that happened almost 2 decades ago to something going on very recently?

Way to make me run out and get a Botox shot! lol

I was just replying to Sandy's post and she didn't make any mention of dates as far as I saw.

[UGAalum94]

I found the 20 year old example very helpful because I had been wondering if re-organizations ever work long terms.

I would expect any group to get a big boost by having a colonization type rush, but whether they could sustain that long term is a little different.

In the south, twenty years ago might be pretty recent activity. I think that it was about the same time ago that UGA expanded for the last time, and it was a DZ re-colonization, if I'm not mistaken.

ETA: I'm nearly positive that DZ was off campus and came back, (a lot of girls from my town were early members after the recolonization) but there doesn't seem to be a record I could verify. Is it just standard practice to report dates on campus as continuous since the chartering? Edited Again: An online UGA factbook gives the DZ date as 1987. 20 years later, they are doing very well.

[ASUADPi]

Okay confused, shouldn't re-organization and recolonization be two different things? I ask because it seems like people are saying they are one in the same. Recolonization, to me, signifies that the chapter left the campus and came back.

[LampLady]

Are you saying that the Omicron chapter of DZ at Pitt recolonized while you were there? If so, as a fellow alum, I was not aware of that. DZ always had the largest number of members on campus during the 70's, so that would surprise me. I know that TriSig came back to Pitt about 1975 or so and KD came back in the late 70's or early 80's. Both of them had been gone for many years. Or were you saying that another present sorority on the campus recolonized successfully in the '80's?

[SWTXBelle]

CJR - I've looked in vain for any post that suggested the lawsuit was a good idea. Or, for that matter, that Delta Zeta handled the initial situation well. As the saying goes, two wrongs don't make a right. I know that my personal concern about Depauw's actions is the idea that a university or college can summarily kick off an organization that has a long history and a substantial investment on that campus without some sort of due process.
I understand why Depauw did what it did - I just wish they had handled it differently. It's the same thing I wish about Delta Zeta - I understand needing to reorganize - I just wish it had been handled in a more sensitive manner.
I hope while you are doing research about GLOs you will look at some of the positive threads here. I know that most GC members would not trade their experience in their GLO for anything. I hope your daughter finds a home in one of the fine sororities at Depauw.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by LampLady

Or were you saying that another present sorority on the campus recolonized successfully in the '80's?

That is what KR meant. If she had meant her chapter of DZ I would assume she would have said "we" instead of "they."