Expansion/Colony question

[KSUViolet06]

Our expansion teams usually decide that number based on the average chapter size on that particular campus.

[FSUZeta]

ditto.

[Cruise4fun]

I am on the Alumnae Advisory Board for a colony. The colony is the first NPC organization on campus. Our National Organization did an evaulation of the campus to determine the number. The colony is required to have 40 members for installation. During colonization weekend, 27 members were pinned.

ETA: The interest group had about 80. However when most of them realized the GPA and dues requirement, many dropped there interest.

[sigma3princess]

I was a member of a Tri Sigma colony for 2 years before we were installed in February of last year. The expansion team held various interest meetings and PNMs went through the same membership selection process as they would in the sorority now. Some interested women did not receive an invitation to join.

I believe the team could not extend more than 50 invitations (or total). They actually did not extend that many. It was then up to the first group of new members to immediatley begin holding CORs/COBs to reach optimum membership.

[AlwaysSAI]

I have a question about colonies and maybe this differs with each organization, but members of a colony are not initiated right? They are like a probationary chapter that has to achieve certain things before being installed, right?

I was just wondering because we had a colony a few years ago that would display the letters and I just wasn't sure. I thought that they weren't initiated yet, but are they?

[AUDeltaGam]

I joined the DG colony at my school. The number of girls that bids were offered too was approximately the number that was the average/total number on campus. So, at the time, average chapter size at Auburn was 130, so 133 bids were offered. Yes, I had a large pledge class

[AUDeltaGam]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

I have a question about colonies and maybe this differs with each organization, but members of a colony are not initiated right? They are like a probationary chapter that has to achieve certain things before being installed, right?

I was just wondering because we had a colony a few years ago that would display the letters and I just wasn't sure. I thought that they weren't initiated yet, but are they?

The way it worked with my chapter/colony was that we were new members during the colony period- around 2 months. The day we were initated, the colony became a chapter of DG. And we used letters, even before we were initiated.

[LegallyBrunette]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

I was just wondering because we had a colony a few years ago that would display the letters and I just wasn't sure. I thought that they weren't initiated yet, but are they?

This may vary by organization, so I can't claim to speak for all the NPC groups (nor would I ever try to) but my understanding and experience is that colony members are considered new members or pledge sisters (depending on the terminology of the group). Also, in some organizations not-yet-initiated members can wear/display letters. For colony members, this is probably especially true since there likely wouldn't be any intiated members on campus who could display/wear letters and it would be primarily colony members who are representing the org on campus. Sure, reps from HQ may be a presence as well, but it's the colony members themselves who are present on campus every day.

[sigma3princess]

Yes, as a colony we were not initiated, and considered new members, but were allowed to wear letters (as all Tri Sigma new members are).

We had a sorority house on Greek Row as well, but were not allowed to have letters on it until we were installed.