What makes Greek life "hot" in the south?

[Leslie Anne]

This entire thread is really starting to irritate me. I knew from the beginning that it would end up being an "us" versus "them" debate. The thing is that it's not a productive debate.

There's clearly a lot of misconceptions going on on both sides but nothing is being cleared up. It's just being divisive, particularly among members of the NPC.

If I could just get one thing clarified it would be great. BowandToes, when you say that Northern chapters are small, just how small are you assuming they are?

[LegallyBrunette]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

There's clearly a lot of misconceptions going on on both sides but nothing is being cleared up. It's just being divisive, particularly among members of the NPC.

Sorry, I definitely contributed to the hijack, so I should probably answer the original question.

My impression is that Greek life is "hot" in the South (and by the South I mean the SEC, or similar environments. My boyfriend and several of my cousins are alums of non-SEC southern schools and had experiences not entirely different from my own) due to tradition. If, as various posters have indicated, kids grow up hearing all about their family members' experiences at X State U. as a member of XYZ, then of course the seeds of interest are planted early. This would be especially true when being an XYZ or an ABC is touted as a way to get ahead socially and professionally. It also seems that Greek life is also often the center of the social scenes at such schools, which is not the case in most other areas that I'm familiar with. Of course, this impression is totally based on what I've learned on GC, so please correct me if I'm off.

Whereas, in other parts of the country, it doesn't seem as common for parents and other influential figures (teachers etc) to so openly discuss their Greek affiliation. It seems to me that being Greek outside of the SEC is viewed more as a compliment to the college experience as opposed to THE college experience.

I'm not saying that one view is right and the other is wrong. Obviously both work in their respective areas and fortunately the NPC (I can't speak for the other umbrella groups) is flexible enough to accommodate both types of experiences.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

This entire thread is really starting to irritate me. I knew from the beginning that it would end up being an "us" versus "them" debate. The thing is that it's not a productive debate.

Co-sign!!!!!!!!

I'm going back to the excellent answer MysticCat provided. Why is greek life "hot" in the south?

The humidity.

[bowsandtoes]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

If I could just get one thing clarified it would be great. BowandToes, when you say that Northern chapters are small, just how small are you assuming they are?

I consider anything under 100 total to be a small chapter, good chapter size would be 150-200.

As for the issue of chapter size and national recognition, I referenced a few sororities that I thought had greater name recognition in any region. Chi-o for instance, has about 175 chapters according to wikipedia. The site I looked at for the other sorority showed about 40-50 chapters, mostly in the Midwest. I'm not saying that makes it 'bad' by midwest standards, just that it wouldn't be viewed the same way in the South.

[LegallyBrunette]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

I consider anything under 100 total to be a small chapter, good chapter size would be 150-200.

As for the issue of chapter size and national recognition, I referenced a few sororities that I thought had greater name recognition in any region. Chi-o for instance, has about 175 chapters according to wikipedia. The site I looked at for the other sorority showed about 40-50 chapters, mostly in the Midwest. I'm not saying that makes it 'bad' by midwest standards, just that it wouldn't be viewed the same way in the South.

I think this is something that needs to be viewed in context, not only in terms of north v. south, but with regard to small v. large schools. 150-200 members per chapter at university with 30,000 undergrads is one thing; 200 members in a chapter at a school with 2000 students would be kind of ridiculous for any NPC org, regardless of whether it's Chi O or TPA (IMHO).

Finally, I totally understand that not everyone, especially in the South, will have heard of my org. I recognize that we're not a blip in the SEC world of tiers, etc. It's more a matter of the "asshat-vibe" (thanks 33) and choosing to remain ignorant that got under my skin.

ETA: bowsandtoes, I don't think you were doing that. I appreciate that you took a moment to learn.

And, Ilaria Ame, i think it's pretty awesome that your NME includes that info.

/I really did try to get this back on track before.

[HuskyAlum]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

I consider anything under 100 total to be a small chapter, good chapter size would be 150-200.

As for the issue of chapter size and national recognition, I referenced a few sororities that I thought had greater name recognition in any region. Chi-o for instance, has about 175 chapters according to wikipedia. The site I looked at for the other sorority showed about 40-50 chapters, mostly in the Midwest. I'm not saying that makes it 'bad' by midwest standards, just that it wouldn't be viewed the same way in the South.

Someone already made the point about how unreasonable it would be to have a 100+ chapter at a private school with 1,000 undergraduates - even in the South! The other thing I'd like to point out is that my organization is the second largest (chapter wise) in the country and our average chapter size is about 80-90. Somehow that doesn't lend much validity to the fact that a "good" chapter size is 150+.