Re Starting a chapter

[princess86]

a group of us are very interested in this and i've been reaching out all over the place, we have our hearts set on dz , i know not the smartest thing, but we need help on where to go from here..

Originally Posted by princess86

a group of us are very interested in this and i've been reaching out all over the place, we have our hearts set on dz , i know not the smartest thing, but we need help on where to go from here..

Check with your Campus Panhellenic or someone at the Greek Life office first. If there's no desire to bring another group on campus, I'm sorry...there's nothing you can do.

If your campus is open for expansion, HQs who wish to come on campus will submit packets to the Campus Panhellenic. Usually 2-3 NPC groups are invited to present and 1 is eventually selected. With 26 NPC sororities, that's a lot of competition.

Check out the 'Before You Found a New Sorority' thread in the Greek Life forum.

[princess86]

we've reached out to the greek advisor, and she does not respond to us, they have not added a new org. in 16 years and all the npc orgs. are at their 'cap' or max. number of members. so we're crossing our fingers and going to the greek advisors office this week

Originally Posted by princess86

we've reached out to the greek advisor, and she does not respond to us, they have not added a new org. in 16 years and all the npc orgs. are at their 'cap' or max. number of members. so we're crossing our fingers and going to the greek advisors office this week

Again, if you haven't read it already: http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=93174

Keep in mind that just because they take a vote and the campus is open for expansion, there's no guarantee that your interest group will be chosen. NPCs will submit packets, your campus Panhellenic will vote on which NPCs to invite for presentations, and then 1 sorority will be selected to colonize.

DZ may or may not think it's a good idea to colonize at your campus at this time. Several NPCs consider a lot of things when choosing to colonize -- financial resources, amount of nearby collegiate and alumnae chapters, etc. etc.

I don't mean to sound like Debbie Downer, but based on reading similar threads like yours, I just get the feeling that many of you in interest groups might not understand how much work it really is to bring a new group to campus.

[princess86]

I don't think you sound like a debbie downer at all, infact we welcome all types of input, its when you stop listening to what other people have to say that things can go bad. That being said, I am personally friends with founders of a fraternity at school, they brought a new chapter when absolutely no one wanted it and they have improved greek life so much in the short time they have been there fraternities have begun to work harder just to compete and stay relevant. but i got off the subject thre. I completely understand the hard work it is going to take, and the set backs we are undoubtedly going to experience. However, myself and the other girls interested are firmly committed to doing this and it's something we've felt strongly about for quite sometime, it just so happens that we've managed to find eachother this fall and now we can pool our enthusiasm and other resources.

[KSUViolet06]

Here's a thread from yet another poster who is interested in bringing DZ to her campus as well:

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=100445

Just as an FYI, the process of bringing a fraternity to campus is ALOT different than bringing a national sorority. There are certain things that MUST happen before you can bring on a sorority chapter, stuff that guys who start fraternities don't even need to think about.

Your school MUST be open for EXPANSION before a new NPC sorority like Delta Zeta can come to campus. DZ will not even consider your request if the campus is not open. If you contact them, that's one of the first things they'll want to know.

In order to determine if the campus is open, you need to talk to your Greek Advisor.

Generally, a campus will not be opened for NPC sorority expansion unless all of the other sororities on campus are at total (maximum size) and the other sororities on the school's Panhellenic Council vote to open the campus. Without the vote, you can't proceed.

Those are the things that need to happen before you can start up a new chapter at your school. You might want to work on those things first.

In addition, even if your campus is open for expansion, it doesn't mean that Delta Zeta will be interested in your particular school. Every sorority has different things that they look at when they are deciding whether they want to have a chapter somewhere, and there's always the possibility that Delta Zeta HQ just won't think your school is a good fit for them for whatever reason.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by princess86

That being said, I am personally friends with founders of a fraternity at school, they brought a new chapter when absolutely no one wanted it and they have improved greek life so much in the short time they have been there fraternities have begun to work harder just to compete and stay relevant. but i got off the subject thre.

Starting a men's fraternity on campus and a women's fraternity/sorority are totally different. Apples & oranges.

[princess86]

i completely understand that it is different. but it is just as hard to get the campus to welcome you for men, as it is for women. I read the other thread and i think things are different here, for the sororities at least, everyone is at their "total" or max number of girls and droves of girls get turned away every semester.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by princess86

i completely understand that it is different. but it is just as hard to get the campus to welcome you for men, as it is for women. I read the other thread and i think things are different here, for the sororities at least, everyone is at their "total" or max number of girls and droves of girls get turned away every semester.

Wtih women, things are just so much more structured. Since the Panhellenics have to vote on expansion, new sorority chapters generally always feel welcomed on campus. Why? because if the other sororities don't welcome the idea, the expansion is voted down and there is no new chapter. The approval process generally means that the other sororities welcome the addition of a chapter.

With men, they don't need approval from the other fraternities to get started. It's a much different climate.

But really, that's neither here nor there at this point. Starting a chapter is a long and difficult process and it requries you to get the approval of the appropriate people first.

If you feel as though your campus has the need for another sorority, you need to approach the appropriate person in your Greek Life office and see if they agree. If he/she thinks that there is sufficient interest to support a new chapter, that the other sororities are at healthy size, and that the campus needs another sorority, he/she will agree to discuss it further. If not, then you won't be able to bring a new chapter to your campus.

But like everyone has said, that's where you need to start. There can be no new sorority chapter at your school without you discussing it with the proper people first. Like I said, you can feel like the campus needs a new sorority all you wanrt, but if the proper authorities don't tell you that the campus is open for expansion, it can't happen.