want to bring a Tri-Delta chapter to my university!

[sarolasju]

I haven't felt that "click" with any NPC orgs on campus.. A couple people, yes; but never the groups as a whole. I also find that I look primarily at what the org represents, rather than the sisters first. Someone mentioned earlier that the way I'm looking at the whole thing is more identifiable to that of those looking into NPHC orgs, which I've never looked into before..its a little intimidating but maybe I should look into those before waiting around for DDD.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by sarolasju

My school doesn't currently have a DDD chapter, and I just don't feel like any of the orgs we have now are right for me. I did my research on NPC orgs and fell in LOVE with tri-delta, so I'm hoping to start a new chapter at my school!

Originally Posted by sarolasju

when I mentioned the already present sororities not feeling right, I didn't mean I don't feel like I fit in with the girls, they all seemed plenty nice. What I mean is that I don't feel that I can identify with the purpose and ideals of the orgs themselves.

Originally Posted by sarolasju

As I mentioned earlier, its nothing to do with fitting in with the girls. They all seemed very nice and I'm actually friends with a few from different groups.

...Of course all the groups have similar purposes in that they're women groups for support and friendship and character development etc, but if they were all so similar then why do you only fall in love with ONE of them? Of course i can fit in with the girls in the pre-existing sororities, but aside from loving my sisters, I want to really love the letters I'm representing.

Originally Posted by sarolasju

When I rushed we did informational sessions, went bowling with one group, pool hall with another, there was a slumber party and an ice cream social, a community service event for each...and a few other events. It was fun and that's how I actually made friends with a few of the girls, and sometimes I do wish I just accepted one of the bids, but..shoulda coulda woulda..

Originally Posted by sarolasju

I haven't felt that "click" with any NPC orgs on campus.. A couple people, yes; but never the groups as a whole. I also find that I look primarily at what the org represents, rather than the sisters first.

I think we're all just a little confused as to what exactly was involved in your evaluation process when deciding that DDD is "right" for you.

You're friends with some of the girls in the chapters, and that's great. You're not all supposed to be best friends on day 1. And 99% of the time, girls aren't best friends with ALL of their sisters.. ever.

I think it's just difficult to understand why/how you feel that you can't identify with an NPC's ideals. If you read the creeds and/or purposes of all of them, I'm pretty sure you'll find declarations of love for the sorority, and for fellow sisters. You'll find statements about the importance of education, and of helping others in need. And you'll find messages about values to uphold and morals to live by.

If you like the idea of being associated with St. Jude's and helping children with cancer, there's nothing saying that you can't do that if you're a member of another organization. And I guarantee that if you joined another NPC, you'd probably find out all kinds of fun and interesting things about them as the process went along that you probably can't find on any website. Private rituals being a prime example of that!

If DDD was already on your campus and it was an option for you to join through recruitment, that's one thing. But attempting to bring them to campus because you did a little research and ONLY see yourself in that organization, it's just a little out of reach. And as has already been said, there's a very good chance that you'd end up in a colony made of up girls that you don't know... bringing you back to square one.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by sarolasju

I haven't felt that "click" with any NPC orgs on campus.. A couple people, yes; but never the groups as a whole. I also find that I look primarily at what the org represents, rather than the sisters first. Someone mentioned earlier that the way I'm looking at the whole thing is more identifiable to that of those looking into NPHC orgs, which I've never looked into before..its a little intimidating but maybe I should look into those before waiting around for DDD.

I didn't mean that you should look at NPHCs - especially after so openly proclaiming your "affinity" with DDD - rather that "research and then pursue" is the usual M.O. for joining them. The big difference is that there are FOUR NPHC sororities (as opposed to 26 NPC sororities), they have far more chapters than the NPC groups, and joining after graduation from college is a well established part of their selection practices.

I think I know what campus you're on, and with the economy the way it is and with the majority of the groups being local, it seems the school is taking NPC expansion VERY SLOWLY. No group wants to come to a campus, open a colony and then have it either take forever to charter or end up failing and having basically wasted a ton of money. It would be one thing if they made all the locals go national at once, but that apparently isn't happening. So if they continue on the route they're taking, it's going to be a LONG wait before any more NPCs show up on campus.

[HelloKitty22]

It may be because I am a DDD, and, hence, always flattered when someone wants to grow my GLO, but I think you guys are being a little harsh and pessimistic. I agree that starting a new chapter is certainly very tough, but with effort and purserverence it can be done! OP sounds like she needs more education. OP, I would consider reading some of the threads on here about expansion and colonies. Also, if you have a group of girls who are interested in bringing DDD to your school, you should start having meetings for that purpose. Many colonies start out of "interest groups." National orgs like to see that there is a base of support for the chapter and a need for their national organization on campus. They won't come to your school unless they feel there is a void to fill.

Also, regarding expansion, you need to speak with your campus greek office to learn more about the system. Are they considering expansion? When was the last time there was a new chapter? Are the chapters at or above total? Are there a large number of girls who withdraw from rush, get dropped from rush, or who don't accept their bids? Do the other organizations have houses and would you need one to compete effectively? You need to find these things out to know if your campus can support another organization.

Expansion is tough and you have to be willing to knock on a lot of doors and have many rejections. It may not work out exactly the way you envisioned or at all but if our founding sisters thought like these ladies, we probably wouldn't have sororities at all.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty22

It may be because I am a DDD, and, hence, always flattered when someone wants to grow my GLO, but I think you guys are being a little harsh and pessimistic.

No we're not. We're being realistic. As I said, if her school is the one I think it is from her username, they're being very cautious with national expansion which is probably the right road to take in this economy.

It also seems like she thinks DDD will bring a type of woman to the Greek system that isn't there, and no matter how awesome the organization, 99 times out of 100 that simply isn't the case, especially if you're participating in panhellenic rush with a mix of locals and NPCs.

I'd say the same things to her if she wanted to start a colony of my sorority in the same circumstance. We need to take care of the sisters we already have, not go OMG EXPANSION if the opportunity is not a good one.

[thetygerlily]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I'd say the same things to her if she wanted to start a colony of my sorority in the same circumstance. We need to take care of the sisters we already have, not go OMG EXPANSION if the opportunity is not a good one.

This is an especially great point considering recent news that two colonies at UA-LR are closing. Expansion can sound like a great idea, but it is not a simple low-energy process no matter the org.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by thetygerlily

This is an especially great point considering recent news that two colonies at UA-LR are closing. Expansion can sound like a great idea, but it is not a simple low-energy process no matter the org.

As far as that situation was concerned, I think they had the right idea, and it might have worked out OK if the current economy wasn't such a cluster. The OP's situation is a different matter though. They HAVE a Greek system with a good many orgs...they just happen to be local ones.

[HelloKitty22]

Originally Posted by 33girl

We need to take care of the sisters we already have, not go OMG EXPANSION if the opportunity is not a good one.

I wasn't going "OMG EXPANSION." In fact, nowhere did I say that I thought this was a great expansion opportunity for DDD. I also never said that starting a chapter was easy or likely.

I do, however, think that when we are answering a person's question, we should be helpful. Saying, "forget it, it will never happen" in post after post is not helpful. Even if something is difficult doesn't mean you shouldn't try and doesn't mean that we can't give her the best advice we have. Especially since the OP never asked us to weigh in on whether starting a chapter was a good idea, she just asked us to give her our best advice and to tell her our experiences, if we have any, with this situation. Is our best advice really don't try it's too hard?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty22

I wasn't going "OMG EXPANSION." In fact, nowhere did I say that I thought this was a great expansion opportunity for DDD. I also never said that starting a chapter was easy or likely.

I do, however, think that when we are answering a person's question, we should be helpful. Saying, "forget it, it will never happen" in post after post is not helpful. Even if something is difficult doesn't mean you shouldn't try and doesn't mean that we can't give her the best advice we have. Especially since the OP never asked us to weigh in on whether starting a chapter was a good idea, she just asked us to give her our best advice and to tell her our experiences, if we have any, with this situation. Is our best advice really don't try it's too hard?

Where did anyone say either of these things?

We are just pointing out what technically needs to happen before an expansion may take place, and that even if your school does choose to expand, everyone in said colony is not going to be your BFF.

I really don't think that's harsh. I'd rather people be realistic (and make sure that people know what it entails) rather than saying "oh yeah, go for it! It's easy and it works out perfectly allllll the time!" That's just not the case.

Also, if you think that's harsh, you should probably hang back and lurk more.

[33girl]

It's also not just that she wants to bring a new group to her campus. It's that she seems to have a very overly romantic notion of how it happens.

I would understand "most of the groups at my school are local and I want to bring on another national." She shot on past that to "I am in love with this sorority solely due to the contents on a website and I don't think any other sorority could ever give me the same feeling."

Anytime you build something up that much, you're likely to be disappointed afterwards. If I'm coming off harsh, that's not my intention; I just hate to see people look past opportunities in front of them for those that are a zillion miles away.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty22

I wasn't going "OMG EXPANSION." In fact, nowhere did I say that I thought this was a great expansion opportunity for DDD. I also never said that starting a chapter was easy or likely.

I do, however, think that when we are answering a person's question, we should be helpful. Saying, "forget it, it will never happen" in post after post is not helpful. Even if something is difficult doesn't mean you shouldn't try and doesn't mean that we can't give her the best advice we have. Especially since the OP never asked us to weigh in on whether starting a chapter was a good idea, she just asked us to give her our best advice and to tell her our experiences, if we have any, with this situation. Is our best advice really don't try it's too hard?

my best advice based on experiences i have had........a campus has to have a need to expand if there is an already established greek life on campus. the campus panhellenic usually does a study based on several years worth of statistics, has a meeting where they submit their findings and then the officers and representatives vote whether to open the campus for expansion or not. if they open for expansion, they notify the NPC of their decision to expand and the NPC in turn notifies all of the NPC sororities not represented on that campus that state university is open for expansion. sororities that are interested in colonizing there submit an information packet to the college panhellenic and after much perusal usually 3 sororities are invited to come to campus to give presentations. the sororities accept or regret the invitation and dates are set for the presentations. if one of the sororities regrets the invitation, panhellenic might go to the 4th choice and invite them to present. the sororities bring in national officers & local alumnae to participate in the presentation. the presentations are usually done on separate days. after all the presentations are done, the committee or the panhellenic officers and representatives vote on who will be invited to colonize-they notify the sorority and the sorority either accepts or regrets that invitation. SOMETIMES(but not very often) there is a pre-existing interest group that has a preference, and SOMETIMES that groups wishes are taken into consideration, however sometimes they are not. in addition, there is no guarantee that any or all of the members of the interest group would be invited to be members of the colony. that is a decision that the sorority would make(most often its national officers). the whole process can take as little as a couple of semesters or it an be longer.

that is the reason everyone is saying to look a little closer to home and give the existing groups another chance. the chances are slim to none that everything would work out in her favor-heck, she would probably stand a better chance transferring to a school that has an existing tri delta chapter and taking her chances going thru recruitment-and there is no guarantee in that either.

[KD4Me]

OP - I would like to reiterate that many of the replies that you have received on this board are not intended to be negative, just realistic. If you read old posts about people trying to start new chapters on their campuses, you will see that it requires a campus open to expansion, national sororities also open to expanding on that campus (which may or may not include Tri Delt), often much work convincing campus administrators of the benefits of expansion, and much time (usually years). The reality is that unless your campus opens for expansion very soon, it will likely be so long for all of those things to occur that you will have graduated.

I suggest that you heavily consider whether you really, really want to be in a sorority or not. If you do, then reconsider membership in the groups already on campus. Otherwise, you are taking a big chance that you will never be in a sorority. Only you know if it's worth it to you.

Incidentally, I love my sorority and was very involved as a collegian and still am, as an alumna. If I were choosing between all of the philanthropies in the world in which to invest my time, I wouldn't necessarily choose those that my national organization supports. But I do support them, because they're worthy causes. The friendships and relationships with my sisters is what I really love about my sorority.