A local sorority at USC?

[DTD Alum]

First of all, as an SC alumnus, the row is actually quite tame compared to what it used to be. I am far enough out of college to let you know that way before you got there, the row was much rowdier and with much bigger scandals. If anything, the row will continue to get tamer under Nikias.

Second, you just spelled out the problem with numbers yourself. Out of 10 sororities that could conceivably participate in formal rush (ADChi doesn't count), two cannot make quota year after year. Somebody in a Panhellenic GLO feel free to chime in, but it's my understanding that this is not the type of system that PHC would feel is ready for expansion. I think they usually wait until everybody is making quota, or close to it. But you have one house who usually only makes half of quota (usually people don't show up to bid day even if they technically do make quota), and one that was struggling financially to the point where they had to withdraw from formal rush.

Plus, the vast majority of women who don't receive bids drop out not because there is not a place for them, but because they were focused on a small handful of sororities and didn't get them and therefore decided to be GDI. I guarantee you that if they will not pledge the two houses that are struggling (and many will not even pledge "middle tier" houses), they are not jumping on board with a local colony. I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen. Not to mention, even if a national wanted to colonize your local, where is the room on the row? It's my understanding that several fraternity chapters (including at least one very established one) are SOL in terms of housing options because a chapter cannot function off the row, and there is simply no land. To complicate things further, you should maybe look into WHY the local that was previously here was founded. Before they colonized into a national, they served a very specific niche market that would be able to draw some PNMs away from the national GLOs. Unless your local could find another equally desirable niche market, I don't think they are comparable situations.

Sorority pledge classes are too big, but that's nothing new, this problem has been around for a bit. The 60s is really nothing out of the normal for USC.

For the boys, Kappa Sigma scandals are bad press, but you should have seen some of the scandals that have happened in the past. There are a couple in particular that happened over the past 10-15 years that make this look like nothing. Not to mention that the fraternity rankings are so liquid it would shock you. If I told you what the top houses were less than 10 years ago you probably wouldn't believe me, because half of it does not line up to what is apparently the case today. Fraternities are always rising, getting kicked off, falling, colonizing, etc.

You are 2013, so I'm guessing you are currently a sophomore. I think your best bet to go Greek is rushing next year, but you'll be a junior. Sophomores have a relatively easy time at rush, but juniors get massively cut. Every sorority takes a small handful (usually just the two that are considered free), but the two chapters that usually do not make quota are much more welcome to taking more than two juniors. So you can probably still get a bid, but your options are going to be much more limited than they may have been in the past. But frankly I would not hold my breath for another option (ie a colony or a local) to appear in the two years you have left. It's just not a plausible situation. Go through rush (or COB) next year, but be realistic about your options.

Sorry to say all this because I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's important to internalize because next fall will be your last chance to go Greek at USC, and even then it's pushing it.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

one that was struggling financially to the point where they had to withdraw from formal rush.

Are you talking about SDT or another NPC group? I thought SDT was fairly new and never intended to participate in formal rush.

OP - many many many chapters are founded with the idea of "we are going to bring something new/different/more morally upright/more whatever oriented to Greek life." If you insist on being apart from something you simultaneously want to be a part of, it doesn't work very well. Either you content yourself with a much smaller niche membership and are never truly accepted as legitimate by the rest of the community, or you eventually become what you railed against to begin with, or you refuse to waver in the least from your initial purpose and try to compete with the rest of the groups and die out. (Note: this mainly applies to sororities.)

I'm not speaking for KD, but I very much doubt they would want to come to a campus like USC and be labeled "the sorority that isn't like the other sororities."

[DTD Alum]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Are you talking about SDT or another NPC group? I thought SDT was fairly new and never intended to participate in formal rush.

SDT is fairly new, but they did intend to participate in formal rush. They did it for a couple years and then pulled out they didn't have enough members or finances to do it on the same scale as the other sororities. Ironically, as ellebud mentioned, they are an incredibly diverse sorority that is probably the closest to what the OP is considering creating. They are smaller, more alternative and have a very different type of sisterhood/sorority culture than the other nine, and for that reason they attract a different type of PNM who is into a more casual environment. They have a beautiful house too, very modern inside and brand new.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

They have a beautiful house too, very modern inside and brand new.

OK, I went to their website to look at the house, and while looking around, I saw that one of their rush events was making friendship bracelets. This is one of the cutest/coolest things I have ever heard of. How nice to be a kid again for half an hour.

[SC2013]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

First of all, as an SC alumnus, the row is actually quite tame compared to what it used to be. I am far enough out of college to let you know that way before you got there, the row was much rowdier and with much bigger scandals. If anything, the row will continue to get tamer under Nikias.

Second, you just spelled out the problem with numbers yourself. Out of 10 sororities that could conceivably participate in formal rush (ADChi doesn't count), two cannot make quota year after year. Somebody in a Panhellenic GLO feel free to chime in, but it's my understanding that this is not the type of system that PHC would feel is ready for expansion. I think they usually wait until everybody is making quota, or close to it. But you have one house who usually only makes half of quota (usually people don't show up to bid day even if they technically do make quota), and one that was struggling financially to the point where they had to withdraw from formal rush.

Plus, the vast majority of women who don't receive bids drop out not because there is not a place for them, but because they were focused on a small handful of sororities and didn't get them and therefore decided to be GDI. I guarantee you that if they will not pledge the two houses that are struggling (and many will not even pledge "middle tier" houses), they are not jumping on board with a local colony. I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen. Not to mention, even if a national wanted to colonize your local, where is the room on the row? It's my understanding that several fraternity chapters (including at least one very established one) are SOL in terms of housing options because a chapter cannot function off the row, and there is simply no land. To complicate things further, you should maybe look into WHY the local that was previously here was founded. Before they colonized into a national, they served a very specific niche market that would be able to draw some PNMs away from the national GLOs. Unless your local could find another equally desirable niche market, I don't think they are comparable situations.

Sorority pledge classes are too big, but that's nothing new, this problem has been around for a bit. The 60s is really nothing out of the normal for USC.

For the boys, Kappa Sigma scandals are bad press, but you should have seen some of the scandals that have happened in the past. There are a couple in particular that happened over the past 10-15 years that make this look like nothing. Not to mention that the fraternity rankings are so liquid it would shock you. If I told you what the top houses were less than 10 years ago you probably wouldn't believe me, because half of it does not line up to what is apparently the case today. Fraternities are always rising, getting kicked off, falling, colonizing, etc.

You are 2013, so I'm guessing you are currently a sophomore. I think your best bet to go Greek is rushing next year, but you'll be a junior. Sophomores have a relatively easy time at rush, but juniors get massively cut. Every sorority takes a small handful (usually just the two that are considered free), but the two chapters that usually do not make quota are much more welcome to taking more than two juniors. So you can probably still get a bid, but your options are going to be much more limited than they may have been in the past. But frankly I would not hold my breath for another option (ie a colony or a local) to appear in the two years you have left. It's just not a plausible situation. Go through rush (or COB) next year, but be realistic about your options.

Sorry to say all this because I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's important to internalize because next fall will be your last chance to go Greek at USC, and even then it's pushing it.

Don't be sorry; I reached out to the GC community in hopes of getting insightful information such as what you've just told me.

I really wasn't sure if it was possible, especially in such a firmly established Greek system at USC and now of course I'm even more unsure. I suppose my best bet would be to continue doing what I do with my professional fraternity, and work with philanthropic organizations on my own...it's just a bummer is all. I might also be a little too idealistic to what a GLO at USC could be, and that's really just my fault.

Only thing I can say that would give this local sorority an infinitesimal chance is that two of our sororities have religious histories. Perhaps one that focused more heavily on service and grades could attract some...but as you said (and I agree)...doubtful.