NPC adding new council members--do you think it could/will happen?

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

This could get ugly quickly.

It does not have to.

I think the last few posters (myself included) are dancing around the race issue.

[OHNOITSJESS]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I really don't see NPHC orgs joining NPC; the more likely scenario is a group not currently with a council. Off the top of my head, Theta Nu Xi and Alpha Omega Epsilon both meet the criteria. Others meet the size requirements, but have citywide chapters.

From the MOI:

Requirements for Membership
A women’s fraternity must have been established in its national character for
a minimum of 13 years; all of its collegiate chapters must be established in
senior colleges and universities authorized to confer bachelor degrees and
recognized by the appropriate regional association of colleges and
universities; and it must have at least 14 chapters, of which the latest
established is at least two years old.

Speaking for Alpha Omega Epsilon while we do meet the criteria, I don't think we'd want to lose the engineering/hard sciences and professional focus we'd give up to join the NPC. We are a part of the Professional Fraternity Association (along with SAI, TBS, KPsi, DSP, etc....) though.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

It does not have to.

I think the last few posters (myself included) are dancing around the race issue.

I wasn't talking about race.

I was talking about the local vs. National debate.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I wasn't talking about race.

I was talking about the local vs. National debate.

Oh okay!

But I was.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by OHNOITSJESS

Speaking for Alpha Omega Epsilon while we do meet the criteria, I don't think we'd want to lose the engineering/hard sciences and professional focus we'd give up to join the NPC.

This raises an interesting question. Would a group like AOE have to give up a focus like that? There are groups in the NIC with focus on a particular area of study: Triangle, Alpha Gamma Rho, FarmHouse and maybe one or two others. Would NPC by-laws or policies prohibit that?

[OHNOITSJESS]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

This raises an interesting question. Would a group like AOE have to give up a focus like that? There are groups in the NIC with focus on a particular area of study: Triangle, Alpha Gamma Rho, FarmHouse and maybe one or two others. Would NPC by-laws or policies prohibit that?

I think since (correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure i read it somewhere) that NPC groups can't discriminate based on anything but gender, it would force us to broaden our focus.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

This raises an interesting question. Would a group like AOE have to give up a focus like that? There are groups in the NIC with focus on a particular area of study: Triangle, Alpha Gamma Rho, FarmHouse and maybe one or two others. Would NPC by-laws or policies prohibit that?

I don't believe any policies would prohibit this.

However, with a focus on students in a particular major/area of study, I would think that recruitment would pose the largest issues.

Because NIC fraternities don't (usually) participate in any kind of formal recruitment, and take on a more COB-like style of recruiting, it aligns better with fraternities that are based around a particular area of study.

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I wasn't talking about race.

I was talking about the local vs. National debate.

The groups that people have been mentioning I don't think would be considered local, they have quiet a few chapters.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

This raises an interesting question. Would a group like AOE have to give up a focus like that? There are groups in the NIC with focus on a particular area of study: Triangle, Alpha Gamma Rho, FarmHouse and maybe one or two others. Would NPC by-laws or policies prohibit that?

I don't think they would be required to, but I don't think our style of recruitment lends itself to "focuses". I think it would end up playing out like chapters of SDT/AEPhi that are still largely Jewish, even though it's not a requirement to join. It could also become stigma-like...only instead of the fat/nerd/party house, it's the *focus* house.

I also think it would make a difference if the focus was a required aspect of membership. If you can ONLY take certain majors/minors as opposed to being made up of largely certain majors, I would think that would come into play when NPC votes to grant membership.

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by OHNOITSJESS

I think since (correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure i read it somewhere) that NPC groups can't discriminate based on anything but gender, it would force us to broaden our focus.

Would you currently not let anyone outside of the engineering/hard science major join?

I think being part of NPC would not make you broaden your focus. I know on our campus AEPhi still holds a strong Jewish focus but does not limits itself to only Jewish students.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by Mevara

The groups that people have been mentioning I don't think would be considered local, they have quiet a few chapters.

Ok...National Council vs. Local vs. Regional vs. Whatever else debate. Point is, your comment about NPC having nothing to offer was very off-putting, just as it would be if I had come back with something about NPCs being prestigious due to the more universal recognition we receive.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by OHNOITSJESS

I think since (correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure i read it somewhere) that NPC groups can't discriminate based on anything but gender, it would force us to broaden our focus.

No.

NPC does not have any say in the membership policies of its member organizations, besides the minimum criteria (women at 4-year degree-granting institutions). In fact, the MOI has many rules about what NPC/CPH can not do w/r/t each chapter's operations.

As far as sigmadiva's nonsense, the NPHC orgs have an established national council that meets their needs. They have no incentive to join the NPC.

Groups without an established council (and I had no idea there was a council for professional fraternities, so thanks for that info, ohnoitsjess) may find it more difficult to purchase insurance, finance housing, and establish relationships with universities.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I also think it would make a difference if the focus was a required aspect of membership. If you can ONLY take certain majors/minors as opposed to being made up of largely certain majors, I would think that would come into play when NPC votes to grant membership.

And that's what I was really getting at, I guess -- with the NIC fraternities I mentioned, studying or intending to pursue a career in the area of focus is, as I understand it, a requirement of membership.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

As far as sigmadiva's nonsense

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Groups without an established council (and I had no idea there was a council for professional fraternities, so thanks for that info, ohnoitsjess) may find it more difficult to purchase insurance, finance housing, and establish relationships with universities.

I don't think any of that has posed a problem for us (granted, few of our chapters have houses), nor do I think it has been a problem for Kappa Sigma or Phi Delta Theta.

"Council" might be a misleading word, I think. As is clear from this discussion and others we've had at GC, different umbrella organizations -- NIC, NPC. NPHC, PFA, etc. -- can function very differently from each other, both in terms of what they provide their members and what they expect/require of their members.

And I'll echo k_s's .