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

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by AOEforme

Alpha Omega Epsilon is a client.

ETA: Somewhere in here someone had asked if A.O.E. allows non-engineering and technical science majors. They answer is no, we do not. Chapters are actually fined for initiating non-approved majors.

This was one of the problems my campus Panhellenic had when trying to work my chapter into formal recruitment.

Oh, this is interesting. So what happens if a member is initiated and they are a hard science major then down the line decide to change majors to non hard science major? Are they asked to resign?

[AOEforme]

Originally Posted by Mevara

Oh, this is interesting. So what happens if a member is initiated and they are a hard science major then down the line decide to change majors to non hard science major? Are they asked to resign?

Nope: once you are an initiated active sister, you can change your major and nothing will happen. You are still an active with all voting rights.

If you change your major before active initiation, you won't be allowed to initiate. I only know one girl who was in this situation, and she simply waited until after active initiation to declare her new major.

[sweetmagnolia]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Just a thought -- this is definitely a discussion that can cause a trainwreck fast. Do you really think anyone wants to look at GC and see a discussion about how her sorority is having a hard enough time or is so small that it might be absorbed by another?

I realize how inflammatory that could be, and in my mind, I wasn't looking for a list of sororities- it was more of a 'I'm a newb and didn't realize that there was a chance that any NPCs would be absorbed'. I'm super sorry if people took my comment/question the wrong way (which, in retrospect, is like blatantly obvious/unavoidable-giving-how-I-worded-it to me).

[lucgreek]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I don't think anyone has ASKED to be in the NPC in a long time. That could be what you mean by "outside forces", but let's just be clear that the NPC isn't sitting around voting not to let new orgs in.

Not my area, but I remember BootyKBG saying at one time (I think 90s, can't find the thread) KBG was pursuing eventual membership into the NPC once they hit a certain number of chapters. Then, a leadership change in the NPC caused that to go off course.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by lucgreek

Not my area, but I remember BootyKBG saying at one time (I think 90s, can't find the thread) KBG was pursuing eventual membership into the NPC once they hit a certain number of chapters. Then, a leadership change in the NPC caused that to go off course.

Well, leadership is constantly changing in NPC since the officer positions cycle through the NPC member organizations.

[33girl]

First off, NIC sets NO rules about membership selection or rush - hell, there are NIC chapters that are co-ed - so that's why they can have NPHC chapters and chapters with narrow focii and it's OK. They also have 60 members.

The absolute impossibility of NPHC and NPC joining up has ZERO to do with race...unless Black people have a gene that made them create sororities that rush/acquire members the way NPHC groups so. If any of the NPHC sororities decided to drop that model, NPC would tell them come on in. They're huge!! They'd be crazy not to! I'm pretty sure the smallest NPHC group absolutely dwarfs (dwarves?) the largest NPC group.

Maybe Munchkin03 or one of the other AXOs can answer this...when did AXO stop being music focused? Was it before they joined NPC? As far as all the AES groups, I don't think any of them ever had something that said "only education majors can join." They were located only at normal schools or schools of education within bigger universities, so having such a clause would have been moot. When they went into NPC, there was nothing membership wise that had to be changed.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Well, leadership is constantly changing in NPC since the officer positions cycle through the NPC member organizations.

Well yeah but, wouldn't the same people be on the exec board* for a while? Sidney Allen just died and the Phoenix said about how she was the first ASA to cycle through all the chairs. In other words she wasn't secretary one year and totally off exec the next...she moved up to VP, president etc.

Re KBG, I think it was less a question of leadership per se changing (i.e. new people) than the climate of Greek life changing and the people involved maybe re-evaluating what they had said previously.

*I realize this may not be technically correct terminology so anyone thinking of correcting me, don't get your girdle in a knot.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Well yeah but, wouldn't the same people be on the exec board* for a while? Sidney Allen just died and the Phoenix said about how she was the first ASA to cycle through all the chairs. In other words she wasn't secretary one year and totally off exec the next...she moved up to VP, president etc.

Re KBG, I think it was less a question of leadership per se changing (i.e. new people) than the climate of Greek life changing and the people involved maybe re-evaluating what they had said previously.

*I realize this may not be technically correct terminology so anyone thinking of correcting me, don't get your girdle in a knot.

I agree, but 26 different people also may have a different opinion regarding the matter when they swing through the top offices. A climate fostered by a receptive president may change when a president (who may have remained silent as secretary or VP) takes over who is less than receptive.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The absolute impossibility of NPHC and NPC joining up has ZERO to do with race...unless Black people have a gene that made them create sororities that rush/acquire members the way NPHC groups so. If any of the NPHC sororities decided to drop that model, NPC would tell them come on in. They're huge!! They'd be crazy not to! I'm pretty sure the smallest NPHC group absolutely dwarfs (dwarves?) the largest NPC group.

It is no coincidence that NPHC sororities are historically and predominantly Black and NPC sororities and fraternities are predominantly white. The membership intake formats of NPHC sororities were selected based on the specific needs of our organizations; and they have historical and present significance that is not completely separate from race, gender, and education level. That's why these are historically and predominantly Black college (and college educated alumnae) women's organizations.

It is wonderful that most of the NPHC fraternities are a part of the NIC because the NIC doesn't have rush/membership intake regulations. However, there is no guarantee that this would be the case even if an NPHC sorority was to change its membership intake format. Compatibility in this regard may not only be about rush/membership intake.

/Something being correlated with race does not mean there is exclusion and discrimination on the basis of race.

[psy]

For the NPHC, it is not just joining a sorority per se, it is seen as becoming part of a legacy in an org that has very strong family traditions, and in some cases, expectations

I'm REALLY hoping I'm overthinking this and you aren't implying that NPC orgs have no history, tradition, legacy, or place in the community,

[IrishLake]

Originally Posted by psy

I'm REALLY hoping I'm overthinking this and you aren't implying that NPC orgs have no history, tradition, legacy, or place in the community,

A goat knows better. So should you.

[AEPhiSierra]

off the NPHC focus, and more towards no council nationals and special interest sororities

Originally Posted by Mevara

I don't see why another sorority would want to join NPC. What does NPC have to offer them?

Even though I am an NPC member I completely agree with this. Sure we can let groups opt out of formal recruitment or adjust to having chapters comfortable with smaller numbers but I think our extension policies would completely stifle the growth of any group that has a particular focus or is smaller but trying to grow.

A non-NPC group can be initially spearheaded by as little as 1 or 2 persistent women. And if the group is national in the sense they have advisors and insurance they can often get officially recognized as a sorority with as little as a dozen women and grow from there as they prefer. They can be proactive in their extension attempts and actively reach out to women to start a chapter of their organizations at schools that make sense to them.

Joining NPC would ruin this for them. I don't see how a small general interest sorority could ever compete and win in our regular open extension process. And from my personal experience as a member of a "special interest sorority" I don't even think it serves us amazingly. Though I have never been directly involved with my groups extension efforts this is how I see it: We basically have to hope that special interest groups are formed since we can't actively try to create them ourselves and hope that CPC will let them pursue national affiliation before they either give up, decide to stay local or affiliate with a non-npc group b/c its easier. We have a century of history and name recognition in the jewish community that helps us out but a chapter just meeting npc's membership requirements doesn't have that and i think it would be hard for them to get around it.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by psy

I'm REALLY hoping I'm overthinking this and you aren't implying that NPC orgs have no history, tradition, legacy, or place in the community,

You're underthinking.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I sure hope no one answers your questions. I don't think anyone is in a postion to close up shop at this point.

A true benefit of NPC membership for a up and coming GLO is protection from other NPC groups. This can be seen in the recent acquisitions of KBG chapters in the past few years. If KBG joined the NPC, that would never happen again. There are actually chapters of NPC groups that have been other NPC organizations. I have an eight edition of The Sorority Handbook and was surprised to see the number of Theta chapters that were previously Zeta chapters or Pi Phi chapters that were once Phi Mu chapters,etc. (I can't remember the exact interchange so don't quote me. I can look them up tonight.) With the UAs, this no longer happens. Once an NPC member chapter, there is no changing to another member organization. This would, hypothetically, protect KBGs investment in a chapter. As a non-member, they have no protections, as unfair as that may seem.

My biggest issue with the whole situation is that, whatever KBG's intentions, as there is no associate membership, or recognition by the NPC of up and coming national GLOs, their chapters continue to be 'fair game.' They could have 14 chapters and 18 months later have a chapter picked off by an NPC. It's disrespectful IMO on an organizational level.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

My biggest issue with the whole situation is that, whatever KBG's intentions, as there is no associate membership, or recognition by the NPC of up and coming national GLOs, their chapters continue to be 'fair game.' They could have 14 chapters and 18 months later have a chapter picked off by an NPC. It's disrespectful IMO on an organizational level.

It is what it is. Unless the member groups agree to leave them alone, they'll have to keep a tight watch on their chapters. Without being a part of the UAs, they aren't protected by them. I don't agree with it either, but it doesn't matter what you or I think. If you look at it from AEPhiSierra's perspective, it's a Catch22. You join and never get another chapter since no CPC will pick such a small organization in an expansion environment over one of the other NPC groups with greater resources.