Sorority Strongholds?

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by lake

I would love to read a thread about this. It just intrigues me that people would actually do this. Does anyone know if there are any existing threads about this? Or is anyone willing to share anecdotal information if they've witnessed it?

I've posted on here several times about a student at my university, but for those who have missed it, here it is again. It is about someone who lived a few doors down from me freshman year.

Susie PNM shows up on campus for Fall Recruitment with her mind on ONE chapter only, XYZ. Nevermind the fact that there were 10 excellent organizations. She decided that she was only suited for one of them, and it happened to be one that was a very strong recruiting chapter. For numerous reasons, this was not the best fit for her. While the rest of us could see that, she could not.

By day 2 she had been cut from this chapter, so she completely dropped out of rush.

Next fall she registers to rush again, and tells everyone that will listen that she plans to be an XYZ. In her eyes they were the best chapter on campus and the only one good enough for her.

She was cut after Round 1.

Our rush was the week before school started, so Susie packed up her stuff and moved back home. She then enrolled in the hometown commuter school, went through their smallish recruitment, and yes got a bid.

So, guess who shows up back on our campus Junior year with the exact letters that she desperately wanted for 2 straight recruitments? Yep, and she even tried to affiliate. Surprise, surprise, the chapter voted to not affiliate her.

For those of you counting, yes that is 3x the chapter denied her membership.

For the next 2 years she continued to wear her precious letters that she had longed to receive. However, those letters came with zero sisterhood. To this day I wonder if it was worth it to her. I also wonder her involvement level as an alumna.

She could have been happy in any number of chapters on our campus had she given them a chance. She was a very nice person, but rather insecure and this came off in conversations, her behavior and her personality. I also wonder if finding a group that was similar to who she was, instead of who she longed to be, would have helped her confidence.

We will never know.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

For the next 2 years she continued to wear her precious letters that she had longed to receive. However, those letters came with zero sisterhood. To this day I wonder if it was worth it to her. I also wonder her involvement level as an alumna.

She could have been happy in any number of chapters on our campus had she given them a chance. She was a very nice person, but rather insecure and this came off in conversations, her behavior and her personality. I also wonder if finding a group that was similar to who she was, instead of who she longed to be, would have helped her confidence.

We will never know.

Not to mention, she probably really hurt the sisters at the chapter that she pledged at when they realized the degree to which she was using them.

Twat.

[psusue]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Right, but nobody cares before rush or after graduation, so it's not so much a stronghold, even if they have a lot of chapters there.

Illinois, one of the biggest Greek systems in the country, has very little tent talk, because nobody shows up in Champaign knowing a damn thing about any of the sororities. Sure, the internet has made things worse, but it's not like it meant anything when I went home over break and told my high school friends where I'd pledged.

I agree with all of this, but the bold part I emphatically agree with. When I say that I'm in a sorority to friends here, they ask which one, then immediately say that they don't understand the difference between them. No one knew whether Sigma was the 'hottest' sorority or 'weirdo' sorority, whether at Penn State or otherwise. To me that was a huge relief in a way, knowing that my decision would only be seen as going Greek versus not going Greek, not "I went Greek and joined the wrong organization". That, to me, would have prevented me from going Greek, most likely. I don't know if I could deal with that kind of pressure, even if I did love the women in the sorority.

Also I would love to know in what states different sororities have the most chapters. I know that AST and Sigma are PA, ZTA is FL, Alpha Phi is CA, would anyone else care to chime in?

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by psusue

Also I would love to know in what states different sororities have the most chapters. I know that AST and Sigma are PA, ZTA is FL, Alpha Phi is CA, would anyone else care to chime in?

The state with the highest number of Kappa chapters is California, which has 16. I would say that we're fairly evenly distributed throughout the country.

[NutBrnHair]

13 - Texas
11 - North Carolina
10 Ohio

[AGDCanada11]

While not a state, I know that Alpha Gamma Delta has the most chapters in Canada (8), followed by Alpha Omicron Pi (7) and Alpha Phi (6).

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

What I get from this: AGD owns Hawaii.

Originally Posted by AGDCanada11

While not a state, I know that Alpha Gamma Delta has the most chapters in Canada (8), followed by Alpha Omicron Pi (7) and Alpha Phi (6).

I came to this thread just to make sure we claimed Hawaii. And what a state to claim, eh? (the ,eh? is in honor of our Canadian sisters, who I love dearly!)

And I'll add.. although AGD has the second highest number of chapters in Michigan (and 3 closed ones to boot), and we have more chapters of AGD than any other state (although PA will pass us with the Villanova colonization), it means nothing to "society" in Michigan. This is why some say there is no strong hold. I mention my sorority affiliation to people but never know what kind of reaction I'm going to get. Often times, it's a bit of a cringe with a comment like "You don't seem like a sorority girl." That's usually when I tell them about my 24 years of volunteer service with AGD since graduating from college. Do you know that most sorority women on the University of Michigan's campus do NOT wear letters because it's pretty much frowned upon. It's a huge Greek system. They have huge, beautiful houses, yet it's definitely not a status thing to be in a sorority. Many of the students totally look down on the Greeks.

Occasionally when I mention my affiliation, I get a happy/excited response .. from another Greek and we have a bond, just because we are Greek.

[KillarneyRose]

I was curious to see where Delta Zeta has, if not a stronghold, the most chapters. So, I went to our website and here are the states with the top five number of chapters:

Collegiate
Pennsylvania - 17
Ohio - 11
Texas/N Carolina - 10
California/Illinois - 9
Michigan - 8

Alumnae
Texas - 15
Florida - 13
California - 11
Pennsylvania - 8
Alabama - 7

If anyone is interested, I stickied the entire list to the top of the DZ Forum

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by KillarneyRose

I was curious to see where Delta Zeta has, if not a stronghold, the most chapters. So, I went to our website and here are the states with the top five number of chapters:

Collegiate
Pennsylvania - 17
Ohio - 11
Texas/N Carolina - 10
California/Illinois - 9
Michigan - 8

Alumnae
Texas - 15
Florida - 13
California - 11
Pennsylvania - 8
Alabama - 7

If anyone is interested, I stickied the entire list to the top of the DZ Forum

Not Illinois? I feel like every school in Illinois has a DZ chapter.