What’s it like to be in a Huge Chapter?

[irishpipes]

There are 9 NPCs that are not currently at Alabama. 4 have been there before, but are presently dormant:
Alpha Xi Delta (1927-1972 and 1981-1988)
Delta Phi Epsilon (1927-1932 and 1953-1973)
Sigma Kappa (1932-1943 and 1988-1995)
Alpha Epsilon Phi (1948-1968)

Then there are 5 that have never been there:
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Tau
Theta Phi Alpha
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Phi Sigma Sigma

DPhiE recently presented, and they were not selected. My own opinion is that there are only 2 viable options for successful expansion at Alabama. In the past, these groups may not have been "southern" enough. But now, with the Greek boom in the south, they should have ample alumnae support and name recognition. It is still a lot to ask though - that is a ton of money to invest on something that isn't a sure thing. Even adding 2 chapters wouldn't alleviate much of the crowding at Alabama.

[Titchou]

At one point in all this expansion at Bama, one still owned the house they had lived in there. But neither elected to pursue the opportunity to present any of the times the campus has been open. I wonder if either is kicking themselves now????

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

They would only need to bring in alums for a few years, then they would be closer in size to the other chapters. Do you know what percentage of your campus is Jewish? Enough for SDT to go through the enormous task of taking on such a recruitment? I ask because my alma mater has both SDT and AEPhi, both participate in the entirety of formal recruitment and always make quota.

IIRC, Alabama won't schedule recruitment on days when there are home football games, but WILL schedule it on the Jewish High Holy Days. So, whether SDT is full Jewish, historically Jewish, or barely Jewish, it's still not hard to understand why they'd have hesitations on undertaking a full 'Bama recruitment.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

IIRC, Alabama won't schedule recruitment on days when there are home football games, but WILL schedule it on the Jewish High Holy Days. So, whether SDT is full Jewish, historically Jewish, or barely Jewish, it's still not hard to understand why they'd have hesitations on undertaking a full 'Bama recruitment.

That's not exactly accurate, DBB. Alabama's recruitment historically has been before classes and our football season start. So saying we "won't" do it is, at best, misleading. College here starts in mid August so recruitment is the week before classes begin. The first games of football season are now usually the Thursday thru Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Whether or not any of this has anything to do with Jewish High Holy Days, I have no idea but this year they fall in the two weeks AFTER Labor Day - a month after recruitment. And since Bid Day is on Assumption Day this year, I assume they should move that for the Catholics?

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

IIRC, Alabama won't schedule recruitment on days when there are home football games, but WILL schedule it on the Jewish High Holy Days. So, whether SDT is full Jewish, historically Jewish, or barely Jewish, it's still not hard to understand why they'd have hesitations on undertaking a full 'Bama recruitment.

I believe you're confusing Alabama with Ole Miss. Alabama always goes before school starts in August. Ole Miss schedules around football and does occasionally conflict with Jewish Holidays.

[Griffins&Quills]

From the talk I've heard, general consensus seems to agree with you Irishpipes on the 2 viable options thing

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Titchou

That's not exactly accurate, DBB. Alabama's recruitment historically has been before classes and our football season start. So saying we "won't" do it is, at best, misleading. College here starts in mid August so recruitment is the week before classes begin. The first games of football season are now usually the Thursday thru Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I believe you're confusing Alabama with Ole Miss. Alabama always goes before school starts in August. Ole Miss schedules around football and does occasionally conflict with Jewish Holidays.

Mea culpa! I am confusing my giant SEC recruitments. It was Ole Miss that we discussed here previously.

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Mea culpa! I am confusing my giant SEC recruitments. It was Ole Miss that we discussed here previously.

Take heart that you didn't confuse it with Michigan, where home football games and Jewish High Holy Days are avoided when scheduling recruitment. Then some people gripe about recruitment taking two and a half weeks....

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by Sciencewoman

Take heart that you didn't confuse it with Michigan, where home football games and Jewish High Holy Days are avoided when scheduling recruitment. Then some people gripe about recruitment taking two and a half weeks....

We had one recruitment at Michigan State that ran over three weeks one year because of the way the football games and Jewish holidays fell. Then you add on the work week before that and it was a solid month of rush with most of it during the time after classes had started. And then there were a number of chapters that had to COB after formal rush. It was a nightmare.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

We had one recruitment at Michigan State that ran over three weeks one year because of the way the football games and Jewish holidays fell. Then you add on the work week before that and it was a solid month of rush with most of it during the time after classes had started. And then there were a number of chapters that had to COB after formal rush. It was a nightmare.

Insanity! Go early, 2 weeks, get it done, sleep for a couple of days...start school.

[tallgreekalum]

I am just having the hardest time relating. Our two biggest chapters pledge 30 something men a PC. Most are in the teens (although many chapters have two rushes per year.

[33girl]

The above post bring something up. We focus so much on sororities we don't really talk about the fraternity side. At Ole Miss, Alabama, etc are there fraternities thut have membership in the hundreds? Or are there just lots more fraterprnities and they have double mixers or double event pairings?

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The above post bring something up. We focus so much on sororities we don't really talk about the fraternity side. At Ole Miss, Alabama, etc are there fraternities thut have membership in the hundreds? Or are there just lots more fraterprnities and they have double mixers or double event pairings?

A fraternity pledge class of 45 is considered around average for a large fraternity at Alabama -- many fraternities pledge fewer. For a comparison of total members and new members of sororities and fraternities, see the 2014 Fall grade report:

http://greekaffairs.ua.edu/documents...radeReport.pdf

Even (back in the distant day) when sorority quota was around 40, fraternities pledged far fewer and their membership was probably around half that of sororities.

[NWguy]

Our fraternity averaged 65-70 brothers when I was there, but it never felt crowded. The other two houses I considered joining during Rush were slightly bigger, and I took that into consideration.

I have a few questions pertaining to these very large sorority chapters.

1) Where does everyone sleep? Do the pledges sleep in one big room, or basement?

2) How do they feed everyone? That's a lot of food for 150+ women.

3) Are there weeknight curfews/lights out times?


I shared a room my first year with two other pledges, and we had enough space for bunk beds + 1 single bed, a couch, TV, walk-in closet, and we even had a coffeemaker and mini fridge.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by NWguy

I have a few questions pertaining to these very large sorority chapters.

1) Where does everyone sleep? Do the pledges sleep in one big room, or basement?

2) How do they feed everyone? That's a lot of food for 150+ women.

3) Are there weeknight curfews/lights out times?

^ Sounds like pledges held captive in an asylum or something, with Nurse Ratched in charge of lights out!

New members of most sorority chapters -- especially huge chapters -- don't move into the house. Even with the enormous new sorority houses at Alabama, where chapter size may be 350 - 400, the chapter house may only accommodate 75 or so girls living in (typically officers and upper-upper-classmen). The public areas/facilities are huge, however.