National VS Local Debate

[aephi alum]

I have been in both a local and a national sorority. I joined a local that later became a chapter of AEPhi.

As a local, you get to make your own rules without being answerable to a national. That can be abused (read: hazing) but isn't always, and wasn't in my local's case. You also don't have to pay national dues; while my roommates were forking over $600+ for their pledge semester, I paid about $100.

As a chapter of a national, you have a lot more support. You don't have to create your own ritual, find a philanthropy to support, figure out your own rush events, etc. You can also go to new places and bump into sisters, which is considerably less likely if you're in a local.

[Tom Earp]

I dont think anyone on GC is looking down on Locals as there are quite a few Local members here.

Just as aephi Alum said, one of the biggest pluses of being in a National, is the suport you can get from not only your Local Sisters, but the ones all over the world!

While I have only met two GC LXAs, I have been in contact with many by phone. LXAAlum helped me refinance my home and never met him!

Sent a Badge to a Brother from a different Chapter who lost his and a Embroideried Coat of Arms to one to celebrate his becoming an Advisor to a new Colony. That to me is the biggest difference between a Local and a National, the numbers of Brothers/Sisters to be friends with!

But, you pose an interesting point, You are a Founder of the Second Chapter! Who lnows what a bigger step can be taken! I sometimes wondered if I could have expanded My Local toward a National standard!


Anyway, the Greatest of Luck to You and Your Sisters!

[Kevin]

One thing to add to the conversation here would be risk management policies and insurance. Nationals always have them. As far as I know, locals seldom do.

Insurance can be expensive. However, that one time where your organization gets sued, it can come in really handy. In many cases, members of an organization, especially officers can be held personally liable for what happens in the chapter -- even when they had no knowledge of what occured.

Of course insurance has a con -- it's expensive. So that's the risk you take. It's not nearly so high in sororities as fraternities though.

Diamond Delta, as for organizational stability, you may be able name one or two (and I'd guess accross the entire US, there are probably less than 20) locals that are 100+ years old. On the other hand, there are literally hundreds of national GLO chapters that are over 100 years old and still in operation.

What's more, if a national chapter closes due to poor recruitment or other circumstances, most likely, at some point, it will be reopened. Locals on the other hand stand a slim/none chance of ever being reopened.

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by Buttonz
I pledged a local, dropped, and then joined my national. What's the single biggest diffrence between the two? the hazing. The same goes true for the other two locals oncampus (we have three). The locals are major hazers comapered to the nationals.

Easy!

While locals may not be watched as closely as nationals, and just because the locals on your campus may treat their sisters like crap by hazing doesn't mean that ALL LOCALS haze. I know this has been argued over and over again in the risk mgmt thread, but generalizations like this really irritate me.

And like Jilly said earlier, I have also heard about hazing in nationals. It's just something that everyone knows is wrong but since the definition is so broad, people push the limits all the time, regardless of their GLO.

I am part of, I guess, a regional sorority. We have a beta chapter. I couldn't be happier.

[AOX81]

Originally posted by chideltjen
I am part of, I guess, a regional sorority. We have a beta chapter. I couldn't be happier.

Ditto

[33girl]

Originally posted by chideltjen
Easy!

While locals may not be watched as closely as nationals, and just because the locals on your campus may treat their sisters like crap by hazing doesn't mean that ALL LOCALS haze. I know this has been argued over and over again in the risk mgmt thread, but generalizations like this really irritate me.

And like Jilly said earlier, I have also heard about hazing in nationals. It's just something that everyone knows is wrong but since the definition is so broad, people push the limits all the time, regardless of their GLO.

Thank you Jen, I am in a national, and this type of thinking irritates me too. Hazing takes place in all groups, although since the rules have gotten so strict in nationals chapters can be closed for "hazing" when it's something like interviews that is relatively benign.

Basically, the best thing about being local is the autonomy, and knowing where your money goes. The best thing about being national is having someplace else to turn (other than your chapter alums) if you are having problems, and the networking opportunities.

[pinkyphimu]

my campus doesn't have locals, so i only had the choice to go national. i like having multiple alumnae groups around the country. when i moved to boston, i knew two people in the state. it was very easy to meet people through the alumnae group and get settled into my new life.

[AlethiaSi]

Originally posted by chideltjen
Easy!

While locals may not be watched as closely as nationals, and just because the locals on your campus may treat their sisters like crap by hazing doesn't mean that ALL LOCALS haze. I know this has been argued over and over again in the risk mgmt thread, but generalizations like this really irritate me.

And like Jilly said earlier, I have also heard about hazing in nationals. It's just something that everyone knows is wrong but since the definition is so broad, people push the limits all the time, regardless of their GLO.

I am part of, I guess, a regional sorority. We have a beta chapter. I couldn't be happier.

yea- actually i have seen the opposite to be true- at my school the nationals are serious serious hazers and we are not anywhere near what they do- i actually pledged a national before dropping and going to my local because the hazing was just too bad... i know this is not always the case- and locals do get a bad name for going "unchecked" but keep in mind that this is not always the case... and certain chapters of nationals are overt hazers more so then others...

as far as the benefits i see as being local- i like not having to pay as much dues- i pay about $200 a semester and that includes mixers- shirts and rush that we don't ahve to pay out of pocket...

their are good and bad sides to having own rules- we have a consititution that has been in place since we began which is modified each year through a committee to change what needs to etc- so their are standards- and we can change rituals and we also have long standing ones... i guess the free power requires more responsibility to keep ourselves in line and not allowing everything to go to hell...

we have an alumni association instead of the national support- which can be good and bad- they deal with us on a more personal level which is nice- but they don'thave the funds to back us all the time- they do waht they can though and thats good enough for us (our house is paid for since the 60s so we own it)

[TSteven]

Not sure how to word this. With regional, national, and international chapters of GLOs, family members may attend different campus and be a member of the same GLO.

For example:

Dad is ABC at Big State U.
Son A is ABC at Private U.
Son B (brother to Son A) is ABC at Out-of-State U.
Grandson is ABC at Regional State U.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by AlethiaSi
yea- actually i have seen the opposite to be true- at my school the nationals are serious serious hazers and we are not anywhere near what they do- i actually pledged a national before dropping and going to my local because the hazing was just too bad... i know this is not always the case- and locals do get a bad name for going "unchecked" but keep in mind that this is not always the case... and certain chapters of nationals are overt hazers more so then others...

I'm going to have to question your observation, unless it can be independently verified. You go to SUNY Cortland, and like most of the SUNY colleges, the reputation for hazing lies with the locals. I've discussed this issue with SUNY deans, and they would all back me up.

[33girl]

If this is going to turn into the umpteenth "locals all haze and they all suck, nationals are all perfect" debate, I would just as soon see this thread closed or have Jilly delete it.

[shadokat]

As someone who knows a bit about SUNY schools, everyone up there hazes, not just locals and not just nationals. It's rampant and it's going on right now as we speak. One is no worse than the other, and their system needs to do something to try and lessen it in both sides!

As for the national/local debate, locals are great, so are nationals. Our campus had 5 of each. Hazing was bad in almost all of the houses, except 2 (one being mine!), and I didn't really see the benefit of the national organization until later. But looking back, I would never give back my sorority experience in my international organization for the lack of rules a local can provide.

Originally posted by russellwarshay
I'm going to have to question your observation, unless it can be independently verified. You go to SUNY Cortland, and like most of the SUNY colleges, the reputation for hazing lies with the locals. I've discussed this issue with SUNY deans, and they would all back me up.

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by 33girl
If this is going to turn into the umpteenth "locals all haze and they all suck, nationals are all perfect" debate, I would just as soon see this thread closed or have Jilly delete it.

Well said... it's not like this has never been discussed before.

[SiggieJilly403]

I really don't want this thread to be deleted or closed. If we're all apart of a greek system, we should just all respect each other --local or national orgs alike. It's easy to agree to disagree....and maybe that's where we shall stand.

[BabyP]

I have to agree that hazing are in nationals.
Nationals cost too much and hence "buying the friendship" Let me ask you something, you go to someones house you dont know in another state, whatever, and they accept you? that is buying friends...I dont care who you are I dont trust strangers in my house!
Two, Locals do NOT have to have a quota, i have also seen nationals shut down cuz they didnt have at least 50 members.
Three, too many people, its not a real togetherness.
Four, as for the house, sac state doesnt have greek row, only TWO greeks have a house. Also I have notice more HAZING and RAPES and UNDERAGE drinking in houses.
With locals, yes, we can change the rules for the better, hazing was accepted 50 years ago and the rules of nationals go back like a hundred years. Also nationals tend to discriminate based on looks, money or/and power.
Five, nationals seem to be obssessed with legacies. I honestly dont think it should matter if family was in ABC cuz that doesnt mean the child is the same as the parents.