"Greek Club" for transfer students

[slickwilly95991]

I personally wouldn't join such an organization. I would rather try and start a chapter of my own fraternity. We joined our organizations as life members and should try to do whatever it takes to make it a success. It would be super rewarding to be an initiated member and also be a founding father of another chapter.

[Xylochick216]

I think it's a great idea. It takes forever to get a GLO started at my school. They won't even hear about bringing another organization to campus until they are ready to. You can't just go to the Greek Life office and say you want to start a chapter of XYZ. If that was the case, then I bet a lot of schools would have all 26 NPCs and not a lot of members.

[slickwilly95991]

That's odd that it takes so long to get an organization on your campus. Usually if an interest group can sustain itself for at least one summer and able to recruit new members, any national organization would try to get into that group. Most greek advisors and councils know that recruitment numbers go up when a new organization gets onto campus.

[Rudey]

I would have started my own chapter too, but then again I wasn't in their shoes.

-Rudey

[33girl]

Originally posted by Little E
I think these groups are a great option. Not everyone wants to give up their last years in college to try and colonize their organization. Look at the extreme, what if there was an AST that transfered to Ole Miss...hahaha that would just not happen. (meaning AST doesn't have the local alumnae or the southern reputation needed to survive there) I think it is a great way for these people to connect, even though they are not an active member of their org.

EXACTLY.

None of the sororities at Pitt's branch campus have chapters at Pitt main, and this would be a great idea for them, as Pitt isn't open for NPC expansion and probably won't be until the current students are all blue haired grandmas.

Nebraska Delt, please do searches under "LSU*" and "Ole Miss" and you'll understand what we're talking about.

[slickwilly95991]

If its virtually impossible to start a chapter (which I hardly doubt would be the case. Any national organization would want to charter at large schools unless the school's greek system is out of control) and they are in their Senior year, then they could get involved in the alumni associations that are available in any large city where a chapter used to be (they are also in areas where no chapter has ever been).

These are only options they don't have to do anything. If they truly want to get involved in such an organization so be it. But if I wasn't going to start a chapter or get involved with my own organization somehow during my senior year, I sure would put my time to some important personal things pertaining to graduation or my future rather than some half ass social organization. Just my opinion.

[33girl]

Originally posted by slickwilly95991
If its virtually impossible to start a chapter (which I hardly doubt would be the case. Any national organization would want to charter at large schools unless the school's greek system is out of control) and they are in their Senior year, then they could get involved in the alumni associations that are available in any large city where a chapter used to be (they are also in areas where no chapter has ever been).

These are only options they don't have to do anything. If they truly want to get involved in such an organization so be it. But if I wasn't going to start a chapter or get involved with my own organization somehow during my senior year, I sure would put my time to some important personal things pertaining to graduation or my future rather than some half ass social organization. Just my opinion.

Why is it any more "half ass" than being in an alum chapter?

Not all colleges are anywhere near large cities, and alum groups of every GLO are not in every large city. If an ASA alum transferred to Washington State there'd be nothing there for her - we've never had a chapter there or anywhere near it.

and yeah, maybe orgs WANT to charter at large schools, but I want to marry Ewan McGregor, and that isn't happening either. You can want to do it and work for it 24/7 and have your whole national org behind you and it STILL might not be feasible.

[mu_agd]

Originally posted by NebraskaDelt
I never said that establishing a chapter is their only recourse, I simply said with all the work they did establishing an organization with officers, constitution, dues, etc, they COULD HAVE worked to start a chapter.

BTW, many colonies are started with Seniors helping to start them. They come back when chartered to get initiated. Transfer students could become the alumni base in the area and work as advisors after they graduate.

Also, could you give me some national organizations where it takes YEARS to charter? I believe the average is about 3 semesters. And most orgs have a rule that if not chartered within 2 years they are done.

ok, but see there are 5 girls who transferred to this school. they are all members of a different npc's. so are you trying to say they each need to work by themselves to bring a chapter of their npc onto campus, when they campus or the sorority may not be expanding when they could all just band together and start a group for people like them?

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by NebraskaDelt
With all of the work they did establishing that organization they could have worked and tried getting a colony established of their own fraternity or sorority. Probably would have been more rewarding.

I hope in your next life you come back as a sorority girl at a school that isn't open for expansion.

[bruinaphi]

The only time I've heard of anything like this today was at Stanford. One of my pledge sisters transferred after our freshman year and became a social member of another organization. She didn't participate in ritual or recruitment but did get social privileges.

[adpiucf]

Sounds like a great club to be a part of... almost like its own local sorority.

I know that when I was an undergrad, I had my group of sorority sisters I was close with and another group of non-ADPi Greek women who I was equally close to. I can't imagine college life without either group!

[sugar and spice]

I think this is a good idea -- I know a couple of us have explained why we're against the NPC's policies against transfer students joining a second NPC sorority, and stuff like this seems like a good compromise.

However, I'm not sure how viable it would be these days. It seems like things like this were fairly common back in the 1940s-50s when so many students were Greek and being Greek was such an integral part of campus like. Nowadays, even on big campuses like mine I'm not sure how many interested transfers with chapters not on campus there are. (For all I know, there could be a lot -- but I'm guessing there aren't THAT many.) It's definitely something to look into, though.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
I hope in your next life you come back as a sorority girl at a school that isn't open for expansion.

Ouch.

With respect to colonization, for the most part it is different for fraternities and sororities. What is good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander. And visa versa.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by NebraskaDelt
With all of the work they did establishing that organization they could have worked and tried getting a colony established of their own fraternity or sorority. Probably would have been more rewarding.

Check the link to the story regarding the Alpha Tau Omega chapter and you will see that Marv Lester did indeed form a chapter of Alpha Tau Omega.

Marv met many new friends in this organization [Stray Greeks] but soon noted that whenever two of any one national fraternity showed up, those two would dash off, form a Colony and be well on their way to installing a chapter of their fraternity on the USC campus. So, Marv was losing friends as quickly as he was making them.

Finally, Marv asked, why can’t I do that? Unfortunately another ATO never showed up so he decided to go hunt some down.

It goes on to explain what Marv did.

Frankly, in Marv's case, the USC Stray Greek Club seemed to be a natural organization for fraternity men to start with when seeking out other members of their national fraternity. Which in turn often lead to the formation of a chapter of their fraternity on the USC campus.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by NebraskaDelt
I simply said with all the work they did establishing an organization with officers, constitution, dues, etc, they COULD HAVE worked to start a chapter.

I would imagine that the organization [Stray Greek club] would already exist with officers etc. And I wouldn't think they really would have need of a constitution per say. Maybe some organizational by-laws that would have been stipulated by the University for official recognition.

In any case, it shouldn't be a situation where someone or some group of people would be reinventing this every time.