Recolonization of Colsed Chapers.

[Cube TX]

One of the worst feelings was to get the Cross & Crescent magazine in the mail and to have the section regarding closed chapters outnumbering that of new chapters/colonies.

I remember when Syracuse University had its charter revoked. That was a long time ago now (Alpha Upsilon, I believe). Are they still gone as well?

[HONKY660]

Ceasar NMSU or Zeta-Gamma is still alive and well, but UNM is closed. Syracuse is still closed.
Being from west texas a lot of kids in the area that traditionally go greek go to schools like Texas and Texas Tech. Like you all mentioned earlier, the only way to survive in a school like Texas Tech is you have to build house that competes with the established fraternities. There is a huge class system where if your parents make so much money you go to this house or to this house, and most of the kids are usually legacies. But house cleanings will usually kill any chapter it did the same a the University of Arizona. They had a thriving chapter of about 75 and cut to like 35 and the chapter closed a couple of years later when numbers dwindled down to like 11 and they couldn't pay the house. In the southwest a lot people usually rush the chapters that have the nicest house or the most man power, not the best GPA or best leadership program. These are stereotypes that we have to overcome when recolonizing in certain areas.

[john1082]

I stand corrected - happily.

[LXAAlum]

Recolonizing of lost chapters also has other dynamics - I've read about the "alumni baggage" issue, and have seen it affect recolonizations in the past.

Another one is the relationship between the campus and HQ. This can be nearly as daunting as having alumni unwilling to work to recolonize due to hurt feelings.

Yet another is the actual campus climate. If the relationship from the campus and HQ is good, and the climate on campus are both right at the same time, then things usually happen.

Case in point was UNC - closed in 89, "planned" for recolonization in 1994. However, in 1992, a new president of UNC came in, staunchly ANTI greek in nature, and the campus climate was terrible. From 1991 to 1994, 5 colonies were established, though only one remains as a chapter today. The rest folded, all but two of them before chartering. Plus, during that time, there was not a good relationship between the campus and HQ.

New president (Hank Brown, now at CU) came to UNC in the late 1990's, and he was a greek advocate. Sigma-Omega zeta finally was invited along with two other fraternities to colonize. Of the three, only LXA has chartered, one folded, and one is still a colony, on the brink of chartering.

The point of all this, when looking at campuses we would like to have chapters revived, is planning and PATIENCE above all else.

[Cube TX]

It is a bit disheartening to be from a campus that has an anti-greek feeling to it. Our longtime president at UTEP was never a big fan of the greek organizations, but thankfully I had another route to her. As a member of the UTEP cheer squad I'd seen her for years at every event so she already knew me. This made it much easier to speak to her at events. I completely understand why IHQ likes brothers to also be members of other organizations.