Would you welcome expansion at your campus?

[AAgammagirl]

we definitely won't be expanding at our school anytime soon (University of Toronto, Canada). we have 9 sororities and 17 fraternities, none of whom are at total.
we hope greek life will become more prominent on campus this year, due to the double cohort and that our numbers will go up. we are not recognized by the university.

[XOMichelle]

AAgamma girl- that sucks. I hope this next year holds some great new members for you!!!

As for my campus, I would definately say we won't be expanding. Just a few years ago, we lost DG, and other groups do not have as many members as they woudl like. If we were to expand, the university would have to provide housing... which is unlikely.

[OUlioness01]

my campus will *hopefully* be expanding in 2004. My chapter is closing at the end of the year and Phi Mu is planning on recolonizing in fall 2004.

[sigmanuzk]

I wish Fresno State would get few more national fraternities, however there is a strong anti-greek feeling both from students and administration so I doubt we'll see any new greeks anytime soon.
The last fratenity to colonize at Fresno State was Theta Xi in the mid-nineties, they folded within a year. I've heard talk of Tri-Delt wanting to colonize but I think it's just a rumor, the sororities here, like a few of the IFC Fraternities are in bad shape in numbers.

[sailorpiphi]

I dont anyone else has brought up this aspect:
In my opinion i think an expansion of any greek system is very important. We have lost three sororitys on our campus in the time i have been there. I feel that a bigger greek system lends to a diversity with in the greek system. The three sororities that folded, they each lent a different feeling to the greek system. A lot of them were down to earth and each of them added something that a potential rushee could find a match with. The more you reduce the greek system the more girls that go through rush who will think ok greek life is not for me because maybe that sorority that went under last year would have maybe been her best fit. Im not sure if explaining myself well enough. For example, AGD went under the year i rushed. I really felt sad about that because i really felt that during rush i found these girls to be a great aspect of sorority life on our campus. Strong girls, involved on campus who were very friendly and down to earth. Take stuff like this away or prevent them from coming back (which i think they are...) then you are preventing people who would fit the best with agd from staying in rush. Our greek system likes to say that any girl who goes through rush will find a spot. Thing is a lot of girls drop out because they think it didnt feel right it didnt feel special enough, so then if there was more diversity then maybe they wouldnt feel that way because then more would truly find their spot.

[RockChalk]

My alma mater just expanded last year. I don't think they'll be ready to expand again any time in the near future.

[chloe173]

During the fall semester, USC panhellenic passed a vote to start the process of expansion. It was a very hotly debated issue, and only passed 5-4. Basically at USC, there are 2 houses that are WAY over total. We are talking total being around 160 and these two houses having around 250. Then there are three houses around the 170-200 area and three houses that are either right at total or just a few below. The problem is that since about 1980, USC has opened up for expansion about every 3-4 years, and then within two years of a new chapters colonization, an old chapter has gone under. The last house to go under for this very reason was Chi Omega in the late 90s.

Now, we are going through the process so we can officially open up for expansion within the next year. But I really do not see how this chapter will survive. At USC, no actives from other chapters can help with rush (alumni can.) How, when USC rush groups are about 50-60 rushees large will a new sorority get girls to join them? They will have to double and triple rush! There is no way that they will be able to compete with the 250+ houses.

Even the fraternities are against it at USC. Our bidding rate is pretty good (around 90% of those who go through a preference ceremony get a bid somewhere, not including snap bids.) So they feel that another chapter will only be getting undesirable girls. Lastly, every single sorority and fraternity at USC has a ahouse on 28th street. It will be very hard for a new chapter to obtain or fill a chapter house, and without a house, then rush will be even more impossible.

So in my opinion, its all up to the campus whether rush is a good thing or not. If the likelihood is that a new chapter will survive at a particular campus, then the more the merrier. But if the logistics of that campus make it almost certain that the chapter will not do well, then keep things how they are. Don't make people go through the trauma of finding a sisterhood and then being forced into alumnae status before they ever graduate.

Whew. That was the longest post ever!