What about small NPC's?

[33girl]

I don't think NPHC should even come into this discussion because it's beyond apples & oranges - it's more like ice cream & oranges. (mmm, that sounds good) Their philosophy of membership selection in general is different than NPC's and that trickles down to new chapters/sororities.

As for PhiRho Sister's suggestions, I agree with #1 but not the rest. Partly because they won't do anything to help the situation IMO...it is not just the schools that want the bigger sororities, it is often the girls themselves. Also - no one MADE us join NPC. It was our choice. We were aware of the sacrifices, but the women in charge at the time thought they were worth it.

Sorry if I sound a bit schizophrenic on this subject, but I would bet the other ladies in smaller groups can relate...

[shadokat]

I couldn't agree with you more Cream! DPhiE recently chartered at Florida Atlantic and Schreiner University, and will charter at Drexel and TAMUK soon as well. We will also be starting another new colony. We're definitely growing. BUT, we're just not going to the big greek schools, because it's entirely too expensive.

pirepresent, I can sympathize with your situation regarding Cornell. But Phi Sig is a fabulous sorority up in the northeast (my neck of the woods), and will continue to be

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
I disagree with this. I think that the smaller NPCs are not getting smaller and smaller. We are growing. We're just not expanding on the big greek schools. Many of them aren't open for expansion, or if they are, it is too expensive to colonize there successfully.

[EGDeepher]

I guess I never though about D Phi E as a "smaller sorority". I guess that's because I'm from Jersey and most of our chapters are located in the northeast.

D-Phi-E is growing, just maybe not at the same rate "as bigger sororities" As for large schools, it's hard to expand to them because it's way to expensive to compete.

I think a phrase my chapter lives by applies here "Quality before Quanitity". Smaller NPC's are great sororities, wheither they that 5 chapters or 500.

[33girl]

Incidentally, the Internet has probably aggravated a lot of this. Before, the only way you knew what sororities were largest was to call NPC or look in a Baird's...now all you have to do is type in the name and there it is. I know this goes back to the thread asking how influential the website was to you.

[pirepresent]

Thank you Shadokat and 33girl for your kind words, and EGDeepher, I couldn't agree more - the smaller groups are still wonderful and amazing, no matter how many chapters they have.

[Glitter650]

Originally posted by 33girl
Incidentally, the Internet has probably aggravated a lot of this. Before, the only way you knew what sororities were largest was to call NPC or look in a Baird's...now all you have to do is type in the name and there it is. I know this goes back to the thread asking how influential the website was to you.

Yeah... but does it make a difference in rush ?? Because as I recall on that thread.. (and other threads with similar themes such as the one involving AAA or BBB) MOST people said that they really go for campus rep/perception... most people have NO Idea if the group they join is strong nationally... I sure as heck didn't know that on my campus Alpha Phi is probably the "largest national"... all I knew was that I wanted to be with ladies that I could hang out with and feel comfortable with.... sure I visited the websites... but really at the time I didn't think TOO much about the # of chapters.. I mean really I think AGD only has maybe 15 more chapters than Phi SIg... some of them are just at A LOT bigger schools and a higher percentage of them have more members.. but that's all stuff I've learned NOW from here and being around greek life.

[33girl]

No, I don't think it has much to do with individual rush for individual girls. For the majority of girls chapter reputations and relations are what matters most. Choosing a new chapter for the school or an interest group, that's different.

[BSUPhiSig'92]

As a Greek Adviser, I think the best opportunities for expansion for the small NPC groups lie on campuses like ours that have small but growing Greek systems. Two out of the three NPC sororities we have on campus are smaller (D-Phi-E and AST). Our last expansion, the four sororities that submitted proposals were all smaller (Tri Sigma, ASA, Phi Sigma Sigma, and D-Phi-E). The larger NPC groups automatically turn up their noses at our campus as being small potatos, and not worth the effort.

[shadokat]

EXACTLY the point I was making in the other thread regarding Tri Delta going to Stockton! We have a fab group at SIUE though BSU, so thanks for having us

Originally posted by BSUPhiSig'92
As a Greek Adviser, I think the best opportunities for expansion for the small NPC groups lie on campuses like ours that have small but growing Greek systems. Two out of the three NPC sororities we have on campus are smaller (D-Phi-E and AST). Our last expansion, the four sororities that submitted proposals were all smaller (Tri Sigma, ASA, Phi Sigma Sigma, and D-Phi-E). The larger NPC groups automatically turn up their noses at our campus as being small potatos, and not worth the effort.

[sugar and spice]

Originally posted by 33girl
I don't think NPHC should even come into this discussion because it's beyond apples & oranges - it's more like ice cream & oranges. (mmm, that sounds good)

Yes, but the principle is the same. They realize that a sorority with 25 chapters is NOT going to be able to compete with DST or AKA, and probably not with the other two NPHC sororities either. And this is in a conference where it is much easier to establish new chapters than it is within the NPC. I think it's pretty clear that a sorority with 13 chapters will not be able to compete Kappa or Chi O; it's quite possible that it won't be able to compete with TPA or SDT. As much as I would like to see the NPC expand, I do think that sororities who are looking to join should establish a solid base before applying for membership, and I don't think those 13 chapters are enough for a solid base. Considering how much easier it will be for them to expand before they join the NPC than after, and how much more their number of chapters will matter after they join the NPC than before -- it just makes sense.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally posted by PKTKKG
The University of South Carolina voted to expand this past spring and only two groups, Alpha Xi Delta and Gamma Phi Beta, submitted packages. However, I do think the fact that all of the sororities opened houses this fall had a lot to do with the low response.

One thing that seemed really odd to me was that Pi Beta Phi did not submit a package. They were on this campus from 1931 - 1985, and their current national president is from this chapter that is now closed. I would have thought they would have jumped at the chance to come back. Of course, we have also had two groups fold in the past two years (Theta in 2001 and DG in 2003) and I think that may have had an impact.

I was really surprised that more groups did not express interest.

We had several new colonizations out West we were working on. If Pi Phi can't commit a resident consultant for a year, I don't think they present. I also think the house costs would have been pretty high.... someday!!

Another thing no one mentioned that to me seems really obvious is legacies. I guess that's a bigger deal in the South. I've noticed that 80% of the PNMs going through rush at my school who are not legacies to the groups on campus (Pi Phi, Chi-O, KD, Theta, Kappa) are legacies to either Tri-Delt or Phi Mu. Without a doubt if we tried to colonize it would be one of those, IMHO. Of course we're not doing that--but it's ridiculous the amount of talk that goes on about Tri-Delt on campus. There are so many legacies of that group on campus, as well as Phi Mu, and to a smaller extent ADPi and ZTA. I've had so many people say to me "My mom is XYZ international officer of ABC and she wants to bring ABC here etc etc etc".

[sairose]

Personally, I support the smaller sororities just as much as the large groups. I think it'd be great to see them grow, too. But, as long as they are STRONG nationally, I think that matters a lot more than numbers.

[PsychTau]

but I did want to shout this from the mountaintops....

Ready? <PsychTau clears her throat>

Alpha Sigma Tau is heading west!!!
We have four new colonies!
Delta Psi, Johnson and Wales University-Denver
Delta Omega, Penn State University, Altoona
Epsilon Alpha, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Epsilon Beta, University of Texas-Pan American

Delta Omega is a local sorority that will become AST._ The other three groups will be formed through Panhellenic Expansion.

[size=huge]YAY, ALPHA SIGMA TAU!!!!!![/size]

[sairose]

PsychTau, that is wonderful news!! How many active chapters does AST currently have? I know it is one of the smaller NPC groups.

Congrats to AST!!!

[bruinaphi]

Originally posted by PsychTau
Epsilon Alpha, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Congratulations! Since you said you are headed west I assume this is the Embry Riddle in Arizona. Is that correct?