National VS Local Debate

[TSteven]

Originally posted by MTSUGURL
One of the major things to recognize is that ALL locals are individual and unique of each other.

If I may paraphrase MTSUGURL. All chapters on any campus are individual and unique of each other.

(Inter)national GLO chapters share the same ideals, values, rituals etc. Yet, these shared ideals, values, rituals and the such, are unique to any other GLO - local, regional or (inter)national - on campus.

And I'd like to add that each chapter has their own characteristics that make them unique and individual *within* the (inter)national GLO.

[AGDee]

I thought of a pro to being in an Inter/National group that hasn't been brought up...

Scholarships... Our Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation gives out MANY scholarships each year. Some are general, some are endowed for specific chapters or majors and some are for Grad students too.

We also have a program called SIS Grants which are emergency grants to help sisters in financial trouble, collegiate or alum, with a confidential application process and funds available within a few weeks. I presume other NPC groups have similar programs. Ours has helped women who've lost their homes due to hurricanes, fires, tornados, etc. It has helped women who had a medical emergency that they couldn't pay for.

As someone posted earlier, it seems as though locals are a 4 year college experience where with inter/nationals (although many don't stay involved) you have continued opportunities for lifetime involvement, no matter where you end up. I've made some of my closest friendships through my alum club and through volunteering.

Dee

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by 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.

This whole thing is one big GENERALIZATION, BabyP:


1.) There is more hazing, rape, drinking, in a house? You don't need a national reputation and a house to do these things.


2.) To some people, ANY group you pay to be a part of can be considered this. So does that mean if you pay more than $200 in dues it's considered buying friends? The $ paid goes to support our national body. Many of those involved w/ our orgs don't get paid.

3.) The national bond we have gives us a common ground to bond w/ other women in different states. It's not the same concept as a total stranger, because you automatically have a ritualistic connection to that person.

4.) Nationals DO NOT disciminate on looks, $$$, or power. How do I know? Because I'm a Black, physically disabled, and working class New Member of Tri-Sigma.

5.) We aren't obsessed w/ legacies! IF a legacy is a good fit for our chapter, we want to give her some extra consideration so that she may choose to continue her family history. CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEFS: All legacies DON'T get bids. We do have to invite her back twice, but after that we may choose to keep them or not.

There is something special about being able to say the same creed you mom and gradma said, so we want to give legacies the opportunity to share that.

We understand that all legacies aren't like the parents, that is why we are allowed to cut them after two rounds.


6.) What if someone told you: Omega D wasn't a true sisterhood, there are TOO FEW sisters? You wouldn't like it.
A chapter of 100 can feel small and cozy if get to know your sisters, AND IT CAN BE DONE!

7.) The rules are in place to protect us. Many (not ALL) locals haze because there are no rules over them making it illegal. Even if there are rules, there is no national body to enforce them if the school doesn't.


So please refrain from making anymore generalizations about nationals. There are plenty to make about locals, but I choose not to b/c I want to encourage greek unity.

Later,
JocelynC

[veemers]

Originally posted by AGDee
I thought of a pro to being in an Inter/National group that hasn't been brought up...

Scholarships... Our Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation gives out MANY scholarships each year. Some are general, some are endowed for specific chapters or majors and some are for Grad students too.

We also have a program called SIS Grants which are emergency grants to help sisters in financial trouble, collegiate or alum, with a confidential application process and funds available within a few weeks. I presume other NPC groups have similar programs. Ours has helped women who've lost their homes due to hurricanes, fires, tornados, etc. It has helped women who had a medical emergency that they couldn't pay for.

As someone posted earlier, it seems as though locals are a 4 year college experience where with inter/nationals (although many don't stay involved) you have continued opportunities for lifetime involvement, no matter where you end up. I've made some of my closest friendships through my alum club and through volunteering.

Dee

Both of these opportunities (scholarships/ lifetime involvement) are available through my sorority, but I'm sure it might not be true for all locals. I think for these two things, it would depend on how established your group is (aka how old and how large a membership and alumni membership) and how much emotional tie the members have to the group. Beloit tends to be a school that alumni always come back to, so it makes sense that graduated Thetas still feel a tie to the group. (For example, on our last I-night two weeks ago, an alum from the 70's just randomly stopped by the house because she wanted to see what it looked like. On I-night! It was a really weird coincidence, but we invited her to dinner and it was great.)

[AUDeltaGam]

Originally posted by JocelynC
This whole thing is one big GENERALIZATION, BabyP:


1.) There is more hazing, rape, drinking, in a house? You don't need a national reputation and a house to do these things.


2.) To some people, ANY group you pay to be a part of can be considered this. So does that mean if you pay more than $200 in dues it's considered buying friends? The $ paid goes to support our national body. Many of those involved w/ our orgs don't get paid.

3.) The national bond we have gives us a common ground to bond w/ other women in different states. It's not the same concept as a total stranger, because you automatically have a ritualistic connection to that person.

4.) Nationals DO NOT disciminate on looks, $$$, or power. How do I know? Because I'm a Black, physically disabled, and working class New Member of Tri-Sigma.

5.) We aren't obsessed w/ legacies! IF a legacy is a good fit for our chapter, we want to give her some extra consideration so that she may choose to continue her family history. CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEFS: All legacies DON'T get bids. We do have to invite her back twice, but after that we may choose to keep them or not.

There is something special about being able to say the same creed you mom and gradma said, so we want to give legacies the opportunity to share that.

We understand that all legacies aren't like the parents, that is why we are allowed to cut them after two rounds.


6.) What if someone told you: Omega D wasn't a true sisterhood, there are TOO FEW sisters? You wouldn't like it.
A chapter of 100 can feel small and cozy if get to know your sisters, AND IT CAN BE DONE!

7.) The rules are in place to protect us. Many (not ALL) locals haze because there are no rules over them making it illegal. Even if there are rules, there is no national body to enforce them if the school doesn't.


So please refrain from making anymore generalizations about nationals. There are plenty to make about locals, but I choose not to b/c I want to encourage greek unity.

Later,
JocelynC

VERY well said!!!

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by Doc Phi
I see it like this...I had both nationals and locals on my campus and knew practically all of the members from each of these GLOs. However, when I was presented with the opportunity to become a founding brother of my fraternity's beta chapter I weighed the pros and cons of going national vs. local heavily. In the end I came to this conclusion:

"Going national would mean learning history of my organization and greek lettered organizations in general. Going local, and being there at the start would me creating or being part of history, and I liked the latter better."

with regards to history (which I had enough of from grammar school through high school): Why learn it when you can create it/be it...

aww... I liked that. Well said.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by Doc Phi
I see it like this...I had both nationals and locals on my campus and knew practically all of the members from each of these GLOs. However, when I was presented with the opportunity to become a founding brother of my fraternity's beta chapter I weighed the pros and cons of going national vs. local heavily. In the end I came to this conclusion:

"Going national would mean learning history of my organization and greek lettered organizations in general. Going local, and being there at the start would me creating or being part of history, and I liked the latter better."

with regards to history (which I had enough of from grammar school through high school): Why learn it when you can create it/be it...

That's a specious argument. I'm part of a 152 year old fraternity, and we're still creating our history, and I'm a part of that. I was the first director for two different fraternity initiatives in Phi Psi, and I'm a re-charter member of my chapter. When the third volume of our history is released, covering 1953-2002, I'll have multiple citations.

I'm building on top of a foundation that is almost impossible for any local to even catch up with.

A very good friend of mine, and a fellow Phi Psi, works for a LGLO that was founded in the 80s. They are making great progress, but they are also playing catch up to where we were 70 years ago.

One of the great advantages of an established national organization is that there has been a collaborative effort, with pooled resources, for decades. This yields a level of chapter services that no local will ever, under any circumstance, be able to match. Not all chapters choose to take advantage of these resources, but those that do are so far advanced of any local out there.

Plainly put, locals need to constantly reinvent the wheel, and do so with very few people, who are very inexperienced, and with very little money. When aiming for true excellence, they just can't get their heads above the water.

[MTSUGURL]

Originally posted by TSteven
If I may paraphrase MTSUGURL. All chapters on any campus are individual and unique of each other.

(Inter)national GLO chapters share the same ideals, values, rituals etc. Yet, these shared ideals, values, rituals and the such, are unique to any other GLO - local, regional or (inter)national - on campus.

And I'd like to add that each chapter has their own characteristics that make them unique and individual *within* the (inter)national GLO.

What I meant:

Nationals have the same traditions, policies, and standards that tie them together no matter how many chapters they have. Locals do not have this unless they have more than one chapter.

[AUDeltaGam]

Originally posted by Doc Phi
with regards to history (which I had enough of from grammar school through high school): Why learn it when you can create it/be it...

You can make history in a national GLO. I am a colonizing sister of the recolonization of Delta Gamma's Delta Sigma chapter. Everyday we create history for our chapter

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by MTSUGURL
Locals do not have this unless they have more than one chapter.

If there is more than one chapter, then it is not a local.

[Tom Earp]

What Great Answers from one and all!

I guess, it depends on what the feeling, size, age, and campus structure is.

These are valid points and my thought is that the bone of contention is depending on the acts of the Locals in Risk Management is a major point.

If, there is not the Hazing that has been brought out about "SOME" Locals then there is not a problem!

If there is, it is a major Problem and that is where Insurance comes in, ergo the higher dues to a Inter(National) Greek Organization! It is called $$$$$$$! Covering you asses for law suits!

If We all lived in a perferct Greek World, there would be no hazing, deaths, or abuse and it would all be good!

Yes, Nationals have better contacts in the after school life, that is very good! Not only with Chapters and Brother / Sisters from all over, is that not a big plus!

Remember too, it is the people that you live with those 4-5 years that do make a difference! How often do yu see them after Graduation!? That too can be a big question.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by MTSUGURL
What I meant:

Nationals have the same traditions, policies, and standards that tie them together no matter how many chapters they have. Locals do not have this unless they have more than one chapter.

I think we are saying the same thing.

[AOX81]

Originally posted by russellwarshay
If there is more than one chapter, then it is not a local.

We have 2 chapters in the same city...we still consider ourselves "local".

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by AOX81
We have 2 chapters in the same city...we still consider ourselves "local".

Well, technically you've grown to become a regional sorority.

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by russellwarshay
Well, technically you've grown to become a regional sorority.

This is what doesn't make sense to me. The difference between local and regional. And btw... if a group wants to call themselves a local. let them. Not very many groups that i know of go by 'regional' sororities.

My definition of regional is an independent sorority not part of the regular national sorority bunch but has 3 or more affliated chapters with the same practices and etc. I can see calling a sorority a regional sorority if they had 3-4 chapters spread out along the west coast. But to have just another chapter in a less than 200 mile radius... i still consider it a local.

It just seems like another excuse to not call us local.