Kappa Beta Gamma/Kappa Delta

[oldu]

Why begrudge a chapter for leaving an organization that is not providing the services it wants or needs? It has happened many times over the years to groups from NPC, NIC & AES. The reason why the AES organizations asked to join NPC was so that they COULD be more competitive. They were losing chapters regularly as teachers colleges became universities (Kent State as the best example). Kappa Beta Gamma is not the only non-NPC group with a small number of chapters. If they wish to succeed they will have to aggressively market themselves to grow sufficiently and ultimately petition NPC for some sort of status. I doubt that these women were sophisticated enough when they joined to know the significance of an NPC group. Only after joining would they have learned the differecne and disparity of support. I applaud them for wanting to improve their status, and Kappa Delta should be proud to have them.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by oldu

I doubt that these women were sophisticated enough when they joined to know the significance of an NPC group. Only after joining would they have learned the differecne and disparity of support.

I highly doubt your doubt, as I said earlier. F & M is regularly on lists of top colleges. They don't have stupid students. I'm sure the founding sisters realized there was a disparity...but they probably also were limited in the sorority choices they had, as some NPC groups will not colonize at a college where the Greeks are not recognized. Add to that the prickly relationship between the college and the Greeks at the time.

[KD_Lady]

So many NPC sorority chapters began as local sororities or members of small national organizations. I don't think it's very fair to isolate this particular group. As groups and campuses grow and change, it's natural for sororities to evolve as well. I believe that Chi Omega is also present on the F&M campus, and NPC affiliation may have been vital for the chapter to sustain itself in that environment.

[ilovetheviolets]

I appreciate your point, but I can vouch that NPC affiliation is not necessary to survive at F&M as KBG has actually began to thrive over the last few years (from what I've seen and heard). 2 of their recent alumnae actually recieved the highest award that F&M offers upon graduation.

P.S...I read somewhere that they seemed like an "I want it now" type of chapter...and though I respect the women there, you should know that they started as an "I want it now" type of chapter who did not go through creating an interest group b/c they knew no NPC would start there at the time (even though re-recognition was happening the next year). None went through formal recruitment (or informal recruitment), they just wanted letters, and actually at first wore tri-delta letters b/c they thought that's what you did. That atleast is how it looked from the outside. I appreciate that KD is there now so hopefully that means their values have switched and they will take it all more seriously.

[flowerpixie3]

Originally Posted by ilovetheviolets

I appreciate your point, but I can vouch that NPC affiliation is not necessary to survive at F&M as KBG has actually began to thrive over the last few years (from what I've seen and heard). 2 of their recent alumnae actually recieved the highest award that F&M offers upon graduation.

P.S...I read somewhere that they seemed like an "I want it now" type of chapter...and though I respect the women there, you should know that they started as an "I want it now" type of chapter who did not go through creating an interest group b/c they knew no NPC would start there at the time (even though re-recognition was happening the next year). None went through formal recruitment (or informal recruitment), they just wanted letters, and actually at first wore tri-delta letters b/c they thought that's what you did. That atleast is how it looked from the outside. I appreciate that KD is there now so hopefully that means their values have switched and they will take it all more seriously.

ilovetheviolets, think you should check your facts on all this info! the original chapter was never the 'i want it now' sort of girls, and it's a bit insulting for you to say that. they did try to start an interest group and asked panhellenic council to open for expansion so that national groups could come. the panhellenic council at that time outright refused to do this, never giving reasons, and the interest group that became a local sorority at that time were forced to look outside the NPC sororities for a national group. this had nothing to do with them wanting to wear letters or an 'i want it now' attitude, they put the work in and did the research for over a year so i'm not sure where you even got your info from.
second off recognition was still a few years down the line and was not officially put in place until the fall of 2004. i believe that KBG was contact over the summer of 2002. and i'm not really sure what rerecognition has to do with a group of girls wanting to start a new sorority, except that they may have had more support from the administration at that time.
and a few girls did go through formal rush with the two sororities that were on campus at the time, but decided that they just weren't the right fit for them. if other founders of the chapter didn't go through, this might have also been because they didn't think the two sororities were what they were looking for, but when the offer of a third sorority came up they felt that was where they did fit in.
i think your judgements on what the founders did or didn't do was a bit harsh and not very factual. so despite what 'it looked like from the outside' it was actually very different. also, it doesn't have anything to do with values changing, as the girls in that organisation have always had very high values and still do.

[kappadivstar]

Wow...I just found this thread and I realize it's like 6 months old- by my chapter basically got beat to hell in this extremely one sided story. Its unfortunate that no one from our chapter was apparently on this board at this time.

Can I take this time to point out that the two chapters being "colonized" never happened, and the KBG website STILL hasn't been updated? This is ridiculous. I am so offended by this.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by kappadivstar

Wow...I just found this thread and I realize it's like 6 months old- by my chapter basically got beat to hell in this extremely one sided story. Its unfortunate that no one from our chapter was apparently on this board at this time.

Can I take this time to point out that the two chapters being "colonized" never happened, and the KBG website STILL hasn't been updated? This is ridiculous. I am so offended by this.

Wow. I'd say "beat to hell" is a little dramatic.

Also, I love how you're offended by the discussion, so you bump it up so people can talk about it some more.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by KD_Lady

So many NPC sorority chapters began as local sororities or members of small national organizations.

Locals, yes.

Regionals, maybe.

Small national organizations...well...considering there really aren't very many of those, I would say no. Unless you consider a "regional" a "small national."

**wanting PhiPsiRuss to come back for this thread**

[KappaKittyCat]

I'm glad to hear the other side of this story.

[blackngoldengrl]

I read through this pretty quickly, it's a very interesting situation for sure. The thing I kept thinking about was: "if my chapter were struggling and needed help, I would know for sure!" As a recent alumna, I try to stay current on what is going on. I feel like that is true now, since I didn't graduate so long ago, but maybe in a few more years, it might be less true, who knows? But I would hope that there would be some sort of reach out to alumnae in an effort to get the help the chapter needed. I don't recall if anyone mentioned that happened (on either campus), but if I wouldn't place all the blame on the chapter if I were finding out too late.

As to the comments on joining an org, then disaffiliating and joining another-well if it's against the rules that's one thing. Seems like no rules were broken from what I've read. If it's seems unethical that is another.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by blackngoldengrl

I read through this pretty quickly, it's a very interesting situation for sure. The thing I kept thinking about was: "if my chapter were struggling and needed help, I would know for sure!" As a recent alumna, I try to stay current on what is going on. I feel like that is true now, since I didn't graduate so long ago, but maybe in a few more years, it might be less true, who knows? But I would hope that there would be some sort of reach out to alumnae in an effort to get the help the chapter needed. I don't recall if anyone mentioned that happened (on either campus), but if I wouldn't place all the blame on the chapter if I were finding out too late.

As to the comments on joining an org, then disaffiliating and joining another-well if it's against the rules that's one thing. Seems like no rules were broken from what I've read. If it's seems unethical that is another.

I think a lot of us have a hard time accepting that this chapter could just hand over their letters for a new set, but we also have organizations that respond when our chapters need help. Our organizations have earned our loyalty. It's one thing to expect our sisters to respect a bond that has benefits flowing both ways, but it is completely another thing to hold a chapter to this standard when they are not feeling the benefits of sisterhood outside of their own chapter. I find it sad that it had to get to the point that the LUC and F&M chapters felt it necessary to look for new affiliation, but where there is smoke...

[Low C Sharp]

You know, I'm not that concerned about the feelings of alumnae who cut themselves completely out of the loop. I was in an undergraduate organization that meant a lot to me. I've been out for ten years now, and I live 1000 miles away, but I know who all this year's officers are, they know who I am, I attend all the reunions, I send my congratulations whenever they take new members, and I visit the group whenever I'm in town (about once a year). If the undergrads wanted to make a radical change like dissolving the group, I'd expect to be consulted...but that's because I'm in their face all the time and I'm very easy to find. I think if it's been 25 years since you said boo to your chapter, it's unreasonable to pitch a fit about changes they made without asking you. That's especially true at a school like LUC, where a large majority of students have historically come from, and stayed in, the Chicago area. If you care about your organization's traditions, take actions to preserve them, or else don't complain when they die from neglect.
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[Low C Sharp]

If it's true that some alumnae still didn't know about the change a month ago, then that just proves my point...they haven't even taken ten seconds to look at the chapter or Panhellenic websites in over a year? My heart is not bleeding for that kind of alum.
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[LPIDelta]

I think part of the challenge with thse situations is the question of what exactly is a national sorority? KBG has declared itself to be national, but they do not (possibly cannot?) provide the same kinds of opportunities as an NPC--not anything wrong with that, but I wonder sometimes if women think they are getting something they are not because a group has chartered itself as a "national".

I speak from experience--there is a KBG chapter at my alma mater, and even before they expanded outside the IL/MI/WI region would call itself a national. The women in my organization were then in the position of having to explain why our dues were higher in comparison-- from the PNM perspective, a national is a national, right? So why is one group's dues so much higher than the other?

Yet, the benefits of membership were VERY different when talking about national networking, convention and other programming opportunities.

I am not slamming KBG or any other non-NPC national organization--because there is a place for them. But I imagine that there are some women who just don't understand that there is a difference.