NPC appoints Community College Task Force

[Titchou]

NPC has appointed a task force to study the possibility of allowing groups to establish on community college campuses.

[Cookiez17]

The only thing I see is if someone does move onto a 4 year, they may factor if they have their chapter on campus. But this is a really good idea.

[PGD-GRAD]

The concept of “Community Colleges” vary so much from state to state. In some places they have become 4-year institutions, while in others they are often “feeder” 2-year schools for 4-year schools. And some HS seniors use them to pick up electives before entering 4-year schools. Many are used by non-traditional students, often older and part-time.
It’s a GREAT IDEA—anywhere Greek life can offer membership to students is a plus! But—there are lots of variables to consider.

[carnation]

I can think of many areas in which it is not a good idea.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by PGD-GRAD

The concept of “Community Colleges” vary so much from state to state. In some places they have become 4-year institutions, while in others they are often “feeder” 2-year schools for 4-year schools. And some HS seniors use them to pick up electives before entering 4-year schools. Many are used by non-traditional students, often older and part-time.
It’s a GREAT IDEA—anywhere Greek life can offer membership to students is a plus! But—there are lots of variables to consider.

One variable would be the right of any NPC group to opt-out of participation at the community college level should such participation become available. Changing/adapting may not work easily within the structure of some NPC member groups.
But it would open a door to build an additional kind of membership for NPC groups who are interested in the pursuit of the CC population.

[Titchou]

Oh I don't think for a minute that it would be required. Just that a group would be able to if they wanted and it suited them to do it. Blinn and Texas A & M is really currently doing it - just with some fancy foot work called dual enrollment. So I can see where it could work in some places and not others. Right now, NPC prohibits it.

[shirley1929]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Oh I don't think for a minute that it would be required. Just that a group would be able to if they wanted and it suited them to do it. Blinn and Texas A & M is really currently doing it - just with some fancy foot work called dual enrollment. So I can see where it could work in some places and not others. Right now, NPC prohibits it.

That situation is very different than a straight up Blinn student. Those students are Texas A&M students with an A&M student ID number (with all privileges herein). They are just taking a couple of their classes at Blinn, and a couple at A&M. It is very similar to the PACE program at UT, with part of the classes being taken at ACC. Those students are UT students.

There are straight up Blinn students and straight up ACC students - they are not allowed to rush (Because no university ID number).

That said, I have no problem with NPC groups choosing to expand to community colleges if they think it is the right fit and situation for their org. Just don't confuse the Blinn Team students as being "community college students".

[thetalady]

I think this could irreparably harm sororities. Just think if a girl joins at a CC and then goes on to a University somewhere. Affiliating at the University chapter of the sorority is not a given. Most organizations allow the chapter to vote on all affiliations. Affiliating from one university to another can be difficult at highly desired chapters already. Adding CC students to the affiliation issue could result an ugly situation.

[naraht]

For those of you that don't know, Alpha Phi Omega is a national co-ed community service fraternity based on Scouting (Not Social). Founded in 1925 by 14 men, 13 of which were in Social Fraternities at the time (and stayed active in their Socials).

By the 1950s, of the 300 or so charters, 2 or 3 were in Junior Colleges. As Alpha Phi Omega was hit by the anti-fraternity movement in the late 1960s and 1970s, it was viewed that spreading to Community Colleges might help save the fraternity. Approximately 40 or so chapters were chartered at 2-year schools over the late 1960s and early 1970s. Most died relatively quickly, and I believe all or almost all had gone inactive by the mid 1980s.

Alpha Phi Omega still does charter chapters at two year colleges, specifically within the last 10 years at Parkland College (which is 10 minutes from Illinois - Urbana Champaign and functionally is a feeder school, and for which the chapter at UIUC could supplement personnel at Rush ) and Georgia Military College which is sort of unusual with its main campus as a 2 year heavily ROTC school.

I think the other thing to consider that I don't have a good enough feeling for is the NPHC sororities and fraternities. If they have Undergrad *only* chapters based as a Community College, it might be an example of how an NPC chapter works, but the NPHC experiences are that houses and/or a wing of University Houses are *not* the traditional housing arrangement.

If the NPC *does* decide to allow Community Colleges to become part of their efforts, the situation that *might* work is probably more like the situation at University of Illinois. Open the U of Illinois chapter to women who are attending Parkland College and allow them to become part of the sorority. If the School does not own the house, then perhaps allow the Parkland College women to live there (and of course allow them to live in the house when the transfer).

But having NPC chapters chartered to a Community College, especially a CC not de facto associated with a 4 year school seems like an invitation to bad results.

[33girl]

Affiliating is already a problem between 4 year branches and main campuses. This would make it worse.

[NYCMS]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Affiliating is already a problem between 4 year branches and main campuses. This would make it worse.

Agree. I also question the sorority experience if girls pledge for 'just' two years given that some will go on to schools without their sorority and others won't gain affiliation. (Even affiliation can be hard when it happens). Not that every freshman stays all four years, but the odds are much higher.

I think the transfer issue, as noted above and by thetalady, could become really messy, especially if girls target a specific sorority at the junior college because they want that sorority at State U rather than wanting that chapter because it feels like home.

[carnation]

I am also thinking about students who would pledge a group at a CC and then after graduating, transfer to a 4-year-college that does not have their group. Cue the whining about why they should be able to re-rush.

There are some community colleges here in Georgia that picked up some 4-year programs and then attempted to get NPCs. Crickets. I heard that one finally got an NPC group but it remains to be seen how that will work out.

[d59u]

A few NIC fraternities attempted expand to two year schools & community colleges back in the 1970s and the results were not successful.

(1) difficulty to have any continuity in a 2 year or non resident school
(2) the transfer problem
(3) small number of students with the financial means or time to participate
(4) few alumni interested in mentoring the groups.

I think the only one that survived was Sigma Pi at Vincennes University & that was mainly because they were founded there.

BAD IDEA

[DGTess]

I'm glad to see they're exploring. I have great faith they will consider all these factors.

I've long been a fan of the community college first method, as I am convinced more people enroll in 4-year colleges than should, but as my sorority experience was so much a part of who I am today, I wondered how I could champion a route that didn't allow for membership.

There are hundreds of considerations, but it's good to see the concepts explored.

[Jen]

I think the difficulty with most 2-year schools is the commuter aspect. I commuted for years at a community college and it was hard to get students involved on campus because of it. No housing, no permanent meeting rooms, lots of turnover from year-to-year with the student body. I can see that being very difficult for bonding, ritual etc.