Schools with most inactive NPC chapters

[oldu]

I thought it would be interesting to see which institutions have the most inactive NPC chapters. The information below is very revealing. There are 32 schools with 6 to 13 inactive NPC groups. Several actually have more inactive than active!

An asterisk indicates that a colony exisits, or will be this fall, and the number will reduce by one when it is installed.

U. C. L. A. 13 inactive, 11 active
Syracuse 13 inactive, 12 active
U Minnesota 12 inactive, 9 active
Louisiana State 11 inactive, 10 active
U. Michigan 10 inactive, 13 active **
Ohio State 10 inactive, 14 active
U. Oregon 10 inactive, 8 active
U. Pennsylvania 10 inactive, 8 active
U. Wisconsin 10 inactive, 11 active
U. California 9 inactive, 12 active
U. Colorado 9 inactive, 9 active
Ohio U. 9 inactive, 9 active
U. Oklahoma 9 inactive, 11 active
U. Southern California 9 inactive, 11 active
U. Missouri 8 inactive, 13 active
U. South Carolina 8 inactive, 9 active
Arizona State U. 7 inactive, 11 active **
Boston U. 7 inactive, 8 active
Florida State 7 inactive, 15 active
Michigan State 7 inactive, 13 active
Oregon State 7 inactive, 10 active
U. Texas 7 inactive, 14 active
West Virginia U. 7 inactive, 8 active
U. Alabama 6 inactive, 15 active **
U. Arizona 6 inactive, 11 active **
U. Illinois 6 inactive, 19 active **
U. Iowa 6 inactive, 14 active
Kansas U. 6 inactive, 13 active
U. Maryland 6 inactive, 14 active
Miami U. 6 inactive, 17 active **
Northwestern U. 6 inactive, 12 active
U. Pittsburgh 6 inactive, 11 active

Unfortunately, the cost to revive chapters at most of these institutions is very expensive, even when the opportunity arises. Some groups have determined that several chapters could be created at less competitive schools for the same cost and effort than at these major schools.

The sororities and number of inactive chapters at the above institutions are as follows:

19 Alpha Xi Delta (1 colony)
17 Alpha Epsilon Phi (3 colonies)
17 Alpha Omicron Pi
17 Phi Mu
17 Zeta Tau Alpha
16 Alpha Gamma Delta
15 Delta Zeta
15 Sigma Kappa
14 Sigma Delta Tau
13 Alpha Delta Pi (1 colony)
13 Delta Phi Epsilon
12 Kappa Delta
12 Phi Sigma Sigma
12 Theta Phi Alpha
8 Alpha Sigma Alpha
7 Gamma Phi Beta
7 Sigma Sigma Sigma
6 Pi Beta Phi
5 Delta Delta Delta
4 Alpha Phi (1 colony)
4 Chi Omega
3 Delta Gamma
3 Kappa Alpha Theta
3 Kappa Kappa Gamma
2 Alpha Chi Omega
2 Alpha Sigma Tau

[33girl]

Originally Posted by oldu

Unfortunately, the cost to revive chapters at most of these institutions is very expensive, even when the opportunity arises. Some groups have determined that several chapters could be created at less competitive schools for the same cost and effort than at these major schools.

Did they tell you this personally???

[ForeverRoses]

What about Southern Methodist University? I think they have something like 9 inactive chapters.

Also, I think it is somewhat meaningful to look at when the chapters closed. Were they recent or were they during WW2 or the laste 60s?

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by oldu

The information below is very revealing.

I'm not sure what it reveals. Can you explain?

Schools with more chapters are bound to have more inactive chapters. A school, such as Mizzou, with 8 inactive chapters, yet 13 active chapters is a bit different than one that didn't make your list, like Bucknell, with 8 inactive chapters but only 6 active chapters.

I would agree that it is hard to recolonize a chapter at some of these schools because housing or land for a new chapter is not always available due to zoning laws even if the sorority's HQ could finance it.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Did they tell you this personally???

My reaction EXACTLY.

[wildcatfan]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoses

What about Southern Methodist University? I think they have something like 9 inactive chapters.

Also, I think it is somewhat meaningful to look at when the chapters closed. Were they recent or were they during WW2 or the laste 60s?

When the expansion thread said that Bucknell in PA was open for expansion, I checked irish pipes' thread. It showed that Bucknell has 6 active and 8 inactive chapters. (Not sure, oldu, what university criteria you must have used to limit your list?)

I agree with ForeverRoses' comment re: the significance of timing on the chpater closings. Admittedly, I know very little about the colonization process. I would be skittish, however, to pursue colonization on a campus where the "survival rate" of NPC sororities is less than 50%. At Bucknell, TriDelta just closed a single letter chapter in 2003 that had been in existence since 1904. It brings up all those questions re: when a campus is ready for expansion.

It was interesting to go back and look at the issues discussed in this thread on When Is It a Good Idea for Campus Panhel Expansion:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ight=expansion

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by wildcatfan

I agree with ForeverRoses' comment re: the significance of timing on the chpater closings. Admittedly, I know very little about the colonization process. I would be skittish, however, to pursue colonization on a campus where the "survival rate" of NPC sororities is less than 50%. At Bucknell, TriDelta just closed a single letter chapter in 2003 that had been in existence since 1904. It brings up all those questions re: when a campus is ready for expansion.
It was interesting to go back and look at the issues discussed in this thread on When Is It a Good Idea for Campus Panhel Expansion:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ight=expansion

I don't think Tri Delta closed at Bucknell for numbers-related reasons.

[oldu]

Primarilly I took the largest Greek systems. Otherwise the list would be very very long. I have a good friend who is president of her sorority's foundation and she told me it is a big internal struggle for groups when a large prestigous institution like Illinois or Alabama opens for expansion and the debate begins as to how much the sorority wants to gamble in time and funds to develop a chapter there as opposed to a school where housing is less important and the competition is less. Her foundation is one of the largest and she told me that they had turned down opportunities to revive some lost chapters because they could not justify the investment required and the risk to be taken, much to the disappointment of many alumnae.

[kddani]

Originally Posted by oldu

Primarilly I took the largest Greek systems. Otherwise the list would be very very long. I have a good friend who is president of her sorority's foundation and she told me it is a big internal struggle for groups when a large prestigous institution like Illinois or Alabama opens for expansion and the debate begins as to how much the sorority wants to gamble in time and funds to develop a chapter there as opposed to a school where housing is less important and the competition is less. Her foundation is one of the largest and she told me that they had turned down opportunities to revive some lost chapters because they could not justify the investment required and the risk to be taken, much to the disappointment of many alumnae.

Foundations deal with managing the charitable aspect of the sorority - its donations to various causes, etc. Not with the every day deals of where to colonize and where not to.

One person's opinion from one group does not make it fact.

I agree with the other posters who have said that the time the chapters went inactive is important. There's a huge difference between the chapter going dormant in the 1920's or 1930's than going dormant 2 years ago.

Also:

The information below is very revealing.

It reveals nothing other than someone with time on his hands to do some statistics. To extrapolate more from it is conjecture.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by kddani

I agree with the other posters who have said that the time the chapters went inactive is important. There's a huge difference between the chapter going dormant in the 1920's or 1930's than going dormant 2 years ago.

Exactly. Some of these schools (Syracuse comes to mind as one) have transitioned from a period in the early period of the 20th century where they were pioneers of Greek life and probably most of the women on campus were in NPC groups. They have transitioned now to being modern universities, and it's very unlikely that they'll have such high participation rates in NPC again.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by kddani

Foundations deal with managing the charitable aspect of the sorority - its donations to various causes, etc. Not with the every day deals of where to colonize and where not to.

One person's opinion from one group does not make it fact.

Oh come on -- most of the Foundation leaders (certainly of the groups with the largest/oldest Foundations) have been Fraternity leaders and are not far removed from what is going on.

As usual, I find oldu's thread interesting and value his input in this forum.

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by oldu

they could not justify the investment required and the risk to be taken.

You stated that the list is very revealing. I'm wondering what exactly it reveals. Are you suggesting that the reason that those closed chapters don't re-open is due to the risk in investing in them?

[kddani]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Oh come on -- most of the Foundation leaders (certainly of the groups with the largest/oldest Foundations) have been Fraternity leaders and are not far removed from what is going on.

As usual, I find oldu's thread interesting and value his input in this forum.

He's taking one quote from one unknown unnamed person as gospel to be applied to all 26 groups. Mine own school is on that list, and what it would take to recolonize would be minimal...

Yes yes yes, we know you love oldu. I would tell you two to get a room, but.....

Are you suggesting that the reason that those closed chapters don't re-open is due to the risk in investing in them?

There are so many other factors that could be taken into consideration beyond cost. Campus climate - support for greeks, risk management issues, culture of the campus to be welcoming of a new group, etc.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by kddani

He's taking one quote from one unknown unnamed person as gospel to be applied to all 26 groups. Mine own school is on that list, and what it would take to recolonize would be minimal...

Where'd you go? Pitt?

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by kddani

There are so many other factors that could be taken into consideration beyond cost. Campus climate - support for greeks, risk management issues, culture of the campus to be welcoming of a new group, etc.

I know! That's why I was asking him if that was what he thought. (that it was just cost and risk)