NOT looking to go National!

[prdlocal]

Hey, no offense to those locals that are looking to go national out there, but isn't anybody just proud to be a local chapter anymore? I just get the feeling that locals are a dying breed, and I don't know why that is. Is it hard to sustain a local chapter on some campuses? Do you have problems with your colleges IFC and PHC? I mean, I was taught during the affiliation process to be proud of being local, and was taught specific reasons why. Our money stays with us and we can do with it want we want. If I see someone wearing my letters somewhere, I KNOW they went to the same school as me, and went through the same affiliation process as I. Our chapter is run strictly by alumnae and the chapter itself. We are in charge of us, we decide our rules, we have no nationals to answer to. I love my chapter, and all my sisters to death, and wouldn't go national for the world!

So... my question to all of you is...

why does you chapter want to go national? or...

why does your chapter choose to stay local?


[This message has been edited by prdlocal (edited March 18, 2001).]

[Lil_G]

I just recently started a local fraternity here because we were having difficulties in establishing a colony of an international. Our campus has a very weak greek system and thus we needed to get some direction before starting a colony.
There are benefits of staying local, but I feel going International has better resources to help their chapters. In my opinion, Locals aren't given much respect either

[33girl]

Can an NPC sister put in her 2.5 cents?

I don't think it's so much a pride issue, as much as many colleges are forcing locals to go national. At my school, the only way a local can be approved is with a goal to chartering with a national organization within a certain period of time. The last local to start at my alma mater had 2 years from the time of their recognition date to be either chartered or colonized by a national sorority. When that deadline came and went, without their achieving national affiliation, they were instantly derecognized.

There are good things about being local, like the autonomy and lower dues. But it's an indescribable feeling to connect with a sister from across the country and just have that instant bond, even though you went to different schools. There are good things and bad things about nationals and locals.

One thing that pi$$es me off when I see it is derision on the part of NIC or NPC members toward locals. There are locals out there that are every bit as strong, if not stronger, than nationals. Tri-Kappa at Dartmouth has been around since 1842!!! That's longer than ANY national sorority - they must be doing something right. I also hate to go to a Greek org's web page and see nothing about their local beginnings. Yes, you're a LXA or KD or whatever now, and you should be proud, but as our parents say, don't forget where you came from!!

My sorority was local on our campus for 10 years before we went national. We may have worn different letters and practiced different rituals, but I consider those women every single bit as much my sisters as those who were initiated through the national organization. I will never stop being grateful to those women for taking the step of birthing a new organization. They laid the foundation that my sisterhood stands on.

[This message has been edited by 33girl (edited May 13, 2001).]

LOL--here comes another NPC sister adding her $0.02!

The two eldest local GLOs on my campus were founded at the turn of the century, which was around the time many NPC womens fraternities were founded. The remaining locals were established soon after World War II ended as cultural interest societies. They've been approached by many nationals before, but each time they've turned them down because they're not willing to give up their rich traditions.

One thing that makes me feel uneasy is the fact that the locals welcome anyone to join them. By anyone I mean some of them DON'T EVEN ATTEND A COLLEGE and they still are allowed to join!

Unfortunately, these "rich traditions" have included incidents of hazing during the pledge periods, and because of this they've been having tough times with retaining new members. They have no problems with recruitment, but once the pledging started the members dropped like flies.

We don't have Panhellenic on campus because we're the only NPC sorority here, but they do have an Inter-Fraternity/Sorority council that's pretty weak. In recent reports, campus administration has had many problems with the locals because, to be honest, these locals have no guidelines regarding alcohol and other things that affect Greek and campus relations.

My campus administration is trying to urge these locals to go national primarily because they feel that a national GLO can provide these locals with more organization.

I'm not implying that all locals are bad. I know that there are a lot of succesful and noteworthy local GLOs out there!!! My opinions are based on what I see on my campus. After DP-ing from a local sorority, I had lost all respect for them.

The NIC fraternities, past and present, and us AGDs found their way to campus through the hard work and determination of wonderful alumni who took it upon themselves to get a bunch of college students together and colonize. Our chapters started from scratch because none of the locals on my campus wanted to go national.

Prdlocal, I commend you for having pride in your GLO. I have the utmost respect for orgs like yours, but I wish that I could feel the same about the ones on my campus.

------------------
*I'm an Alpha Gam...Yes I am, Yes I am!*

[AOX81]

I'm proud to be in a local!!!!!

My chapter chooses to stay local for many reasons. We are the oldest sorority on campus, we govern ourselves, lower dues, and mostly because our sorority was founded with the intention of staying permanently local!!

Why do you think that locals can't connect with sisters across the country? Even though we are only at one school doesn't mean that everyone stays in the same city...we have girls all over the world...Australia, Saudi Arabia, Nevada, California, Arizona, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio and in many, many more places.

Also, just because we are local doesn't mean that we are the only one. We have found other sororities and fraternities that share our name.

Sororities
University of Michigan, Flint, Michigan
Vincennes University, Vincennes, Indiana
Hamilton College, Clinton, New York
Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas

Fraternities
Hope College, Holland, Michigan
Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
There is also an honorary society named Alpha Theta Chi...I guess it is big in the south.

I have also done research and found national groups who started locally as Alpha Theta Chi before affiliating.

Since we are local we think that it is neat that others share our letters. We have been in contact with a couple of the other organizations and will probably meet up with them soon.

And NO, we don't allow anyone to just join our sorority. We are even more picky during rush than the other sororities (we rush with them) And for you information if you are not in school then you cannot participate in sorority events.

Sorry, our "rich traditions" don't include incidents of hazing. And we have absolutely no probelm retaining members. Unlike other sororities at our school who have girls join and then drop out the following semester, our girls usually stick around until graduation and are very active as alumni.

We also have very strict risk management and alcohol guidelines so it is probably just the locals at your school who are slacking off on that.

I think that is kind of stupid to assume that a national would give a local more organization!!! Come to my school...WRONG!!!! All of the nationals that are there were once local...let me say...NOT ORGANIZED at all!!! We've got it together more than they do.

There is always someone who accepts a bid from a sorority to come to find that it is the wrong sorority for her. In the past year that has happened many times at our school. We have had girls disaffiliate from their national in hope of joining our sorority. This has happened FOUR times within the past year!!!!

Also, just to add my two cents...there are a lot of colleges out there who are forcing nationals to go local or do not even allow nationals!! So it works both ways.

I'm sorry if my comments seem pretty heated but I don't like it when people generalize and stereotype different organizations.

Have a nice day

[prdlocal]

Ummm... thanks for everyone's comments.

Hey AOX! LOL! Calm down darlin! You know I'm with you! Don't worry so much

I guess it's different on my campus, perhaps because we were founded over 100 years ago, but we in no way have to ever go national. We are the oldest sorority in Wisconsin, and I would like to say the most respected on our campus. I suppose part of it with our campus is that the oldest fraternity and sorority (mine) on campus are both the only locals. Our university is in a small town, and a lot of town and university officials are alumnae of our two chapters. E.G. The landlords, lawyers, town jugde, policemen and women, principal of high school, local brewery, pubs, and resturant owners, and the old chancellor! So, perhaps, that's why we don't get crap from our university or the nationals.

I guess locals vary from campus to campus. Also, we share many of the same ideas, and practices of nationals (not to say hazing ). Also, my sorority is part of NPC! I'm actually a member of the panhellenic e-board on my campus. So, perhaps every campus runs differently. Also, I didn't mean to diss nationals if I did! Sorry guys! I realize the stong points behind being part of a national organization. But I am also proud to say I am part of an organization that is one of a kind - the only chapter in the world. And when I run into someone wearing my letters, I KNOW they know the same songs as me, sat in the same house as me, and went through the same rituals as me. I am D*MN PROUD!!!

[prdlocal]

Hey localsororities! Get in here and say something! I need an opinion from you!

[33girl]

Hey prdlocal....

did you see my post in the "rose by any other name" thread?

[prdlocal]

No, where is it?

[33girl]

It's in the Greek life section. I'll just repeat it here. I saw 2 other Alpha Sigma's online - one at Shippensburg U of Pennsylvania, one at the New York Institute of Technology. I think you guys are definitely the oldest though!

[prdlocal]

*bowing down*

Thank you, oh wise one...


[This message has been edited by prdlocal (edited March 08, 2001).]

[ChiPiSandi]

Wow... I definitely agree with like everyone! Locals do not get a lot of respect on my campus, especially since there are only a FEW.. one being mine, we just started a month ago and are getting a lot of heat from the nationals.. ( I think it's cooler to be a local, especially since it opens up an option for those people who want to be greek but don't have a lot of money to blow on dues (we don't have to pay Panhell dues...)! We get put down a lot, but it is actually just more incentive for us to do better and show everyone that we are not failures and that what we're doing is just as good, if not harder, than what they've all done (the ntl.s that is)..
Sandi

[prdlocal]

Hey Sandi -- More power to ya girl! Way to stay strong and proud!

Amanda

[pbear19]

I personally would like nothing more than for my org to become national, but we're thinking about expanding, not affiliating. We would never really consider affiliating, because we feel we're unique from the other service sororities out there.

The main reasons that I would like us to be national are sisterhood related. I so envy the national sisterhood that I see here on GC, and also the opportunities to stay active and involved after graduation. I keep telling my sisters that my dream is to be sixty years old and hanging out with my sisters, still wearing my letters. I know that some locals have that level of sisterhood, but the possibilities seem so much greater with a national org.

Anyway, just my thoughts. And BTW, to AOX81, you seem to have thought that OohTeenyWahine was commenting on all local sororites. If you read her post carefully and are familiar with her situation you will know that she was only referring to the locals at her school, and she said that she wasn't trying to indicate that all locals are bad. So no need for you to get mad about her comments.

[AOX81]

I did read her post. I was just expressing my opinion...isn't that what greekchat is here for???

Thank you

Have a nice day

[This message has been edited by AOX81 (edited March 14, 2001).]