colonization

Even if you did recolonize the chapter, you would be left out basically. no house. no anything.

Not having a house wouldn't make you completely at a loss for colonization, and that the above poster suggests so is ludicrous.

First things first, contact local alumnae if there are one. Get their insight and support. You can probably then go to the director of Greek life here and talk to her about it.

Colonizing /re-colonizing is a very, very expensive deal these days, and most of the time, colonization is kicked off either by a strong alumnae group near the university or by the national organization. It is a lengthy process, usually at least a few years in the making. If you're serious about this, you need to contact the national organization before you approach anyone at the university. If the national organization isn't interested and without a push by local alumnae (willing to devote time and a lot of money), then it'll be a no go. At least one sorority has attempted to re-colonize twice and has closed all three times. One other that I am aware of was just never able to get their numbers where they needed them to be, and I've heard that the third - KAT - has a reputation for closing any chapter that isn't top tier (not sure if that's true, but I've heard that's the reason KAT closed down long ago). Hope this helps!