expansion
by: QuestionIs Alabama open for sorority expansion? With quota being so high and chapter members up in the 400+ range, they need a new group. They need another big national group. Who do you suggest?
#2 by: Probably
Probably going to get a sigma kappa soon. It's a big sorority and the campus used to have one. There just wasn't a demand for it like there is now. I imagine there will be a new sorority or two in the makings over the next few years. I also think the older houses are going to start dropping in popularity and the newer ones will start rising considering how corrupt the older sororities have become.
#3 by: Involved Grad
Back in the fall of 2010, the sororities voted to raise house total. Several houses (AGD, Phi Mu, Chi O, Pi Phi, KKG, and DDD) voted against it, but most sororities vote blindly with Panhellenic exec, so they couldn't get the majority on board. Numbers were already difficult to manage at that point, but greek affairs knows that's Greek Life is a huge draw for the University, and the administration was trying to increase enrollment.
Sororities were lead to believe that house total was temporarily increasing because a plan was in motion to add four sororities to campus (Alpha Phi had already recolonized at this point, and DG was hammering out details). We all know that this increase was not, in fact, temporary because numbers have already increased. The sororities I listed above anticipated this, but no one else figured it out. (KD knew, but the president of Panhellenic was a KD at that time and they didn't want to step on any toes).
Point of the story is that, assuming those plans are still on motion, there is a plan to add 2 more sororities, but Greek Affairs screwed the sororities and left them with far more member than they can manage. Clearly this is a sore spot for me.
#4 by: Yes. It is open
But the problem is that everyone is initially so excited for a new sorority to come on board and help diminish the large size of pledge classes and then once the new house is on campus they do their best to undermine the reputation of those houses just so that there isn't a chance that the "new" house will creep up in the rankings. (Witness the treatment of the four newest sororities -- DG, APhi, Gamma Phi and Theta -- on this site. And some of these houses have been around long enough to have in house mother daughter legacies. The treatment of those houses doesn't even begin to approach how AXiD and SK were treated when they were here.) If Alabama is serious about decreasing the large size of its pledge classes, it needs to get serious about adopting a Panhellenic mindset and celebrating the successes of its newer houses without taking every opportunity to point out the perceived flaws of those houses. Bottom line -- if you don't want to have gigantic pledge classes, you have to make it possible for new houses to succeed and be perceived as desirable.
#5 by: this
Out-of-state girls don't necessarily know or care that Sorority X is big with, say, vacant society types or that some old bag in Mountain Brook looks down her nose on everyone who isn't in Sorority Y. So you're going to have more and more pretty, talented girls joining those sororities that people from Alabama have been taught to look at with a evil eye.
#7 by: Active
AXiD have tried to recharter three times since they left campus, and were unsuccessful each time due to no one wanted to pledge them, so I doubt Alabama would try a fourth time before trying another house.
I think Sigma Kappa would be the best option for Alabama at this point. They left almost 20 years ago due to internal issues, which is something that would easily be prevented now.
I'm torn with my thoughts because on one hand, a sorority with a strong national presence in addition to a strong southern presence would be ideal, but with more than half of girls rushing being out-of-state girls, I almost wonder if it would be a better strategic move for Alabama to charter someone like Tri-Sigma who does have a strong national presence, but a strong presence outside of the South. If that makes any sense?
Regardless, I think Sigma Kappa would be the best bet for the first house.
#9 by: Seriously
All this talk about expansion and no one's thought to ask about housing. The only way another colonization will happen is if there is a spot for them to build a house and a vacant house somewhere while the new house is being built.
Once you have land, you need a group with the funds to get a multimillion dollar effort going. This actually has less to do with the National strength of the sorority and more to do with how prosperous their alumni group is in the Alabama area because most of the money, but more importantly support to guide a new chapter will come from the alumni near UA who donate their time or money.
Figure out who has ALL of that and you'll have your next sorority.
#10 by: future
Sigma Kappa has two big re-colonizations on the books for the next two years: Oregon and Indiana. I doubt they will be able to handle the commitment it would take to re-colonize at Bama. They have more chapters in the SEC than AXiD and Tri Sigma, but their plate is full right now. SK will probably go back to Kentucky first since they still own the house there. I think SK would do well at Bama, but I think AXiD would too.
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by: SAug 25, 2014 10:55:08 AM
Sigma Kappa would be a great addition. They are doing well at Auburn!