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Originally Posted by OTW
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First of all, Delta Zeta has a very diverse membership. We have chapters on all sorts of campuses, and each chapter reflects the population at that particular school. But let's for a moment say that the criteria they used at DePauw to slelct remaining members was ONLY physical appearance. In this case the standard for membership would not have been decided upon by DZ HQ, but the standards evident by other sororities at DePauw. HQ would have wanted to emulate them somewhat while attempting to maintain the chapter identity as much as it could. As for going gracefully into the record books, why? If you can attempt to salvage a chapter and revive it, then you should take all the available steps to do so. Even the post states that only ONE of the reasons was physical appearance. So even she admits that there were other factors in deciding who would be extended an invitation to reorganize the chapter, but the only one people are talking about is how it was how each of the girls looked.
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Originally Posted by OTW,1403149
Are you talking about the women who got kicked out? If you get kicked out, how is it possible that they didn't want to be in the sorority anymore? Please clarify.
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Being offered alumnae status is not being kicked out, although I'm sure it may seem like it is. Membership does not cease with college graduation. In fact, that is when the longest period of membership begins. I am, and always will be, a Delta Zeta, even when I'm 100 years old. So to say that HQ kicked them out is false. They offered them alumnae status, had they accepted, they would still have been Delta Zeta's. They chose not to accept the offer. I interpret that as not wanting to be in the sorority anymore.
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Originally Posted by OTW,1403149
And I'm sorry...if an HQ chooses to reorganize a chapter, you give alumnae status to all women. You don't pick and choose based on who looks best.
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I agree completely, and I don't believe that it was based on who looks best. The only reason I can think of as to why they had to maintain some of the current chapter roster is the administration telling them that by closing the chapter (what would happen if you made everyone an alumna) they would not be guaranteed their place on campus to reorganize. A reorganization would not have been possible if the chapter's place on campus had been granted to another sorority. By doing that, the administration limited HQ's options and forced them to play the hand they were dealt, at that particular time, in the best manner they could.
I agree that the situation just sucks. It is totally lose-lose for everyone. Will it ultimately help the chapter? I doubt it, but you never know. When my chapter reorganized, they made everyone alumnae and then started over completely from scratch. But they had support from panhellenic and the administration and were given the opportunity they needed to create a successful chapter.
The physical presence (both in reputation and appearance) a chapter has on campus, in my experience, is directly related to it's general success and especially during rush. The women we had when we were small, were some outstanding women, but many rushees couldn't see past what their physical appearance was to see what the sisterhood had to offer. So we lost a lot of potential memebers because of it. Reputation can be and often is everthing, and an unwarranted bad reputation can and usually is the death of a chapter.
I think for the most part, other greeks can see what happened and realize it's an isolated incident. The people that trash DZ as a whole are just there to cause a commotion and get a rise out of people. I hadn't seen many DZ's post on this and I just wanted to add my .02. I am saddened by all the events and hope that everyone involved can overcome it.
DZRose
