[irishpipes]

I am glad Ole Miss is finally open. My experience with AOII's expansion at Arkansas makes me confident that these schools with formerly impenetrable Greek systems are finally able to be expanded successfully. I look at the recent successes of new groups at Arkansas, Alabama, and South Carolina. One of the reasons the need is SO great at these schools (quotas near or exceeding 100) is that there are more young women attending college, and many of these women are not affected by the "OMG at Arkansas you have to be a XYZ or die" mentality. I know at Arkansas, so many PNMs were the first in their famillies to attend college, had little or no knowledge of the Greek process, and therefore were not as swayed by the historical prowess of certain chapters. There are plenty of well-qualified PNMs who I believe WILL give a new group a chance. Yes, it is risky business to build an expensive house, but the need is so clearly demonstrated that I actually find it less risky than expansion at some other schools where Greek life isn't as prominent and the quotas aren't so high. (For example, AOII is currently colonizing at Oklahoma State where we need to build a house, and quotas have been in the mid 60s recently. That is much riskier than trying to fill a house at Arkansas where quota was 131 last year.)