Cornell Students Push for New Sorority

[ree-Xi]

http://www.cornellsun.com/section/ne...h-new-sorority

An excerpt with an "Oh really??" bolded for your pleasure:

A new sorority may be coming to the University if a group of roughly 30 women are successful in their efforts to recharter Delta Phi Epsilon, which closed its Cornell chapter in 2003. Composed mostly of transfer students and women who rushed sororities but were not matched with a house, the group has already begun planning social events, meeting with Greek Life and organizing philanthropic drives.


Molly McMahon ’12, who was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon at Monmouth University, before she transferred to Cornell this semester, is heading the movement and is the only woman in the group previously affiliated with Delta Phi Epsilon.
“At Monmouth, it was a really wonderful experience for me, and I just want to bring that here and extend that to other girls,” McMahon said.

She chose not to rush this semester because she felt joining a house right after transferring would be overwhelming, especially since many women participating in formal recruitment already knew each other. Since rush week, McMahon has talked with other students interested in founding a new sorority. The group has held social events, including mixers with fraternities, and participated in fundraising efforts like the benefit concert, Hands for Haiti.....

[Psi U MC Vito]

WTF? She chose not to rush? Seriously?

[VandalSquirrel]

I wonder if they will have rules with American Eagle and fake plastic shizz from Forever 21?

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

WTF? She chose not to rush? Seriously?

If she was a member at her previous university (she presumably still is), rushing would have yielded no results, because DPhiE is an NPC organization. You can't be initiated into more than one.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

If she was a member at her previous university (she presumably still is), rushing would have yielded no results, because DPhiE is an NPC organization. You can't be initiated into more than one.

Oh I know. Just the way they phrased it makes me know a nongreek wrote this. But I can't believe she was spinning it like that. It suggests to me that she actually considered rushing anyway.

[tangelo212]

I just heard about this today, and I'm pretty shocked. Last year, AOII left campus; I highly doubt that Panhellenic would vote in favor of expanding the system at this time.

Yes, quota was significantly higher for recruitment 2009 because the # of PNMs was divided by 11 instead of 12, but I believe this year it was around 41, which is about where it was before AOII left.

I think Cornell is one of those places where PNMs would rather drop out of rush altogether than join a house that they deem "undesirable." It almost seems as if 11 is not enough, but 12 is too many.

Also, and I don't have significant knowledge about campus expansion, but it seems unlikely that Panhellenic would want to bring a group that left in the (fairly recent) past. I thought that it was preferable to bring completely new organizations (and maybe someone with expansion knowledge can give some input here).

I don't think adding a new sorority to the system at Cornell will solve the problem of girls "not being placed." I think that the focus needs to shift to becoming more panhellenic and encouraging PNMs to give every house a fair chance--honestly, if all the girls who dropped out because they didn't like their remaining houses ended up joining, then I think there would be a case for adding a 12th house. But at this time, I definitely do not see it happening.

I think Miss McMahon has an uphill battle. I really just don't see this happening.



ETA:

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Oh I know. Just the way they phrased it makes me know a nongreek wrote this. But I can't believe she was spinning it like that. It suggests to me that she actually considered rushing anyway.

The student who wrote it is class of 2013. I think he may be greek, but if he is, he JUST joined last week. Probably very limited knowledge thus far.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by tangelo212

The student who wrote it is class of 2013. I think he may be greek, but if he is, he JUST joined last week. Probably very limited knowledge thus far.

Which is why I think said that she spun it that way.

“There are only 11 sororities and over 40 frats, so I don’t know why they wouldn’t see the need,” McMahon said. “We really have plans and goals and hopefully it’ll work out.”

Seriously?

[psusue]

First reaction- This writer has no idea how the NPC works.

Second reaction- Couldn't Cornell perhaps just raise campus total? If the current system is too small to take all of the women rushing but too large to support the addition of another sorority, perhaps this could be a good intermittent step.

Also, and correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Cornell have deferred rush? Maybe that is why there is a problem with the girls seeing things in a "Panhellenic" way, because they've already have the semester to make up their minds about where they want to be (typically based on comments by idiot boys and after not actually meeting any sisters of the group, but that's another thread entirely).

Or maybe I'm just clueless about all this and am just offering solutions that have worked for my campus, because it's all I know. That's completely possible, too.

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Which is why I think said that she spun it that way.



Seriously?

Duh! Don't you know sororities only exist to mingle with the male population? Gosh.

[tangelo212]

I am really not sure about this, but I believe total WAS raised after AOII left.

I don't think that the deferred rush set up will be changing any time soon.

The thing about Cornell is, it's not really a "it's better to go Greek anywhere than not at all" type of environment. Honestly, the girls that drop or who never rush are not going to miss out on much (I know it may not seem this way to the girls who dropped). I'm not saying that Greek life isn't a huge factor on campus--I believe it is-- but I think that at some big schools where girls would love to be in any house as opposed to drop, it's easier to expand.

Alpha Xi Delta, which colonized about five years ago, is not yet at total (I believe). Still don't see the justification for bringing another org... It just isn't going to help place more girls b/c the campus culture does not "pressure" them into being Greek; therefore, I think girls will still drop no matter what if they don't get back the orgs. they want.

Clearly McMahon hasn't been on campus long enough to know that the fraternities are significantly smaller than the sororities with her "don't know why they wouldn't see the need" comment. I wish she'd at least give a better reason than that for a quote in the Sun. Just misses the mark on so many levels.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by tangelo212

Also, and I don't have significant knowledge about campus expansion, but it seems unlikely that Panhellenic would want to bring a group that left in the (fairly recent) past. I thought that it was preferable to bring completely new organizations (and maybe someone with expansion knowledge can give some input here).

They like to bring back chapters that have been there previously, but long ago previously. D Phi E only closed 6 years ago so that is a little too recent for comfort.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by 33girl

They like to bring back chapters that have been there previously, but long ago previously. D Phi E only closed 6 years ago so that is a little too recent for comfort.

But it is far enough away that ostensibly any women who were members would have graduated and left or matriculated to grad school. I don't know why D Phi E closed there, though, so I don't know if that would be an issue anyway.

I feel like I've heard that some chapters are re-colonized 5 years after closing.

Edit: Plus, do we know whether they closed in Spring '03 or Fall '03? If it was Spring they're bearing right down on 7 years (if one more year would make a difference).

As a general point, I don't know why they would open for expansion if one of their chapters was closed 1 or 2 years before, whatever the reason. Tough titties, girls.

[Psi U MC Vito]

I honestly think this is a simply a case of the D Phi E girl wanting to be in a sorority but being told she couldn't pledge again. So start up D Phi E at Cornell.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by agzg

But it is far enough away that ostensibly any women who were members would have graduated and left or matriculated to grad school. I don't know why D Phi E closed there, though, so I don't know if that would be an issue anyway.

I feel like I've heard that some chapters are re-colonized 5 years after closing.

I think it really depends on the school. Some places tend to have rumors and stories linger a little longer than others. At an Ivy -heck, at any northern school - I'd just as soon give it a little more time...especially if there's a newer chapter there still trying to get up to total. This isn't Bama where girls are falling over themselves to go Greek.

Not only that, transfer students + rushees who didn't match does not = a desirable group IMO. I'm waiting to hear from the D Phi E officials who were "very supportive" (I've heard that one before on here).

[honeychile]

This is a definite case for this woman chosing the wrong option. She'd be better off starting "Lost Greeks" or whatever they call it now. She can't possibly be the only Greek transfer without a Cornell affiliation.