NPC Expansion Advice Request

[antacidaisle]

I truly appreciate all of your advice! Thank you one and all!

I'm shocked to learn that "cherry-picking" sororities for expansion packets is frowned upon by NPC. I specifically asked the GL director if this is allowed, and she said its very commonplace. Go figure...

There is a Panhellenic meeting on Tuesday and expansion is the only topic on the agenda. We have gotten responses from 4 of the 5 sororities: 2 declined outright, one would like more information, and one scheduled a campus visit. I'm suprised that an organization is interested in a school that had quota at 13 this year! l will keep you all posted as the situation develops.

[Titchou]

The expansion process is outlined in the NPC Manual of Information (MOI or "Green Book"). As chapter adviser you should have a copy. It's on the NPCweb site and am sure on your national's as well.

[navane]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

Hopefully everyone has gotten the memo. There are 5 NPC chapters, total has been lowered from 50+ to 40 and only 2 chapters are at this lowered total, and only a cherry-picked few NPC sororities are getting expansion packets? I hope they respond with a resounding NO, at least until the five chapters currently present can stabilize. This isn't a situation where there are more women interested in joining sororities than can be accommodated. This is someone on a power trip.

I'm almost wondering if this is the Greek Advisor's way of trying to "look busy" in order to maintain job security. Otherwise, if she's not doing anything else, and clearly she's not working programming to strengthen the chapters she has, then she needs to come up with a way to make sure she has something to report on to the higher ups.

Originally Posted by antacidaisle

There is a Panhellenic meeting on Tuesday and expansion is the only topic on the agenda. We have gotten responses from 4 of the 5 sororities: 2 declined outright, one would like more information, and one scheduled a campus visit. I'm suprised that an organization is interested in a school that had quota at 13 this year! l will keep you all posted as the situation develops.

For those who are more well-versed on extension than I am, I am curious about what antacidaisle has just described. The Greek Advisor appears to not be following the NPC Unanimous Agreements with regard to expansion. It sounds like she sent invitations out directly to "select" national NPCs, right?

According to the NPC Manual of Information 2018, the steps are, with my emphasis added in bold to highlight especially relevant sentences:

EXTENSION PROCEDURES

When a number of female students are unable to affiliate with the existing chapters, the College Panhellenic may wish to add another NPC organization. The College Panhellenic should consult with the NPC area advisor and the NPC Extension Committee chairman regarding the options.

If the College Panhellenic makes the decision to research adding a chapter to the campus, the following steps should be taken:

1. The Panhellenic Council should vote on a motion to form an extension exploratory committee.

2. If the vote passes, form an extension exploratory committee comprised of College Panhellenic officers, chapter delegates, alumnae advisors and faculty or administration.

3. The committee should analyze statistics with regard to enrollment and recruitment, and assess the needs of the Panhellenic community. It is helpful to look at trends and statistics over a five-year period.

4. The extension exploratory committee consults the administration regarding the addition of another NPC sorority. The committee should compile an offcial report and include a recommendation as to whether to extend or not at this time. The report should be submitted to the College Panhellenic Council for review prior to the vote on extension.

5. The extension exploratory committee makes a motion to the College Panhellenic to open the campus for extension. If approved, the Panhellenic Council appoints a College Panhellenic Extension Committee. The committee should include a representative sample of the Panhellenic community including Panhellenic chapter members, alumnae members/advisors and administrators. Each NPC organization on campus should be represented on the committee, if feasible, by either a collegiate or alumna member.

6. The College Panhellenic contacts the NPC area advisor and the NPC Extension Committee chairman with the decision.

7. Consideration should be given to NPC sororities that:

A. Previously have had a chapter on the campus.
B. Have letters of interest on file with the administration and/or College Panhellenic.
C. Have been suggested by a local sorority if applicable. (Refer to the section Local Sororities.)

8. Panhellenic asks the NPC Extension Committee chairman to notify all NPC sororities of the extension opportunity and/or send a letter of introduction to NPC sororities to solicit interest in extension. The letter should include: [cut out the list for brevity]

9. The College Panhellenic Extension Committee selects organizations to make presentations from those NPC sororities returning requested information and/or that have a letter of interest on file.

So, it sounds like the COLLEGE PANHELLENIC is supposed to notify NPC EXTENSION COMMITTEE to notify ALL NPC SORORITIES. Nowhere in the NPC MOI does it say anything about the campus Greek Advisor is allowed to contact her personally selected NPC GLOs directly with invitations to present.

With that in mind, regarding the 5 NPCs who allegedly received "invitations" from the Greek Advisor -- should they not have become suspicious when they received a letter directly from the campus and not from the NPC Extension Committee? I mean, shouldn't they have said, "Thank you, please contact NPC to begin the process" and not said, "Sure! When can we book an appointment to come out?"

Something doesn't sound right here. I "get" that the Greek Advisor is "bullying" the chapters; but, how is any of this getting past the NPC? antacidaisle, I read earlier that you contacted your IHQ who also contacted the NPC Area Advisor. The Greek Advisor didn't care and said she was going to move forward anyway? In my opinion, NPC should send out a "stand down" bulletin to all NPCs telling them that this campus is willfully circumventing the proper procedures and that all NPCs should decline any invitations from this campus until the time that the administrators choose to comply with the correct procedures. Can't NPC punish the two NPC member organizations who are requesting more information or scheduling a campus visit?

You also need to show up to Tuesday's meeting armed with the correct info.

Go here: https://npcwomen.dynamic.omegafi.com...ation-2018.pdf

And here: https://npcwomen.dynamic.omegafi.com...ng-2017-18.pdf

And here: http://www.npcwomen.org/login/colleg...ics/extension/

[shadokat]

As someone who has worked tirelessly to right the wrongs of a REALLY BAD GLO, your best bet is to get all of the NPC groups at the school on the same page. Just because your group doesn't want it doesn't mean a hill of beans to GLO. Maybe if they feel the pressure of ALL of the NPC chapters on your campus, they'll slow their roll. I'm shocked there's another Greek Advisor as bad as the one I've dealt with for the past 20 years.

[navane]

Originally Posted by shadokat

As someone who has worked tirelessly to right the wrongs of a REALLY BAD GLO

Greek Life Office or Greek Letter Organization?

[FSUZeta]

Greek life office

[antacidaisle]

Update:
At the Panhellenic meeting last week, we were reminded that the Greek Life office "knows what we're doing" and we should address our concerns to them, not our National representatives. Additionally, we were informed that "2 or 3" organizations will be presenting to Panel next week.

On a side note, last week was informal recruitment. Not one single PNM showed up to ANY chapter. The chapters were told that they cannot mention this to the organizations that are presenting.

So, in spite of our NPC rep getting involved, we are still experiencing drama.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by antacidaisle

Update:
At the Panhellenic meeting last week, we were reminded that the Greek Life office "knows what we're doing" and we should address our concerns to them, not our National representatives. Additionally, we were informed that "2 or 3" organizations will be presenting to Panel next week.

On a side note, last week was informal recruitment. Not one single PNM showed up to ANY chapter. The chapters were told that they cannot mention this to the organizations that are presenting.

No. No, no, no, no, no. This feels (and is) all kinds of wrong, especially when taking into consideration everything else you've described in this thread.

Perhaps someone can be brave and let it "slip" to the presenting groups that there have been struggles with recruitment. At the very least, those groups should have that information if they are going to even consider colonizing.

[FSUZeta]

But shouldn't the presenting groups have rush statistics-unless those are being doctored-so they could see that membership rates are declining?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

But shouldn't the presenting groups have rush statistics-unless those are being doctored-so they could see that membership rates are declining?

Exactly. Are they being asked to straight up lie? Because I would think the groups would expect this information.

[Titchou]

A good question for each of those groups would be "how do you see your group helping to positively impact our declining recruitment numbers?"

And I think it's time to go over her head....

And if anyone is brave enough, one could ask "why are you presenting at a campus that didn't follow NPC recommendations for expansion? Is that an indication of AAA's allegiance to NPC regulations in general?"

[ChioLu]

Originally Posted by antacidaisle

Hi,
I am an advisor for an NPC chapter at a small school in the North. We have five NPC sororities, only two of which are at total. Greek life has grown very quickly here, not due to demand, but due to the insistence of the office of Greek Life. We have added 3 chapters in less than 2 years and they have voted to add another chapter in the fall. The director of Greek Life wants to keep the chapters as small as possible (total used to be over 50; now it's 40 and we can't get there). She also hand picked the national organizations that she wants on campus, and sent expansion packets only to them. She wants to choose the organization "with a philanthropy that people like." Has anyone ever heard of this before?

We (the advisors) feel like the college is creating a no-win situation for us. We are never going to get to total if they keep adding new colonies. Our chapters have voted against expansion in the past, which resulted in vindictive treatment from the GL director. The chapters felt forced to agree to expansion again to please her.

Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this situation? Thank you for listening.

Small school in the North, 5 NPC chapters.

Hmmm. Anyone know if their group is presenting next week at a university like this? Maybe you can get word to your HQ and let them know the situation. Would save these groups time, money and future headaches.

[33girl]

In the immortal words of Butt-Head, this chick is out of her gourd. It's time to notify the student life director or whoever her supervisor is.

[navane]

This doesn't make sense. Can NPC slap "sanctions" on any member GLO that presents to a campus without having followed the procedures outlined in the unanimous agreements?

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by navane

This doesn't make sense. Can NPC slap "sanctions" on any member GLO that presents to a campus without having followed the procedures outlined in the unanimous agreements?

No. That was not what I said. I'd ask why they were not following the guidelines- which, btw, they voted to adhere to.