Newsweek and College Prowler rank sororities?

[BlueOwl]

Just saw online that Newsweek, along with College Prowler has come out with a list of the "best sororities". It is a list of the "top 15" sororities. No sour grapes here, as my sorority and my daughter's sorority are both ranked in the top 15 (according to this silly ranking!!), but I can't think of a worse time for such a ranking to come out! Just as thousands of girls are going through recruitment! If a pnm doesn't see a particular sorority on the list they might not consider it to be a good organization. What an unnecessary ranking!

[Kevin]

Their selection criteria:

We compared the 26 Panhellenic Conference sororities based on the number of active collegiate chapters, the number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans (to measure alumni and member interest) and the amount of money the sorority’s non-profit fund donated to 501(c)(3) organizations according the most recent public filing (funds were normalized using a per-chapter ratio). Funds donated to individual chapters, classified as a 501(c)(7) non-profit social club, were not considered for this aspect of the ranking.

This has already been discussed, but I don't mind ranking groups, but using these criteria is just dumb.

T.J. Sullivan's blog has a good take on the list of fraternities.

http://tjsullivan.com/rank-national-fraternities/

He also had some pretty good suggestions for worthy criteria to rank groups on:

National grade point average of all undergraduate members.

Ratio of chapter services staff to active chapters.

Evaluation of recent expansion efforts by campus fraternity/sorority advisers.

Number of interfraternity council presidents elected from their membership.

Percentage of undergraduates having attended a leadership training event.

Average amount of time it takes a national staff member to return a call to a university administrator.

Annual number of hazing and/or alcohol poisoning incidents.

Quality of their social media presence, website, publications.

Percentage of chapters with an active, involved chapter adviser, house mother, or live-in advisor.

Average sanitation rating of 2nd floor bathrooms at housed chapters.

Percentage of alumni under 30 who give to their foundation.

Liability insurance premium per undergraduate member (factoring in any offsets from self-insurance).

Annual amount of money and number of volunteer hours donated by undergraduates to the fraternity’s chosen charity or philanthropy.

Number of women currently advising chapters in a volunteer capacity.

Percentage of undergraduate members following and re-Tweeting “Total Frat Move.”

Number of Higher Education professionals currently serving on their boards.

[AGDLynn]

I vote for T.J.'s!!!

[Sciencewoman]

I am now even more annoyed with this list, because my own mother brought it up, and this is how she said it, "Your sister is really happy because Zeta was just ranked the number one sorority by Newsweek." I tried to tell her that this ranking business was a lot of phooey, and what it was based on, but I think she thought I just had sour grapes. She said, "but this is Newsweek!" Argh.

[33girl]

Isn't Newsweek kind of on the same level as Star Magazine now?

[DubaiSis]

As I looked at it I was happy they stated their methodology, but then as I looked at the rankings, the methodology didn't make sense as compared to the results. And with no story to flesh out the numbers?

[Kevin]

Their methodology was clearly based on using information which was available to the general public. I'm sure NPC groups (and NIC) would be pretty tight lipped with some news magazine doing some silly rankings.

[honeychile]

FTW:

"Average sanitation rating of 2nd floor bathrooms at housed chapters."

[DrPhil]

They ranked the top 15 of the 26 NPC sororities? That's all?

In other words, "sororities" and "top sororities" is synonymous with NPC.

Oh okay. Sounds like Newsweek is attention whoring during recruitment time. Seems like a waste of time and publication.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

They ranked the top 15 of the 26 NPC sororities? That's all?

In other words, "sororities" and "top sororities" is synonymous with NPC.

Oh okay. Sounds like Newsweek is attention whoring during recruitment time. Seems like a waste of time and publication.

I don't want to link the crap list, but FTA:

There are 26 organizations in the National Panhellenic Conference, with reputations and memberships that vary by campus.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I don't want to link the crap list, but FTA:

These rankings and lists need to include "NPC" in their titles. They need to state "top NPC sororities" instead of people having to read the methodology to find (what is usually assumed which is) that NPC sororities are the only (inter)national sororities considered.

Then again, "sororities" and "top sororities" are synonymous with NPC for the mainstream/population majority. Newsweek is only appealing to this population majority.

[Kevin]

How on Earth would you compare NPHC to NPC groups? It's apples and oranges. Surely this is a silly thing to get upset about.

Hardly anyone knows what NPC and NPHC mean. This was in Newsweek magazine. Consider the source.

[DrPhil]

Kevin missed the point. I do not give a damn about these rankings. I do not want a ranking of NPHC, MCGLO, LGLOs, etc. I want for people to stop making "sorority" ("fraternity") synonymous with NPC (NIC). The 26 NPC sororities are not THE sororities. Therefore, when I read "sorority," everywhere that I read it, I do not only want to see NPC sororities.

[Kevin]

The general public is going to equate NPC with "sorority." If you say "black sorority," you're talking NPHC.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

The general public is going to equate NPC with "sorority." If you say "black sorority," you're talking NPHC.

Are you intentionally overstating the obvious and repeating my point?

Oh well, at least you got the point.