When is it time to raise total or bring on another chapter?

[FuzzieAlum]

My alma mater just finished recruitment. Since I was there, the number of chapters has grown to six, and formal rush quota has risen gradually every year from 12-14 in my day to well above 20. I only know this year's results for two chapters - one chapter that always does very well has 28 new members; one that is second smallest has 20. (Four of the chapters are at or around total; of the smaller two, one is local and one is for engineers.) So quota is probably close to 28 - yet ceiling is only 50. Retention is usually very good, too, both during the pledge period and after. Most chapters won't be doing informal rush, of course, and for many girls the engineering sorority is not a possible choice because they aren't engineering majors.

So in a situation like this, is it advisable to add another chapter, or to increase total? I should mention there are three times as many fraternities, but that is partially because the campus is 2/3 male.

[PeppyGPhiB]

It sounds like total on your campus may mean very little since all the chapters are over it, but...

I would try raising total first, just because bringing another sorority on campus is a lot of work. Unless the sororities on your campus like smaller chapters (some do), raising total to 75 or 100 would be easy and it sounds like would have little to no effect on things if this has been the trend for a few years at least (20x4=80). Raising total helps small groups that are limited in size by the ceiling imposed...the idea is that the large groups over total can't COB but the smaller ones have the chance to catch up. Some campuses set total by multiplying avg. quotas by 3, others multiply by four.

[butterfly0806]

Hi FuzzieAlum,
I am also an alum of your alma mater. Quota this year was 28. I know for sure that 3 chapters hit quota and one got 19, but I'm not sure about the other two. With the new pledge classes, five of the sororities are at or above total. There is also a new Asian interest sorority that I believe participated in Formal Recruitment, but I don't know anything else about them.

I have heard through the grapevine that they are thinking about adding another national sorority in the next few years, however it could just be a rumor. I have not heard anything about total being raised.

[FuzzieAlum]

Last few quotas (I may not be 100% accurate but it's close):

spring 06 - 21
spring 05 - 17
spring 04 - 23
spring 03 - 20

The last couple of years the larger chapters have gone into rush with about 60 members.

I can't imagine total being raised - for some reason it doesn't seem to fit the culture. I think total has been 50 ever since NPC sororities first came onto campus.

Hey Butterfly, do you know whatever happened to the idea of building a new Greek row for the houseless chapters and the south siders that will eventually be displaced?

[gphiangel624]

Before even considering raising total, consult the NPC Manual of Information ("Greenbook"). There is some information in the membership recruitment section that will be critical to review before consideration. All college Panhellenics are supposed to review total on an annual basis, but this doesn't mean it must change on an annual basis.

Also consult the NPC Area Advisor for your Panhellenic. If you don't know who your Area Advisor is, contact NPC (or if you want to PM me, I have a listing of what universities belong to which Area Advisors). The AA will be very helpful in determining where to go with a total review/revision.

Our campus is in a total review process right now and we're waiting for the NPC Delegates for our 6 chapters to give their feedback on whether to lower or keep total the same.

Good luck!

[FuzzieAlum]

Er, I guess that's my question - what does the Green book say? This by the way is not something I would be personally involved in at all, not least because I am 525 miles from said alma mater.

edited - didn't even think to look at the NPC site before now, but I see they have posted a great deal of their expansion info since last time I surfed that way.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by FuzzieAlum

Er, I guess that's my question - what does the Green book say? This by the way is not something I would be personally involved in at all, not least because I am 525 miles from said alma mater.

edited - didn't even think to look at the NPC site before now, but I see they have posted a great deal of their expansion info since last time I surfed that way.

What is the housing situation? If your chapters are housed, the first priority NEEDS to be keeping the houses full.

[FuzzieAlum]

Each chapter has a house (which the university owns). None of the houses require more than 30 live-ins to be at capacity.

[PeppyGPhiB]

The reason I suggested raising total is because it seemed most of your chapters are already above total. As you said above, though 50 is total, some chapters go into recruitment with 60 members. So, how is that fair to the smaller groups who may want to COB to make themselves equal to the other chapters? Basically, if total remains at 50, those chapters will always be smaller than the others (at least going into recruitment) because their COBing has to stop at 50.

[butterfly0806]

Originally Posted by FuzzieAlum

Hey Butterfly, do you know whatever happened to the idea of building a new Greek row for the houseless chapters and the south siders that will eventually be displaced?

From what I've heard, the new Greek row plan is pretty much dead or delayed for many, many years due to the current financial situation of the university.

They closed the top of the hill southside dorms last year, but had to reopen them this year because they ran out of rooms. I think that the university is still a LONG way off from moving everyone to the north side.

[FuzzieAlum]

Thanks for the info! Somehow I am not at all surprised.

Peppy, from a theoretical angle, I agree with you. Knowing the two smaller chapters, though, one never comes close to quota; the other makes it once it a while - their rush is very uneven. However, neither chapter manages to COB up to quota. In the fall, both were quite a ways from ceiling and did do informal rush but still did not make it to total.

Not knowing the current members, I have no idea if they chapters are unfairly suffering simply for being small and thus being perceived as undesirable, or what. But raising total probably won't help when they can't get there, even when they have room.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Bringing on another chapter is a better option, IMO. A smaller quota actually helps the smaller chapters catch up to the big ones.