Joining Pi phi

That’s a tough question, I don’t think anyone left at Um has been a founder of a sorority that could answer, but before I transferred pi phi colonized at my old school so I watched that. I would think there would be pros and cons. You would have a decent shot at a leadership position and get to be a founder, but on the other hand your nationals will really be the ones starting the sorority so they’ll probably get more agency then any sister. They’ll be the ones picking members based on whatever criteria they see fit, and they’ll have a huge hand in the events you do and leaders in the chapter. It will also be everyone joining at once- instead of joining a sorority of 120 with like 50 pledge sisters, it will just be 100 people or as many as they can get joining at once without anything to really connect them. In formal rush you pick based on the girls you connect with- joining a startup you only make the decision based on meeting nationals (these are girls who have graduated from other schools, usually southern schools, who come down to start the chapter. They’re a mixed bag.) You also don’t get in on traditions like big/little (though I think pi phi just matches you with twins for a colony) but the upside is that you’ll be part of the group starting the traditions. Any new organization typically gets a pretty random group of people to start out with, since National recruiters basically take whoever they can get. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but they need to fill an entire sorority of over 100 people instead of a pledge class that’s half that size so it makes sense. Like I said pros and cons, but if you’re a PNM that suggests your already in the recruitment process. Id reccommend going through at least til pref night and seeing if you can see yourself fitting into any of the sororities since you’ve already started. Think about what you would look for and why you think pi phi would have it (leadership opportunities, diverse sisters) and talk about what you’re looking for with the actives- they may have what you want. And frankly, the new sorority typically doesn’t start off as “popular” so if you’re thinking of dropping recruitment only because the “top tiers” didn’t invite you back, just know joining a new sorority means building a reputation from the ground up. Definitely not saying you think like that, and tbh in miami tiers don’t matter at all because most parties are open and we have the club scene, but I’ve seen PNMs drop rush because of social pressure and end up regretting it or getting dropped when they go through again.

In a fraternity here but gonna give this my best shot, from what I've seen here.

Short answer is no, for most ppl it's probably not worth it. Founding a new chapter from the ground up is not easy, and it will feel very weird from the traditional Greek experience. It's worth it for some people.

My reasons to say no:
-limited sisterhood, won't feel "real" or genuine b/c no bonding process. will feel like joining a regular club on campus like society of women engineers, etc.
-no fraternities will want to mix with you, since a lot of frat guys care about their image and "ranking". chi o was even re-instated in 2013 and, 7 years later, besides asig/lambda, no one wants to mix with them unfortunately.
-the girls might not be your type/vibe- since you're flipping a coin here it's likely they might not get along. a lot of girls who initially join, unfortunately, will be girls who didn't get chosen at any other 5-6 sororities. you would still have to deal with that.
-recruitment will be stressful first 3-5 (maybe even 6+) years, since 99% of PNMs won't pref your sorority. almost all girls rushing want a traditional experience with bigs, littles, 150+ members, alumni networks, etc.


however, there could be some reasons to say yes:
-want it on your resume
-have reeeealy good recruiting skills (or are very attractive)


TL;DR will feel more like a club than a sorority first 4-5 years. I'd say go traditional but if your heart feels more entrepreneurial and you're more of a long-term "builder" type, then go for it. But you have to be okay with all the setbacks.

Don’t. Don’t don’t. Because they are not on campus they will automatically be the worst. Worst than chi o. Join chi o.