The best part of Ole Miss recruitment as a mom is you lose at least five pounds without even trying!

Serious groveling would be in order. Any assumption that anyone needs to help her get up to speed is going to be a waste of energy. And my guess is anything approaching entitlement is going to bite her in the ass big time.

I'd hazard a guess that anything less than said sister being in a full body cast or otherwise in the hospital may have tanked (or at least, hurt) DD's recruitment.

PNM should call Greek Affairs in the morning: 662-915-7248

Re the bolded. Its not your experience. It's not your responsibility to find out how she can make up a meeting she missed, for example.

Since it is early in the FR process, she might be OK if she has a sympathetic GC and is appropriately contrite; the chapters will probably never know it happened. However, the fact that the "special trip" was "planned since November" tends to indicate that it wasn't either an emergency or a event of such importance, e.g. sister's wedding, that would merit much consideration. It sounds more like it was simply something she wanted to do more than meet with her Gamma Chi and her recruitment group.

This is FR at Ole Miss. Everyone involved, including the Greek Life Office, chapters, the alums, the GCs (I can tell you my DD takes her GC responsibilities very seriously), and the advisors, takes it seriously. When the chapters are looking to make recruitment decisions, especially early in the process, they make them based on the easy criteria: grades, recs (or lack thereof), reputation, and...who is taking the honor of GLO membership as seriously as tradition here dictates.

I give this warning more to PNMs generally than as a direct response to HottyToddy1 or her DD. Don't do anything during this period to project the image that GLO membership is just one of many things you are sampling at Ole Miss. At least for the next month, it needs to be (and be seen to be) your top priority and a privilege to be considered.

Since this was a visit planned long in advance and not an emergency, I hope that she discussed this with her GC or Greek office in ADVANCE of missing this important meeting. In this case, it really was better to ask for permission, not forgiveness.

Recruitment registration is still open until the 29th. The last informational meeting took place on Saturday. Classes started today. I don't think any meetings with gamma chis have been mandatory thus far. There are still girls who have yet to register!

Mom. Have your daughter call the Greek like office to find out who her gamma chi is and have her email her. Missing a meeting before classes even start and students are still moving in shouldn't be that big of a deal!

Classes started yesterday, and the online Recruitment Registration will be ending at 11:59 PM on August 29. Everything is new and exciting. Ole Miss and Oxford are welcoming, not too big and not too little.

On September 14 when Recruitment starts PNMs and Chapters will put their best feet forward and jump into the swirling rounds of parties. It takes bravery and confidence on both sides. Unlike previous years, there will be immediate cuts after first round, PNMs will rank their two lowest Chapters and Chapters will release PNMs. PNMs suggest where they wish to return, but the Chapters decide.

Alumnae here wish you the very best recruitment possible. Maximize your options because a second recruitment at Ole Miss is not usually more successful than the first one. The system is not perfect. It is meant to do the most good for the majority and so it does not always serve the individual well. Withdrawing with invitations is sometimes seen as an insult to your remaining Chapters, and a do-over may not have any different outcome because "once cut, always cut."

Heaven forbid, but if you get to the point where you have no invitations, take time to mourn and then decide how you want to proceed. You must decide if you want to be Greek or not. If you do you could have your name added to those interested in COB. Some people just shine better in a more informal setting. If grades are the issue, pledge the library. If recommendations are the issue then next year follow the advice to get recommendations but start earlier. A second recruitment will require friends, make lots of friends and join groups on campus. But remember, that at Ole Miss for some Chapters, if you are once cut you are always cut.

Wishing you a full Pref card with your two favorites,
Mary Poppins

P.S. - Let me leave you with the advice of a close friend. Follow your gut instinct on how well a Chapter likes you. Don't let the impressions of others affect how you rank. If you get the cold shoulder or a poor party, it may well serve you to rank another Chapter higher . . . or it might be just a bad round for that rusher. Your first instinct is almost always right.

I might have been jumped on here for saying that some chapters in Mississippi have a "once-cut, always cut" policy for upperclassmen, but it's nevertheless true. Better to go in with that knowledge than be blindsided. And, MP, I love your "pledge the library" quip for grade risks!

I think it's just important to state that's chapter policy and not the policy of that sorority nationwide.

Great posts MP :)

Indeed! Please know that I did not mean to suggest otherwise.

Anyone have an updated time on Bid Day for the GC Reveal/Bid Handouts? I know the first post in this thread days that it may be earlier than 3 pm. Will it still be after lunch?
Also, I've heard that it will be done from the Grove Stage instead of the Lyceum steps. Is that correct?
Thanks!

My source says it should be 1:00 PM at the Grove Stage where PNMs have met with their Gamma Chis all Recruitment Week.

I've hear that the Registered PNMS are somewhere between 1500 and 1560. A few of the PNMs did not arrive to attend school and a few never attend the first parties so I think that's where the uncertainty comes into the numbers.

Compared to 1394 last year, that's a 7.6% to 11.9% increase. Taking the average of 9.75%, a very strong bump indeed. Larger, I believe, than the overall enrollment growth.

It's really astounding! Remember when we though 800 was a whole lot? Just caught my typo, I hate typos.

Beautiful! I'm dying to go to a game and visit the Grove. I've been to games in three SEC stadiums now, but this has got to be #4.

Panhellenic Silence begins tomorrow, Sunday, September 7, 2014. Any questions before Greek Day, first rounds, next Sunday?

No questions but we will miss you and look forward to your comment after recruitment.

Thanks, Titchou!

Does anyone have the number of PNMs registered at Ole MIss for upcoming recruitment? I just heard 1600? Is this correct?

Roughly 1500+/-

Wow!

I have three ladies going through Ole Miss rush (one being a legacy). I cannot wait until I hear how recruitment went! Here's to hoping everyone has an amazing time at Ole Miss!

My daughter considered Ole Miss and we visited for a weekend. It was actually homecoming weekend last year. Beautiful and welcoming campus. Caught a game and tailgated (or really just kind of walked around, since we didn't know anyone) in the Grove. What an experience!!

Good luck to all PNM's and Mom's on recruitment!

You were able to get a hotel room in that area on a game weekend? I'm stunned.

I was and I got them 2 1/2 weeks before at the Holiday Inn Express They definitely have a limited number of hotels. I think I got them free, because we are platinum rewards members and I used points, but they still had rooms available when we checked in - though they were pricey - as someone came in and inquired while we were checking in.

When we thought she might be attending, I tried to make reservations for game day weekends for this year and there was NOTHING. This was probably back in January or Feb. I called and the gal at the Holiday Inn told us that all the rooms were blocked up for SEC officials, etc - but many would be released come April/May.

They played Idaho - so it was not an in conference game. Maybe that's why? But still....homecoming.

Ole Miss is a tough rush! Good luck to all of your daughters! I'm an SEC alum and have seen first hand how stressed it has become.

If you're looking for a place to stay in Oxford, I have a great game day house! It's called Cute Cottage Close to Campus and is listed on oxfordfootballrentals.com. We have a few football games left (Memphis, homecoming and Mississippi State, I think). I'd love to have a fellow Greek chat member rent it!

Fins Up!!!
 

My husband and I are heading to Oxford tomorrow for Parents Weekend and our first football game. We are so excited!! We have our navy ready to wear on Saturday. Go Rebels!

Maybe a dumb question but does Silence include a PNM talking to a relative who is a member of one of the organizations with houses on campus? Like a daughter talking to a member mom kind of thing? This isn't for Ole Miss specifically, but about rushing at any school...Is talk with a parent or sister to a legacy daughter OK or no? Thanks!

I believe it restricts contact between active members of a chapter at the school and all potential new members once the recruitment period has officially started. School-related conversation is ok such as you're in a class and have to talk about the class.

I know this is a long thread but this topic is covered in giant letters in the FIRST post of this thread:

"Formal recruitment silence period will begin the day of Panhellenic Convocation through until bid distribution.
• No active sorority member, including alumnae and new members, may communicate or live with potential new members during this period of silence.
• Silence is defined as any verbal, nonverbal, written, printed, text message and electronic communication or communication through a third party.
• If potential new members live in a residence hall with a sorority member or share academic courses, only casual greetings and contact are permitted."

And this quote in the first post comes directly from the Panhellenic section of the OleMiss.edu website.

And it's dumb and obviously not enforceable, nor should it be. Nobody's going to go without contacting her MOTHER because it might be a rush infraction.

I am not in charge so take this for what it is worth, but I would think that if the relative is involved on the campus where the PNM is rushing, whether as a collegiate sorority member or an alumna helping with recruitment at her sorority, then it might be considered a rush infraction for the PNM and the relative to communicate during the period of silence.

As far as Ole Miss goes, I personally know alumnae who take the silence period very seriously there, and will not even be on social media during the silence period.

How can you enforce that alumnae have no contact with PNMs? When they say alumnae, do they mean specifically from the chapters on campus? My sorority is represented on campus there but, I am from another chapter. Does this technically mean I should not even talk to PNMs? Weird all around.