I'm off to the AOII house to help with recruitment first round of philanthropy parties tonight!

GO OLE MISS!

As far as this article is concerned...I am a PROUD member of AXiD at UT. We DID extend her a bid, and waited...and waited...through all of the streams of women in the building... for leslie. Her nametag and bid day pack were made for her, and the girl who preffed her was holding them and LOOKING for her. At least we gave her a chance. I've always loved my sorority because we're able to look past the obvious flaws in looks, clothing, etc, and get to know the real person underneath. It really hurt to find out that she was a REPORTER. One question...why? Why hurt the recruitment process for a story? It's not to sell more newspapers...they're free. Past this, we've moved on. We have an amazing new member class, and we are probably better off not having someone who lied to our faces.

I think the funniest part was that she was extremely judgmental about the cuts the sorority girls might be making based on shallow characteristics, but then she admits that she based her cuts on mascots and colors.


Also, tee shirts on pref night? Oy.


I do like that she expected to get cut when she was wearing thrift store clothes but not when she was wearing "sorority girl clothes" . . . but it sounds like she was cut equally heavily both rounds, which leads me to believe that the sorority women were probably more attuned to her personality than she'd like to believe. ;)

I'm glad y'all have a great class of new members. I definitely had some choice words to say about this girl. What she did to y'all was unacceptable... but I'm glad to see that you're happy with the new members you have and you're not dwelling on the way this girl acted.

Congratulations on your new member class! As I read your post, I couldn't help but think about that last word - class. Your chapter obviously showed a lot of it, while this reporter was nothing but a charleton, a fraud.

I wish you every success!

OK, I'm totally not disagreeing with you all at all...

However, on a side note... the article is very well written. I hope she got an "A."

A lot of that is how I remember rush. Blisters on the feet, sweating on bid day. Ahhh... memories. (Notice that I'm ignoring the blatant mockery of the process)

I agree with the others that she was biased going in. I mean, typically the first time you meet people - be it your dorm roommate, a new job, new classmates, etc. - you at least run a brush through your hair.

And I'm glad the AXiD's have held their heads high and moved on.

I would like to quote her last couple lines though:

"But anybody can look through a window. It takes guts, more guts than I have, to knock on a door. "

Seems someone realized she had an opportunity presented to her and she didn't have the courage to give it a try. I think there is a compliment to greek women in there somewhere...:)

So I wrote her!
 

Hi All.....I wrote her a little note....obviously not telling my affiliation. I wanted an honest response and I'm not one to slam anyone for writing an article....allows for too much negative PR in the end.....

Here's what I wrote
Dear Miss Wylie,

I felt compelled to write you to say I appreciated your article "One Week In The Life Of A Sorority Screw-Up." As a sorority Greek alumna, though not from University of Tennessee or in a Greek system so large, I am able to relate to this article on many levels. I fully agree with the quote from the Alpha Chi Omega alumna who stated that what you see during recruitment isn't necessarily reality. For some chapters more than others it can be a show. I also was impressed that you seeked input from a social psychology professor and how his assessment didn't positively or negatively misconstrue Greek involvement. I have read many, many articles written to smear the Greek community and though I did not like certain aspects of your article, there was truth and responsible journalism throughout it. I applaud that.

I do feel, at the end of your article, that you may have overlooked one vital piece. How did the Alpha Xi Delta chapter feel when you did not go to their suite? As a collegiate there were years when a potential new member did not show up for bid day festivities for whatever reason. It broke the heart of chapter members because they look forward to new women joining their chapter and what they can bring. Knowing you would not take a bid if offered one...how many hearts did you break? Had circumstances been different, I would have loved to find out how your talents, specifically writing and the ability to see a different perspective of sorority involvement, could have benefitted this Alpha Xi Delta chapter.

Thank you for your time,

Here was her RESPONSE and it was quite interesting!
Thanks so much for your feedback. It was a tough story to write, because I had to identify and break through so many of my own prejudices in order to see the situation more clearly. Sorority sisters, contrary to what some people would have you believe, have emotions and sensitivities and depth. It broke my own heart to not go up to the Alpha Xi Delta suite at the end. Here were a group of young women who were open minded enough to see me for beyond the appearance I conveyed, and I in the end I was the one being fake, taking advantage of their kindness. In short, I learned a lot. I hope readers do, too.
Best, Leslie

*edited 'cause I can't spell!

WOW!

So my question.... If she DID grow to like the AXiDs so much, then WHY didn't she just accept the bid and pledge? It could have at least been worth a try. From what she said in that last sentance, and how she felt in their suite, it seems to me like it might have been good for her to go with it and SEE if it could really be something for her.

That's what I was thinking too. But if their free newsweekly is anything like ours the general attitude among the staff is Greeks are bad, people who don't surround themselves with a rainbow coalition of friends are bad, Republicans are bad blah blah. Completely left wing and written assuming that if you like going to see bands and plays and stuff like that, that is your political view. She would have probably gotten fired from her job, and if not, her coworkers would have never left her alone about it. Yes, just the attitude that people accuse sororities of having.

That is so sad. :( I find it interesting how sometimes people can be so closed-minded in their open-mindedness.

And you are exactly right.... Exactly the attitude that they perceive from the greek system.

>If she DID grow to like the AXiDs so much, then WHY didn't she just accept the bid and pledge?

This is speculation, but based on the article and the e-mail, it seems to me that she felt that she didn't deserve the bid -- that having gone through rush under those circumstances, she had no right to take it, because it didn't really belong to her, but to the person she was pretending to be.

I liked the article a lot.

You know, I thought her comments we completely hilarious. Yes, not appropriate, but come on, "Is that your natural hair color?" How many people would have loved to have asked that if there had been no repercussions? Or maybe turn the tables: "what does your father do for a living?"