It could be a new rule from Florida Panhellenic, but our National Organization requires them. I think that I would send one for your friend's daughter because it could not hurt. Where I advised, the university does not allow recommendations, but we still got them and it introduced the PNM to us before recruitment began. We only have two parties before pref; so, it is very helpful to know people before recruitment begins.

I can't see how a university could control or would even know if a chapter used recommendations, because they're submitted directly to the chapter. How does that work?

A school can’t “forbid” recommendations any more than it can tell a sorority which women to give bids to.

Now if you mean, the university/college Panhellenic is not allowed to say recs are required...yes. That’s true. But that is a different matter altogether.

Phi Mu does not

If they do then my chapter was really in the dog house because we never had them for 80-90% of the PNMs we bid

I know I've seen ZTAs say recs are required on this board, but I have Zeta friends who didn't have them and got pledged and initiated. After seeing it over and over here, I specifically asked a friend about it. She said she would have never gotten in if that was the case because she didn't have a rec. So unless ZTA's policy has changed in recent years... She's still never heard of it. Maybe a chapter by chapter policy? One of my sorority sisters pledged Zeta at one campus and transferred and joined us. She didn't have a rec.

I do not know if this is the case in other sororities, but when I was an active it was not uncommon if there was a PNM that everyone loved and she did not have a rec, we would call the alum group in her home town to see if we could find an alum who knew her and could give her the rec. I think many women had recs that they never knew had been given to them.

As the first person in my family to go to uni and go Greek, it's a horrible policy. I eventually became an officer, holding many positions and later rush counselor. I had zero idea of recs and such. Of course, I joined in the early/mid 90s when the 'net wasn't as big so you couldn't research these things online.

:)

What 33, granipc, and 3DGator said!

I guess I'd be more interested to know how long your friend(s) has been a member. Has she seen recruitment from the other side? Does she know what goes on behind the closed doors of membership selection?

It does seem strange to me that some members would not know about the requirement (unless they just joined last semester/year).

Do these national organizations require that recs are submitted to headquarters with other pledge/initiation materials? If not, I could see how some chapters wouldn't bother.

Well, let’s put it this way: I wasn’t treasurer. I certainly had no idea what all forms the treasurer had to submit, and that was at a small chapter. Going by what granipc said, there may have just been a notation in the rush chair’s binder to call so and so re recs once the pledge class was selected. (100% pure speculation here) I mean, I think we get tunnel vision here because we’re all used to talking about this stuff constantly. I’ve had to explain how NPC expansion works to my chapter sisters multiple times.

More speculation in that I’m sure the national is aware at some schools that this is happening, but they have found it is to their greater advantage to maintain the “every NM must have a rec” policy. I’m also sure that there are spirited debates about it within the organization, but that’s not my biz. ;)

Here's the question to answer:

What does your Fraternity or Sorority Constitution/ByLaws state with respect to recommendations as a requirement for membership?

Not "what my friend(s) blah blah blah" or "our chapter never did...". OK, seriously. Just the facts, Jack.

For the record, Kappa Alpha Theta removed the recommendation requirement a few years ago. However, recs are strongly encouraged and I continue to write recs for PNMs regardless of where they are attending college.

I don't know if DG has changed the policy, but in the 70s we sat down the night before bid night and wrote our own recommendations for the women we wanted. I know our advisors were aware of this practice.

Did it fill the true purpose of a rec/sponsor form? Of course not. But it met the letter of the law. In my time, we bid two women we should not have, and both dropped out after their freshman years, both without initiating.

I cannot imagine doing that for a large chapter. Our typical pledge class was 5-10 women.

You are incorrect but I would be revealing membership selection information if I got into specifics. Feel free to send me a PM.