I think that it is important that when the pnm is talking with a chapter member, esp one from a different GLO, that she/he mention that she/he is a legacy but wants to keep her options open. That way, if the application has that she is a legacy and/or the GLO member is still on campus, other groups wouldn't automatically assume she wants to be a WQE either.

On a related note, pnms should definitely remember to not say, before or during recruitment, that "I want QWE" because that is also considered tacky because QWE may not feel the same way.. As many posts on GC have stated, "I wanted QWE but I LOVE TRE".;)

I hadn't thought of Honeychile's point - that having the information could help steer conversations during rush. I guess you wouldn't need to waste precious time discussing very basic Greek life info with someone who already would know from mom or sis.

On those campuses where legacies - and maybe I should be more specific and say "desirable" legacies - routinely get an unfair rush because of their status, the mutual selection process as laid out by NPC is tilted heavily to the side of the GLO, which many PNMs think is the case already.

A little off topic, but... I am not super familiar with the new release figures, except that apparently chapters that are very strong at formal recruitment will have to release a higher number of PNMs early in the rush. Do you think legacy status will be a factor here, since many GLOs give some kind of preferential courtesy to legacies early in the recruitment process? I think many groups will at least give a legacy one invitation as a courtesy. I wonder if this tradition will change if groups don't have space when they are forced to release a lot of pnms. (And I am not at all trying to be the authority on what every GLO does - it just seems that many do the courtesy thing.)

Having been through rush as a legacy, I say yes. For the most part, an organization is going to ask back a girl who has no ties over a girl who is a legacy to another organization, especially when the rubber meets the road. Please note, I said "for the most part," because in numbers and statistics, that is usually the way it happens, just as in "better safe than sorry." And yes, usually some sororities will know if a girl is a legacy to another sorority, but overall, I think it would level the playing field.

I think it should be omitted entirely. You aren't asked on your college applications if you are a legacy to the school... although a legacy may get some behind the scenes preference, depending on the school or the alumni to whom you are a legacy.

There is no reason to admit it, other then the fact you dont want to lie... but it shouldnt be asked... what does their parents collegiac experience have to do with their own... its unnecessary

This goes both ways.

There are alums out there who would be VERY upset if this was taken off applications and the fact that their daughter is a legacy wasn't even considered.

If the PNM really doesn't want to a) worry about riding on Mom's coattails or b) worry about being pigeonholed and dropped from other groups, then it's up to her to omit it. But let's be honest, at some schools if she does she may face ending up with no bid at all.

33 girl - I guess I was assuming that each GLO had its own way to communicate legacy status privately to its chapters. I know AOII has a legacy form that the mom, sister, or grandma sends to the chapter where the PNM is going so they are well aware she is coming through and can treat her accordingly. We don't need the rush application to tell us if she is a legacy to our GLO. Don't all NPC groups have something like that?

Not necessarily.

And even if they do, not all of the moms are aware of it. They might know enough to tell the daughter they were a XYZ at State U, but that's all they know - they have no clue about rec forms or anything like that. (And those are the ones who usually scream the loudest when their daughter doesn't receive a bid.) If we are going to use legacy status as a preferential type of treatment, we can't say it's only for the daughters whose moms/grandmas/sisters have a clue.

Not to mention, there are people out there who are legacies but whose mom/grandma/sister may have passed away and it's hard to get rec forms in the Great Beyond.

The year I filled out my info for recruitment the part about being a legacy to an organization was detachable at the bottom of the form. PH would detach that part of the info for every organization except the one you were a legacy to regardless of whether you were a legacy or not. Its a good way to make sure every girl had the same opportunities with each organization.

Well crzychx that is the best idea yet. I vote for that.

That does seem like a relatively good idea.

In my chapter, I remember us thinking it was very strange (shady even) if we found out that a girl was a legacy to any house but did not include it in her application. Maybe it shouldn't have, but it kind of put up a red flag to us... I guess it just seemed kind of dishonest.

This last part has nothing to do with the post by crzychx- it's just a comment.

Not to be persnickity, but whether or not any of my relatives had gone to X College WAS on at least two of my applications!

I agree that if it is asked for on the app and left blank it seems dishonest. That is why I was leaning towards advocating it not being asked at all. But the tear off thing covers the concerns 33 girl brought up.

That's how we looked at it too (also a small school).

Do you mean considered by chapter's she's not a legacy for?

Because don't most GLO's have legacy intro forms that the member sends in for the PNM?

Personally, I think it's a problem with the women in the chapters who are cutting the PNM's just because they think they'll go to the legacy chapter. Talk about a STUPID reason to cut someone.

Better education is definitely needed.

It's not a problem with the form.