I have an update for you -

The nearest alumnae panhellenic to you does not currently have reps from the chapters at the school you're attending. (per the delegate from my group) So, they will not specifically be able to assist you in getting a rec letter.

They suggested that you try contacting the local alumnae chapters from each sorority directly for assistance, as they don't have the contact info. (Which is what aopirose suggested earlier also.)

Not exactly a great update, but at least you know and won't waste time attempting to contact the panhellenic group again. :)

If you can't find contact info, there is a GC thread somewhere with women you can PM for help. PM one from each org, and do it nicely, and maybe they can get you the local chapter info.

The same thing is happening to me!

Yeah, I'm awaiting a response too. I hope it all works out for you!

You can also make an effort to contact your family's Christmas Card list, and your email list, teachers, etc., to give them an update on what's new with you, that you're going to XYZ college, going through sorority recruitment and seeking alum recs from sororities A/B/C/D if anyone can assist. You'd be surprised at how people can pop out of the woodwork.

At my school, recs are NOT important at all. I've even heard that some chapters don't even look at the recs they get. They go straight to the trash.
Even as a sophomore, I don't think recs are necessary at some schools--especially if you say that Greek life at your college isn't a big deal.

If I were you, I'd be more concerned about talking to friends who are already in the Greek system. Make sure they know that you plan to go through rush. I mean, it can't hurt. (But know that having friends in a house isn't a guarantee that you'll receive a bid from that chapter.) And know what you're going to say when they ask why you didn't rush as a freshman. Also, I think that campus involvement is very important, too. In my pledge class, there were only 3 sophomores and one junior out of 61 pledges. The upperclassmen were very involved on campus before going through rush. So, I guess play up your activities.

My point is that I think there may be a little too much emphasis on getting recs.

There are GLOs which have a national/international policy that you cannot pledge a girl without a rec. It is far better to have one, and not need it, then need it, and not have it.

In the OP's situation (search on all her posts for clarification), it would behoove her to do all the things you say AND get recs. She may be having some stormy sailing. Plus, as SWTXBelle said, some groups have a national policy that the girl must have a rec to be pledged. She may have limited options already due to being a sophomore, and it would be a shame if the group that she could have clicked with blew her off because she didn't have a rec.

This is really interesting to me. What school has 61 member new member classes but would have a number of chapters who threw recs right in the trash?

The schools that I know of that have classes that big also have super competitive rushes in which you would NEED recs.

At U of Illinois, recs just aren't as important. It's quite different than SEC, I think. In fact, I have heard from very reliable sources that many of the top houses throw out recs.

As for this particular situation, I don't know where this person is going to school... maybe I missed it. I'm just talking about my own experiences. I'd agree that recs certainly wouldn't hurt, but if she's going to my school (or probably many of the other state schools in Illinois) she shouldn't worry about them so much.

She is going to the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.

Illinois is quite different than anywhere else in the country. I doubt many sororities in IL would even know what to do with a rec if they got one. BUT - why take that chance? So what if it goes in the trash? Better to have gotten the rec, and not needed it, than to have not gotten it and needed it.

I would say that recs would be manditory at Arkansas. They may tell you that they aren't, but as a sophomore I would err on the side of caution and secure recs well in advance.

In fact, I remember what one of my gamma chis said when someone in my group asked about recs:
"Sometimes they can help, but you really don't need one." I was one of only a few in my rush group that came in with recs.

As for sororities that have a national rule that they can only pledge women who have recs... I don't know. I'm not sure of any of the official rules. But I know people (some in large, prestigious houses) who came in knowing nothing about the Greek system, much less about getting recs. I know people in these houses here who didn't have recs for the house they ended up in:
1. Pi Beta Phi
2. Alpha Omicron Pi
3. Delta Gamma
4. Kappa Alpha Theta
5. Sigma Kappa
6. Phi Mu
7. AE Phi
8. SDT
9. Delta Zeta
10. ADPi
11. Alpha Phi
12. Tridelts

There are probably more. Those are just the ones I know for sure. I'm really not trying to start a fight or anything. I'm just saying what happens at my school. Or course, this sort of thing varies from school to school. And of course, it wouldn't hurt. I'm just saying recs may not be the be all and end all of recruitment at her school.

ILLINOIS =/= ARKANSAS

There are people here FROM Arkansas telling her that YES, SHE NEEDS RECS.

Once again, Illinois is different from the rest of the country.

And, yes, there probably IS a girl or two that got into top houses at AK-F without a rec. But, I still wouldn't recommend going in without one, if people from that school are saying to get them.