Ok, I'm a UT grad and I think these "parties" are stupid. There wasn't any of this back in my day. Granted, that was a very long time ago. Sororities do not need these to attract members.

Guess whose daughter attended a dance party yesterday? She said it was awkward, hard to talk, although actives were trying to have a conversation with her and dance at the same time, and she thought it was stupid. Every other house she visited yesterday consisted of conversation, introductions, and fun.

It's not to attract members, it's to repel the possible members they do not want. Also to mark their claim on the possible members they do want, even if those possible members don't agree.

It's still stupid, whatever the reason.

Exactly! Good thoughts!

Yea, they are not to attract people, but rather to show that they don't need to meet you or talk to you to know whether you fit their invite list or not. If you do, no need to talk because they already know you or know all about you, if you don't, why waste their time being polite to you? It might get your hopes up, lol.

Dance party, glitter party and piggyback party--they are rude and stupid, but they will continue until the national organizations, alums, Advisory Boards, and actives of these chapters drop the hammer and decide to, you know.....actually meet and greet and offer hospitality to all the PNMs.

Just wondering - are other colleges notorious for parties like this?

I was wondering if the dance party happened yesterday..and now we know. Some things just don't change no matter "who" is watching..ie Nationals. Is this a case of "any" publicity is "good" publicity?
Thet really don't care because even though their return rates are not perfect, the ones that they want to return do.

Well I'm not so much mad as just annoyed. This post was more for any crazy stalkers from Greekrank to know that I'm definitely not bothering myself by getting involved in THAT fight. Also for any GCers to know that I kindly request to not be quoted in the future. Of course I can't stop anybody who chooses to do so, but I hope y'all have better manners than to ignore my request.

I plan to contact the Panhellenic advisor next week and ask why this house is allowed to treat PNMs this way. It's rude.

If I was rushing, I'd automatically rank that house last (esp if I were a PNM checking out this site & knew what to look for). That's unnecessarily mean.

Sorry for my "poor manners" in quoting you.

Good grief. Grow up. Or at least focus on your own recruitment.

I'd be interested in hearing how that goes.

Ugh - so sorry to hear that! I hope she has a wonderful recruitment, in spite of dance party house.

Edited to avoid confusion.
I think there's a difference between quoting within the same message board, and what Ag_Sis is talking about. Am I the only other person here who does think that's rude? Even if it is the internet, at GreekChat we're *usually* a little more civil than the internet at-large. I thought Ag_Sis made a reasonable request in a rather polite way. I'd be pissed if a whole post of mine were lifted and posted on GR, too.

It won't. Everyone who knows ANYTHING about UT rush knows this happens. Panhel can't tell them how to go about choosing their members and undoubtedly Pi Phi headquarters is allowing it to happen because the chapter is strong and stable.

I'm surprised to hear there were members trying to hold conversations. Could they have girls on the bubble? Could they actually need to build a flex list but can't give up the tradition for fear it will appear they're slipping? hmmmmm.

Weird that they would try to talk to PNM's while the dance party is going on.

I hope you're not the only one who thinks this is rude. I sure do, anyway.
I agree. The request was reasonable and respectfully presented. If Ag_Sis had wanted her thoughts shared on that other site, she could have posted them herself. Nanners' decision to post AS's quote was presumptuous. And Nanners' response to AS's request was disrespectful and lacking in class.

Just, never mind, never mind, never mind.

I have a headache.

I am adding Obtuse much? to my lexicon.

Unfortunately UT PanHellenic has really tried to get this chapter to quit doing the dance party. They have met with alumna and active members as well as the chapter advisors. They simply don't care and as someone mentioned up thread, PanHellenic cannot tell them how they can or cannot choose their members.

I am certain that tent talk is rampant..whether good or bad.

Hopefully the majority of the PNM's realize that this is going to happen and list them last when choosing their preferences so they don't have to go back there and be subjected to the rudeness.
edited to add: I know tons of girls who have gone through recruitment and only 1 of them had to return there for the second round..she was clueless..but that's beside the point..I wonder if the girls who attend subsequent rounds are treated as rudely? I would think by the time they get to skit and definitely pref, they are nicer..

I was so proud of the pnm I had prepped for rush a few years ago who dropped THAT HOUSE after the dance party (yes, she had an invite for the next round).

I'd be interested in hearing how that goes.[/QUOTE]

Those groups will ignore what is said about them. Because it's Texas. And the women who go through the process at UT would rather pledge a local at Sam Houston State (if there was one) than poke the bears that are the Big 3.

They look you over at Roundup. They know before you ever hit Austin City Limits if you are going to be one of them.

OMG peeps, I'm on painkillers and i figured this out.

1. Agsis complained about a poster from Greek rank lifting a post from this site nd copying it to g rank.
2. Nan said she's sorry someone at gr did that but that's life.
3. Ag azks for no GCers to quote her. I'm assuming she means on GC.
4. Nan says that's kinda lame.(shes also assuming ag means on gc)
5. Everyone flips their zhit and thinks Nan is posting things from here all over the interweb.

I don't think any regular poster on this site would copy other people's posts from this site and put them on gr.

Now on another note.

I've come to the conclusion that UT should just get rid of formal rush and do informal rush to bid up to total. That way no one has to talk to anyone that they don't want to talk to. It would probably be a lot healthier for the rushees. Now if the person who is borderline anal about freshmen meeting all chapters is saying that, what does that tell you?

No, not at all. I took quoting as having her posts quoted within this thread/Greek chat. Not the other site.

^^^I was confused as well, so I edited my post, and I apologize for being confused. I am not going to type one more word today. I'm going to the pool.

Thank you! I'm really sorry it came off the other way.

I'm hoping this is tongue in cheek, because THIS would be the mother of all fluster clucks. Recruitment needs some reforming, but informal - and hey, why not informal deferred, while we're talking about ways to totally insure that the vast majority of girls don't get placed. It's only a few chapters that are the problem, and THEY are the ones who need reforming, not those who abide by the rules and get women who might not consider them without going through formal recruitment.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

They don't need to do informal, they just need to go to NO frills like the schools around me have done. Define what decorations, music, etc. are allowed. No glitter, no beverages or food besides plain water, no flowers, no music for a dance party. It's not that hard. It saves a ton of money. It seems like, from pics I've seen, a lot of these schools haven't cut the frills one tiny bit and they seem to be getting quite frilly again. It's ridiculous. No videos, no skits, just talk to these women and get to know them, period.

Preach it, Triad sister!

Belle, I'm proud of the young lady you mentored. Where did she pledge? My rec girl is going through rush there right now.

At my school it was pretty strict. We had skits and slide shows, but otherwise it was very no frills. The only flowers were our pink rose for decoration.

I'd like to be tongue in cheek, but then people say (and I know they're being honest and wish this wasn't, but is):

Perhaps I'm having a particularly cynical day, but when the most prestigious chapters are those with the most horrible behavior, and the rest of the Greek system hasn't run them out of town on a rail, I don't know how to fix that.

In all honesty, and this is just my observation, those 3 groups have their own recruitment "list" of maybe 200 + a few more pnms. Not all of them will make that "cut", but I'm not that far off. There is another group on campus that is strictly for one religious group and then there is everybody else. Most, if not all of the "other" chapters are well aware of this and not naive at all. They go along their way and pledge the best girls for their chapter leaving these "chosen ones" out of their mix unless they have information otherwise. It is a most impressive selection process for the "other" groups. I have to say kudos to them for working it.

I also edited my post! Sorry for the confusion.

Oh, I understood her reference to quoting was almost entirely in reference to lifting her quotes and putting them on the other site. I agree that that is highly uncool, whereas quoting within GreekChat is to be expected.

Woot - double post!
Belle - I think you pointed out on the "dream expansions" thread that Texas has a culture problem that needs to be addressed before expansion can be successful. As a total outsider looking in on this system purely through internet sources, it sounds like you hit the nail on the head regarding recruitment issues, too.

This, I think, is particularly problematic. The entire system (chapters and PNMs) continue to reward the bad behavior. No, not all chapters and PNMs, but enough of them to maintain the status quo.

After reading through some of the comments on GC, I read through the other site and I was amazed at the level of vitriol posted there, particularly in regards to who is participating in formal recruitment this year. I didn't even see just a couple of panhellenic posts to counter to the hate. Just, wow.

I've always wondered why Texas sorority membership hasn't "exploded" as many similar schools have recently (SEC schools, large state schools, etc...) I'm beginning to think it's because UT doesn't want bigger involvement in sororities. Idk, I'm sure their's a better answer. But then again I've always felt you can't "question" the way Texas does it, even on this site. Maybe that's just my perception though.

Maybe it's just that some members are embarrassed and are trying to the polite thing.

RE: UT recruitment . . .

http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2...kc1no1_500.png

100% accurate

My sources tell me that there is a National Rep for every house this year and the dance party happened..so there you go.

Not surprising.
If you have not lived in Texas, especially in one of the big cities and been involved with Alumnae Panhellenic in securing recs as I was for years, you wouldn't believe it.

It all starts with what summer camp you go to every year as a little kid, then when you're a junior in High School you make your way to Austin for Roundup, where sorority girls are coming up to ask your name and where you are from, what HS, etc. (this happened to my daughter, who did not want go to UT) and then you go to the Panhellenic rush forums in your hometown.
The professional portfolio photographs, the letters, recs. It's unbelievable.

I did this as an Alumnae Panhellenic volunteer all through the 90's and looking back on the experience I just have to laugh. All the other Texas schools were heavy on recs but it was not a cut and dried issue like the process in Austin.

One of the challenges is that these particular houses might have up to 100 legacies to their chapter going through rush. There is no way that they only take legacies. The emotional disaster some of the mothers suffer is frankly ridiculous. "OMG how will she EVER get into Junior League if she is not in so-and-so!" Moms who sort of figure out that their daughter may not be a fit for their house at UT will then send their girl to another school (discussed in another thread) where their GLO is not perhaps so strong so she can be a strong candidate for pledging. At least she is not relegated to **shudder** having to pledge some house that is not as special at UT as her house was...

Hey, I was super naïve and thought my GLO was just wonderful everywhere. Such is the thinking of an active! When my husband's corporate moves meant we lived in other parts of the country and I joined alumnae groups to meet people, it was an eye-opener. Other groups that were not all that strong at my Alma Mater were super strong in places like, well, Texas.

It all comes out in the wash, doesn't it? And you meet so many wonderful women from every group. I loved every minute of my Panhellenic experiences working with those ladies. That's why I like this site. We're all from different parts of the country and from different GLO's and I just enjoy the shared experiences.