That was smart! Grab any ole human off the street and tell him what to write about you!

:eek: How fortunate for the AOII chapter and others that they had this information on that PNM because you and your daughter had taken the opportunity to not recommend her for membership. How awful for the sister in the sorority who was assaulted.

... making recs absolutely useless now. They were iffy already. :(

Feeling cute, might write a rec for someone's daughter later, idk :cool:

:D:D:D:D:D I am OUT of the rec business!

From what I've heard, Alpha Gamma Delta has joined the list of "anyone breathing can recommend."
Let's see, that makes AGD, APhi, KAT, GPhiB for "any warm body" and PM for "destroyed." I feel like I left somebody out.

Pi Phi=destroyed.

Obviously, nobody can give information about membership selection (and I'm not even privy to that information anymore since I retired from volunteering), but just because anybody can write a rec doesn't mean all recs are assessed equally. Since anybody can do a rec for a PNM for Alpha Gamma Delta now, anybody can view what information is included in a rec. We call it a recruitment information form, not a recommendation (and that's been true as long as I've been a member). It's just data- name, basic info, transcripts, resume info.

I know recs are a big deal in the SEC. MOST schools in my area have no idea what to do with one when/if they get one. I think that's true for most schools in the country. They are extremely rare and were usually used only for legacies up here in the Great Lakes area. The one exception would be Indiana. Even where they are used, all the same information is on the transcript and resume that they have to submit for recruitment. They get into college based on recommendation letters that could have been written by anybody. Sure, there are anecdotes about particular instances where a 'no rec' was done and it was a good thing, but there are a gazillion instances where a member has to be suspended because of her behavior even though she had a glowing rec from some alumna who may or may not have even met her.

Maybe not the popular opinion here, but probably the realistic opinion up north.

It's glaringly obvious when you get a rec from someone who doesn't know the candidate.
Check your Constitution or bylaws, wherever you have the rules for who is a candidate for membership and the process for joining. More than likely you'll find a requirement in there a girl is supposed to have a rec in hand before you issue a bid.
When I've worked with chapters that don't use recs, that little requirement has, in the distant past, been conveniently ignored and dropped out of use.
Used correctly, a recommendation can be a huge help in giving a chapter a preview of a candidate's personality and character. That insight, coupled with in-person meeting, helps the chapter determine if the candidate is a fit or not.
Otherwise, it's just checking off a box and a bunch of busywork.
In addition to helping the chapter, it involves the alumnae and makes them feel like their input is valued. That's really nice when you want to be involved but don't live close enough to a chapter or campus to help.
I've always thought the most valuable recs aren't the ones lauding the merits of a great student. The most valuable are those warning of a disaster ahead!

Originally, PNMs were never supposed to get their own recs....that's the responsibility of the chapter.
But with 2200 PNMs, you'd have to have all chapter members working full-time all summer to get recs on everyone. You just about HAVE to encourage PNMs to find their own.
Maybe when the numbers coming through drop, things will settle down a bit.

For real, on both counts.

See, here's what fries my mind:

If Pi Phi was looking for a handy way to drop the problem of having more legacies than spots in new member classes, the way to do that and manage to infuriate loyal alums was to drop all legacy privileges, then claim they were doing it in the name of diversity. Virtue signaling at its worst--loads of money and alum support were lost, plus diversity is likely to go down as chapters won't want to pledge women whom they know nothing about.

If they were hoping to solve the problem of recruitment committees having to read hundreds of recs by announcing that all recs were out the window but claiming it was "so that they could increase diversity", they blew it again. I actually had some idiot tell me that the idea was that no one would know any woman at all until she walked through the door on the first day. :rolleyes: Chapters are now doing their best to find out the tea on PNMs by phone and email, and who can blame them? I have had several calls from chapters already about local PNMs.

This has been a massive fail, both putting a much heavier workload on chapters and offending alums, often the ones who have been their biggest financial supporters. Good luck in keeping the big McMansions in repair.

Let's not forget that the dedicated alumnae who aren't completely turned off by the state of affairs will most probably STILL send letters of recommendation.

Secretly!

If I am understanding this correctly, Alpha Delta Pi is still accepting recommendations. The form can be found online, or a personal letter about a PNM is permitted.

There are changes in legacy policies, what with the sheer numbers going through recruitment, but most fall under "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you" spectrum. OF COURSE, ADPi is still thrilled with recruiting Legacy PNMs!

Hi there. My daughter needs a rec. She will be going into first grade next year and will be in the gifted program. She wants to be a veterinarian some day. ;)

Give me a call when she's a senior in high school!

Texas A&M Sororities
 

I am speaking to a group of A&M pnms, and want to be sure I have the correct information regarding recommendations. Going to websites, this is what I have found (please correct me if I am wrong):
Alpha Chi Omega – recommendations from alumnae
Alpha Delta Pi – recommendations from alumnae
Alpha Epsilon Phi (does not participate in formal recruitment)
Alpha Omicron Pi – recommendations from actives and alumnae.
Chi Omega - recommendations from alumnae.
Delta Delta Delta - recommendations from alumnae.
Delta Gamma - recommendations from alumnae.
Delta Zeta - recommendations from actives and alumnae.
Gamma Phi Beta – anyone may write a recommendation; alumnae may recommend.
Kappa Alpha Theta - anyone may write a recommendation; alumnae may recommend.
Kappa Delta - recommendations from actives and alumnae.
Kappa Kappa Gamma – recommendations from actives and alumnae.
Pi Beta Phi – recommendations from alumnae. May change after convention.
Zeta Tau Alpha – recommendations from alumnae.

The early bird gets the worm! I can't wait till the 12th hour and expect her to get in to a top tier chapter! ;)

How about the rest of the NPC? Phi Mu, SK, DPhiE, AGD, APhi, etc??

They are not at Texas A & M.
One of their moms is an Alpha Phi, and it's KILLING her!

DOH!! I missed the A&M presentation part! :o:o:o

I'll write her a rec for Gamma Phi Beta! Though, I guess, so could you.

"Nadia's dad posts funny things on Greek Chat. In addition, I met him once in person and while he likes the Raiders he has no arrests."

Unless I personally know the PNM, I am no longer writing recs. I'm just sending out the link to the PNM introduction letter...

I am still writing them...of course over the last 5 years or so, I seem to write less and less. But I think they are still important. Bigger chapters need them! There is no way for a chapter with 400 members to get to know 1500+PNMs! So Recs are necessary!

I *believe* Delta Gamma will take them from alumnae *or* collegians.

Delta Gamma will take them from members...alumnae or collegiate.

UGH - why won't it let me edit my post?!

I think the edit button is only good for a few hours.

Delta Gamma - know at one time my chapter would take them from collegians NOT from their chapter. But that wasn't a Fraternity-wide policy.

A while back we did a limited study on women with 4.0 GPAs out of high school comparing with women with Median ACT scores at that institution. Some of the women who had very good GPA in high school, but modest to lower ACT scores were found to be the ones who struggled staring in college.

We found some correlation that this was more likely to happen to women from private schools but it was not statistically conclusive.

Our conclusions had to do with that women who had taken the time to prepare and study for entrance exams were more likely to be prepared or have study skills needed to make the transition to college. The best way to deal with this was to give everyone study skills information and time management recommendations at the beginning of the school year.

WOW, HQWest, that is the kind of diagnostic analysis that I geek out over. I'm glad the data was used to identify an area where women would benefit from support, and then support was provided for a stronger experience both as a student and as a member.

A very good explanation for this is grade inflation, including situations where teachers are forced to inflate grades. It has happened to almost every long-time teacher I know.

Add Sigma Sigma Sigma to the list of sororities accepting recs from any living soul.

I see by the television news people with a lot of time on their hands are continuing to program robots for just about any/every job and activity. Who's up for programming multiple, hard-working 24/7 robots to write Sorority Recs for PNMs in need?

Is there any NPC group currently in violation of the bolded above?

Hard to say it's in violation if it's not in their Constitution or bylaws.

At the risk of being redundant, if anyone can recommend any PNM for any sorority, doesn't that negate the whole concept? What's to stop Nancy Nu from writing dishonest recs for all of the local PNMs to all but her sorority?

AMEN!!! Recs are just about meaningless at this point. Why waste the time if anyone, non-alumnae, non-Greek, man, etc, can write a rec?