This link has been big on fark.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4751618/

(from the link)
 

Then that would not be a sorority, dipshit. That would be the library club.

I will never understand why some people get so upset about test files - it's not cheating, it's to help you know how the professor tests. If the professor uses the same test year after year, that's his dumb fault.

Re: (from the link)
 

FAV GC QUOTE OF THE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Seriously though, I am going to reserve my severe critque until I actually have time to read the book. And since I highly doubt my library will have a copy, I will have to wait until it shows up on half.com.

But using websites for info, come on. Most college profs won't take info for papers unless the site it .edu or .gov...sometimes .org (depending on the org)
I highly doubt her sites were one of the above.

Its not just poor taste, it is poor research.

From the link above:

Because many of the myths turn out to be more than accurate, Robbins refuses to identify the university and the two sorori_ties to protect the identity of the four girls she shadows (who agreed to particpate in the book).

I'd be willing to bet any of you all the money I have (which, granted, isn't much) that the entire book is fiction. Are people really going to be so stupid as to fall for this crap?

I was thinking the same thing...

What I don't get is why on earth people would believe that thousands of intelligent women in this county would join sororities if these myths were true! True there might be girls that would join at any cost, but the vast majority of us would have had nothing to do with a sorority if there were things like she describes in her interview (MSNBC) (sorry haven't gotten a chance to read the book yet). We're just too smart for that!

Re: (from the link)
 

See, that just proves that we might actually be studying and care about our grades and that would blow the hell of ouf people's stereotypes that we're all dumb girls. Test/study files are a great resource; some professors give out old tests to study from, what's the difference?

If the professor is stupid enough to give the same etst year after year after year and not bother to collect the test papers then it's their own damn fault.

Like ISUKappa said, most professors aren't stupid enough to do that, and are more than happy to give out old tests to help students study from.

from the interview on the website:
She was disguised to the extent that the four girls she profiled wouldn't recognize her. Yeah, great ethics.

Nice.

:rolleyes:

I said it once before and I'll say it again...the lady is a crackpot!

She's the same woman who was on 60 minutes (if I am not mistaken) discussing secrte socities. Unfortunately she didn't provied the audience with any new information. Everything she said was stuff people already knew.
If you're going to be an investigative journalist, try investigating!

She's going to be on the Today Show in a few minutes.

I think it might be educational for you to define "everybody."

Unfortunately, there are a huge number of people who know nothing about the Greek System or (other) secret societies who are likely to believe everything she says.

If you're talking about "everybody" on GC -- or in a fraternity or sorority, I'll buy your comment. Otherwise, no.

If you're refering to me, I didn't say everybody...I said "People".

No, not "everybody" knows, but information was nothing new. There have been articles, shows, etc about secret societies before, and whether or not you are in one, if you had watch the television and read the paper or a book, then you would know that she didn't reveal anything secretive, or new about these societies.

DA, are you replying to Lady Pi Phi's comment that Robbins repeated everything known about secret societies? It's early and I am confused.

Valkyrie, I agree with you....if this was real life, it would be all over the internet that she was "undercover" at XYZ at Carnegie Mellon or whatever. Somebody at some point would say "holy isht, that's Muffy from XYZ!" That stuff just doesn't stay buried this well in this day & age. And I find it hard to believe that she could "disguise" herself so well that no one would recognize her, unless she had plastic surgery afterwards.

Why do I have the feeling this woman has a shrine to Janet Cooke in her bedroom?

Sorry, I did misquote.

However, my point remains. I think it's safe to say that MOST people know nothing about secret societies and will take this woman's comments as gospel. The Greek System is relatively small (single digit percentages) in a majority of colleges. If you look at some of the questions and comments even here on GC, you must realize that even Greeks themselves can be pretty uneducated on the system as a whole.

Sorry, the woman may well be a crackpot, but a lot of people are going to take her work at face value and believe every word of it.

I'm wondering if anyone who isn't Greek (or doesn't want to be Greek), which really is a majority of people, would even care about this book or want to buy it. I have the feeling that way more sorority women than independents are buying it and reading it.


Also, I just half-watched her Today show interview, and she was saying something like, "one of the positive things about sororities is humor, because sororities are really funny." That comment alone makes me discount anything else she has to say. :rolleyes:

I think what I was trying to say, was all she said in her interview on 60 Minutes was that, there were secret societies at Ivy League schools..oky so...people know that. Influential people were/are members..okay cool, people aren't surprised.
My point is, she didn't really reveal any information that looked like she actually did any research.

Apologies if this has already been posted, but does anyone think that Ms. Robbins wrote this book to get back at people for not letting her in to whatever organization (whether a GLO or a "secret society") she really wanted to be in?

I would say that about the Skull and Bones book (she was in Scroll & Key which is guess is Avis to S & B's Hertz), but as for this one, I think she's just swallowed too much feminazi rhetoric.

I just saw her blurb on the Today Show.. and wow.. if she thinks she can pass for 19, she's got something else coming. Most 19 yr olds I know don't look that.. old. Not that she's 80 or anything, but she does not look 19.

Once again, nothing new... just saying the same stuff over and over. It was so hard trying not to ":rolleyes:" the entire time..

:)

LOL! I just saw it too and I'm laughing and wondering how she could pass for college age and how she could claim that nobody can recognize her with that weird lazy eye thing she has going on -- WTF?!

It's amazing how the woman on the Today Show didn't even question this woman's mysterious sources. Give me a break. I can't even believe how much mindless fluff there is in the media today.

I think she could pass for 19...at least around here...she's only around 27...I'm 26 and ppl still think i'm 20

it all depends on the clothes and make-up.


Anyway, despite what all of you recommend, I bought the book and started reading it. I wish my library had it cuz it's not worth buying. I've only read the first 60 pgs so far, and browsed through the endnotes.

As far as independants reading it - i think so - maybe the younger crowd, since for the most part it reads just like a work of fiction - I don't feel like Vicki and Sabrina et al are real ppl - as in I don't connect with them as characters. My own sorority experience is extremely different than the one portrayed in this book. (which I expected)

She does cite Greekchat, twice at least. in particular the NPC quota thread...

I just saw the Today show spot and read the excerpt at the website... From the excerpt, it sounds nothing like my own sorority experience - granted, I'm from the west coast and I know every chapter/campus is different.

I am probably going to buy the book, and maybe have my lil' sis read it too, since she is a communications major and studies all kinds of interpersonal relationships.

p.s. I don't think that the author looks like she's 19...

Seriously, if you buy this book you are directly encouraging this woman to continue writing crap and passing it off as journalism. Why give her money? It's only going to make her rich and encourage her to write more stupid books like this. If you really want to read it, check it out from the library or wait until people are selling their used copies for $1.00 on half.com.

The more I think about it, the more she doesn't know what in the hell she's talking about -- on the Today Show, she mentioned that people rush at smaller schools and then tranfer to schools with huge greek systems so their sorority will "have to take them." That's not even true.

This thread is free publicity for her. This thread needs to just be allowed to sink to the bottom.

Incidentally, there are people selling copies of From Here To Fraternity on half.com for $100++!!!! That's nuts!! The book cost maybe $10 when it came out, and it's a cool book, but not that cool.

We did discuss people pledging at a smaller chapter for the purpose of getting into a larger chapter through the back door on here, and said it does happend, but we also said it's hardly a sure thing. I'm betting that also came from the 1984 rush book she cited.

Dang, valkyrie -- will you stop writing stuff that I agree with?? I mean it was one thing with the Adam guy over in CC Entertainment, but now this!!! :p There must be some snowballs in hell! :D

From the website:

This is truly sick -- first of all, nothing like being a dictator to your GROWN ADULT CHILD -- I mean 18 years of age is legal, right? If she wants to join a sorority, then she can do so without mommy dearest giving her permission.

Second - she supposedly interviewed at this mysterious school - so how the HELL does she "know" what national offices are concerned with? If she knew anything from this "fine" investigative "work" then she would know that all of our nationals are first and foremost a corporation, and that they are only as successful as their members. You treat your members right, and your company succeeds.

Third - again, she did no investigation or she would have been looking at all the changes to recruitment (again!) that NPC has brought to the table.

Fourth - who is she to bash consultants? I can guarantee that she has a manager who helped her get going. How is that any different? Yes, some women do seek the help of a consultant because they do want to join a sorority -- but heck, that would be like criticizing someone who pays a resume service to make their resume better.

This just pisses me off -- oops, I used a "bad" word -- guess my 10 years of being an Alpha Chi have served to give me trash mouth :rolleyes:

Sounds to me like *someone* didn't get a bid the first go round... no names of course because that would really compromise my underhanded sneaky lying "source" :rolleyes:

LOL!! ;)

I'm sure these are statistics and facts she didn't consider
 

As of 2003, there are:
3,612,176 initiated NPC members
80,366 new NPC members
2,908 NPC Undergraduate Chapters
32 New NPC Chapters/Colonies
4,678 NPC Alumnae Chapters
213 NPC Alumnae Panhellenics

Greeks contributed 375,513 hours of service, and raised funds in excess of $2.3 Million. Over $430,000 in scholarships and grants were awarded to Greek Members. Of 152 reporting college panhellenics, 62.5% reported GPA's at or above the all-women's average.

NPC continues to present educational workshops to promote alcohol awareness, hazing prevention, eating disorders and hosts leadership programs for sorority women. A new, values-based risk management program called "Something Of Value" has received high marks and accolades from campuses across North America. NPC continues to look at creating and partnering with groups in a continual effort to raise awaress of mental disease and tobacco addiction.

There are trouble makers. The system isn't perfect. But there's also a lot of good work being done here. And that should not be, and can not be ignored.

ditto to that!

on her "interview" with the Today Show, she said that she has recieved many hate emails from "people who haven't even read the book" and many "thank you" emails from sorority women who have read it.

Once again lady, so some creds!

She writes this book like all chapters are the same, that we all have 100+ people in them, that we all live in the house...

She has no idea.

My chapter is small. We have about 25 wonderful members. We have no house. There were no quotas, etc because there is only one sorority on my campus.

Grrrrrrrr....I'm going to stop typing before I say something unladylike.

Yeah, I'd love to see some of those "thank you" emails. I highly doubt they were sorority women, more like the same people who already are against the Greek system for "validating" their opinions.

And she used GC as a resource? Granted, yes we have some very knoweldgable men and women on here, but an Internet Message Board? That would not be seen as a viable resource in any research by a creditable writer.

I think she did a few too many of those drugs that were just laying around the chapter houses while she was doing her "research." You'd have to be smoking something pretty fierce to come up with some of the things she did.

She used GC as a resource? wow.. that's ... special.

lol @ the drugs comment

An excerpt at MSNBC
 

There's now an excerpt at:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4741466/

The rituals of Greek life have been portrayed by Hollywood from the classic movie “Animal House” to the more recently successful “Legally Blonde,” in which Reese Witherspoon plays the perfect sorority sister. However, how realistic is that portrayal of sisterhood? In her new book, “Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities,” Alexandra Robbins shares her insights into the clique-like atmosphere of sororities. She discusses the book on “Today.” Read an excerpt here:

My challenge, then, in writing "Pledged," was how to reconcile the unexpected discovery of a dark side to sorority life with the observation that many of the girls who participate in it and continue to join it in droves are “normal” girls, girls who are sweet, smart, successful, and kind both before and after they join.
— Alexandra Robbins

Oh, if I could only remember All Of He Excerpts!:p

Naked Pillow fights, Animal House being the main one!:cool:

All of tjhe things that she refered to sound like Grimms FairyTails!:D

She is to funny, and professes to have infiltrated Soroities?


Fiction at its Stephen King best.:rolleyes:

So, do the Soroiities do all of this stuff!:eek:

I may be old and slow, but I anint Stupid!;)

The Dark Side of Soroities!

God, give me a break!:eek:

I am impressed like # 10 sandpaper:rolleyes:

Is there anything that these "sorority members" do that "non-sorority members" do not? The last time I checked, most college students were over-sexed alcoholics who liked taking risks and showing up to class late and sharing old tests.

No kidding! These people think that independents never drink or use drugs -- never suffer with eating disorders (which is so incredibly common especially for freshmen dealing with being away from home, etc. -- not that it isn't sad, but its really nothing "new" or limited to sorority life!)

You should probably take this less personally. Its just a book. ITs not precisely an expose on white slavery or anything.

Journalism is a really broad based term ranging from the gossip rags and E Entertainment to serious rigorous reporting.

This probably falls somewhere in between.

I have to read the book, which I probably wouldn't have done if I hadn't read this thread . .. so kudos to the author or publicist that posted the first message.

Interestingly, if I am getting the gist of the book, the author could have written it entirely without leaving Greekchat.com.

Everything she is talking about has been discussed here at length with input from different chapters, schools and regions.

In fact she would have been foolish if she hasn't used Greek Source as a much larger reference source than she is claiming.

So I take my hat off to her for that. Being able to write and publish a novel almost solely from an internet site is Brilliant.

Oh, she looks really cute in her pic on msnbc.com . .. and thats a serious mitigating factor.

ETA: She could have asked me or just about anyone I know for an interview and we would have agreed to it. So lets not be too hard on the alleged participants.

IF your going to read it why not just check it out at the local library because why make her rich like valkyrie said only to fuel her 5 minutes of fame for this piece of trash book.


Also i would check with your HQ office before even thinking about emailing her or who ever it may be because they can use your emails and words and twist it to her own stance on it and tarnish your GLo rep...not wise to feed fuel to the fire on
this issue

You are overestimating how serious any sane HQ staffer would react to this . .. or me commenting as a free citizen.