Since I'm an IU student, I guess I could put my $0.02 into the picture. I'm also a newbie (ie finished recruitment this year), thus, I don't really want to step on any toes.

Basically, after being on campus for two years, living in is a HUGE deal at IU. A lot of the chapters do require sisters to live in for all four years, and even if you have a house that houses 80+ girls, you can only bring in the number of seniors you are losing. Also, there's really no land for new Greek housing at IU (minus a pretty tiny field next to Delts, and the field where the old SAE house used to be, but SAE owns that land. Sad, because a perfectly good house could be built there, but SAE and their <40 members still owns the land). Sigma Kappa used to have the Pi Kapps house, I think, but they closed almost 10 years ago.

In terms of recruitment, it's cutthroat, and if you don't go through as a freshman, things are pretty grim. I personally know sophomores that got into houses, but the vast majority of them were transfers or knew many members of a specific house.

Also, those of you that know anything about greek life at IU will recognize my chapter and put the pieces together. I really appreciate the things that are being said, and if anyone has any questions about the current state of the chapter, feel free to get in touch with me. If anything, our chapter is really a testament to what sisterhood is all about, and how gossip can truly hurt a chapter.

IUHoosiergirl88 You have an awesome pledge class and a wonderful national organization behind you. Every chapter has ups and downs... and right now you guys are in a slump- but no one can say that you aren't on the way out of it.

Dear IUHoosierGirl88:

I applaud you for joining Alpha Delta Pi at Indiana University. I joined the house back in '89 when it was housed in the dorms. Was it my first choice? Not by a long shot (because they didn't have a HOUSE back in the day!). However, as I went through rush (and admittedly got cut by house after house, ha, at that time the only houses that I knew I WOULD never join were AOPi [at the time, anyway, I've heard they have started a new chapter and have a different rep now] and Sigma Kappa so I got to cut them, the rest I was cut from eventually down the line) I noticed that I thoroughly enjoyed my rush experience with ADPi. Fun fun girls. So I decided to join. Yes, we were housed in a dorm. Yes, we had biases against us. But yes we had such a blast with super-cool chicks and awesome fun frat pairs, and I haven't regretted it for a moment ever. To hear that now that we finally got a house and it's in peril, whereas other houses that were on par with us back in the day (Alpha Xi Delta and Alpha Omicron Pi) are thriving apparently is so upsetting to me (not that it's upsetting that those other chapters are thriving, good on them, but I just wonder why it's only ADPi that's bringing up the rear). We have all worked too hard to get a house in the first place to have this house go to naught, and I'm so glad that people like you are standing up for ADPi at IU. Way to go and keep it up!!! :-)

QFP

I can't even begin to imagine the resentment a 50% bid rate causes among thoes who are cut. A campus full of greek haters.

You pledged ADPi 20 years ago? Crikey... :rolleyes:

Oh trust me, you can't even begin to imagine...

You're absolutely right. My non-Greek friends at Purdue have no problem with my being in a sorority. I've never heard a peep out of them as far as negative comments go. IU is a different story. I've heard all kinds of negative comments there towards Greek Life, and I can only assume it's because they are bitter. If I was in their situation, I suppose I would be too! As I said before, my sister is going through rush at IU and though I'm nervous for her, I'm even more scared for my friend who is transferring in as a sophomore. She knows a few people in sororities, and is coming in with recommendations, but from what I've heard, the news is just not good for sophomores @ IU. IUgreekgirl, is this true? Any advice?

This thread talks about recruitment as a soph at IU:

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showth...t=IU+sophomore

IU recruitment is tough for sophomores, with some heavy cuts early on. I have heard of sophomores getting bids, but it's not the norm I don't think.

Thanks for the links, KSUviolet! It seems like IU is pretty much what I've heard it was - super competitive. Sounds like keeping an open mind is a good idea. My sister assumes that girls she's lost touch with or wasn't friends with in high school that are in sororities now at IU will cut her automatically from their chapters, so she has been ignoring offers from family friends to write her recs. Maybe some of this advice on here will show her the light! All I can say is that I'm glad it's not me rushing @ IU! It sounds like quite the emotional rollercoaster. =/

I can't even quote that post because reading it makes me kind of ill. Talk about backhanded compliments.

And some of those haters would probably have gotten into a sorority if they'd been realistic and kept their options open and maybe looked at something other than the "top 3" groups. Congratulations on being Queen of Everything at Tiny Town High, but it doesn't mean dick when you get to college, particularly someplace huge like IU. You have to start over again and no one cares that your dad is rich, that your brother was the quarterback, or that you were Jubilee Queen when you were 15. You have to stand or fall on your own merits.

Sorry I've been MIA for so long.
There are three girls in my pledge class who were sophomores when we got bids. It isn't impossible at all. But with so many girls rushing, the year you are in school is an easy reason to be cut.

Tell your friend to for sure rush. But as with all PNMs- one of the best pieces of advice overall is to not ever get set on a certain house, or to get set on being Greek at all. Plus IU has so much going on all the time that you can still have a rewarding college experience as a GDI.

This member of Sigma Kappa thanks you for not joining us & gracing us with your presence.