I love when people use the word "gaggle." LOL!

So maybe it does, but that same media doesn't understand that 1600 PNMs can't all have the same bid. It's a fact of life that you will be cut and that Suzy Badattitude may actually not get a bid at all. Recruitment isn't perfect, but if you asked the 87% of women who got their first choice on bid day, 99.9% of them are going to be ecstatically happy and not give a crap about what their first choice might have been on day 1 or 2 or even 3. The girls at these schools that HAVE to be in THE sorority are the same 12% that drop out when they get cut from the chapters that they are interested in. Maybe they could do a little better job of warning PNMs about the heavy cuts, but from what PNMs report, this is explained pretty well at the beginning of recruitment. Some PNMs, though, only want to hear what they want to hear.

Has anyone said University of Tennessee yet? I'll add them to the list!

When it comes to rush, I think people hear what they want to hear until something particularly happens to them, and then they often want to believe that what happened to them is unprecedented. So we get PNMs who want to believe that even though there have been heavy early releases for years that their recruitment counselors warned them about, that this year the computers messed up and the cuts were even worse.

And they are 18 years old, so I don't know that I have a big problem with it, but what I do sort of take issue with is finding fault with greek systems for the intensity of their recruitment when they do almost everything they really can to make it generate a bid for everyone.

If a system matches more than 90% of the girls who stay in recruitment with the options they have left, I think panhellenic is doing about all it can. Sure, it would be more accurate to say "X% are matched to the the first ranked of the houses they have left after the last round." But I really doubt that it will change anything about the experience of rushing.

ETA: the issues that do bug me about panhellenic are the misleading info they give out that ends up hurting the least in the loop, like when they give the party line on recommendations at campuses where recs are expects. We at GC all know, yes, officially the group will find you one if they want you and have to have one, but if you are an unknown PNM at Alabama, you need get your own recs sent.

[QUOTE=We at GC all know, yes, officially the group will find you one if they want you and have to have one, but if you are an unknown PNM at Alabama, you need get your own recs sent.[/QUOTE]

Ok, this is a bit off topic, but when I rushed this statement confused me...so are they basically saying that if you didn't have a rec, they would find someone to write one for you? Because if so, I feel it would defeat the purpose of the rec, cause that person really doesn't know you...please someone explain!

What it means is:

1) You must have a rec at Alabama

2) It's best that you get them yourself because of the sheer volume of women going thru and the fact that many of them send in 2 forms per house - or more! And the very compressed time frame during recruitment doesn't allow much leeway.

3) IF they REALLY want you, it is POSSIBLE for the group to locate someone to do a rec for you (I get calls from schools for recs from my town because they know I've done them before but it's really difficult when they call and say we love her and need something in an hour!)

4) But it's best to not put yourself in that position because the odds of them wanting you badly enough to go to that trouble during recruitment week are pretty slim

On this highly Rec oriented and competitive campus, the following is what I've witnessed.

PNM A has good grades, resume, etc, but does not have a Rec. While the actives like her well enough, there are plenty of other PNMs they like just as much who have just as good grades, resume, etc. and already have a Rec.

PNM B also has good grades, resume and doesn't have a Rec. Some of the actives fall madly in love with her. "OMG, this girl is my Rush Crush! I want to be her big sister! She's like the BFF I never knew I was missing!" The actives start scrambling to find an alumna willing to write her a Rec. (While this does happen, it is not the norm and no PNM should count on it being the case for her.)

I hope the following isn't too far from the actual situation:
From what I've heard and read about recruitment at Alabama -- and campuses with similar kinds of recruitment -- I get the strong impression that one of the reasons that "the odds of them wanting you badly enough to go to that trouble during recruitment week are pretty slim" is that :

if you don't have a rec at the start, there's a higher probablity that you'll be cut after the open house round or the first invitational round; sororities that are required to cut large or enormous numbers of PNMs very often start cutting by grades and/or lack of recs (and/or, as always, "reputation").

So, frankly, many sororities may not really have the time to get to know and luuuuuuvvv someone without a rec -- she'll be cut early because they have to start cutting somewhere.

Yeah, pretty much. Although hopefully a pre-freshman girl doesn't have a "reputation" at the college already. If she does, it's probably a negative one.

What I was confused about, was why they would have someone write you a rec KNOWING that person doesn't KNOW you, and therefore the rec basically has no validity...

But are you all essentially saying that the rec is need because a PNM gets points based off different aspects she brings to the table such as grades, high school activities, etc, and that she also gets points from having a rec, therefore they get an alum to write a rec, not for the alum's actual perspective about the PNM, but instead because it will give her needed points to compete with other PNMs that have all the other stuff and recs? Is this the basic concept?

No one is saying that they can't find someone who knows her. What they are saying is that when the girl did not make arrangements for the rec, the chapter has to call their contacts in the girl's hometown who will find someone who knows her. This takes time...and time is something that chapters usually don't have much of. So not having one can get you released up front as they are required to release a certain number. Unfortunately, when there are 1500 women signed up for recruitment, it can be a numbers game. And you don't want to be just a number...and a rec is what allows you to stand out.

Recommendations
 

Thank you!!!---The last few conversations, give me the actual words to use when I speak to the gathering (200+) of mothers and potential new members at our Panhellenic Recruitment Night each year. (not that I haven't said the same thing for the past several years, but it's always great to try to quote what other sorority advisors/gifted awareness greek women preach). Another way to enlighten mothers/aunts/sisters who 'think' they KNOW recruitment NOW in the 2010 year!

Ok, I still don't think you are understanding what I am saying, because there is no way every chapter can guarantee they can find someone, because there is no sure way to say that they know someone in your hometown who is apart of that sorority and who knows the girl, therefore Im still confused as to why it becomes the chapter's responsibility to find someone a rec.

And whenever I read about recs, it's says that it is indeed the chapter's responsibility to find someone a rec, and that just seems like a lot to put onto a chapter, when it isn't their job to find someone who knows you so you can be in their sorority. Im sorry but this just confuses me lol

Ah, now I see your problem! i don't know about KKG, but many group do not require the signer of the rec to actually know the young woman....only that she know someone, whom she trusts, to vouch for the woman. And there is a network set up to handle this. In my group it's called the City Sponsorship Chairman or the State Sponsorship Chairman. This person has agreed to find information on all the young women in her area going to any college where we have a chapter. And usually she will have people in each high school's area she uses for the information. So it's a formal network that is set up to do this and the chapter just contacts that woman (CSC or SSC) and turns it over to her to locate the information thru her contacts - members or not.

As an example, I have provided rec information to other groups for young women I know. In fact, just this fall the daughter of a friend went to a college where we don't have a chapter but where I know the chapter adviser for one of the groups which are on that campus. It's a great chapter and my friend who is the adviser is a wonderful mentor to her women. I really wanted this young woman in a chapter where she would be well looked after. So I contacted my friend and said "You need this woman! She goes to XYz High School. Who does your recs for that school?" And so, we secured the rec and the she ended up pledging that group. It's also worked the other way where my friends have called me because they know I do the forms for certain HS's here and/or have lots of contacts (I was the city chairman for my group for 14 years so I know lots of people).

So it's not required that the alumna actually know the young woman...she just has to find someone else who knows her and who is capable of giving objective information on her. I rarely personally know the women I sponsor. I've probably signed 1000's over the years. But I know someone who knows her...and that's good enough because I only ask people I trust!

it is politically correct to state that "it is the sorority's responsibility to secure a recommendation for any pnm who does not have one," and comes from the NPC rules of recruitment. it is not real life-in most cases.