You're right on target, IvySpice! C'mon, breathesgelatin!

Heheh guys... I have been soooo busy having fun with our new pledges that I haven't had much time to hang out on GC lately! Plus going through some boyfriend drama, but I think that's getting better now. So here are the numbers for all the GLOs on campus and the number up or down from last year:

Sororities:
Pi Beta Phi 27
Kappa Kappa Gamma 38
Kappa Alpha Theta 38
Kappa Delta 37
Chi Omega 36

Fraternities:
Phi Gamma Delta 25 (whoa!! congrats to FIJI!)
Sigma Alpha Epsilon 18
Chi Psi 14
Pi Kappa Phi 17
Beta Theta Pi 17
Sigma Phi Epsilon 14
Kappa Sigma 15
Lambda Chi Alpha 14
Phi Delta Theta 18
Sigma Chi 11
Phi Kappa Psi 4
Sigma Nu 4
Phi Kappa Sigma 10
Kappa Alpha 10 (it's the Alpha chapter)
Pi Kappa Alpha 10 (all confirmed cuties, they were over at my boyfriend's house yesterday. Go Pike!)

So we're all super excited about our pledges as you can imagine.

Now, for the glue sniffer story:

We were making little stuffed angels on philanthropy night and using this high powered fabric glue. Well, one of the PNMs made a comment about how good the glue smelled. I was like "hmmm" but I knew her from class so I racked it up to nervousness. She wasn't really talking well, she was nervous, so we checked out our lattices w/ photos of our philanthropy events and such. When we got back to our table she was like "I just love the smell of this glue". I was beginning to get a little weirded out. But then a few minutes later she picks up her angel and takes a HUGE WHIFF and is like "I LOVE this glue" and I got pretty freaked out. Luckily I started telling some story about paint pens, but it was so bizarre. hehe.

Hehehehe......I can't help but giggle when I hear the "glue girl" story! :D

Congratulations again to you and your Phi Phi sisters! It sounds like W&L's recruitment went well for everyone, that's terrific!! Keep it going!

Bumping.

I know a young lady who just received a Johnson Scholarship- full ride, merit based scholarship to Washington & Lee and is accepting it. She's very interested in recruitment there and has a mom who is an NPC (not one at W&L). She's from out of state, and not a southern state so isn't as familiar with the whole southern recruitment thing.

Any hints, tips, etc.? They still have deferred recruitment? When should recs be in for deferred?

Congratulations to your friend. My understanding is at W&L references are appreciated but not required. I know we send about 7 references a year from Dallas to W&L but it is my understanding that expectations vary from region to region. If they get a lady going through from say Dallas or Houston, 2 areas I'm familiar with, and they don't get a bells and whistles reference, they are suspicious as to why they don't have it. However, another young lady from "off" or "from the North" as we say down here may get a pass because where she comes from it is not the norm. Someone from W&L has much more knowledge than me but that is what I have heard from our members. I guess what I am trying to say is they are much more open to women without references than some schools but it is not a bad idea.

Congrats are definitely in order! The Johnson is awarded to the cream of the crop of a very accomplished applicant pool.

Recruitment recs are encouraged and can come in during the fall. Of course if they arrive in the summer, the actives will be able to know a PNM better. The freshmen (VERY few upperclassmen pledge) are invited on rush dates throughout fall term by the NPC actives. Everyone is supposed to pay for themselves on these dates and it is supposed to be at least 2 on 2.

W&L is about 80% greek. 5 of the 6 NPC groups (Kappa, Theta, Pi Phi, KD and Chi O) have had houses since the late 90s. ADPi came aboard in 2009ish and their house is being built right now. Despite W&L being a small LAC (1800 students, about 50/50 M/F ) the Panhel groups are large (usually over 100 after rush is over).

Honestly, it's going to vary by chapter at W&L I expect, too. In my chapter, we typically got references for a large number of girls from the larger Texas cities - but by no means all of the girls from large Texas cities had references, either. My chapter... well, I don't want to say we didn't care, but a girl having a reference didn't matter a ton to us one way or the other. We would NOT have been suspicious of a southern woman who didn't have a reference. I'd venture that for some chapters it could possibly be more important. But keep in mind that so many girls come from the north and from rural areas and from all over the country, really - most girls don't have references. Only a small number do. Large numbers of people go to W&L and go Greek who have no family history or relationship to Greek life before they get to W&L. Yet 75% of women go Greek.

That said, I graduated in 2005 and the last time I was involved with my chapter's rush was 2006. But if anything, with the Johnson scholarships, the population of W&L has only gotten more diverse/less likely to have references IMO.

Perhaps I've said too much; I've been away from GC for so long. But that's my honest to goodness take.

Great to have you back, breathesgelatin!

I can't promise I'll be around a ton - I have been feeling guilty about my absence though! :)

Welcome back! I met a dad of an active from your chapter yesterday! :)

We've missed you! Glad to see you back!

Hiiiii!!! :D