I believe in treating our legacies with respect and accord, out of consideration for their mother, sister or grandmother. It can be complicated when the number of legacies coming through outnumber the size of a chapter's new member class!

And it is true that the non-legacy chapters can immediately dismiss a legacy without giving her a chance to try out her legacy sorority or the others at all. I have also known some legacies who to this day wonder if they only got a bid because of their status-- making them very insecure in their membership!

Those challenges aside, I believe the legacy policy is important and should continue as it is.

If I have a daughter who someday wants to explore Greek Life, my greatest wish is for her to find the happiness I have found-- in the sorority that is best for her! It would be a wonderful experience to share ADPi together, but not a deal-breaker in her persuit of sorority membership.

I personally feel that many legacies are pressured in joining houses based upon their parents or siblings. I know it is cool, but many people feel forced rather than chose it on their own free will. One guy in our chapter was forced to be a TKE by his older brother and that guy causes the most problems socially and ritually. I feel that legacies should be given the same treatment as non-legacies rushees, because they might not be the best for the house and honestly, the brotherhood is more important then taking a legacy

I think it would be one of the most special days in both of our lives if my daughter is Initiated into Alpha Gamma Delta someday. I really hope that she wants to at that point. She sees my involvement and thinks it's pretty special. If she did choose to remain a GDI or accepted a bid from another sorority, I would be disappointed. I have to be honest about that. I'd get over it though and would be glad that she found a place to call home.

Ladygreek-
No, Omega does not have an official "Legacy policy" to my knowledge. Back in the '80s there was a push to get more legacies to pledge. The Fraternity encouraged brothers to encourage sons to pledge. The reason: as I stated earlier in my previous post, the rationale was that legacies understood most by the example they received in their home from fathers what the Fraternity was really all about and thus would be better candidates than total outsiders. But this emphasis has ebbed away. But in reality,legacies do make up a substantial percentage of Omega neophytes. Not necesarily the father-son variety but those that encompass brothers, uncles, cousins, and very dear teachers and mentors, ministers,etc.

To the other respondants-
If you believe in the movement which your fraternity represnts why wouldn't you want your child to share that. Should you force them through guilt, cajoling or various kinds of pressure to do so. Of course not!!!! But the testimony I continually hear from neophytes is that some Omega man, be he father, brother, uncle, cousin, minister, teacher so impressed them that they want to follow in their footsteps. If anything those who have been drawn thusly typically exhibit a cetain reticence about becoming an Omega because of the seriousness of this which has been impressed upon them.

I wouldn't force my daughter to be a Phi Mu... I wouldn't make her feel bad if she didn't either.
I know of too many stories where it was so hard on the PNM if they were a legacy and wanted to go somewhere else...
It was really hard on one of my classmates--her sister was a member in one of the sororities (an active member) while her mother was a member of another sorority(all on the same campus). there were lots of tears, and it was hard on everyone when the girl joined the sorority her mom was in. It worked out though, because she would have not fit into the other sorority.

So what would level the field for legacies? I mean, they get the leg up (so to speak) in their legacy chapter, but may be punished on some campuses for their legacy status because the assumption is made that they will pledge/be pinned by their legacy org. What about not disclosing legacy status to any chapter except the legacy one? Or would this be hard to do...I don't know, I just think it would be a shame for a girl to get cut from every house just because of the chapter her mom pledged.

That is to true.

A Legacy dosnt make a Member.

Each Child of a legacy has to find the right place for them to be. Period.

Right or wrong, if they find the right place, then it is all good.:)

Let Them find Their Niche of Greek Life.:cool:

i know many sororites have the PNM mother contact the organization and let them know their daughter is going though rush. Fraternities are kind of the same way, I know our house, the Alumni usually brings his son down to might us, or the active member lets everyone know about his brother. Sometimes, it is hard for us to say, " He should go though the same bidding process as every other guys" B/C one guy one year just told us his brother was rushing, and many people were mad. He shoul have gotten a chance to look at the house. Sometimes, being a legacy is good. My friends lil sis is a triple Legacy of Tri Delta and she was one of the most hardcore girls they got.

At my school, each chapter only knows legacies that are their own. For example, I would know if a girl was an ADPi legacy, but I would have no way of knowing if she was an AGD legacy.

Is this a new rule? Because that's not how it was when I was there.

I've just never known it any other way...maybe it's just my chapter. The only person who knew was the formal recruitment chair.

I think that's just your chapter then. Legacy information is listed on rush applications and we all got to take a look at those so we saw who was a legacy to what chapter.

That makes sense. My best friend was our FRC last year, so I helped her make little info cards on each girl. We only listed the legacy info for ADPi legacies.

That's all that most of the posters in this thread are trying to say. I don't recall anyone saying they wouldn't want their son or daughter to follow their footsteps.

my little brother pledged frat.

pretty safe bet that i was the first in my family.