I watched the show last night with one of my sisters....we did not understand how the rush system worked there....Boys at a rush party? Talking about PNM at the party? We can not even talk about boys durring recruitment parties, and why were all the girls just showing up when they wanted to....was this informal rush b/c our girls must show up and meet with their RC before and go to each house...i guess UC Davis is a lot different than a small private school in Oklahoma...did anyone else feel this way?

It's not weird at all. At some campuses where there are little or no NPC organizations, recruitment is not structured and formal like yours.

On my campus, each sorority conducts their recruitment individually and there's no such thing as Recruitment Counselors! It's totally different from how Recruitment is in the mainland, but it works for us!

But still...men at a Recruitment event and discussing info about PNMs are still no-nos.

I don't know, everyone. I just have such mixed feelings about the show. You know, I start my graduate assistantship in Greek Life the week after next, and I know we are going to get lots of calls from PNM and parent's.

Here's some thoughts...

1) Did you all watch Road Rules beforehand? They had a teaser for Sorority Life during RR, and the teaser reads, "Life's a bitch and we have a whole house full of them." Gee, isn't that nice. I thought that was a bit crass.

2) Not sure how I feel about the whole Jewish selectivity thing. I guess what I fear would happen is that traditionally Jewish sororities across the nation would feel some backlash as being pegged for not admitting non-Jewish women. Who was it that had a great thread on here about Jewish chapter history and demographic make-up of those historically Jewish chapters.

3) What is the deal with all of the archaic terms...i.e., Pledge Master, Rush, Pledgeship?

4) Why wasn't there a big sisterhood fling when the bids were passed out?

5) This kills me....for those of you who have been on the other side of recruitment, you know this happens...but why on TV? Ok, when the recruitment parties are over for the day, we all go into our chapter rooms and vote on the PNM's. We get into some heated discussions on a few women where we have a conflict of interest. BUT, what goes on in the chapter room, stays in the chapter room. What I am trying to say is WHY on earth would they allow MTV to air the selection process? It is true that there are women that are extended bids from chapters where there was a member who didn't want them in the chapter. But, the PNM is never to know that or know who. So, these poor girls are going to know exactly who wanted them in and who didn't. I don't want to know if there was someone who didn't want me in the house. And, that's just how we keep it.

I guess I am just frustrated because for the 99.9% of us out here, we know that this isn't exactly representative of how it's like. It definitely wasn't a horrible depiction of the women. But, the PNM's watching the show are going to think this is how it is everywhere. They don't know it's different on other campuses and other chapters.

So, I guess I'm sure that many PNM's could get nervous when they realize that formal recruitment at many campuses is more structured and somewhat of a cattleherd method.

Again, I have mixed feelings...but overall, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's just like Real World. You pick 6 strangers to live in a house that's been MTVized. Gee, they've got the minority, they threw out the religion card, they have the girl who transferred and doesn't know anyone, the girl who is different because she's so smart and younger than the rest, and supposedly they'll have to kick someone out of the chapter.....Gee, I wonder who the token lesbian is going to be?

***sigh***
 

I don't like to state the obvious, but here goes:

The reason girls showed up to a meeting of a Jewish-interest sorority who have no interest in or clue about Judaism is because MTV is filming the sorority. Got it? Good. Don't make me repeat myself. ;)

Please also keep in mind that Sigma AEPi is NOT a member of NPC...therefore they do not have to follow the rush rules, terminology or anything else set down by the NPC and its member groups. The same would apply if a chapter of a service/social, professional/social or NPHC group was being filmed.

Presently they are associate members of UC Davis's Panhellenic, but if they become full members I would assume they will have to follow the same rules as the other groups in the campus Panhellenic with regard to rush and such.

Thank you so much 33girl for beating me to the punch. You saved me from typing out the exact same thing. :D

I have a strong feeling you're probably going to have to repeat yourself though.

I'm curious to check out this "documentary". Do any of the Canadian GCer's know if it is or will be airing on MTV Canada.

Not so good
 

I was actually kind of annoyed by the show. When I saw the previews I was really excited because I thought it would be sort of familiar to me...even the name was unfamiliar...at first that it was all staged.. Granted they are a small school and our rush is a more formal process..I thought that most schools followed the same NPC guidelines? Then I was upset that they were judging the religious backgroud of the girls...this is suppossed to be an open recruitment...isn't that grounds for a lawsuit? Good thing they didn't reject a PNM on those grounds

I also didnt think it was fair when the Sigma mentioned that it wasn't good that her sister was intimidated by the PNM's...maybe because they were dressed up, or the way that they didnt look like the rest of the sisters...I thought that in a sense was superficial...don't we strive for beautiful PNMs both inside as well as out.

Maybe I was just too pumped for the show and it was nothing that I expected...my own fault...but I think that next time...they should try the show at a larger school...maybe with a more well-known sorority...then again, rituals are suppossed to be kept among the members and I could see the NPC having problems with their sororities being on tv...I wonder if the initiation will be televised???

I also would like to hear what other sororities from Davis think about this show...in some ways...it may give them a bad rep.

Re: Not so good
 

Re: Re: Not so good
 

I'm pretty sure UFTridelt meant that the potential new members were being judged unfairly for being pretty, not that SAEPi didn't want to bid less pretty girls.

Sorry that you took beautiful the wrong way...beautiful inside and out.....(to me) isnt a superficial comment and we would never discuss looks while selecting a PNM...that is a sorority stereotype that we wouldnt lower ourselves to. I take pride in my organization and the rest of the Greek Community and i wouldnt back such a practice.

Ok, I duno who else would agree with me, but I feel bad for Jordan. I think she's a normal college girl. They didn't portray her bad at her boyfriends house, cept for the drinking. And I think she may have rushed S AEPi for their Jewish background. When asked if she was Jewish, she said her parents didn't raise her with a religion, but her grandparents are Jewish. She truly reminds me of one of my sisters. During her pledge period people didn't think she'd last cuz all she wanted to do was party, but she ended up bein a good sister. I think Jordan will end up bein a good sister. Now the chick with the curly blonde hair (forgot name) makes me sick. The comment she made to her old roomate (the one that decided not to pledge) about whichever sisters didn't like her can go to hell or something like that, made me bug out. Then how they showed her at Jordan's boyfriends. Wow, I don't think she'll last.

As for the rules, every sorority house has rules. And people may be shocked at how the girls reacted to the girls, but what new members wouldnt be shocked? I'd feel the same way, but I'd eventually learn that they are there simply to respect the letters of my sorority.

Oh yeah... who leaves the house on the 2nd episode when that other girl moves in?

Thank you Rowdy Sister! go gators

No prob, UFTridelt. :) Did you get season tickets?

Yes I did:) Where did you find the list of PNM's for rush? On the UF website?

I don't think anyone moves out so that Jessica, I think that's her name, can move in. There are 6 beds in the house and initially there were only 5 pledges living in the house.