Yes, so were ours. Not secret, but only members received the magazine.

Only if you couldn't find your magazine. Or couldn't remember your log-in info once these were available on the internet (if your org's site required a member account to access forms).

Perhaps a good point -- I guess it depends on the org -- some must consider (or did consider) limiting access to members only through verified member accounts.

I suppose there exists some potential for fraud with printable paper copies on the internet, unless someone verifies with nationals that the signature and contact info on the rec is actually a member, as well as a member in good standing. If a national org doesn't notice that the same alum or two write most of the recs for an entire pledge class just before bids are distributed (referencing the back room alums writing recs en masse mentioned earlier in the thread), then I would be surprised if they check the cred of every alum on every rec that winds up at HQ.

In the vein of transparency -- is there a list of NPC orgs that require a rec to pledge a new member? Which orgs require this and which do not?

Drexel PCs are about 50 women, with total at about 110, so I wouldn't call that small. That being said, their advisor says they don't have recs for people, except maybe a legacy form.

I agree that there isn't harm in the forms being public, except for that poster last year who wrote her own recs...

Wow, you gotta have some balls to write your own recs!!!

Didn't somebody (Carnation?) post about a perp offering to write recs for PNMs a while ago?

Yeah, a relative by marriage.

I think it started out with her telling her kids she pledged AB back in the day. Then the story went around town (not sure if this was due to her, her kids, or both) and suddenly she had rewritten history and she was an AB. Since she left her college that had Greeks to transfer to a non-Greek college after 1 semester, there was no way she had been initiated into AB, as you had to make grades back then. Also, she told me when I first moved here that she wasn't Greek.

People still think she's Greek. When they mention her being an AB, I just tell them she was never Greek. I won't cover for her any more. The last thing a girl at a competitive school needs is somebody offering to write a rec who can't --and she goes in without one.

I know AOII does not require a rec to pledge a new member because I was recruitment adviser last year at St. Joe's in Philly - we submitted the bid list and not one single rec did I see or write. If something is happening above me at IHQ or regionally, I don't know about it, although as recruitment adviser I would assume someone would have let me know.

Our new recruitment adviser is from Vandy and was just asking the recruitment chair and me how many recs they got last year - the recruitment chair said she had never seen one. They are not a thing in the Northeast unless your org requires everyone to have a rec to get a bid and then it's not well known that this is a requirement except by the people in charge of recruitment or HQ. That's what I'm taking away from this thread, anyway.

Wow, I definitely missed that trainwreck of a thread last year!

My younger sister and a few other family members have gone through rush at schools were recs are rarely written, and sign up for recruitment ends literally HOURS before the first parties start. It isn't uncommon for my chapter at the school to have alumna on hand to go and greet a girl mid conversation just so they can get a feel and write that rec nationals requires if one isn't secured somehow beforehand.

I did too! Is there a link anywhere?

My thoughts exactly!

This poor girl is running as far as she can get away from Greek Life after the way this thread has gone! :(

Bingo!

Actually, I hope that she has enough spunk to go through Recruitment, get a bid, and possibly thumb her nose at all of us.

The only thing is, no one will ever know if someone had written for her on the downlow.

I still wish her well!

I also hope she will start a new thread and let us know how things go.