BEG- Congrats to you and ASA. A young lady from my home town is in your chapter! She is a born leader and a complete sweetheart. If she is representative of the entire group, then you have joined a phenominal chapter.

Looking forward to your story.

Our favorite blog is hopping again...and it looks like I am famous lol. I went to check in on it after work and saw my post and then someone who must be a CG regular calling it out. Someone named Linda plagiarized my earlier post. As, a journalist I am kind of honked off, I like credit for my work. And I assure you, my name is not Linda. ;)

http://sororityparents.com/2011/01/s...n/#comment-755

http://youtu.be/v1c2OfAzDTI OK...this would have been much cooler if I could figure out how to embed this video. But you get the idea.

Thank you guys! I didn't get back until late last night and I had a 9 am so I didn't post. But after class tonight i just have to get to my computer and paste it.

You guys are the best and I seriously appreciated EVERYTHING everyone told me and I want to thank you for your support.

I am loving my new sisters and can't wait to continue to share with you ASA's continuing growing presence on campus!!

And I want to take this time to send a shout out to my Rho Momma!! THE BEST THERE IS! I'm just so happy with everything!!

Congratulations to you and Alpha Sigma Alpha, BEG! I've heard a lot of great things about your chapter!

Congratulations! I did wonder if I saw you this weekend while I was on door holding duty...

I saw that and thought it was you. LOL A little more old school, though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6qsoP75y4Q

Seems obvious @IndianaSigKap is going through an identity crisis, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CGsw6h60k

IndianaSigKap,

Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I have been reading this blog and the sorority parent blog on and off over the last few months to help my step daughter.

I am a Sig Kap too! Your insight in particular has been so helpful!

Thank goodness my stepdaughter got through IU rush unscathed, got a bid in one of her favorite houses..it saddens me that so many girls didn't. Very sad.

Thanks for your insight!

Dove love to you!

Thanks for the kind words Cinder! Good to see another SK on here. Congratulations to your stepdaughter, so glad she is happy and found her home.

Hi all,

I am not going to post my 21 party impressions because: 1) I don't have my notes anymore and 2) I got back 8 houses for 14 party, so I didn't see the point in typing up ALL those descriptions just to not use 13 of the houses/characters names again.

I did get cut from chapters I liked for 14 party, and these are the 8 that I got:


1.Lauren 'LC' - This house is the new house on campus for this year, and they seem pretty interesting. I’m more looking for a physical house, and while I thought the girls were pretty nice, the house aspect always nagged me in the back of my mind. Their skit was interesting and it definitely had some really funny parts. I had good conversation here, but to be honest, it was not a top choice of mine.


2.Kristen - The other unhoused sorority, this place was always beaming from top to bottom during their round. 14 party was awesome and their skit was pretty funny. I enjoyed it and I liked how open the girls were about their experience as a member. I had great conversation here at 21 party, and though it was a bit awkward for the first girl I got, after that all the conversations went really smoothly. I could maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe see myself here.

3.Whitney - Though the skit to me was a bit unoriginal, everything else about the house and the girls, I enjoyed. I didn’t have a great 21 party conversation here, so I was intrigued that they invited me back. I had better conversation this time around, and I definitely clicked with the members that I spoke with. I really hoped to get invited back here for 8 party!

4.Brody- This house was my last house, of the last day of 21 party and that’s a huge part of why I didn’t really like it during 21 party. The skit really impressed me. It was thoughtful, well thought out, ADORABLE, and really changed my impression of this house. I got double rushed here, but the girl I met in line was great, and the conversation seemed like a 3 way conversation rather than the PNM’s taking turns to speak with the active member (that’s how one of my double rushes for 21 party went). I was excited about this house and I definitely wanted to come back to learn more about it.

5.Jason - I was shocked to be invited back. This house had a great reputation on campus and I was honored to be invited back. I was surprised because I had been double rushed here and didn’t think it went all that well. I had the most fabulous conversations here (and I was double rushed again). But the skit was great!! I loved the theme, execution and the little jokes in the middle. It was definitely a top choice of mine for 8 party.

6.Lisa Love - I had a rec letter for this house, and I definitely enjoyed it for 21 party. THEIR SKIT WAS MY FAVORITE. It was phenomenal, out of this world, so funny, and i would TOTALLY watch it again. I just loved it. I had GREAT conversation here too!! All the girls I talked to were great, there were no lulls in conversation and it seemed as though I ‘fit’ here. I really wanted this house back for 8 party!!!!

7.Heidi - I didn’t NOT enjoy this house, but it was OK for me. the skit was good, but the conversation seemed strained. This was saddening for me as I had fabulous conversation here during 21 party. I didn’t want to give up hope on this house though, and wanted to be able to return to see if it was just bad luck or if this house really wasn’t for me.

8.Spencer - I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation here during 21 party and was so excited to return. I got double rushed here and the conversation seemed sluggish. Their skit was not one of my favorites, either. I kept up hope though, because the second girl I talked to was definitely more interesting. My 21 party rusher actually ended up finding me and saying hi! I would love to return to this house.

I could barely sleep the night after the 2nd day of 14 party. I was a mess.

My personal rankings (in order of preference) were:

Lisa Love
Jason
Brody
Whitney
Spencer
Kristen
Lauren 'LC'


When I got my list for 8 party, I was shocked and a little upset. I didn't get Lisa Love or Jason back and it seemed like my conversations had gone really well!

I couldn't stay upset for long though, because there were girls dropping out of recruitment/crying/etc. I got it together and was really excited that I got 6 out of 8 houses back for today.

1. Spencer: I ended up getting dirty rushed here, and it was an awkward experience. I had good conversation, but it was a bit weird. I'd rather not get into details because I don't want to be identified, etc. So I'm going to leave it at that. I really enjoyed the video, however. I was tearing up a bit. Other than the awkward encounter earlier, I was really enjoying this house and could definitely see myself here!

2. [COLOR="rgb(0, 255, 255)"]Heidi[/COLOR]: Again, I didn't NOT enjoy this house, but it wasn't one of my favorites either. Their presentation was impeccable, but the video didn't touch me to the same caliber that Spencer's did.

3. Brody: After their beautifully done, WONDERFUL presentation that had me watery-eyed and the FANTASTIC conversation I had with two girls here, I definitely really liked this house. I could see that they had a strong sisterhood bond and that was something that I was really looking for. This house was definitely my favorite from 8 party.

4. Whitney: Their video was good! It didn't personally 'touch' me because I didn't see anything in their about their philanthropy, etc. It looked fun, though! I had a good conversation with the first girl that rushed me, but the second girl and I REALLY clicked. After that conversation, I was sad that the rounds seemed to be ending so quickly!

5. Kristen: After having an OK time her earlier, I was unsure about what to expect. Their video was so heartfelt and genuine that I was touched by it. You could really see what strong bonds they had, even without a house. The conversations I had here were kind of awkward, but they picked up their pace just as fast. I left 8 party giving this house serious consideration. It just seemed to speak to me!

6. Lauren 'LC' : Their video was great! You could really see how they became a sisterhood throughout the semester! I loved that we actually participated in their philanthropy by doing little crafts. I was double rushed here, but it didn't feel like it because the conversation flowed really well. I enjoyed this house! It wasn't my outstanding favorite, but it was seeming alright to me.


At the end of the day, my ranking for 3 party looked like this:

Brody
Spencer
[COLOR="rgb(0, 255, 255)"]Heidi[/COLOR]

Whitney
Kristen
Lauren 'LC'

My 3 party list was a bit devasting for me, but I sucked it up because I did get a full schedule:

Heidi
Lauren 'LC'

Kristen



I was really upset, but I didn't let myself cry especially b/c there were girls who didn't get any 3 party lists at all.

Heidi: I was in tears at the end of their presentation. The sisterhood bonds that I hadn't noticed/seen before were pouring out of these girls. It was great, beautiful and I loved it. I really enjoyed the girl that I talked to as well. It was a great conversation and I had fun!! This house was my top choice!


Lauren 'LC': I was honestly touched by this ceremony. It seemed so personal, and the bonds of this houses sisterhood was easily seen. They meant a lot to each other, and it was clearly visible. I was so happy to be able to hear all the nice things everyone said and the conversations I had were wonderful. I connected with every girl I had ever talked to here, on at least one level. These were all wonderful ladies.


Kristen: This ceremony did not really impress me. I didn't feel the 'sisterly' love and the conversations were not flowing well. I got put with a girl who had never met me before, and it felt like 21 party all over again. I just didn't feel it, and I'm not sure why.


My list for 3 party was:

Heidi
Lauren 'LC'
Kristen


The whole day Monday was torture. Especially having lost my phone, it was so hard to not text my Rho Gamma FREAAKING out.

When I opened my bid, I saw the letters
.
.
.







ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/da...AASUVORK5CYII=

A picture of my LOVELY sisters!

(hopefully this time it shows up)

Loved your story! Would you mind trying to post the photo again?

Congratulations BEG!

Congratulations to you and Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Congrats on your bid to ASA! Thanks for your story. I would definitely recommend this one for future PNMs to read- lots of lessons to be learned here about staying positive and keeping an open mind.

IndianaSigKap,
I am Linda from the other site. Please accept my apology for reposting on the other site what you had said here about recruitment at the competitive university in the midwest. I thought what you had said was informative and succinct. In my zeal to share that information I neglected to ask your permission to do so. I am sorry.
Apologies to BEG as well. This is her thread and I am probably not posting my apology to IndianaSigKap in the right area. Disclosure: I am a menopausal woman of a certain age (old broad) who is not very adept at navigating these sites and don't have the patience to figure it out. Tip: in 40 or 50 years you young women can also blame everything on menopause....really a perk.
Congrats to you BEG on your successful recruitment!
This site appears to have many intelligent and thoughtful young women who are generous to share your knowledge. I promise not to steal any of it again....at least not without your permission.

To iuforme...as a hot flasher myself, I totally get it. It is nice to have an excuse for sticking your head in the freezer, though. :)

Thank you iuforme. I appreciate it and it's good to have you on here! I hope you'll stick around.

Hi Greekdee and IndianaSigKap,
I'm going to stick around and benefit from all your information...you all have so much. Thank you for putting up with me so far.

Might not be the place to continue this conversation - but I just read that blog. While I understand that there is and has been some political issues surrounding the recruitment process at Indiana - Holy Super Special Snowflakes batman!

I really want to smack some of these parents, I know my own school's recruitment is highly dysfunctional, but you need to not baby your daughter. If she didn't get into a chapter, use it as a learning experience because rejection hurts, and it's going to happen plenty of times in life. Whining on a blog because your daughter's roommate got a bid even though she is on academic probation is in no means productive

i know that i'm a newbie to this, but i read that blog and the way that they address the two un housed sororities made me cringe. I know my organization is extremely proud of what we have accomplished, and hope to continue to do so - and i'm sure the same goes for the other unhoused sorority. But saying that we are not 'real competition' is just rude. I know great girls that chose to participate in recruitment specifically because not living in a house attended more to their needs.

IU recruitment is competitive, but it is JUST a sorority. There are TONS of GLOs on campus, as well as other great organizations to be involved at this great school.

I hope I didn't step on any toes, but reading about us "not being real competition" just stung especially seeing how much hard work these two new chapters have put into becoming established.

You are justifiably annoyed. Being a colony on any campus is a tough thing to handle and not something just any girl can handle. Getting abuse from parents and/or people who should know better than to belittle the new kids is just ridiculous.

I think there is room for unhoused chapters or chapters who function similar to the rest of the known Greek world (where a portion, maybe not even the majority of the sisters live in for 3 years), even among the preferred system at IU. I'm sure there are great girls who choose not to participate in Greek life because they are practical enough to know that living with 150 girls under the same roof for 3 extremely stressful years may not be the best idea ever. Are those "alternative" chapters going to appeal to the traditional NPC member at IU? Maybe not. But it's a big school and providing an alternative seems like a good idea as far as I'm concerned.

You are exactly right! Sisterhood should not be measured by a physical structure. I only lived in my chapter for two years. I was lucky. We had a live out policy. Sisters could live out as long as the chapter house was full. I don't feel like my experience was any less for it. In fact, I enjoyed living out because I knew that when I was with my sisters, it was because I wanted to be at the house and not because I had to be.

Enjoy your new chapter, it is a special group of women who take on the task of starting something new! Don't let anything someone else says get you down. ASA chose you and you chose ASA for a reason.

I totally agree what everyone has said about living out.
Thank you GC for opening my eyes to non-housed chapters.

Here is my take on it.
LIFE IS ABOUT EXPERIENCES. COLLEGE AND SORORITY LIFE IS NO EXCEPTION.
I think that not only living in the chapter house but living out including both the dorms and in off-campus housing such as apartments should be part of the experience.
However, I will add that at some schools like, I believe University of Washington and University Idaho, have freshman move directly move into the chapter house, bypassing the dorm all together. I am COMPLETELY against this. I made a ton of friends in the dorm. It helped me from having sorority tunnel vision. It also helped me establish friendships out of greek life. Some people hated living in the dorms and the house for that matter. Regardless, both were experiences. Even bad experiences are GOOD. Okay, I hate going to the dentist, and that is one experience that I don't need, but, I digress.
Living in an apartment my senior year was a trial for real life. It gave me ME TIME. I was running around with internships and campus activities, I just wanted my quiet time.
Hence, I am PRO Senior Live-Out Policy.
The only bad thing is that I wish that I got to know some of the younger members since I was never at the house. And the same as a younger member. Needless to say, I am still in contact with the Senior sister who was my Bid Week Pal.

I have friend who had her live-in requirement removed due to medical reasons. I don't know what they were.

I could see where women would NOT want to live in a house.
All sisters, all the time. It is an adjustment. We didn't let boys upstairs. I don't know what the rules are now.
I am assuming that the un-housed chapters have less expensive dues because of not having a house. Hence, possibly more appealing to those who are strapped for finances but want the sorority experience.

Do the two un-housed chapters have some sort of dorm arrangement like what we see at other campuses? Or women choose to take up an apartment building? Just curious is all.

I know of a colony that had daily lunch on the grass. Some brought sack lunches. Others grabbed a tray from the Union and brought it out. That was their "daily lunch/meal plan" It also showcased their sisterhood like no other. While other girls were walking to and from their houses, they were united at one on the grass for all of the campus to see.

Another colony at the same campus did not do this and it hurt them.

Keep in mind, there are campuses across the country where both fraternities and sororities are un-housed. They survive and thrive. Novel concept. sic.

And a big Congratulations to you and ASA. One my high school friends is an ASA. She is so sweet. I love her.

I'm sure everyone means well, but it might be best if we stopped using words such as "alternative" to refer to the unhoused groups. They are simply without physical living quarters, and in my opinion we should let the PNMs decide how they feel about them. Its very possible that I'm oversensitive to the situation because my own group is involved, but I want it to be known that we are a traditional sorority. I'm sure that every housed group on the IU campus has many unhoused chapters throughout the country, and that doesn't make the unhoused chapter of ABC any less ABC than their housed counterparts. Additionally, this past recruitment appears to have been an overwhelming success for all 21 groups on campus. Its just my opinion, (and I know its not intentional) but it might be better if we go back to not discussing reputations and instead simply wish success for everyone on this snowflake campus, especially as it looks like more groups may soon be joining.

Don't want to ruffle any feathers, just my two cents.:)

THIS. Living in the house is NOT for everyone. Nor is it required for "sisterhood", a "sorority experience" or anything else. Women will still live together, have gathering spots, etc., like plenty of unhoused chapters across the country. Living in the house can be great, but it also comes with a ton of rules, shared sleeping porches, and all sorts of other things that aren't necessarily wonderful.

I remember visiting our chapter house at IU, and one of my friends was like "wow, I wish our house (at U of I) was this gorgeous", and I replied "yeah, you want to live in senior year?" and her response was "NO! Good point!"

Also, the unhoused chapters are still quite selective. It's not like getting a bid to one of them is some sort of consolation prize. They are picking the women they want to be their sisters, just like the house groups.

But you can't deny that it is a VERY different situation than the vast majority of the sororities at IU. To not mention the difference is sticking your head in the sand. By pointing out that it is an alternative puts this difference in a positive light. Of course Theta Phi and ASA are traditional NPC sororities. But they are not the norm at IU. This is not condescension, it's stating the obvious. Is your situation unusual as compared to a lot LOT of chapters around the country? No. But it is different at IU. I say you celebrate that fact, not pretend that you're not different. Special. And I am never one to consider "normal" as the best way to go.

'Unhoused' chapters at IU are just that, unhoused. That doesn't mean that they aren't special or are inferior, but they do not have formal housing as all other 19 chapters do. Thus, they're not going to be referred to in the same sense that the other 19 chapters are.

So, I understand the idea of bed rush. No set quota blah blah blah. How do Theta Phi and ASA decide their quota? Do they average and say "Hmmm the spread is from 6 - 34 so we will take 20 because that is the average?" I'm worried this may fall into membership selection so if it does, please feel free to yell/ignore.

The comments are crazy! I can't believe there are parents on there calling out new members who got bids who they think shouldn't have received them due to gossip told to them by their daughters. They aren't saying names but it is still so hurtful and immature. I understand how upset they are because this rush sounds crazy to me but their behavior is really embarrassing.

I know that at places where a quota may not be set (for example, we have a chapter at VA Wesleyan, and for several years it was the only NPC sorority on campus, ergo no quota) that our national volunteers and whoever else is working with the chapter take all the campus and chapter factors into account to set a membership target. This probably includes things like campus retention as a whole, how many seniors are graduating, the size of the school blah blah blah. Knock on wood, it seems as though we are veering on the conservative side at IU, to which I quote Heather Duke and say PRAISE JESUS.

And DubaiSis, you have been SUPER condescending in every post you've made about unhoused chapters at IU. They are NOT an "alternative." They rushed with all the rest of the chapters and had the same bid day as the rest of the chapters. An alternative would be a social/service sorority like Gamma Sigma Sigma* or a social/professional fraternity like Delta Sigma Pi* - a group whose rush is conducted at a different time, who gives bids at a different time. ASA and TPA have NEVER said that they intend to stay unhoused or only rush women who don't want to live in a house. They are for now the unhoused chapters, just like some chapters are the "third street" or whatever chapters.

*Not trying to throw y'all under the bus, just needed an example.

Dubaisis, I am not denying that there is a difference. I have no issue with groups being referred to as unhoused. When PNMs go through recruitment they will know who has a house and who doesn't. When we throw around words like "different" and "alternative" it can make the PNMs who signed up for traditional NPC recruitment feel as though they are being warned that this is not what they are looking for. Trust me, they are all going to be fully informed of the current housing situation, and we should let them make their own decisions about what housed v. unhoused means to them. Housing is only one of many aspects of sorority life and while that one may be different, the rest are the same. For the sake of propriety, when referring to the housing situation for an unhoused group, call it different all you want, but when discussing the chapter as a whole, it is a traditional NPC sorority. Period.

GUYS I LOVE ALLL OF YOU :)

I have to agree with you guys, 33girl and glitter. Most new colonies don't have housing when they come out the gate, but we don't make a big deal of them being unhoused. It sometimes takes quite a few years for them to line up housing depending on their situation...for IU it may take even longer. It doesn't sound as though ASA and TPA plan to market themselves as the unhoused, lower cost groups, so continuing to harp on that is offensive to these groups. Good luck finding houses. Sounds like it will be a tough job.

Awww... so very happy for you. Hope you stick around. Your membership is for a LIFETIME. You will get as much out of it as you put into it (trite, maybe, but true). ASA is lucky to have you, IMO.

I have soured on the whole IU system, even though my step daughter had a great rush. It seems it is what it is and it's not going to change . A damn shame....makes me sad. Hope all the chapters are strong or get stronger.