Tall Son's Recruitment Story
 

Sooooo...once upon a time, there was a guy who was thinking about rushing at his university. His best friend opted not to but Tall Son had many Greek relatives, including 6 older sisters :D and several uncles and cousins. A call from his great uncle finally convinced him that this was the thing to do!

At his university, there are many fraternities. We thought he'd be all about the big ones--frankly, he was a big fish in a big pond in high school and we thought he might prefer numbers.

For the first several days of recruitment, the men went up and down Greek Row for open houses. They could drop in wherever they wanted and visit. After open houses were over, they would receive invitations to preferential parties.

Yes! First of four, I hope, although the baby is only 9.

I'm really looking forward to this! I'm always curious about the experience of guys' rush, but most guys I've known didn't analyze it the way I wanted them to. Or maybe they just don't articulate the emotions details if they do analyze it.

I'm hoping that having a female re-tell the story will tease out these details.

Yea for Tall Son's recruitment story!

And, let me just say, "Wow, you have 10 children???!!!"

Yeah for a fratnity recruitment story. I've always wondered how the IFC side works.

No, 13 children but we still have 6 at home!

Okay, let's see. One of his sisters attended his university several years ago and it's not near us at all. We'd talked to her about fraternities at this school and she remarked that it seemed like the big ones mostly had boys from that area and that they liked to ride around campus in their pickups and let out Rebel yells.:eek: Oh, that sounded good. But I posted something on GC to that effect over a year ago and this fraternity member from that school pmed me and said, "I bet you're talking about my university, aren't you?" Well, yeah.:o We exchanged several pms about the system there and I felt better.

Tall Son visited almost every group. He found that the fraternity of one of his uncles (a big group) wouldn't be rushing this fall because they were on social probation. He liked the big ol' fraternity of several of his uncles but he did say that they were rather low-key. He knew he really liked 2 of the medium-sized groups and kept returning to them too.

When he got his pref invitations, he chose those 3. We had no idea which way he would go. Would he choose his uncles' big fraternity because of the family heritage? Or would he go with one of those other groups that made him feel so at home?

We waited anxiously for his call after pref, only--and this is the truth--we switched cell phone services that night and he's been phoneless since then. We sent him his new phone today and he gets it tomorrow at 11, at which time we hope for tons of details!

Can't wait! Carnation, it sounds to me like the story of your family would make a great movie. Wow! How many children have you put through school? You have done something right.

13?! :eek: I can't even imagine the craziness (I'm an only child lol) How far apart in ages youngest to oldest?

Ages 9-27 and so far, seven have graduated and gone off to college. Two have graduated from college, one with a master's, and two more will graduate this school year.

I like hearing IFC stories too! But they're always so brief. :( I asked an ex-boyfriend about it once and he said "They were cool guys.... My dad and grandpa were in it too... *shrug*" Not nearly as nerve-racking. ;)

I'm excited to hear the rest. :)

What? This is your son the Eagle Scout? He's not better prepared to handle the emergency of being without a cell phone? He doesn't have email? He doesn't always have a quarter in his pocket so that he can use a pay phone if he needs to?

[highjack]My son has his first Board of Review coming up. When I told him he'd do well to have a quarter in his pocket just in case someone asked him if he had one, he looked at me like "You have to be making this up."[/highjack]

Hope you hear some good news soon!

to Brutally Honest: Carnation is not a clown car, if you get my drift. The Carnation Nation is a wonderful blend of biological and adopted kids. She and her husband are great role models for birth and adoptive parents. /hijack

They have prefs for IFC rush?? I'm betting it's not candelight and "Pass It On" and lots of tears.

At many schools, the last party before Bid Day is usually a more formal, suit and jacket, dinner or get together. My campus called them "Smokers" (going back to old fraternal history.

After the party, the members would have their meetings to decide who to give bids. In my day, bid session usually went like this:

"His dad/grandfather/brother is a member." or,

"He seems a little shy, but we can help him overcome that." or,

"He seems a little cocky, but we can settle him down." or,

"Can you see him watching football and drinking beer with us?"

Carnation - Best wishes to your son. I hope he finds a house he loves. (You know who I am rooting for. ;))

Thank you, angelove!!! :) :) :)

Yeah, I never really knew how IFC did it until now. My daughters and I told him what we did at prefs but we knew no way would he be at any beautiful ceremonies where people threw pearls in fountains or picked carnations from gardens...

So after Tall Son's second pref party, Blazercheer and I were standing in a Verizon store transferring over the family phone account. We asked if our numbers would stay the same and the guy said, "Yep! They're transferred now!" and we said, "Wait a minute! We wanted it done tomorrow, after we overnight Tall Son's phone to him!" Too late. He was phoneless until he got his new phone today and we had no idea what happened at prefs and later until a few hours ago.

He said that at the pref parties, guys mainly stood around and talked to each other. (No tearjerking songs to the tune of "Today"?) He enjoyed all 3. However, the big deal legacy fraternity wasn't as warm as the others; he felt like the guys were kind of off to themselves, waiting for rushees to approach them rather than coming up and telling them about how much the brotherhood meant to them and why they chose that one.

He still felt more at home with the medium-sized groups. One had a member from our city and another had guys with ties to people he knew. They both emphasized scholarship, which he liked.

Bid Day would come the next day and he thought he knew whose bid he would sign.

Sounds like a twist to me!

The men had to go pick up their bids during the school day and having a heavy schedule, he didn't go until later. The Carnation Nation was freaking out all over the South, not having any phone contact with Tall Son. None of us would have pressured him but we wanted to know which group he'd choose!

So he went for his bids and he had three: two from the medium-sized groups and one from the glamour/legacy group. He didn't want all his uncles and cousins to be disappointed but there was one group that had stood out for him during the whole recruitment period, one where he really felt at home. And he finally chose that one; there is a new star on the Carnation Nation flag and my son is a member of:


























SIGMA PHI EPSILON!

And guess what! He is now a brother of the GreekChatter with whom I'd corresponded for over a year, although the GCer didn't know his name until 2 days ago. Another connection: one of our daughters is Sig Ep Sweetheart on another campus and her boyfriend is president of that chapter.

He's happy and we're happy! I hope he has a great time at the football game today with his brothers! Maybe next year at the same time, I'll be writing a fraternity recruitment story for his brother.

A 'Balanced Man' for sure!

Congrats to Tall Son, the Carnation Nation, and the brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon!

The very first guy I became friends with in my college dorm went Sig Ep. :)

On a side note, I'll bet you'll never transfer any services you have- cell, electric, car insurance or otherwise- without briefly laughing, "Remember when Tall Son was away at school... going through recruitment..."

Congratulations to Tall Son! Another great rush story!

Congratulations to Tall Son!!!

Congrats to Tall Son! I hope he has a lifetime of memories with his new brothers!

Carnation -

Very happy for your son and Sigma Phi Epsilon. My freshman roommate joined Sig Ep when we rushed. They are a great organization.

Congrats to Tall Son! I love Carnation Nation stories!

Congratulations to your son and Sig Ep!! :D

Did he call with his new phone or send his bid information by smoke-signals?

We found out he'd gone Sig Ep when he thought to get on Facebook and tell one of his sisters! He didn't get his phone until the next day. We didn't have his roommates' numbers and the friend he went there with lives in another dorm...our hands were tied! He seemed surprised that we were desperate to know his choice.:confused:

He's home now and I think he's gone to a Native American powwow. What a change from being in fraternity recruitment!

Yay for Tall Son! And IFC recruitment sounds wonderfully more laid back!

Congratulations to your son!

Congrats to your son for joining SigEp.

Ma'am, if it is not too much of an inconvienance, can you post your wonderful family's large Greek affliliation, both male and female? kinda like a total so far as of 2009?

Example: 2 Chi Omegas, 1 SigEp, etc etc.

Thanks and we look forward to the next Carnation Nation Recruitment Story.

hurray for the carnation nation!!! it is always great to hear your family's stories. thanks for sharing.

I would love to see this too!!! :)

Let's see:

Of the 7 kids who have gone to college so far, we have 2 AOIIs, 2 Chi Os, a Zeta, a Phi Mu, and a Sig Ep--plus one Lambda Chi son-in-law! And this Pi Phi mom is trying to figure out how to hypnotize her 4-month-old granddaughter to want to be a Pi Phi. :D

Also represented in our family with uncles, aunts, and first cousins: AZD, AGD, AOII, DZ, KKG, Phi Mu, Zeta, Pike, Lambda Chi, Kappa Sig, and SAE!

We hope that the next rush will be in a year, when our second son begins university.

Wow you have a very Greek family, diverse as well.

Offer to babysit - a lot. Sing her to sleep with "Ring Ching." When she gets older, take her to a Cookie Shine. ;)

Haha, I'm trying to figure out how one could sing "Ring Ching" as a dreamy lullaby. I visited Colorado Gamma one time and they were shrieking out the chorus while slamming their forks on their glasses!

I could start her an angel collection too...plant wine carnations in my daughter's garden...sing the legacy song loudly while visiting...

Hey, it's my turn to have a legacy pledge my group! Her mom, an AOII, already had her turn when one of her younger sisters went AOII!

You can sing any sorority song as a lullaby. I remember singing the Kappa song Oh Pat to a colicky baby. I must have done a bad job though as she pledged Pi Phi instead of KKG.

No, you did great! :D We're glad to have her!

"Oh Pat" could be sung dreamily, though: "Kaaap-pa, Kaaap-pa, Kaaap-pa Gaaam-ma.." This other song is like "I BELONG TO THE PI BETA PHI! RING CHING!!!! (accompanied by stomps)

I'd be happy to teach you a few AOII songs to sing to her, that is if you can't find any Pi Phi songs that work! ;)