Mizzou 2010!
 

It was 40 years ago this fall that I went through rush/recruitment at Mizzou. It was 37 years ago that I was PHA president and in charge of rush/ recruitment.

Here is this year's recruitment guide (in the olden days, "rush book").
http://mizzoupha.celect.org/uploads/...panhel2010.pdf

What's changed in 40 years? Attire, obviously--"casual" would not have been shorts and tees--and dressy is a lot dressier. Terminology, which we've gotten used to: recruitment, potential new member, etc. Chapter size: when I went through, quota was 33 and chapter total was 64. The houses look very much the same on the outside (Mizzou has beautiful chapter houses). There is a list of do's and don't's, including "no alcohol or drugs"--an acknowledgement that the fraternities are partying. (Did we know that back then? Not until we got there.)

What I liked in the recruitment guide was an acknowledgement about "finding the right place" and saying "yes, you can have friends in other sororities--we are all Greek together." Pi Chis (Panhellenic Counselors) have more training nowadays.

What hasn't changed is the end result: new sisters to join our ever-expanding circle!

Yours in nostalgia,

Thanks for posting the link to the guide. I love reading these!

I happened to be in Columbia this time last year, so I dropped in to help.... now I'm stuck with work and feeling old (and I'm only two years out).

Mizzou girls, I know a couple of you have PM'd me—whether you do a thread or not, please check back in here and let us know how it's going!

Just found an alumnae update sitting in my inbox—they had 1500 sign up this year. Yikes. That would mean 80-90 girls in each group for Open House? Good luck everybody!

I got an email confirmation of the recs I sent to Mizzou this year. I love that!

I am keeping my fingers crossed for my two pnms. I am hoping they find a good fit!

Bid Day Saturday!!!
 

Well, 1,450+ PNM's started on Monday---tomorrow the 14 chapters find out who their new sisters will be!

Any news from Mizzou? I'm seeing on Twitter that Kappa took 79. Any idea what quota was?

My rec girl pledged DG (yay) and my other girl dropped out (boo).

Sigma's NM via Facebook...


http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6127198_n.jpg

I'm hearing 78 for quota?

Anyone hear about Gamma Phi?

It was 30 years ago for me at Marshall University ... my son is there now, starting his freshman year tomorrow!

I pledged Tri Sigma; you can see me in that picture!

Oh wow, I knew Mizzou was pretty competitive, but I didn't realize how many PNMs there were.

My future cousin in law just went Alpha Phi!

Missouri
 

Alpha Phi has 82 new members. Congratulations to all groups..

Cute video!!

Congratulations, equinerider!

Here are some bid day shots from the local/school paper: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/st...ls-await-bids/

Yay!! Congratulations and welcome to Sigma!! :D

Tell us your recruitment story! (Pleeeeeze?)

Haha, I'll see if I can get to it, although it isn't all that interesting, to be quite honest.

DG got 76 new members, per their twitter feed (http://twitter.com/MIZZOUDG)!

Wow, check out the sarongs and bare feet DG wore for pref!

http://mizzoudg.blogspot.com/2010/08/get-recruited.html (scroll down)

I've never seen anything like that, but they look beautiful, and I'm sure they stood out. As Michael Kors might say on Project Runway, the DGs are working the *#&$ out of that look.
________
COLORADO MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

I have to believe those bare feet and flip flops are for between parties and that they slip on heels for the actual party. I have seen other houses do that to save their feet!

http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2...ester-recruit/

The recent editorial ^^ in Mizzou's paper begins with this assertion:
“This year, 352 women were denied bids during the Panhellenic Association's Formal Recruitment for sorority chapters.”

I doubt that all 352 were “denied” bids. From nearly everything I've seen, heard and read over the years, I'll bet an insignificant sum* that most of the 352 dropped out for a variety of reasons (unhappy with their invitations, sticker shock when cost estimates sink in, unforeseen events like serious illness / family emergency, etc.) I have a difficult time believing that 352 young women were released by all the chapters.

The editorial suggests moving to deferred recruitment, which would almost certainly bring its own set of problems and complaints. Incidentally, the editorial gives the University of Virginia, Northwestern University and Tulane University as examples of deferred recruitment campuses. Indeed they are, but they aren't especially comparable to Mizzou in size or student body composition. A better, somewhat more comparable, example might be The Ohio State University.

At any rate, a call for examining Mizzou's current system and possible alternatives probably makes some sense. I just don't expect that deferred recruitment would prove to be a panacea.
++++++++++++++++++++++
* Specifically, 25 cents.

Yeah... the Maneater is not known for accuracy or research. It mostly attracts tenacious freshman journalism majors, and isn't a good representation of the school. You can't rely on any of the facts. That said, I know some alumni who check the website from time to time for updates, but it's usually to check a photo gallery.

There are typically photojournalism majors roaming campus, cameras/equipment at ready. Actually, most of the Mizzou Bid Day photos that were posted were from the Missourian, which is the newspaper associated with the J-school.

Double post, but.... DG goes barefoot for pref. It really does stand out!

FWIW, I work with our chapter at UVA, and they have about a 25% dropout rate there every year. So that definitely doesn't support his point!

But Mizzou got large pledge classes didn't they? I mean, it would appear to me the problem is either with parity or the number of sororities on campus, not some evil unfairness to PNMs.

How many of the chapters made quota at Mizzou this year?

I think deferred is better than 1st semester for a myriad of reasons, but I don't know why the writer thinks it will lessen the number of women being released or dropping out of rush. IMO deferred helps with RETENTION primarily.

It sounds like they're saying "students should get involved in other things so they don't want to rush and so the sororities won't be so big" which is stupid.

And yeah, I would bet most of those women "denied" themselves bids by dropping out of rush.

http://mizzoutheta.blogspot.com/2010...w-members.html

Here's a link to Kappa Alpha Theta's bid day pics - not sure how I navigated to them, but there they are :)

Someone sent me this earlier: http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2...ove-new-house/

Delta Sigma Phi moves into the old AKL (and formerly AOII? I've read but can't remember—AGDAlum, was 805 Richmond AGD or AOII?). Good for them. Their old house looked really small; so I was surprised at their membership numbers.

Love the "born to fly" slogan!

Annabella, it was the Alpha Epsilon Phi house. From reading the Maneater story, I think that AEPhi bought it from Delta Sig. When I was at Mizzou Delta Sig was at the corner of Richmond & Burnam, next to KD and across Richmond from Kappa. So, what's happening to that house?

And, Annabella, while I'm remembering: there was a little house (a regular residence) behind Delta Sig on Richmond -- between Delta Sig and GPhiB. I am sure it became someone's annex....but is it there still?

To those who aren't familiar with Mizzou Greektown: property is at a premium. Parking is at a premium. Chapters are bursting at the seams of their houses. By the early 70's the residential-type houses that were left in that neighborhood became annexes (a junior/senior privilege), but I suspect that many of them fell into such disrepair that they were torn down and converted to parking lots.

That is really odd! I guess the importance of a good pedicure cannot be underestimated for the Mizzou DG's!

Since there is a Mizzou-specific thread, I'll cross post here. I was told that quota was 75 and Gamma Phi took 77.

Mizzou Kappa Delta Quilt
 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tbMXvrgoy3...0/untitled.JPG

Before you criticize, I am fully aware that I am a terrible photographer. The quilt that was commissioned for a Mizzou KD incorporated university t-shirts as well as Kappa Delta (Greek Week, Homecoming et al).

Looks great! I've made ONE t-shirt quilt (on commission) and have vowed never again. I most likely will, one of these years, but I'll do a much better job. Fortunately the recipient of the one I made thinks it's terrific. (For those of you who are not quiltmakers, which I suspect is most: t-shirt quilts are hard because (a) the t-shirts have to be stabilized so they don't stretch and (b) the multiplicity of motifs can make design decisions complex and (c) as with most commissioned quilts, people think they can get something for virtually nothing.)