A Review of Deferred Recruitment from Auburn University Division of Student Affairs
 

https://fp.auburn.edu/studentaffairs..._Report_II.pdf

This is a very interedting article I stumbled upon examining the pros and cons of deferred recruitment at Auburn published in January of this year. I read it and found it very interedting. What do you think? Agree with the position? Have other comments to add?

Research conducted by Pascarella (1996) indicates that students who affiliate with fraternal organizations during their first year may not be as successful at integrating into academic life.

The “Pledge effect” - Research indicates that it is not relevant when a student joins a fraternity; it is relevant that a student joins a fraternity.

WHAT???????:eek:

Thank God that they didn't recommend it and stir up anything.... I can't even begin to think of the repercussions. It works at some big schools but not at AU; "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Usually the only time you hear this regarding sorority rush is if a lot of girls or certain girls go unbid.

first argument:

panhellenic g.p.a.s are consistently higher than the all women gpas.

If I followed the, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" policy, I wouldn't be where I am today. I don't follow it in my personal life or in my work life.

I think there are other reasons they failed to mention as a "pro" for deferred recruitment:
1. It allows out of state students a better chance to get a bid
2. It keeps girls from pledging and transferring (not AU but for other smaller schools)
3. It weeds out what I refer to as the girls-on-the-bubble. You know the PNM but don't know if you want her as a sister. Hopefully, over the first semester, other girls in the house get to know the PNM in a current situation (i.e. out from under her parent's watchful eye).
4. PNMs that are unfamiliar with chapters, can form their own opinions and determine where they better fit.

I went through recruitment in August and wished I would have waited. I cut some chapters early on that maybe I should have given a second chance. Also, I knew very few girls in the different houses when I rushed that I met during the first semester. Maybe houses that cut me might not have if I knew someone in it. Hard to tell, it was 30 years ago.

Totally playing devil's advocate here, because I think this is one of those things that could go either way...

@the bolded: Don't you think this could be a detriment to both the girls and the houses? If Cutsy Suzie from out of state comes in and doesn't have an opinion of XYZ, DEF, or NOP during August, she might be able to keep an open mind. If she hears 6 months of "tent talk" though, she might discount NOP and DEF because of what she's heard about them. DEF and NOP are wonderful NPC orgs that have great things to offer, but she's "formed her own opinion" about them and has decided that XYZ is the "best fit" for her. Since it's a mutual selection process, XYZ might cut her and she drops because she's decided she's not a right fit for the others.

Again, just playing the other side...

ETA: I wrote "bolded" just to play on your siggy. :)

good point shirley.

Apologies for the double post. The only way I see spring formal recruitment "really" working is if there are some informal events (somehow NPC structured - where they have to go to them) so that girls can get to know the actives on a personal level. That way, Cutsy Suzie may have heard tent talk about NOP and DEF, but if she's forced to get to know them better.

Might could work on a smaller campus, and Auburn isn't that...

Gracias!

I have seen a lot of this in the South with deferred recruitments.

Also, hundreds out of state PNMs have always gotten bids. AU has a huge out of state population, especially since it's gotten so hard for Georgians to get into UGa. The last 2 years' bid lists are probably still on GC--check 'em out.

And now I'm up to triple post...or is it quadruple?!

One last thought. From my friends that did deferred recruitment on both sides - it's tough on everyone. The PNM's have to be on their "best behavior" for the first 6 months of their college career (a stressful time of transition already) and the actives have to be "on" for every fall semester.

I was an August PNM. I loved it because 1) I could relax and get to know my sisters right away once I got to college, 2) I immediately had a support system, and 3) I didn't feel like I was being judged everytime I walked out of my dorm not looking perfect!

2nd argument: the report mixes sororities and fraternities. there should be separate reports for panhellenic, ifc, multi-cultural and pan-hellenic councils.

I could see deferred rush being of benefit to small Greek systems that can use the first semester to drum up interest. But I just really can't come up with a scenario where deferred rush is the better choice on any campus with more than a handful of sororities. It's too much pressure on everyone involved! With IU having deferred rush AND bed quota, I'm surprised girls on both sides aren't literally having heart attacks from the stress. I SUPPOSE if you started school at the very end of January so that you could take a full week for work week and a full week for rush, but not infringe on New Year's, then it could work. But why? Just do it in August when the logistics work so much easier.

I applaud schools like Auburn looking at their system to see how they might improve what they've got, but I see no need to change it. Except that with numbers continuing to go up and up, it may be time for expansion again.

^This. An interesting read nonetheless.

This doesn't really hold any water at a big SEC/ACC or similar university. It's a seller's market and you don't get to say, "Oh, I think I'll fit in well at ABC." It's almost totally up to the sororities and you make the best of what you have to choose from, be it 1 group or all of them.

If all she hears - or rather, listens to - is tent talk and gossip, of course she'll form opinions that might cause her to discount certain groups.

If, on the other hand, she gets involved in activities and actually MEETS sorority members, it goes a long way toward diffusing that. She can't really believe "all ABCs are fat" any longer when she's on hall council with an ABC that's a size 0.

How open the PNM wants to keep her mind is largely up to the PNM, no matter when rush is held.

As I said in my other post, I can't think of anything better than everyone having to be on their best behavior in the fall - PNMs AND sororities. There's no faking it for a week, and then the true colors come out and no one's happy.

The thing is, she may realize that all ABCs are not fat, but she'll also realize that everyone calls all ABCs fat even though there are clearly girls who aren't.

I went through a deferred rush and have advised chapters with fall rush and I think fall rush is much better for the PNM-sorority selection process. There is less time to be biased, form pledge classes in the fall, dirty rush people, spread inaccurate stereotypes, sell yourself, etc.

On the other hand, I think from a personal development perspective, outside of joining a sorority, rushing in the spring was so much better for me. I had time to form friends outside of my sorority with no bias to which chapter anyone was in, could get used to being in college and could figure out if I really wanted, had time to and had the grades to join a sorority.

Every sorority has stereotypes attached. This way she won't get blindsided once school starts up and everyone is spouting them back to her (and she's bound to the group for a year). Personally, I find it unhealthy to begin any facet of life in a bubble.

I see what you mean. If you are the kind of person who likes to gather a lot of information before making a decision, then deferred recruitment is much better.

I would be interested to compare withdrawal rates between the two systems. I mean, somehow with all other factors being equal. My hypothesis is that more women would withdraw from a deferred recruitment system.

I guess I also see your point, but I would venture to guess that most people aren't quite so "all or nothing" in their perspective on life? For instance, I just saw my pledgeship as one side of my college beginning - not as life in a bubble.

I see value in both sides to this issue, but I believe for purposes of a large university (as Auburn) that fall is the lesser of two evils.

Not all or nothing - having not experienced it, maybe I'm off in my perception, but I just can't imagine going through rush when nothing else is happening on campus. When you go through rush while classes are in session (or even over winter break), you are quite aware that the world will go on around you and that there are many other parts of college, regardless of whether you get a bid or not.

It reminds me of what some of the participants on The Bachelor and shows like that have said - that believe it or not, they do find themselves developing feelings for this guy in a week, because NOTHING else is happening in the house. Getting cut has to be harder when you don't have anything to take your mind off it.

Ok, this makes way more sense. I took your previous comment to mean you thought that "when I join a sorority, I live in that bubble and absolutely nothing else matters, so I won't look into any other friends/campus orgs/etc." If nothing else - your sorority helps introduce you to other groups!

I do remember living in the dorm with those who went bidless in that week (or dropped earlier in the week) and it was tough, but 3-5 days later school was starting. It all moves along pretty quickly, just like it would in the winter.

i went thru rush the week prior to class starting. i loved it and still like that method the best.

i advise at FGCU. the administration won't allow recruitment to begin prior to classes beginning and i see the stress on the members trying to balance class, part-time jobs, other orgs. and recruitment. on top of that, recruitment starts during the week, and because so many classes are taught at night, the parties don't begin until around 9 or 9:30. there is no greek housing, so the sororities have to break down the rooms after each round of parties-add to that membership selection and sometimes the girls(and advisors) don't get home before 3 or 4 in the morning. not a good situation.

it is the same at my daughter's alma mater, and i assisted there her senior year. lots of unhappy members, trying to balance school and rush, and there is greek housing there.

I'm wondering why the study mentioned suggests that having recruitment ASAP mitigates the negative self esteem that can come from recruitment. Anyone know why?

Because, if you don't pledge, you get to start over as a GDI with all of the others when they arrive.

Sounds a lot like my alma mater... I'm kind of jealous of schools where recruitment happens before school ever starts for that reason. On the other hand, when you have freshman going through recruitment before they even start attending class, they may lose out on meeting lots of different types of people. There are solid arguments for both sides.

I am one of the biggest deferred recruitment cheerleaders on GC. A few reasons why I like it:

1. Freshmen have a semester of college coursework under their belt by the time recruitment starts. Especially since a lot of flagship state schools are a lot more competitive than they used to be, therefore your high school GPA has to be high to get in to the University, you won't get much separation from high school GPAs. It's splitting hairs. Some high schools are easier than others and some women take more rigourous classes. You really don't know how some students will do in college until they're there. With deferred recruitment, everyone's GPA is judged on an equal footing. Also, you weed out the women who flop first semester.

2. One of the biggest criticisms of deferred recruitment is "OMG PNMs have a WHOLE semester of tent talk and they have their minds made up!" I disagree. You mean to tell me that PNMs don't hear tent talk the second they start fall recruitment before school? That's all the time they need to form opinions, especially if they are doing literally nothing else.

If done properly, fall semester can be a great time to encourage authentic interaction between PNMs and members. Virginia Tech (a very large recruitment, I think 900-1000 last year registered?) actually opens registration for spring formal recruitment early in the fall semester, and registered women are placed on a Panhellenic listserv and notified of what they call "365 events". 365 events are sisterhood, programming, or service in nature than involve members from a few different chapters inviting PNMs to join them. For example, Sigma Kappa and Pi Beta Phi might do pumpkin carving with PNMs.

The catch/best part? PNMs don't know who is participating in the 365 event until they get there, so there isn't any "Oh, I don't want to join that sorority, I won't go to that 365 event". That way, PNMs can observe and join sorority women doing things they normally do as a chapter, they get to interact with them in a more natural, activity-based setting, dirty rushing isn't as much of a problem because the activity is supervised by Panhellenic, and PNMs are more likely to be open to more chapters after getting to know members. I hate when CPHs don't allow interaction between PNMs and chapters---this breeds a bad image of sororities as stuck up! I think the best prevention measure against dirty rushing is Panhellenic educating PNMs that NO ONE can guarantee you a bid!

3. Personally, I was not sold on joining a sorority when I began college. I was resistant. It took me the fall semester, where I actually met sorority women in my classes, that I became convinced that sorority life was for me! I had a male friend filling my head with garbage about certain chapters, but I didn't care about the things he said when I actually met women in those chapters!

4. It can reduce the number of women who go through recruitment, BUT retention is usually better, and presumably quality. PNMs have a semester to gather information on the expectations and obligations of joining a sorority. There are fewer women who join just for the letters.

Is it right for Auburn? It probably could work, but I would need to see a reason to change it. In the SEC, you don't "need" to change PNMs' minds about going Greek; the demand is already high, which is probably why deferred recruitment is more common in the North. If the chapter GPAs are higher than the women's average, then that also is no reason to change. Plus, all groups made quota, so it's not like there's any struggling chapters that are significantly behind.

I don't know how the sorority thing works at Ole Miss, (where they have semi-delayed rush), but from the fraternity perspective....they're basically pre-rushing them from the day they get there and there's something going on every single night. Personally, I think it would've been a lot better to get that business out of the way before school started instead of dragging it on and on....and then you go into the whole "pledge" period that takes up all kinds of time, and then there's football and The Grove, and a game in New Orleans and we're going to Alabama this weekend and there's semi formal and a mixer twice a week....I guess my point is that the period where you kind of "settle down" comes very late in the semester in this set up.

I also know that when my girls were at GT, sometimes students had to attend in the summer prior to their freshman year to gain full admission and sometimes girls who had a little too much fun on campus in the summer saw their options sharply decrease. While you can file that under "good to know" about a pnm, sometimes stories quickly grow and really may not be all true. I guess sometimes it's good to come with a clean slate, on both sides.