Motown Recruitment Thread
 

So I found out that two young ladies I know are going through recruitment at the University of Michigan. They have finished round 1 and cuts were kind of harsh. I'm going to wait until it is over for them to post the whole thing, but there are only 6 chapters still in play at this point and I'm only going to include those 6.

They shall be:

Diana Ross
Smokey Robinson
The Temptations
Aretha Franklin
The Four Tops
Marvin Gaye

I just gave a major pep talk via text that it only takes one, the chapters that invited them back like them, etc. They are feeling a bit better.

Their schedule looks like this:

Sunday, September 9th
Mixers (1st Round) - 1:00-6:05pm

Monday, September 10th
Mixers (1st Round) - 6:30-9:50pm
Invitation Ranking - 9:50pm

Wedneday, September 12th
Second Set - 6:00-11:15pm

Thursday, September 13th
Second Set - 7:00-11:20pmpm
Invitation Ranking - 11:20pm

Thursday, September 20th
Third Set - 7:00-10:25pm

Friday, September 21
Third Set - 6:00-9:25pm
Invitation Ranking - 10:05pm

Friday, September 28th
Preference Parties - 6:00-11:00pm

Sunday, September 30th
Bid Pick Up - 11:00am-1:00pm - Michigan Union Ballroom
Bid Day - 5:00 - chapter houses

What's up with the looooooong time between second set, third set and pref parties?

Whoa! There's a week between second and third round and another week between third round and pref?!

If I were a pnm I would need many pep talks if I had a week to over analyze and drive myself crazy wondering what if and thinking about what I should/ could/ would have done differently at each party. That's also a super long silence and disaffiliation period for recruitment counselors, etc.

I know, I know. First, it is during school so they take that into account. And even though they aren't home games, nothing interferes with Michigan football so Saturdays are out (although it looks like the 29th is a bye week so I don't know why they don't do bid day on the 29th).

Darn it Dee you had me all excited that this was a thread for *my* school. You should do one though. I won't say a word :D

I am going to do that one too :) I'm thinking 80s bands for that one...

YAY!!! I won't post in it or stalk it... I promise.

I will wait to post it until recruitment is over :)

How many PNMs registered at Michigan?

UM alum here. Along with football, there are a large number of Jewish students who go through recruitment, and the High Holidays always fall during this time, so that's taken into consideration (I was on Panhel Exec--the length of recruitment is debated every year and has been since I was there a long time ago!). Many of these students (PNMS and actives) are from out of state (NY, NJ, IL) and like to go home for the holidays, and since quite a few of the sororities have a significant Jewish population, it's just spread out that way. It's never going to change, but it stinks for both PNMs and actives. It's soooo long!

I remember getting invited back to all the chapters after first rounds (yay) then only 6 after the second round. I was devastated and almost dropped out, but I stuck with it and I'm so glad I did. I actually ended up with my second choice, but looking back now, I know I ended up in the right place. I then became Susie Sorority--and still am. :) AGDee, a fellow (sister) Wolverine is pulling for them. All the houses at UM are wonderful in their own way. I wish them the best of luck--and hopefully they'll all end up in my chapter! :) Can't wait to hear what happens.

ETA: don't know exactly how many registered, but I do know that it's a record number of girls registered (per their website, I believe).

Has UM ever held, or would they ever consider holding, recruitment a week prior to classes starting? It just might avoid conflicts with religious holidays or football(that other religion!).

That was something that is brought up every year, and no, campus won't allow it. What we were always told was that having recruitment this way allows students to get acclimated to campus, classes, etc, and not make them be forced into deciding if they want to join a sorority before they have seen other parts of campus.

Obviously, I never went through a "pre-school" recruitment, so I don't know what it's like, but I can tell you and I argued this vehemently--an extended recruitment like ours does not help us get acclimated to our classes. At least it didn't for me. It was basically a month-long recruitment. With football Saturdays, and work week(s), it's non-stop. If we just did it in a week and got it over with, we'd just be done, and, I think, less far behind in our work. But there's never been campus support for that. And I would be stunned if it ever changed.

Also, there are a lot of sophomores who go through recruitment at UM. I think close to half of my pledge class was sophomores. There are a few houses that don't take them, but most of them do. They don't need time to get acclimated to campus. They already know what to expect.

I am sorry to hear that. Keep fighting the good fight and maybe they will change their minds.

They also still have an orientation session the week before school starts which would make it really difficult. My cousin's daughter from Alaska did the last orientation session because she couldn't get here earlier in the summer and then come back again for move-in.

Move-in was also done over several days, by dorm. So one dorm had move in on the 28th, one on the 29th, etc. That would make it tough to have recruitment going on that week too.

I had forgotten about the Jewish holidays being a factor too.

I know that at the University of Washington in Seattle recruitment begins about two weeks before classes start! During recruitment the pnm's are temporarily housed in dorms--all together. Kind of a fun experience for all of the pnm's and they really do bond and form friendships. On bid day the new pledges move in to their sorority house! Many parents are there for bid day and they help their daughter's move from the dorm to the chapter house. Also, families can tour the chapter house etc. Then there are a couple of days with no school events--but I think that sororities have retreats, sisterhood bonding events, etc. Then, mid-week the week after recruitment all of the other new freshman arrive/move onto campus, etc. and "Dawg Days" begin (they are the Huskies)!! After welcome week activites, classes finally begin. So, by the time classes start the new sorority pledges have already been away from school for 2+ weeks! The actives for at least 3 weeks!
I know all of this because my daughter almost went to UW.

My point to all of this is that recruitment at UW does not interfere with classes or welcome week! Nice!

I don't think most women in this part of the country even consider going through recruitment until they meet greeks during the welcome week kinds of festivities. They get to school, they see bits and pieces of greek life and then they say "I think I'll try that and see what it's like."

I was driving through Greek Row in Ann Arbor last night on my way to the bars. Holy crap. There were SO many girls. They were all wearing exactly the same thing though, colored skinnies cuffed up with flats and a sheer, flowy button up. They didn't seem to be being lead by their Rho Chi's though, they were just kind of walking aimlessly in the street. I almost hit like, 5 girls. Woops. Hope your UM girls are doing well Dee :)

Exactly. There are certain girls that know they are going to go through recruitment--mainly the girls from the coasts, suburbs of Chicago, certain suburbs of Detroit. But otherwise, unless you know about Greek life prior to coming to campus, it's not on the radar. I think that's why there are so many sophomores that go through it. I knew I was going to rush as a freshman because I had friends at other schools who did it and I was a legacy (not where I ended up). The freshman in my pledge class were in similar circumstances to me, and the sophomores waited because they had no clue what it was like and didn't want to jump in to it.

I am going to tell the recruitment story of the girl I will call Rebbie.

Background: Rebbie was in day care with Hypo when they were 2. At age 3 1/2, their day care closed and they went their separate ways. On the first day of kindergarten, Hypo came home and informed me that Rebbie was in her class. They were very close friends until sometime in middle school. At that time, Hypo realized that Rebbie did everything she did, liked everything she liked. It irked Hypo. Rebbie never left Hypo's side and was trying to be exactly like her. Hypo started to separate herself from Rebbie but they still hung out in the same "crowd". Hypo observed that Rebbie has no personality of her own, doesn't know who she is and essentially becomes whoever she is hanging out with most. Rebbie and Janet, the other PNM are roommates, but were in different Rho Gam groups.

Rebbie's cuts were harsh. For second rounds, she was invited back to:
Diana Ross- This was her least favorite group. I believe the words were "I hate them"
Marvin Gaye- This was Janet's favorite group, therefore, it was also Rebbie's favorite group
The Four Tops- She felt neutral about this group. She liked them, but not as much as she liked Marvin Gaye.

They received third round invitations tonight and Rebbie was only invited back to Diana Ross . She has decided to drop out of recruitment.

This will make for interesting dynamics because Janet is still going through recruitment and is having a more successful experience so far. They are high school friends and roommates (which most predicted would be a disaster in the long run).

So, recruitment is over for Rebbie. I will post Janet's story when she is finished .. hopefully with a happy ending.

Good luck to Janet. Of course I can't wait to find out which group is which!

She had an invitation to her favorite group and she decided to drop??????

I don't understand her.

Oops, I messed up. She only had an invite to Diana Ross so she dropped.

I know I went through recruitment a long time ago, but I find it hard to believe that you can "hate" any group after two parties. I know that there were a couple of houses that I didn't feel completely comfortable at, or just didn't click with, but "hate"? Wow.

You can't. All you can have is a keen ear for tent talk.

This struck home. My Debbie had a high school friend who could be the poster child for this. It eventually caused a huge same crowd brouhaha as some girls called her out on it and others thought it was no big deal.

Well, it definitely affected her recruitment. She really can't be her own person. I hope that while she's in college, she "finds" herself. And, that is most definitely the kind of woman that listens to "tent talk", right?

Any word on last night? Do 3rd rounds continue tonight?

Looking back, I was so clueless. The only "tent talk" I heard was that I wouldn't get into the one I liked best after both the 1st and 2nd sets because it was a "Jewish" sorority and I am not Jewish (I had no idea there was such a thing). I'm kind of glad I was so blissfully ignorant. :)

Janet is still very engaged in recruitment and third rounds were both last night and tonight :) She sent me texts last night with her impressions and I expect the same will happen tonight. I can't believe bid day isn't until the 30th though!

I hope it went well! They should absolutely have been able to be done by now so they could have Bid Day tomorrow--at least then they could have a football game together next weekend. I feel for all the girls involved on both sides. It's sooo long and tiring.

This is really feeling like it is taking forever! I can't imagine how these women feel.

http://www.michigandaily.com/news/gi...ers-greek-rush

From today's Daily. I didn't know about the "decoration ban." Interesting...

She has invites for Preference :) She has a new dress for Preference :) She is excited! I can't wait to post the full story on Bid Day. *crossing fingers for a happy ending*

Wonderful!!!! I hope last night went well. Can't wait to hear about it. Wishing her the best! Go Blue. *hoping she ends up in my chapter of course, but really just want her to be happy! :)

It is time to share Janet's whole story.

The University of Michigan currently has 14 NPC groups on campus:
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Phi
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Delta Phi Epsilon
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Delta Tau
Sigma Kappa
Zeta Tau Alpha

I didn’t know Janet was going through recruitment until she was in the middle of first rounds so I didn’t send a rec for her. Janet was Hypo’s locker partner in 6th grade and they’ve been really tight since. She spearheaded the “G t-shirt” effort that you can read about in the Prayers/Thoughts Requested thread. She went on the spring break cruise with us and I’ve become close with her mom too. She has spent so much time at my house over the years that she calls me “Mama LastName”. She graduated with top honors and has been very involved in community service organizations and National Honor Society. She is cute and perky, with a very bubbly personality. She has also been the one who made decorations for all of these girls’ birthday parties. She braids everybody’s hair and is really good at it. She is the one who planned meetings for them to plan for big events such as prom, our spring break cruise, and charity events for “G”. I always teased her that she was such a sorority girl because she had a meeting for everything and made awesome decorations! She came over and helped us pack the car the morning we left to take Hypo to New York. In case you can’t tell, I’m kind of fond of this young lady and I want her to have a successful recruitment.

After first rounds, Janet had one clear favorite and one that she knew she didn’t like. I found out she was going through recruitment when she sent me a text saying “Your sorority made my first list this round.” I sent her a long Facebook message telling her that cuts after first rounds can be harsh and not to take it personally. I gave her some of the other advice we generally give young ladies on GC. I also told her that “Mama LastName” would love her no matter which chapter she ends up in. No pressure to join my chapter.

For second rounds, PNMs could be invited to 11 chapters. After getting second round invites, Janet sent me a text “I only got five invites and everybody else got more than me!” She was clearly upset. Then she told me that Rebbie only got three invites and she felt really bad for Rebbie.

Janet was invited to:
The Temptations
The Four Tops
Diana Ross
Smokey Robinson
Aretha Franklin

She was sad that she was not invited back to Marvin Gaye, which had been her favorite chapter. It was even harder for her because Rebbie was invited back to Marvin Gaye. She had liked them best because “Conversations there weren’t fake. It wasn’t just ‘Hi, how are you’?” I told her that from this point on, she needed to treat it as though the five who invited her back were the only chapters on campus. I pointed out that they saw something they liked about her so she should give them a chance. Her invites did include her least favorite chapter. I gave her a big pep talk via text and she showed it all to Rebbie who felt a little better then too.


Second Parties:

The Temptations- She really liked this chapter. She had a long conversation about Disney and enjoyed the women she met here. She also said she loves the physical house and could see herself living there.
The Four Tops- This chapter was a favorite. She really liked these women a lot.
Diana Ross- She still wasn’t really feeling this chapter. Conversations were a struggle and she had to carry the conversation.
Smokey Robinson- She was kind of neutral about this chapter. She didn’t dislike them, but there wasn’t anything really memorable about them.
Aretha Franklin- She was also kind of neutral about this chapter.

If she was ranking at this point, she would have ranked
The Temptations-fave
The Four Tops- fave
Aretha Franklin-Neutral, but wanted to get to know them better
Smokey Robinson- Neutral, but wanted to get to know them better
Diana Ross- just not meeting women she clicked with

Third party invitations came out and she was invited to:
The Temptations
Aretha Franklin
Diana Ross

Janet was a little bit frustrated that one of her two favorites were gone but she really did like The Temptations and wanted to get to know Aretha Franklin better since she didn’t remember them very well.

She really enjoyed The Temptations and Aretha Franklin but was still struggling with Diana Ross. She just didn’t have anything in common with any of the women she met from this chapter.

Preference:
Janet sent me a text saying that she had picked up her preference invitations and had been invited to :
The Temptations
Diana Ross

She was bummed out that Aretha Franklin had dropped her, but was excited that she still had The Temptations. She bought a new dress for Preference and talked to her mom about financing sorority membership. After Preference, she sent me texts again.

The Temptations- She was paired with someone she hadn’t met before. They didn’t click as well as she had with some of the other women she had met. She and I talked about how you won’t click with all of the members of any chapter but that she had gotten along well with some of the other women and those would probably be the women she would hang out with the most. She still really likes this chapter.

Diana Ross- She has gone to all of their events and just hasn’t had easy conversations with any of the women she has met so she is very wary about joining this chapter.

She decided to ISP The Temptations. I reminded her of the risks of that and she was sure that it was the right thing to do. She had decided that it was The Temptations or she wouldn’t be Greek and that was ok. I asked her what time she was supposed to hear from her counselor if she didn’t get a bid. She said “If I don’t, I’m going to cry.” and then she said they didn’t say anything about that. I told her that if she felt that strongly, maybe she should put Diana Ross down too. She was insistent that she would only cry because The Temptations didn’t give her a bid, not because she wouldn’t be Greek.

She thought that she was supposed to get her bid at 5 pm on Sunday, but she was really supposed to pick it up between 11 am and 1 pm and then show up for bid day activities at 5. She found this out Saturday and was at home for the weekend, thinking she wouldn’t have to be back to school until close to 5 pm Sunday. She was going to text her recruitment counselor and see if it was possible to pick the bid up a little later in the day, if she got one.

I am on pins and needles because she took this risk. I think she could find a niche in any chapter, but she really doesn’t think so. I guess it is better to ISP than to get matched to a chapter and not show up for Bid Day because I think that is really hard on a chapter. I think if she had felt a connection with any of the women she met at Diana Ross, she might have felt differently. I really hope she gets a bid. I’m really afraid that she won’t :(

I am also really regretting that I didn’t send a rec. I really didn’t know she was interested in recruitment until it was too late.

About five minutes ago, Janet sent me a text to tell me that her Rho had called her and told her she HAS a bid so she will need to get to the Union to pick it up between 11 am and 1 pm. Since she only put The Temptations on her card, she knows that tomorrow she will go to them for Bid Day :)

She did have a happy ending. I will share which lucky chapter at the University of Michigan picked up this wonderful young lady tomorrow, after she picks up her bid, just in case there was confusion or something. I don't want to jinx anything!


ETA: I wrote all of the above as the days went by so my fears, etc. were captured in real time :)

fingers crossed!