University of Texas Recruitment 2014
 

So the doors to the sororities that make of the University of Texas Panhellenic Council will swing open to the beat of stomping feet and chanting voices in just a few days. 1258 PMNs will walk through these doors and become the newest members of these great chapters. Good Luck to everyone and I will enjoy hearing all the stories :)

Between rush and football season, I get real homesick for Austin this time of year.

I love hearing about UT recruitment! Let the tilt begin!

May the Games Begin :p

Opening Convocation-Monday August 18th, 8:00PM-9:30PM

Opening Convocation is a required meeting for all potential new members (PNMs) and serves as an orientation to formal recruitment. It is also the time where potential new members will meet their recruitment counselors and the panhellenic recruitment team, who will guide them through the week. PNMs will receive their t-shirts for the Open House rounds at this orientation.

Attire: Convocation is casual and does not involve any sorority women, other than the panhellenic officers and recruitment counselors.

Open House

(17 events, 2 days), Tuesday, August 19 (10:00AM-7:00PM) and Wednesday, August 20 (9:00AM-2:300PM)

This round of events is focused on the importance and excitement of "Going Greek!" Each potential new member will visit 14 chapter houses for 25 minutes each. You will walk from house to house with your recruitment group and Recruitment Counselors.

Attire: Each potential new member will receive a recruitment t-shirt to wear for Open House. Khaki shorts and tennis shoes are suggested.

Philanthropy Round (Invites distributed with Rho Chis @ 11:00 AM Thursday)

(10 events, 2 days), Thursday, August 21 (12:00PM-9:35PM) and Friday, August 22 (8:30AM-4:15PM)

This round of events is focused on community service. You will visit up to ten events lasting 35 minutes each. At each chapter visit, you will participate in a small project that will benefit the chapter's local or national philanthropy. In addition, chapters may choose to entertain you with a few songs, or provide information about their philanthropy and other chapter events.

Attire: Comfortable daytime dresses or skirts, comfortable sandals or flats. No denim or flip-flops.

Skit Round (Invites distributed with Rho Chis @ 12:30PM Saturday)

(6 events, 1 day), Saturday, August 23 (1:45PM-10:15PM)

This round of events is focused on entertainment. You will visit up to six events lasting 45 minutes each. Each chapter will perform a skit set around a theme showcasing their personality and values. Each chapter should also allow plenty of time for one-on-one conversations.

Attire: Dress appropriately for a luncheon, tea, or ceremony.

Preference Night (Invites distributed with Rho Chis @ 3:30PM on Sunday)

(3 events, 1 evening), Sunday, August 24 (4:45PM-9:45PM)

A potential new member may attend up to three events for one hour each. These events focus on the deepest aspects of sorority life, including sisterhood, friendship and ritual. This is your last chance to interact with chapter members.

Attire: Cocktail dress (typically black)

Bid Day

Monday, August 25 (5:00PM)

All potential new members will gather at a location on campus to receive their sorority bid. You will then be invited back to the house of the sorority you have joined to participate in fun activities such as pictures, dinner and "get-to-know-you games". Activities differ from chapter to chapter.

Attire: Comfortable daytime dresses or skirts, comfortable sandals or flats; no denim.

NOTES:

Meetings with Recruitment Counselors

Each round the pnms will begin their day by meeting with their recruitment counselor group. This is the time when the pnms will receive their invitations and event schedules for that day.

Attire: Due to time limitations, it may be advisable for potential new members to dress for the recruitment events prior to attending this meeting.

Chapter Selection

After a potential new member has attended all of the events on her schedule, she will participate in Chapter Selection. This process should be completed immediately after her last event without making any stops to change clothes or make phone calls. The pnm will use this time to select the chapter(s) she would like to visit again the next day. This selection will first be filled out on a worksheet and then submitted on a computer after which she may return to her residence hall.

Any updates from Texas?

I have a very qualified out of state girl going through. To my knowledge she doesn't really have connections, being from several states away, which makes me a little concerned.

Had she grown up in Texas I have no doubt that she would have run in the same social circles as the sorority women and so I stressed that in my rec. We shall learn in a few days how it works out for her.

I hope all PNM stay hydrated. It's a 102 degrees today and the forcast for the next five is well over 100.

Was there a "dance party" at one of the houses during Open House round this year?

If anyone is interested, and you have an instagram account you can follow UT Panhellenic at utaustinsfl (UT Austin Sorority and Fraternity Life) They have been doing videos at each house of door chants.

I wonder that too ChioLu.

Me too! Love to hear how it's going in Austin. It's an incredible campus and greek system.

Yes, the dance party remained. I don't see it going away any time soon. *sigh*

I just made an Instagram account so I could watch this. Yes i'm old, and yes I'm obsessed. Don't judge me:)

No judging :p They make me happy when I see and hear them too!

My daughter is going through this year as a Freshman. We are out of state, so worked hard to secure recs for her. She has a few connections in a few houses, but not many. Yes, I heard all about the dance party - is that unique to UT?

She is happy with her Philanthropy invites, although it is an unbalanced schedule (3 one day, 7 the next) so she is worried about being tired towards the end of day 2.

She commented that she was surprised how many sophomores were going through Recruitment (granted she has no idea on what is typical).

Best of luck to all the PNM's!

You can also follow #texasupc14 on Instagram to look at pictures too.

How fun that the chapters with pools have their seniors jump in at the end of the first round - it looks like a blast!

With the coordinated admission program it is not unusual to have a higher ratio of Sophomores going through but do not mistake them for "do overs". The lopsidedness of her parties is nothing to be concerned about. It is simply luck of the computer draw. Tell her to rest tonight and put her best foot forward tomorrow.

That is awesome right?

Is there an upperclassmen quota?

I thought - if there are 10 events, how many times do the sororities do the parties? (i.e. I thought the sororities repeated the parties a few times to prevent lopsidedness like this)

yes

The sororities have 16 parties over two days. Eight on each day. The increase in parities is not to prevent lopsidedness as much as it is to keep the parties manageable in size, especially for chapters that have a greater number of girls coming through.

I remember hearing that someone important-a dean of students, maybe-had called on the fraternities and sororities to be transparent regarding whether they could take PACE students or not. Did this happen?

The request did happen. I saw the letter from Dean of Students to the Greek community. I have no idea whether the chapters honored the request though.

Just because the Dean asks for the information does not mean they will get it. It really goes toward Membership Selection. The fact is PACE students are eligible for recruitment. What the chapters do at that point is really their business. Think about like it grades, which is openly discussed here. If you have to have 3.0 to register for recruitment, you may be naive enough to believe that everyone will welcome you with open arms at a 3.0. But the reality is, that is not true for all chapters. Every chapter has a minimum but there is an unknown "preferred GPA" that chapters try to target. What is that GPA? No one will ever know (except the girls inside) because it is not meant to be public. One can deduce by looking at GPA by chapter that UT Panhellenic publishes that if you are way below their chapter average, then maybe your chance aren't so good. So just like everything else PACE will just be another part of membership selection. I would be interested to hear from girls who were PACE and what their experience was going through the process though.

Can someone explain what the "dance party" is?

Google the term coupled with Texas sorority recruitment and you will find your answer. Out of politeness, GCers demur.

I was wondering the same thing.

from thatsite: (sorority name redacted obviously)

When you went to ABC during Open House, they would talk to you for a few minutes and then start jumping and chanting.

They did this because they allegedly already knew who they wanted and took them in another room and didn't want to bother talking to girls they weren't interested in.

Some people call it dirty rushing or rude, I call it a stroke of genius. Put it all out on the table and don't give people false hope.

I wish someone would post a recruitment story to UT :confused:

Really? Lordy, I am clutching my mama's double strand....

That I posted it, that it happens or that I like it? :p

I can't say "how awful for the PNMs to be snubbed like that" because it's probably easier on them than trying to make small talk with someone who's being "technically" polite but who obviously does not want you there.

I don't know how they get away with it, but there are a lot of things from school to school that I don't understand.

Wait. How is it okay for us to tell the PNMs to be polite to every chapter and that they are GUESTS, and yet we can not extend the same courtesy to them?

That you posted that. And AZTheta put it perfectly.

We had an epic thread about the dance party and Texas rush last year that was deleted. It was an eye opener. :eek:

There is also Glitter Dusting and Piggy Back Rides IIRC.

I'm not clutching because of what goes on there - I already know all that. I'm clutching because of what 33Girl said. Am totally flabbergasted still...

Yea, I'm having a hard time with telling PNMs to respect all groups and behave politely and then winking or condoning absolutely dismissive behavior from actives who are supposed to be living up to standards.

I wondered when I first heard this, and I wonder now...where is nationals for this group and the piggy back group?

Y'all are reading me the wrong way. I'm not saying this is the way sorority women should act, nor do I approve of it. But you know the expression "let your freak flag fly"? These girls are letting their jerk (that's not the 4 letter word I wanted to use) flag fly. And there are probably rushees who are a lot less hurt because of it. Quite frankly, the thing that has me clutching my pearls is that they act like this and still remain high in the campus's social pecking order. Or their national group's good graces. Those are the groups that should be condemning this action, not me. But those groups apparently don't mind, so yeah, if you are that kind of closed minded snob, I'd rather know straight up.

I don't know which groups these are (for all I know it could be my own) but my first guess would be that the UT alumnae are in some way more powerful that the national organization. If they weren't the national organization would have stopped it by now.