Good rush questions
 

Oh boy, the rush board is heating up!

Y'all have been telling the PNMs to try to have some good questions for the sisters. Okay, some they can probably figure out, like "can you tell me why you joined AB?" or "could you tell me what you do with your philanthropy?"

However, we really like to prepare our Greek Chat rushees here! :D So..as a member, what are some great questions that you'd be impressed to hear from a rushee?

Impressive questions:
--How would being in a sorority/fraternity enhance my college experience...
--What could be negative repercussions of going Greek...
--Why is being in a Greek house different/better than just hanging out with my regular group of good friends...

Those are just some thoughts.

These are questions I included when I designed the Panhel Recruitment book last year:

Social & Activities
*What types of social events occur during the year?
*What activities do you do with other Greek members?
*What are Homecoming and Greek Week all about?
*Why do you enjoy being in a sorority?

Scholarship
*What are the grade requirements?
*What local/national scholarships do you offer?
*How does your sorority promote scholarship?

Leadership
*How quickly can I get involved in the chapter?
*What leadership opportunities are available to me?
*Will I have time for other campus activities?
*Can I have input in chapter business?

Philanthropy
*Does your chapter have a specific philanthropy?
*What fundraising and community service do you do?

Financial
*Can I hold a job and still be involved in the chapter?
*Do you offer payment plans?
*What are the extra costs?

Miscellaneous
*Why should I become a member of the Greek community?
*What is expected of new members and active member?
*Do I have to live in the chapter house?
*What does the new member program consist of?

These are good questions. Some caveats:

Social: Don't focus too much on the social program - it sends the message that you just want to join a sorority for the guys or the popularity factor. Steer clear of discussing specific fraternities... stick to general questions.

Philanthropy: Do your homework ahead of time and know what the national and/or chapter's philanthropies are (if applicable), and name it when you ask.

Financial: At some schools, asking about financials is a big no-no as it implies that you might not be able to afford dues and fees. Ask your rho chi if it's a "safe" topic; if it isn't, she can probably give you a ballpark figure. YMMV - at my school, not only is it "safe" to ask about financials, each sorority distributed little information sheets with information on dues, new member fees, and house/parlor fees where applicable.

Academics: This is a great topic, since the primary reason you are going to college is to learn. Definitely ask about academic programs, study hours, awards that the chapter has won, etc.

some dont's
 

It can look bad if a rushee seems too focused on the social aspects of being in a sorority. Never ask about drinking (other than maybe to ask about NOT drinking, which of course would be perfectly ok), or about what fraternities the sorority generally hangs out with. Just in general, it is a big faux pas for a rushee to talk about drinking or guys (in a sketchy way... no big deal if you mention your boyfriend from home or something) during rush parties.

I would say don't bring up drinking AT ALL, because it puts the sisters in a very uncomfy situation. All the national sororities' alcohol policies can be found on their national websites.

As far as social, maybe ask "what are some fun mixer themes you had" or something along those lines. If you don't ask about that at all, they might think you don't enjoy those kinds of activities. It's natural and normal to want to have fun when you join a sorority! It's not all grades, philanthropy and meetings.

As far as the house I know I am picking a nit, but ask "who lives in the chapter house?" By asking "do I have to live in" it might convey that you would think of that as a burden. When you ask it that way, more than likely the sister will volunteer when/if you have to live in.

If you have any doubts as to whether a question would be appropriate, ask your rho chi or if you don't feel comfy asking her, the Greek advisor.

Oh and anyone who is designing a rush booklet or a Panhel website - please make it easy on everyone involved and put each group's costs (or failing that, an average cost) and whether payment plans are available in it. Everyone hates talking about $$, and it's so much better if it's laid out and you don't have to.

I can't speak for everyone, but at our school this is not allowed. Financial Obligation sheets are given to the PNMs during the second round of parties during Structured. This is the best time to bring up any financial questions.

Don't forget Alumni Involvement
 

When I went through rush, someone gave me a great tip.

Be sure to ask about Alumni involvement.

Do Alums come back for Homecoming?
Do Alums provide financial support?
Do Alums offer support through Advising, House Corp, & undergraduate programing?

If the Alumni support is strong then the chapter can provide its members with invaluable networking and career opportunities, plus you know that things will be fixed around the house and nothing will happen to the chapter without a fight from the Alums.

If the Alumni support is weak, you have to wonder why? Did they have a bad experience? Were they overinvolved as undergrads and now burnt out?

Alumni support is very important. That's how my chapter is able to finance building a new chapter house. That's how I got my first internship. That's how I met some awesome mentors.

Ask the active what becoming a member of her chapter has meant to her. She just might get misty-eyed when she has to articulate why she wants you to be as interested in her chapter as she is, and she'll remember you for asking such a deep question that touched her. It's also a good way for you to gauge just how much their chapters mean to the members. If you get flip, cutesy answers with a lot of "and ... ums" in them, you might want to look elsewhere. If you get misty-eyed at her answer, however, let her know how impressed you are, and go to the next party if you are invited.

Last summer, I know a bunch of Rush veterans started a thread of guidelines. Is there any way to reactivate that?

Rush Topics
 

I went to a large college and because there was 14 different sororities my sorority had a "greek policy." During the first round of rush our focus was on the benefits of being greek regardless of what sorority you were in. We found that if everyone used this approach there would be a lot more people would have a favorable view of the greek system (and we always made quota every year).

However, our most important policy was no matter what you never talk about another house negatively no matter the situation. We are all greek together regardless of our letters, colors or symbols!

Good luck and have a great rush!

If you remember the name of the thread, or even a keyword, you can easily do a search. If not, maybe someone can find it for you. ;)

bump

It's good to keep in mind that the first round is about going Greek in general, with less emphasis on your own house, b/c many girls are still deciding if it's something they want to do at all.

The next rounds are about your house, and the video round and Prefs ceremony are about conveying how much your chapter has meant to you .

I don't know if it's a good idea to ask about "how much the chapter has meant to you" in the first round b/c you only have like 5 minutes with each other, and after the requisite "what's your major" and backround info, it'll be hard to give a complete answer.

I would be impressed if someone asked me about the differences between hanging with your sisters and hanging with your "regular" friends. I'd be less impressed if someone asked
how much time I have to spend on sorority stuff each week. I know it's not meant to take over your life, but it implies that somewhere the down the line they're going to use the "The sorority is not my whole life, I have other things to do" line when they're bailing out on an event.

But you know what's the best? When you find yourself talking about normal things for a moment (but not the whole time, b/c it is important to learn about the house)...it's not rehearsed and you get to see what the person is really like.

Bump :)

Since everyone will be bored on the normal background information questions on the first night (and guessing that there will be time to talk about more), what are some good questions to ask on the first night that will get you remembered. Should I ask questions about going greek and why they did even though I already know that I want to (I don't want the actives to think that I am second guessing the greek system or anything like that). Also I was wondering if it is a social or rush faux paux to talk about travels over the summer. Lets say that you went to europe over the summer, would it be too "showy" to talk about it, or is that hinting about socio-economic status?

I wanted to make one comment about asking about alumni involvement. You need to look at what school you are going to to decide if this is aplicable. I know in our chapter we have much more nation inviolvement then chapter alumna involvement. This is mainly due to the fact that I go to a campus where after college most people move far away from the town. It isnt like we dont have help from nationals and what not, but finding specific alumna of the chapter does not always happen.

bump!

Bump!

Great thread!

BUMP!!!

Well, from a guys perspective..
 

*lifesaver sniffs as he looks around*

I can smell the estrogen in the air up in here. Its like a bridal shower or something. lol Gotta man it up a bit. Anyone want a beer? Think the horns are gonna take the national title this year or are ya pullin for OU?

just kidding, lol

I would be impressed if a PNM asked me, "What makes you different from all the other fraternities here on campus?" "What can you offer me that they cant?" "Will my grades more likely improve, or drop if I join your org."

I'd prolly fall over dead If one asked, "Compared to the other groups on campus, where do you stand with a risk management program, violations?"

All of the questions provided are good ones, but i want to add my $0.02 in.

It seems a little odd to totally shy away from the social aspect of SOCIAL sororities. You don't want to dwell on it but the very nature of the organization implies that there are social aspects to the sisterhood. There are ways to ask about it without sounding like it is your only concern, however. We always encouraged PNMs to voice concerns they might have about it, "Does everyone drink", "Are you required to participate", "How has it interferred with your schoolwork". These are important things to know before you make a lifetime commitment to an organization.

Depending on the greek system at your school, find out how much greek mixing is done (not just boys and girls but girls with other girls) How much trouble is there with the GDIs?

Most importantly, the questions that are asked aren't really as important as paying attentions to the answers that you get. Listen to what the sister says...Does it seem overly rehersed or fake. Does the sister seem honest or is she just telling you what she thinks that you want to hear.

Hope this helps.

Melissa

As a neophyte...
 

...GCer -- only about a month here now, I realize this may be a dumb question but, what the heck does Bump mean in all these GC threads?

Anyways, one question that was a no-no when i was rushing was about moving in to the house -- like, Can I as a Pledge move in to the house? To some it was perceived that the only reason such a question would be asked was 'cuz you wanted a place to hang your hat...

Bump just means we want to bring a topic back to the top of the forum. Sometimes they are older threads and sometimes they just get buried under all the newer posts.

Oh okay....I think...
 

so the purpose of bumping is to keep it at the top of the Rush thread so it is seen and logged onto and posted onto more?
(HeY I am OLD!!! I don't catch on to things so quickly nowadays!)

That's it! We say bump when we want to move the topic back up but we don't have anything to contribute.

Thanks everyone!
 

I get it now!

Carnation,

Thanks so much for starting this thread! It's been so helpful that I actually printed it out!

XOXO,
Annie, the big, overprepared nerd.

Hey, thanks Annie! I just saw your response almost a year late!

I'm printing this to give to about 8 PNMs--there's nothing like that blank feeling you get during recruitment when a sorority member asks, "So, do you have any questions?" and you know that their group has covered every single question you had during their presentation. Furthermore, you have suddenly forgotten how to speak English.:(

Hey LeslieAGD,

I liked your list of rush questions. I copied your list and parts of others into a word doc.:D

Michelle
Advisor / PAI Fall '03

I am one of those lucky people who, when they are asked if they have any questions, freezes and can't think of ANYTHING. I've written questions down that I want to honestly know the answer to, and I look at them while my kids at work are taking their nap. I don't want to sound rehearsed, just prepared...