University of Texas, Austin
 

Does anyone know about recruitment there? From looking at the website, they have this thing called "Guaranteed Placement," what exactly is that? Would Rush at UT be considered a stereotypical "Southern" Rush?

From what I have heard UT can be really competitive, depending on what your goal is during rush.

If you keep an open mind, and look at all the groups, finding a home should be no problem.

But they do have some groups that it takes an act of god to get into, so if you have your heart set on xyz, you might have your work cut out for you.

Tradition is big in Texas, and sororities at UT can be steeped in it.

I don't know about guaranteed placement, that came about long after my pals had departed from UT. I would really like to hear some opinions on that topic.

from UT's website:

What is Guaranteed Placement?

Ranking your maximum amount of chapters at each convocation is strongly encouraged and required for you to be eligible for guaranteed placement. If this is followed through the preference event, those potential new members who have ranked the maximum amount of chapters throughout recruitment and who rank all of their options on their preference cards will receive a bid from one of the chapters listed on their preference card. That DOES NOT automatically mean that they will receive their first choice, but it does mean that they will be placed with one of their choices.

I am guessing that they have some sort of mechanism that throws you out if your choices don't mesh with where you actually went - I mean, if you want ABC and they cut you after first round, just because you put ABC on your card I don't think you will get a bid. I don't like to ass-ume but this sounds like one of those things where you have to go back to the max each round even if you have tried to drop a chapter, or "all bets are off."

I think (and correct me please if I am wrong) that guaranteed placement means that you cannot be cross-cut.

As long as you always accept the max amount of invites on any given day that you are allowed to take, you are assured that you will get a bid from a sorority who you list on your bid card.

Actually, it sounds as though, you aren't allowed to cut a chapter unless you are invited back to more houses than there are parties. (you MUST attend the maximum number of parties per day) --- I think it's a good thing. It's healthy for the system (full-placement means full pledge classes = chapter total= no closings, no financial woes etc.) and good for all of the girls who want to be a part of it. All houses are great for one reason or another! There IS a place for everyone!

What happens if say, there are four rounds of rush and after the first round you get invited to all of them which means you have to cut four houses.

Then, after the second round you only get invited to half the houses, will you have to go back to the houses that you cut in the first round to make it a full round for the third round?

Does that make sense?

Regardless, I think this is a FANTASTIC idea.

However, from both the sorority and rushess perspective, I wouldn't want to be somewhere I don't want to be nor pledge a girl who cut me but I know attitudes, ideas, etc. change so I still think the potential for it working out is a great thing.

You would only be required to attend the maximum number of parties for which you have recieved invitations. My scool (Texas A&M University) requires women to do this in order to be eligible for snap bidding (in the event she is cross-cut, a woman may only be eligible to be snap-bid if she's attended the maximum number of parties for which she recieved invitations) No "suicide" second chances here!

I opened up a thread on Guaranteed Placement in the rush forum, so we don't hijack this away from UT Austin. :)

Well then, for UT-Austin:

*It's going to be HOT!!!!
*Rec's are a MUST for any chapter you are even remotely considering being "very interested" in.......... and a really good idea to have for every house anyway. The obtaining rec's process is also a good way to meet women from each organization, ask questions about their sorority, and acquaint yourself with the process.
*Don't listen to what ANYONE says about ANY one chapter. Rumors will abound. Trust your instincts, look for friends not reputations.

It can work badly though too, if you are invited back somewhere where you don't want to be and you HAVE to go in order to stay in formal recruitment. It happened to me and I declined my bid. (suffice it to say, my rush was disastrous, which is why I did not go Greek in university).

CP2000, I was thinking of you when I typed out my post...I hope that this is not like what you went through and that we are missing a detail.

I've heard that you have to be invited to the first round in each house, which means that most PNMs would never see the inside of the Big Six houses.

S, I hope so too, for both the rushees and for the sororities' sake.

:eek: Holy Cow! How can that be? Please tell me that they only cut for grades (as discussed in the UNL thread) and don't just cut willy-nilly before even meeting the PNMs.

On another note, does UTA have the women rank houses at the end of each round, so that if a woman is invited back to more parties than she may attend, she automatically regrets the houses that were lower on her list?

Ok, this is picky, but important to remember:

The big public schools in Texas all have "extension schools" as well as their main campus. ie: UT - Austin is the main campus, UTA is UT Arlington, UTSA is UT San Antonio, UTD is UT Dallas.... it can be confusing!

Thanks, AggieDZ - I was going to mention that, but I wondered if I was just being too picky. I'm a UT grad (Austin, by the way) and it makes a difference to me. I realize not everyone knows that, though.;)

No problem, tinydancer! I know how it goes! Just try explaining to someone why Aggies ( Texas A&M College Station) don't think someone at A&M Kingsville (the Javelinas) should get to wear the Aggie Ring. Sheesh!

I have heard quite a bit about UT rush. And it wouldn't surprise me if one or two sororities there had their final bid list ready in June. This is Texas, and at a few sororities legacy & recommendation are everything. But this can work against them, they miss out on some really great girls.

I was an Advisor for the Alpha Xi Delta chapter at UT - Austin for four years - until I moved out of Texas a year an a half ago.

I will post on the guananteed placement thread on that topic.

That aside....

Every women goes through all 14 houses for open house. Cuts after the first round can be big because many of the houses that historically reach quota during bid matching have release figures that force them to cut many women.

This is a campus where more than a few of the chapters could potentially fill quota with just their legacies.... although most of those chapters end up only pledging about 1/2 of quota with legacies.... talk about some upset moms, sisters, and grandmothers!

I can honestly say that all 14 chapters are strong chapters. There is a place for every woman that wants to go greek - if those women will keep their options open.

UT Recruitment is like no other.... it can be a different world.... just two years ago, recruitment budgets in some chapters were $28,000. Just before I moved away, Panhellenic put a budget cap in place of either $18,000 or $20,000... with hopes that it could gradually be reduced to $12,000. I don't know how close to that goal they have been able to come.


If anyone has specific questions - just ask. I'll be as honest as I can be.

Hey AlphaXiGirl-
I PM'd you...

It has been years since I attended UT, but I was just wondering... How many (about) go through rush nowadays? What is quota - it was 50 when I went there. Are LOTS of girls going un-bidded?
I know that at least 5 NPC sororities that were once there are gone now. Has the time come to try and re-colonize one or two?
These were well-known groups and some were very old chapters, founded in the 30s or 40s.

Just OBTW - I think GC has done a lot to promote ALL sororities and to emphasize that each chapter is different, like we all are, and have distinct personalities. This was quite an eye-opener for me.

I don't know about last year's numbers but in the past only 850 - 950 women sign up for recruitment... on a campus of 55K, that's not a lot.

Of those women only 650 or so get bids but most of that decline in number is due to women dropping out - usually heartbroken because they didn't get invited back to the one chapter they were in love with... and of course, you have some women that are dropped from all groups because of grade requirements (this is usually women that already have college GPA's. Because UT is so hard to get accepted into, highschool women usually have very high HS GPAs). There really aren't a lot of women that go through the process without getting a bid - especially with Guaranteed Placement.

Quota is usually in the 51 - 53 range with Junior Quota adding another 3 or so.

I have seen so many improvements in UT's recruitment. The college panhellenic has really improved the process and is making some very positive changes.

Thanks for the info. I wish they had had the junior quota when I went through. I was told point blank by one sorority "We don't bid juniors," at a cob party. I thought that was pretty bizarre, since THEY had invited me and KNEW what year I was.

This ignorant (but very interested) Northerner would love to know what you mean. Can you try to describe it?

And what in the world costs $28,000 in recruitment when you can't give gifts to the PNMs? :eek: Gold-plated name tags? Wow.

Ivy

I second that emotion!

Sorry for the UT-Austin/UT-Arlington messup.

I am not speaking of our budget at UT, but generally speaking chapters like the ones at UT will spend approximately the following amount of money on the following:

$5,000-$10,000 on flowers
$3,000 on rentals
$3,000 on video production or skit props/production
$5,000 on refreshments and food
$2,000 on rho chis/panhellenic stuff
$6,000 on non-floral decorations
$1,000 on name tags

That's assuming that clothing is in a seperate assessment and not a part of the budget.

How important is being in a GLO at UT? It sounds like a huge campus and a relatively small portion of it being Greek. Do guys have the same degree of difficulty when it comes to getting into a frat?

my sister did this awful thing of 'guaranteed placement'
a bunch of girls from her school all went through rush together
when you fill out a bid card, you put down your top sororities ranked most desired to least desired
and you'll get a bid from one of them
out of 12 girls, only 5 ended up in their first choice(my sister included)
the rest of them ended up in their 2nd or 5th choice which wasn't bad
none of them regret it

it's mostly to keep girls who make fatal mistakes like 'suicide' or something crazy off the wall cutting
to give them a chance and still be in a sorority

Not to be a smartass, but rentals of what?

My guess is chairs, tables, tablecloths, trellis, wind machine (you never know, lol), helium and/or propane tanks...

Moon walks, of course!;)

At Texas, if you intentional single preference, you are not eligilble for GP (unless, of course, you were only invited to one pref).

Rentals?
Rentals for tables, chairs, stages, china and glass wear for preference, sound and light equipment, white tent to go in front of the house to keep the sun off the PNM as they wait to enter the house, the list could go on and on.

But those times are passing. Things are a little more under control and getting better each year.

DGMarie gets my nomination for best post of the day!!!

I now have a visual of a bunch of perfectly coiffed girls, in cute pink or black sundresses jumping in a giant inflatable castle (air conditioned, of course) while asking questions like "so what's your major?" and "tell me about your philanthropy," or "does everyone go to Texas-OU together?"


Thanks for the laugh.

Don't forget the rows of perfectly lined up shoes outside the moon walk, of course. oooh, are those PRADA?

http://www.thefunones.com/disney_princess_club.jpg
Perfect for rush!

http://www.moon-walker.com/images/in...osuitshome.gif
Philanthropy round

LOL.

I remember Texas Gal posting on TWoP, and she said that one year while she was an active, the ADPis rented out a lion for rush and put it in their foyer! :eek:

I believe she also said that rush has calmed down quite a bit since then, however.

WOW! A real life lion?! That's pretty spiffy! I'm going to reccommend that to our chapter! (j/k! ;) )

Ew - wouldn't it smell? Smelly lions and Texas ADPis do not go together, in my mind. :)

My God a lion! Holy Jeepers! Marie you are too too funny! LOL

I know everyone thinks that DGMarie's comment was funny but it is also realistic. At USC several chapters have been renting moon bounces for Bid Day for a few years.

The cost of china, crystal, tables, chairs, tents, glasses, silverware, and everything else adds up when you have close to 200 actives and between 500 and 1000 rushees. Of course, this varies by campus, but a lot of schools have not gotten rid of real "frills" in recruitment.

DGMarie-TOOO TOOO FUNNY!!!!

And people think LSU is BAD!