Is this true, and why?
 

This question is targeted to those of you who attended schools where the Greek system is super-competitive:

The Greek Advisor at my alma mater (not a competitive Greek school) once mentioned that in areas of the country where rush is more competitive, the Alumnae Panhellenic is in charge of "pre-screening" potential rushees before they actually go through recruitment. Is this true? Does that mean that if you don't make it past the pre-screening phase, that you can't go through rush? Or is this procedure in place more so to help potential rushees secure recommendations?

What Jocelyn said! To get an idea of what Alumnae Panhellenics do regarding recruitment, check out some of the links to a few Texas Alumnae Panhellenics listed in the "Alumnae Panhellenics - Recruitment Information Sessions - list them here" thread in the Rush forum. A LOT of Texas schools are very competitive or ultracompetitive (Texas - Austin, Southern Methodist, A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas Christian, and on and on), so those sites may give you a pretty good idea.

Now, there can be an element that you might think of as "pre-screening," but that would take place in each individual sorority's local or regional alumnae chapter / alumnae association. In some instances -- but not for all locations, and not for all sororities -- an alumnae recommendations committee of a particular sorority may make some decisions about which girls will be formally recommended by the alumnae chapter. Of course, individual alumnae (and sometimes actives) can write recommendations and send them directly to an active chapter, but there are places where the recommendations forwarded by an alumnae chapter may carry a little more weight. In other words, a particular sorority chapter MIGHT pay more a little more attention to a recommendation that came through their (let's say) San Antonio Alumnae Chapter than to one that just came from Mrs. Smith in suburban San Antonio. For another sorority on the same campus, it might not make a difference.

Five bucks says she's going to PM you that information.

10 Bucks says she won't actually PM the information, but will tell everyone that she did.

Re: Is this true, and why?
 

Of course this is true, darlin'. We wouldn't want any undesirables coming through Rush, now would we?

Re: Re: Is this true, and why?
 

What a coincidence....I was called an "undesirable" just today!

Re: Re: Re: Is this true, and why?
 

Of course you are sugar.


I am just belle-ing it up. Where did that come from?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Is this true, and why?
 

My PM box is empty now.

Re: Re: Is this true, and why?
 

HAHAHAHA!!!! I snuck in through one of your Midwest chapters! Take that!

Its okay sweetie, now we are sisters. At least you joined a genteel sorority. You are Southern by association.

Elaborating on what exlurker said:

On campuses where Recs are required and girls that don't know any greeks are put in touch with alumnae panhellenics . . . could that be construed as pre-screening?

In fact, thats an interesting question . . . what if some member that interviews that girl jus doesn't like her? Or wants to decreases the competition for girls she does like? Doesn't her possible weak or even negative recomendation possibly prejudice a house away from a great girl?

James, that is a very interesting question. A very intriguing answer.

That is why I feel without the have to have so many members does get in the way of getting some very great people whether it be a He or She GLO!

This has held My Alma Mater back from adding any New Sororitys because of not making numbers.

6 Fraternitys and 3 Sororities!:(

It always seemed to me, either Poop or get off of the pot.

Why hold other groups from expanding.

LXA as I understand it have a list of possible expansion Colleges and consider them for expansion before so doing.

The Old Union Triad Groups held up and still do somewhat on expansion. Is that to be so aloof and selective? Always thought if you dont grow, you will eventually wither and die.

Anyone can go through rush. If your grades are too low or you don't meet other requirements, then you can be cut, but anyone can go through rush. There is no "pre-screening" for that.

I take it, there is defered rush?

If they do not have GPA, then how can they go through rush?

The reason I ask, is why take up the time and expense for GLOs to do this?:( :( :(

Nope. This is a regular fall rush. They asked for your GPA when you signed up, but there wasn't a minimum GPA to participate in recruitment. If you didn't have the minimum GPA then you would be cut. This may just be at my school, where there is really not a problem with GPAs being high enough. For my freshman class:

Average Core GPA
> 4.05
Average SAT
> 1437

So I'm pretty sure that there were not many, if any, freshman with a GPA that would preclude them from joining a sorority. Maybe girls that are older could have a problem, but, honestly, there are not many non-freshman PNMs.

This is not true for all schools. My school has a minimum GPA that you must have to rush and all chapter have a minimum GPA that you must have to receive a bid and this GPA is normally higher than the GPA set by Panhel, although it differs by chapter. Obviously, there are some exceptions and people that don't meet the minimum set by the chapter (although have met the minimum set by Panhel) may receive a bid.

Re: Is this true, and why?
 

Alumnae Panhellenics are rarely, if ever, attached to one specific school. I seriously doubt that the busy women who comprise APHs have the time to sit around and go through tons of women rushing multiple schools and "screen" them - especially when each school and each sorority has different grade and otherwise requirements.

Maybe your sorority's Alumnae VP or whatever she is called would know.

just curious...how can you have a 4.05 GPA? what grading scale is that on?

i think some high schools are based on a 5-point scale. at least mine went to a 5.0 scale my senior year. before that gpas were in percentages (100 and on down)

Our university only recognizes a 4.0 scale. That means that when we get the 4.05s we adjust it to show what it would have been on a 4.0 scale.

How would it be fair to let a girl with a 2.6/5.0 in a chapter, when comparably that 2.6 is more like a 2.08 on 4.0 scale?

One way you can have over a 4.0: in many Georgia systems, you get extra points added onto your GPA for taking the hardest courses. In our school district, you get the most added for taking AP courses, then Advanced College Prep, then College Prep.

That is correct. I'm from GA, and in high school, I took 4 years of Honors Social Studies. When I would get an A in a class, it would count as a 4.5 instead of a 4.0. For AP classes, an A would count as a 5.0.

This was how it was for us in high school; AP courses were worth more, so that class rank would be weighted. Thus, getting an A inan AP class would be worth more than an A in an intermediate course.

I've heard of this happening at colleges as well, although I'm not sure why it's done at that level.

It is a 4 point scale. The university gives you .5 extra points if the grade is in an AP class. For example, if you got an A in an AP class you would add a 4.5 in to your GPA instead of 4 points. The university also recalculates all GPAs during the admissions process, so everyone's GPAs are on the same scale.

I don't think that all schools in Georiga do this, but that's how UGA does it.