When to do rush
 

At our meeting last night we got into a discussion about when is the best time to do rush. My co-president and I agreed that the best time for locals to rush would be the week after the nationals do theirs. Our Vice President disagrees and thinks that there is no reason we can't do it the same week. We explained to her that it seems to be an unofficial thing here that the locals all do it the week after nationals, and that it would look unprofessional to do otherwise. Also it might be frowned upon by the other Greeks. I think it's important that the locals and nationals have a seperate rush week, and I always liked that it was usually done that way. Most girls go to the nationals first and if they decide it's not for them they decide to look into the locals. I always thought it was nice that they get a chance to do that the following week instead of waiting a semester. Any thoughts?

I think i would do it afterwards also.

My sorority is the only local on campus, and we do our rush at the same time, and it is harder to compete (with their decorations, etc) but we've come out on top more often. We also don't really have a choice about when to do rush, the school mandated our formal recruitment (in the spring) but doesn't handle our COB stuff... but we usually do it at the same time....
they got 10 girls this semester (i'm alumni now so they did the work lol)
let me know if you have other questions

My concern is that our local is one of the few local greek organizations that actually are recognized by the school, and we have fought very hard to gain this status. There are TONS of national and local sororities and fraternities that we are competing with at this school and it seems rather unfair that these societies get first dibs on members when we too are registered. I blame the rush week being afterwards for being partially responsible for the fact that locals grow slower than national organizations.

I personally think that a smaller organization is better. and that its one of the positives to being a local group. Im not saying that smaller is always the way to go, but sometimes people come to campus looking for something small, not everybody feels comfortable with taking on 40 new sisters, rather than taking say, 20?
I know my interests group has a unified opinion that smaller also means more personal and you dont feel as lost as you might would in a larger group. i'd like to think of my sorority as more of an exclusive thing, since we dont have to fight for numbers... (COB's and Snap's)

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

Our Collegiate Panhellenic designates a week in which the Associate/Local chapters are allowed to recruit, and we can COB after that. The week is always after formal recruitment for the NPC chapters. One benefit of this is that any girls who may have been cut from NPC recruitment still have options.

Also, our 6 NPC sororities on campus only have fall recruitment, whereas the Associates & Local (and OPhiA too--which doesn't affiliate with CPC on our campus) also have spring recruitment. That helps. ;)

I don't understand why a local would think that getting NPC leftovers was a benefit. I would hate to think of my sorority as a "backup" or "second" option if I didn't get into a "real" sorority. (Note: I'm not one that thinks that locals aren't "real" sororities - but this kind of thing perpetuates that kind of thinking).

Leftovers is such a nasty term. I've seen plenty of fantastic women not make it through NPC recruitment. On our campus, the fact is, we only have 6 NPC chapters, and it's plenty likely that none of the personalities of any of those chapters are right for a particular woman. Also, we're small, so it's possible that they simply might not have heard of us. We can publicize our hearts out, but at the end of the day, there's 30 of us, while all of the NPC chapters have 100+.

At my campus we are working hard to promote the (non-local) but Panhellenic Associates (not members of NPC) during our regular recruitment. That way, people will know that there are other options.

They aren't required to recruit with us, but people will understand that NPC groups aren't there only options from day one and be able to meet the women.

If you are a concept in their heads from day one, then even if they still go through PC rush for the experience, they may still be focusing on the other groups and not finding anything they desire in PC Reccruitment, or being unsure about PC Recruitment, will return to the other groups for another look. That way, you aren't "leftovers" there was simply a "detour" in the process before they find their home.

Perhaps, if you are members of the PC (if you're not then I guess you don't have this option) then you can require the same promotion as you do pay the same dues!

Perhaps they aren't LEftovers....
Perhaps, these women, ACTUALLY want a 'real' sorority-- one thats ACTUALLY based on Sisterhood!
Not every NPC is what a girl is looking for...
That second option, is just sometimes the ONLY option for someone who actually wants to make a difference on her campus!!!
NOT every girl wants to plegde to a 'real' sorority, and end up paying $200 member dues, for three t-shirts, and the ability to say "Hi, im so and so, and I'm in XYZ..." AND that's it??
Sometime those "backup" sororities are the ones that dont charge anything and allow you to say things like "Hi, i'm so and so, and i'm in ABC and as a member i'v done numerous events for my community, i'm head of so and so in this group, in that group, and i've only been a member for one semester....
SOMEtimes~ second place ain't so bad
I can only speak for my campus, and my local here...
As i'm sure you were..
Your comment is amusing

OmegaPZPreZ, are you trying to say that NPC sororities aren't real sororities? That we don't have actual sisterhood? That's sure what it sounds like. If so, you really don't know much about NPC. I got a lot more than a few t-shirts from my organization, as has every sister I've ever known of any sorority, local or otherwise. You may think AlphaFrog's post is amusing, but I think yours is rather uneducated.

As stated before, i speak only on behalf of NPC here at my campus.... Congrats to you, if your group actually accomplishes things like they should!
But my comment to ALphaPhrog is that sometimes Locals are created in a response to NPC groups that do not *seem* to fulfill the need of sorority~
And i am using a general definition of sorority that i hope we can agree on:
Sorority- An organization based for people of the female gender to come together with shared idea, morals, and interests, for social or service purposes, ( and that can be expanded into what ever you want) along with a life long bond of sisterhood acquired through each organizations education process.
Honestly, I have respect for every GLO that does what it was created to do. whether it is social or service. I just like the idea of a sorority being more than just saying that your in a sorority, as many girls on my campus do.
PLEASE, don't take offense to my comment, espcially if you know that you a part of a GLO that actually means something and actually does something.
And to say my comment is uneducated is a bit unfair- since you dont really know where i'm coming from~

i agree with lauralaylin re: your post sounding uneducated.

i am in a local but we are currently seeking npc affiliation because there are so many more things that are offered by beng national. just because one campus has npc sororities that you do not feel are "accomplishing" things doesn't mean you should stereotype the entire npc organization. also, since you are not a member of any of those npc organizations you really have no idea as to what they do or do not accomplish.

what is your sorority classified as? are you social, service, multicultural?

Actually, my local has been in pursuit of NPC extension on our campus since our founding in 2001. Even with the infamous ratio here at Georgia Tech (3 guys to every 1 girl), it's still hard to fathom that there's only 6 NPC sororities represented on this campus. Tech hasn't had a successful expansion since the 80's, when there were far less women on campus.

Last week, a committee gave a presentation at the Panhellenic meeting recommending pursuing extension after recruitment in the fall, so hopefully it will happen soon! Even though I graduate in December, I look forward to the prospect of AI and being a part of something even bigger. :)

OmegaPDPrez, I just want you to know that as a very active alum, I've worked with a great many chapters at a great many schools. And I've seen many chapters from other organizations than my own. And I must say that I think sisterhood is universal. Sure, there may be a chapter here and there that need some work with it, but I really feel they are few and far between. And I do not believe that locals or NPCs are better or worse with their sisterhood. There are definitely differences between the two, but all are real sororities. I do not know what campus you are from, so I cannot speak of them. But across North America, I believe you'd find that NPCs do have strong sisterhood like locals, and generalizations based on your campus experience alone may be incorrect.

MaryAmanda, good luck with your pursuit. I am a charter member of my group (joined after we chose an NPC), and a huge amount of alums from our local came back to be initiated as AIs. It was great to meet them and see how much they still cared about us. Many are still active in their alum groups too.

I'd really like someone to explian why my posts are so uneducated-PM on this-
IF i must go into more details for you all, I will.:cool:

I never said all NPC sororities were bad, and I did not make any generalized negative comment about them.

I did, however, make a statement about why women may want to join a local, based on Greek life activity here at my school. HERE AT MY SCHOOL!! GEt It???

And to tell me that I dont know what the groups are *supposed* to do, is not exactly true.

Each year, our IFSC gets together and all the groups make decisions on a number of things, and sometimes things fall through, but it happens to much. It has gotten to a point that it seems our Greek life here isn't really about accomplishing much anymore.

So now you know how I know.
:o
I still won't go into much detail simply because this isnt the thread for it.

To bring back the topic, I will say this, My sorority is a social and service group our rush takes place after PanHell recruitment both fall and spring semesters, and it is very successful.;)

OmegaPDPrez, you took a post made by my sister and completely misinterpreted it and responded in a way that's insulting to a lot of people on here.

What AF was saying was that for locals, perhaps rushing after the national groups rushed wasn't a good idea, because instead of getting women who truly wanted your group, you would run the risk of getting women who attempted to join a national sorority and weren't successful, so they figured "I guess local is better than nothing" and treated their sisters and membership accordingly. SHE DID NOT SAY SHE HAD THAT OPINION OF LOCALS HERSELF.

It's no one's right to judge the quality of another group's "sisterhood" just because they're different than your own group. We've had a zillion discussions on here where people completely dissed locals and said they were "fake sororities" and a good number of posters smacked them down for this very wrong opinion. However, reverse prejudice is no way to go. That is where the "uneducated" comment came in.

I read this and was a little insulted by the way it was written. My response and intention was to make a point that doing recruitment after NPC does not necessarily mean that local groups get members that view locals as a last alternative.
I feel that its unfair to make that type of assumption. My response included ideas based on NPC groups that I know of personally. And I dont mean to insult people who are of NPC membership but I am trying to make a point that for anyone to make a comment like this is un called for. We all have different reasons for wanting to be a part of Greek life.
And no type of group should be subjected as 'the reject group' My response in no way is uneducated based on the fact you all do not know how all groups are organized and operated. AND my response can very well be related to any local group that fits the description. But for now, I will apologize if any one feels like i personally insulted their organization. I did not mean to but my personal opinion still stands.

OmegaPDPrez - I was not making the assumption that the only girls who rush locals are the ones that couldn't get into an NPC. I was simply responding to what MaryAmanda said, which I quoted. She had said that rushing after the NPCs, they could pick up the girls that had gotten cut, and that was a benefit. Like I said before, I don't see locals as a "fake" sorority or "only an option if you don't make it into an NPC". There are plenty of valid reasons for joining a local as opposed to an NPC.

Hey, that was nice, what you wrote. For a minute I thought you were mean, and i'm sorry about that. But I do appreciate the comment.

Oh, don't worry, I am mean.;)

:D i actually dont do any type of formal or informal recruitment. right now two of my friends are 'pledging, rather learning, about my sorority and next fall i think i will do something close to a formal? recruitment ( not sure the difference between formal and informal; like i know what makes them different but i dont think the names fit them well but, thats a whole nother topic) :confused: anyway.
next semester i will have a rush period, and then i will introduce new members to the organization through our education period which will produce, hopefully, new sisters into the group. but the difference is i will not advertise as panhell does- which is really creative this year was really cute- simply because 1. my school probably wouldnt like for me too ( thats all in another thread) and 2. because i dont want it to become that group where people 'sludge' to just to 'get letters' cause i do believe that sometimes that could be the case ( see alpha, i totally get your point!) 3. i cant advertise to 2000 women and not expect to get alot of attention as anew group :confused:
i think what im trying to say is my recruitment will sortof be underground. My goal isnt to recruit alot of women since we're small and the idea is to keep it not in the spolight so to speak ( i think im making this complicated, which im talented at doing) :confused: but anyway, i like the idea of just going to a few interested women on campus and asking them to join us for an interest meeting and then pretty much going from there. which is also one of the reasons why i rather recruit after NPC so then who ever wants to really get to know NPC groups has that chance and if they dont find what they like they can conctrate completely on my group.:rolleyes:

Something like that! I hope i didnt confuse us all:o

If there are a lot of locals on your campus, do you have a council for them? You could organize a formal recruitment for the locals on your campus similar to the NPC recruitment process.

My chapter is one of the 3 largest sororities on campus, along with the 2 NPC sororities. NJIT doesn't have a traditional formal rush process and all GLO's have recruitment at the same time. We all take around the same number of new members each semester.

I do agree that you should try to recruit along with the Panhellenic. It's only difficult to compete if you allow it to be difficult. If you don't get as many new members you can always do COB the week after.

Our Collegiate Panhellenic only allows one local sorority on GT's campus at any given time. We have filled that spot since 2001. It is also by their decree that the Associate Members (ADChi, AOE, and LTA) and Local (us) have a designated week in which we are allowed to rush, always one or two weeks after NPC recruitment.

Only the 6 NPCs represented on our campus have a vote at council meetings, so we're ultimately just subject to their will. Recently, the presidents of ADChi, AOE, and Coyote wrote a bill to give limited voting rights to Associates and Locals, but the motion failed when brought to a vote last week. :(

I'm rather confused... are you part of a sorority, or is this your own personal fanclub or something? All of this "I" and "my". What happened to all of this based on "sisterhood" stuff you've been talking about? How is it a sisterhood to say all of this as your own personal decisions, and not that of a group?

i'm not sure about this, and OmegaPDPrez, please feel free to correct me, but it appears there are only two members based on the website for this sorority - the poster and her sister, presumably the vice-president.

Also OmegaPDPrez, I'm curious - I checked out your myspace profile, and it lists you as having started seven years ago in Canada and then suddenly again in PA? What does that mean/could you explain?

should i make a thread?
First,
There are four members,
two of which founded the organization
and we are preparing to do a bigger recruitment in the fall with six members (counting my two friends that are in the education process right now)
Second,
The i thing is kind of selfish, i get what your saying, its not my personal fan club, but thats how i typed it...sorry
Third,
The canadain school is a very long story... but the letters were thought to have belonged to another group... and they released them ( really long story) which made it possible for us to use them but since they were a group we thought it would be nice to recognize that they once existed.

and yes, we were allowed to do that.

Thanks for taking the time to explain, Omega.

I'm curious- what kind of educational process do you have? The group just started, there's only 2 members and now 2 people going through the "educational process". How much education can there possibly be, considering that you and the other member are founders and you have only been around for a very short period of time? Why are you spending the time doing that, instead of getting them involved in actually doing things and getting the group going? Rome wasn't built in a day, and no sorority was either. Having more man power, more leadership, more people to divy up the work with makes it more effective.

theres four initiated members that already do small service work as a group. theres two other women who are in the process of becoming members... this isnt official recruitment b/c, as youve said, we are new. we wanted to wait an entire year at least, before we recruited other people. (or went campus wide with an interest group) I'll give you an example of our NME as the two women are doing now
As with any group, they learn why we were founded, and general things that are actually made public on our website (our open motto, purpose, founding date) and then we ask that each member learn specific things that are significant to the success of this organization ( something that we'd like to keep within our group). And of course during the time they learn about OPD, they must learn about current members and each other.
the process is extremely detailed in that all four current members worked together to develop the process as we participated in it ourselves. and for right now it seems that the new members are really enjoying the process, so we all have high hopes for the fall.
And you are right, having more people is better, that is why we are trying to 'educate' these two women right now. All of us are close friends, but we didnt all create the basis of this group- two of us did. and then two more joined, and now two more are joining-- this was a choice made, to hopefully provide more access to future members of next semester, and like i stated before- while these two members are in there process, we have current members, getting the group some much needed publicity in the manner of being more active among campus... and even tho there are only four of us i believe we are making great process as a group.

that makes sense, i think recognizing the older organization who made yours possible is a nice gesture :)
thanks for taking the time to explain.

:) no problem