Northern Arizona University Formal Recruitment
 

So this is going to be my first time going through a formal recruitment.
So here I am. 21, a senior in credits but still with 2 years to go (I'm a double major), with a cummulative 3.47 GPA and ready to try and get the sisterhood I longed for. I am excited about going through formal recruitment, excited about the events, and excited about getting to know the 6 amazing NPC organizations we have on campus:
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Gamma Phi Beta
Pi Beta Phi

My school isn't super competitive when it comes to rush, and I would say about half of the sororities have no issue with taking juniors. The whole process starts on Thursday, August 28th. I would like to post about my experience with each sorority, is it ok if I refer to them as I write my feelings about each one...like by name or should I be discreet?
Anyways, I feel like having gone through a semi-similar process before has given me a possible step up.
I am ready to go to recruitment with an open mind and an open heart to try and find the sisters I am looking for.

Also, just a note. There are no houses on my campus, all the sororities and fraternities live in a huge dorm all together. The law in Flagstaff states that 3 unrelated women cannot live in a household together because it could be a secret brothel LOL. I just find that amusing. Un-updated laws and such.

Well wish me luck! If you have any advice, it would be greatly appreciated! :)

Welcome to GC. Cute screen name. I would recommend that you edit your post because it is best to leave your history out of your recruitment, and these boards aren't very anonymous. You have posted your GPA, class status, and prior sorority affiliation. It wouldn't take much to figure out who you are.

I would further recommend that you tell us your recruitment experience in exquisite detail, AFTER recruitment. That way you don't risk being "harmed" by your comments.

Also, there are no brothel laws. That is an urban legend. Trust me. Don't bring it up on GC anymore.

Good luck and welcome!

Ditto on taking out the history.

I am a proponent of naming names. I absolutely cannot stand some of the code names people use here. If you think you can be honest without being hurtful or disrespectful, by all means...give us the details! If you decide that, I'd wait until after recruitment is over.

When you get a chance, check out curlygirly's rush thread when you can. :)

agreed! I'd edit that out for sure

OP,
Tell us the story behind your name
(sorry for the digression)

Is it the concept of using code names that you don't like or just that some peoples' code names are stupid?

Honestly, if you name names, unless you want to seriously get flamed, you do have to be pretty vague and polite even if that doesn't represent your experience. For example, when I went through, at one chapter, this girl talked to me about drinking, asked if I had a fake ID, was astonished when I told her I didn't drink, didn't know that James Dean was dead, didn't know her chapter's philanthropy, (I could go on). I could have said "I didn't click with the actives at [real name of chapter here] and there was some conversation that made me uncomfortable." I chose to give the details without defaming the chapter (because they don't deserve it after a bad first impression). It's your choice as to which version you'd like to share.

Haha, well that has been my email address since I was like 13. I wrote a really funny poem about how disaster eats me like a cookie (the disaster's is supposed to be possesive, but screen names don't let you do that). Well I really liked the poem at the time, I still get a kick out of it now, and it just kinda stuck around, IDK. Haha. I feel silly :)

I have a positive outlook on each of the sororities on my campus, and even if I don't click with them, I would never dream of being disrespectful or slanderous at all (not saying that you were) so I think I should be just fine :) Thanks for the advice though.

Thank you so much for suggesting CurlyGirly's thread! It was amazing! I think I could write about my experience from an objective view point before my revealing :)

haha, my screen name is from a bad adolescent poem too. About how I was depressed and that was like breathing gelatin. :)

GOOD LUCK at NAU!! :)

That is such a random thing to have in common with someone! Haha.

Good Luck! My younger sister was at NAU for 2 years before transferring back to the east coast to finish college, I tried to get to go through recruitment, but she never did. Funnily enough she will now be going through at her new school. I love Flagstaff and the area around NAU!

It's beautiful isn't it?! I don't think I could have gone to a better school for me, I absolutely love it here.

EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING!
 

I just got called by my recruitment counselor to remind me that recruitment officially starts on Friday and to tell me that they looked forward to meeting me! I am so so so excited! I am going to be keeping a very detailed journal about all my feelings and experiences too then I will have that at the end to reference when I make my postings about my experience! Super super super excited!!!!!

YAY i love your enthusiasm!!!!!!!!!!!!! lots of luck cookie :D

Honestly? I think both using code names and some users' choice of code names are pretty stupid. I understand the reasoning behind using code names and respect that, but that doesn't really change my opinion of it.

Of course I come from the era of GreekChat where it was okay to name names because there weren't any nosy, psycho GCers to compromise the rushee's experience. There weren't a lot of naive rushee twits back then, either. This was a very different place a mere few years ago, and I miss it.

I guess I'm just spoiled.

disasterscookie, have a fabulous rush. I visited Flagstaff last April and absolutely loved my time there.

disasterscookie-good luck at rush. My former roommate (and sorority sister) graduated from NAU. I thought about going up there, but I'm a Phoenix girl and I can't handle the cold winters (i.e. snow!).

I'm looking forward to hearing your story, especially since it's an AZ story! Woo Hoo!!!!! :D

I've been wondering about that for years!
________

I love hearing recruitment stories from my alma mater... Have fun and keep an open mind...

Rush Starts in T-minus 3 days!
I am so ready to razzle-dazzle 'em!
Haha!

Random Question?
 

I talked to the lady at Greek Life about this, but sometimes I think that these people are a little naieve to the inner workings of sororities.

I'm married. No children, just a husband (which is like having a child). The lady at Greek Life assured me that this fact should not completely handicap me because the only issue that would arise from this is the fact that I cannot live in. She assured me that most of the sororities are at capacity and my not being able to live in probably won't propose an issue.

I have been thinking about how to address the question, which I am assuming will be asked, about my being married, how it will affect me, etc. My planned response is "I am doing the same thing as everyone else that is here, pursuing my education, career, and dreams. I was just lucky enough to fall madly in love on the way." Does this seem like a respectable answer? I love being married, but I also love the idea of being involved in a sorority. I want both, and I know I can have both, and handle the responsibilities that come with each.

Any suggestions?

Don't bring it up unless asked. You might be suprised how few women notice your wedding ring. I would however want to find out more specifics about each sorority's live-in policy as it might limit your involvement in the sorority later (ex: exec members must live in the house).

Isn't that kind of lying, if I don't bring it up? I don't want to get a bid to the house of my dreams and then have to bring up later that I am married and cannot live in.

The sororities on my campus do ask that you try to live in for a minimum of 2 years, but like I said, they are all pretty much at capacity.

No ... it is only lying if you do not disclose that you are married when asked. You should be honest if it comes up in conversation and your living arrangements should be a factor in selecting the "house of your dreams" but your marriage should probably come before living in a house with a bunch of 19-year olds. I only suggest that you take live-in policies into consideration when deciding which sorority is best for you.

If you do get a bid first and bring up your marital status later, I don't think the chapter can kick you out simply for not being able to live in because you are married. They could potentially take action if there were no reason for you to not want to live in. There are medical reasons why PNMs may not be able to live in a sorority house, and that alone probably won't work against you, especially if the chapters have no problem filling their spaces.

Each NPC may have different policies, or it may depend on the chapter bylaws what they consider valid excuses to live out of house.

I agree with you, disasterscookie, that honesty is really the best policy here. I think the main concern will be your ability to devote time to sorority life. There are multiple mandatory events (meetings, campus activities, philanthropies, social events, etc). If you are sure that it won't be a problem for you, then you will (in my opinion) need to relate that to the actives. Something along the lines of "I know that there is a large time commitment involved in being a member of your sorority. I have thought that through and am ready to make that commitment." (Your own words of course). I just think that to *hope* that actives don't notice your wedding ring is not the greatest plan, because they may make assumptions that are incorrect.

I wish you the best, and please post here what happens! As an adviser I have seen a couple of married undergraduates over the years, so it is not completely unknown.

Good luck!

Yes but if (like my alma mater, I don't know how NAU is) they suddenly have a ton of women go abroad for the year, the pool of women who can live in diminishes. And the house has to remain full.

I would definitely ask because what you are calling "ask that you try to live in" is often more of a "requirement to live in" if the house is below capacity.

We have put members on suspension for failure to live in.

I graduated from NAU now 5 years ago, but I know then many chapters would have their wings in Mt. View hall full one year then the next would require everyone to live in to fill their space. I would suggest being honest up front... Just ask about what they require to live in. I also know then some chapters would charge a parlor fee to women who did not live in for upkeep of the chapter room. Overall though, most of the chapters were really laid back and if their wing was looking to stay full they had no problem extending bids to women who were not going to be living in.

But weren't there exceptions? (RAs, have to live in specified housing because of academic program, townies)

If Susie Sorority Member gets a scholarship to study Russian and then finds out she needs to live in the Russian House on campus to use it, I don't think the sorority could kick her out without a really giant stink.

There were a few exceptions. I just wanted to point out that it might not be as simple as "they probably can't kick you out for not living in." I'm sure every chapter has their own guidelines about that. I would feel uneasy recommending to a PNM that a rule might not really be a rule. We don't know. I have a lot of respect for the advice that VP gives, so I was just pointing out that circumstances can and do arise where a chapter has to enforce their living-in policy. (And it's a pain in the rear when they do. :o)

I mean I am nervous about bringing it up...but my husband works 13-15 hours a day, I have time in my schedule to be a good wife and a good sister, I am positive of that :)

Just don't bring it up unless asked. I spent years during recruitment as an undergrad and never once spoke about my boyfriend, now husband. Recruiters will almost guaranteed ask you about your hometown, major, etc. but I would guess that the vast majority are not going to ask you about your personal relationship with a significant other. Of course, don't lie if they do ask you about it but why offer up the information, especially if you are nervous about it?

A friend of mine was an active in an NPC sorority and was asked to take alumna status when she got married as a sophomore. She was so sad! :( I thought it was a national policy of her NPC, but perhaps it was just a local policy....? It's worth checking out that kind of thing. In a perfect world, the campus advisor the OP spoke to would have alerted her to a potential problem, but those campus advisors aren't always up to speed on every GLO policy. (The happy ending is that she wound up as a founding mother of a new OPA chapter on her campus.)

Even if there is no policy against a married woman holding active status, I agree with the OP that playing down this important lifelong commitment is essentially a lie of omission. To find the sisterhood relationship that is right for you, those potential sisters need to know the real you, including the joy you find in your marriage.

disasterscookie, I am sorry for the apparent hijack of this thread but would like to ask a question of the GCres out there ... If I had a disease, lets say flat feet, that might not allow me to participate fully in the chapter (can't live in the house and receive treatments at the same time), should I initiate a conversation about flat feet to complete strangers knowing full well that it might reduce chances of receieiving a bid? ... knowing that flat feet might not make me a poor candidate for membership but may reduce my capacity to participate or live in a house.

I think that there is a HUGE difference between lying and not initiating a personal conversation about yourself. Just as you wouldn't go to a job interview and initiate a conversation about your lack of transportation, don't intentionally tell others about the negatives. If you get the job you would just find a way to make it work (maybe the bus) just as with a sorority, if you receive a bid, you'll find a way to work it into your married life.

Also, my NPC offers alumna status to married undergrads because a married woman's priorities are generally different from an unmarried woman's but alumna status is the choice of the member and not the NPC.

I should have been more clear. Every NPC is bound to have different policies (and they may be different from chapter to chapter). It's one thing to say "I don't want to live in" and have no apparent reason for it when there are spaces to be filled (not what I was referring to), but I would think that at least some NPCs/chapters would consider marriage a valid reason to not live in the house. I'll edit my post to reflect that.

KansasCity,

I agree with your point, but flat feet are unlikely to be noticed in a PNM whereas a wedding ring is likely TO be noticed. I think many actives are likely to make assumptions NOT in OP's favor that's why I recommend being up front. I'd hate to see her NOT get a bid because actives assumed she would not have the time to dedicate when clearly she has stated she does. I think by being up front she assuages that doubt in the minds of the women she meets and they are able to look at her with a more open mind. I think it's being proactive and turning a potential negative into a positive.

Also, I would think that most house boards would allow live-out status to a married undergraduate. But, it's probably best to ask those things up front so they don't come back to hurt you later. Like has been said previously, EACH chapter is different.

My point is only about housing. If a chapter states up front that they have a housing requirement, and you know that you cannot meet that requirement, I think you have an obligation to bring it up. Now, if the chapter states that they only encourage living in, or that living in is required but there are exceptions, fine, I agree with your point. The problem is that the chapter may make the exception for the PNM, but the corporation may not. I know the corporation that I serve on has no established exceptions to the requirement to live in. Once the house is full, we consider exclusions, but if the house is not full, every member is required to live in or pay for the empty bed.