LEGACY INFO
 

I'm going to be attending the University of Alabama this fall and I was just wondering...how much of an impact does being a legacy have on the sorority's decision? I'd especially like to hear from someone who went to or is attending UA! Thanks

Bamagirlie -

Legacies are given extra consideration during sorority recruitment but they are in no means a 'guarantee' that you will be offered the opportunity to join a specific chapter. By extra consideration, I mean that your being a legacy will add something to the other qualifications you have. However, most groups will not overlook poor grades or reputation just to pledge a legacy. I have seen a legacies dropped by the second round of invitational parties. The extra consideration offered these legacies was the invitation to the first round of parties - unfortunately, their grades and/or reputation did not meet the standards of the chapter.

In other words - your grades, activities and how your present yourself will (sometimes) count more than your being a legacy. In addition, it could be that when you meet the sisters in the chapter to which you are a legacy, you do not feel any connection to them and you do not accept additional event invitations.

Barbara
Rush Forum Moderator

I know at Alabama most houses are required to accept legacies. There are exceptions in some very extreme cases (drugs, etc.) But you have to remember that there are usually only a few legacies per house and if a house can accept 40 or 50 girls, the fact that you are not a legacy won't matter that much.

I think that Pi Phi's legacy policy is the same as that of most other GLOs: we must give the rushee an invitation to at least one round of invitationals and any legacy who is asked to prefs must be put on the first bid list (i.e., must be given a bid).

No university policy would be allowed to infringe on that--in other words,neither the school nor the Panhellenic Council could force a sorority to do any more than that.

I've visited Pi Phi chapters, mostly in the West and Midwest, who have over 100 legacies come through every year and quota is 40-50! We'd be up a creek trying to figure out how to bid them all! And I know some of the traditionally Southern sororities have that problem at the big Southern schools--I've heard other sororities' advisors discussing it.

I hate it when legacies want a bid and don't get one but I don't know a good answer to the legacy issue. One chapter I was associated with cut the alum club president's daughter and there was hell to pay. As I was a young alum then, the chapter wanted me to find a tactful way to tell the president, "Sorry, but your daughter has the worst rep in town!" (There IS no tactful way to say that.)

[This message has been edited by carnation (edited June 09, 2001).]