Beating Tent Talk
 

I've love to know the strategies that different groups use to beat tent talk. What has worked best for your group or other groups on your campus?

If there's a solution to this, I'd love to hear it. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that tent talk starts with adults - alumnae and parents - who perpetuate the rumors and trash talk from decades past, and instill in their daughters and friends that it is acceptable and even fun to keep certain chapters in their place.

There's no quick and easy solution. Best long term plan - encourage women to wear letters everywhere. Give everyone a bumper sticker for their car. Don't have to be done up all the time, but don't want to look sloppy like you just rolled out of bed in class all the time either. Maybe offer prizes if a secret sis catches you wearing letters? Have a very visible philanthropy project on the quad. Maybe give out study hints or host a study break during exam week? Have a sister who has done something notable? President of a big club or leader on campus - get her to wear letters to other meetings? It's hard to talk smack about a chapter if you have friends in that chapter or if you see them everywhere and having fun. Encourage women to run for pi chi or visible panhellenic offices.

Best short term plan - during recruitment - send flowers or a "good luck with recruitment" gift of cookies or candy to other chapters. Be sure that when you are out and about you are always talking up the greek system and being positive - avoid trash talking other chapters. When girls come into your home during recruitment - always be the best hostesses you can be. It has to start with - "well I heard X about them but they were so nice and warm and friendly"

Some greek systems are just sick - trash talking is a systemic problem. The only way to tackle that is to work on ways to build a better stronger greek system. The CPC system is only as strong as the weakest chapter - if that chapter folds - the mean girls will find someone else to pick on.

Pick a number of girls randomly from each chapter and have a Greek retreat. Sit around and talk about campus issues, do goofy games and icebreakers etc. No one wears letters until they leave. I bet there'll be some shockers at the end of the weekend. Everyone thinks their problems are unique, and often they're really not.

Don't let PNM's interact with fraternity men, ever.

I hope you're being facetious. Or at the very least, talking about pre-freshmen and not actual college students.

There are some guys (guys in general, not just fraternity members) who will give horrible advice inspired by their penis, and some guys who will give great advice inspired by their heart and their brain and their true regard for the PNM. Painting all men with the same broad brush gets no one anywhere.

I thought it would be obvious, but yes, I am.

The sad thing is I've heard people who you think would know better suggest exactly that, not just during rush, but during collegiate sorority life as a whole.