Sister--legacy at two sororities and cut from both after first round?
 

Hello! My sister is a freshman currently going through recruitment. She is a legacy at two sororities (including mine) and was cut from both after the first round. Both of these sororities have a legacy policy of inviting back for the first invitational round. Have you ever heard of this happening before?? What could be going on? I'm extremely upset as an alumna but haven't been able to get in touch with anybody about this.

Is she officially registered as a legacy with those nationals? Are the specific chapters at the school she's rushing at aware of her legacy status? (i.e. was it mentioned on her recruitment sign up form? and/or in her recommendation?) Are you certain she qualifies as a legacy? Every group is different.

I've heard of it happening but I've never heard of the sister or mom achieving anything by asking about it. They mainly got stonewalled.

My first thought would be grades? I don't know the policies of every group, but can't imagine getting hopes up for a woman who doesn't have the grades to pledge.

I have heard of it happening for grades.

That's interesting. I can understand that mom/ sister asking about it not changing decisions, but as a recruitment team member, I would darn sure want to know if chapters I oversee were not following legacy policy correctly.

This is what would concern me about the chapters I work with- if there is a policy that sisters are legacies and must be invited back to the 1st invitational round, and they weren't following the legacy policy, then that is information that I, and those above me, need to know. No- it won't change the outcome of a Recruitment already in place, but training would need to be held prior to any future Recruitment to ensure all National policies are being followed.

If it were not indicated on a legacy form, letter of recommendation or on the Panhellenic form, and the chapter did not know she was a legacy, that is information that could *possibly* be shared with the person to whom they are a legacy, just to soothe hurt feelings. But not every organization would share even that amount of information.

There have been many phone calls from upset moms about why their legacy was cut, and typically the chapter would tell me why they chose to cut the legacy, but all I could share with the mom was that the policy was followed, and I wish her daughter happiness in the chapter which chose her on Bid Day. Sometimes just venting to me for a moment, and being reassured that the policy was followed and her daughter had a home in another chapter was enough.

It may also depend where she is rushing. If it's at an uber competitive and large campus and she doesn't have recs, not listed as a legacy etc. I could see this happening.

It happened to my sister back in the day, due to grades. I did call the chapter advisor after she didn't get an invitation for second round. Her group missed their Gamma Phi party because their bus took them to the wrong house and couldn't get them to the Gamma Phi house in time. She called me, very upset, after she didn't get a 2nd round invitation, because they had been told they would all get a courtesy invitation for the next round at Gamma Phi, and she knew she should have received a legacy invite. The chapter advisor knew about the bus issue and her legacy status, and she said they would make arrangements to add her. However, she also told me that my sister's freshman year GPA was slightly below their absolute minimum. So, while they would invite her back as a courtesy, she wouldn't make it to the 3rd round. Panhel did redo her schedule so she could visit Gamma Phi, but she was cut after that round. Happily, the rest of her recruitment was successful and she did find her home elsewhere.

The ironic bit is that now my sister is a pediatrician, so that freshman grade issue didn't continue.