Quote:
Originally Posted by JessSigKap
I wish informal recruitment was less common at UMD. All of the chapters do it every fall, though the number of spots available in each chapter varies. It's because quota x 3 is only in the 60s (we have spring formal recruitment), whereas total is 95. So each fall, an average chapter would take about 10 new members. It might be fewer if they didn't have very many seniors graduate, or more if a chapter is small, has withdrawals, or has a lot of seniors graduate. Last fall, one chapter took 4, and I know some had around 30 spots.
The problem is that because fall informal is so "established" as a way to join a sorority at UMD, lots of PNMs will just do fall if they don't get what they want in the spring, because every chapter does fall. When I was flyering right before recruitment, I had a girl tell me "Oh, no, I'm going through in the fall".  NO! That's not how it's supposed to be! |
Informal didn't get so popular until they announced that they were moving formal rush to Spring. My chapter had a pledge class of 4 in spring 94 and I know that entire pledge class were basically women who were already friends w/ others in our chapter and didn't want to bother w/ formal rush. Also as the # of PMN's signing up for rush decreased (quota was 36 in Fall 94 - too high as only like 5-6 houses reached it out of 15) it dropped to 26 for Fall 95 formal, yet even though quota dropped, total remained the same (it almost has to to support the houses that hold 35-50 women.) So many houses have to do it to keep the houses full and stay as close to total as possible- or probably above in some cases.
Additionally by moving formal to the spring, sophomores are MUCH more likely to go through informal in the fall (they probably feel that if they waited until their 2nd spring on campus they would be at a disadvantage vs. the freshman who were rushing their 2nd semester) and to that point there are probably freshmen who figure- well I might as well wait another semester, live in the dorms again next fall- stay friends w/ my friends who join this spring and then just pick from their houses in the fall. etc. etc.