Quote:
Originally posted by Alias23
Did you all have a point you were trying to get across about the authors mentioning the Cherokee?....I'm just trying to understand why it stood out and why you all feel the way you do. Please help me understand.
Thanks.
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Hi Alias23!
Aaaaagh! I just spent 20 minutes typing a reply and then I got booted so I'll just try and distill what I wanted to say because I have to get the kids tucked into bed!
Ok, first off I have no idea if Miss Twilley had an agenda or not. It is my gut feeling that she did not because rush is a giant pain in the butt and a lot of work for something if you don't really, really want it.
About the Cherokee...I guess it just amazed me that in each and every article I read about this young woman (five or six of them), the Jeep her daddy bought her was mentioned. Owning a nice car is not a prerequisite for membership in an NPC organization. Not at my public university, not at my biological sister's Ivy League school (she's 6 years younger than me and got the '80 Tercel when I graduated! lol). I know people who went to Ole Miss, UGA and UCLA, all of which have a brutal rush. They all ended up in sororities even though two of them drove clunkers and the third rode the bus.
The New Republic article about Miss Twilley's experience was very similar to the other ones I read. All of the authors gave a cursory mention to her impressive intelligence (a sentence or two about her graduating from the Alabama School of Math and Science) but chose to concentrate on things like her desire for her nail polish to match her dress, her affluence and her political affiliation. If they were trying to convince people how well she would have fit into an NPC organization, they should have interviewed her teachers, friends and minister. They should have concentrated more on her grades and extracurricular activities or any volunteer work she may do. THAT is what sorority sisters talk to rushees about, not how much their parents make or what car they drive.
Also, Mr. Zengerle did Miss Twilley no favors when he quoted her as saying, "If you have a need, you probably won't get in." when asked about financial aid for sorority dues. It's almost as if he's saying "Sorority girls are snobs and, as you can see, Melody Twilley is also a snob, ergo, she should have been extended a bid!" The sad part is that Miss Twilley was probably joking or caught off guard by this journalist when she made that statement but he put it in anyway because it made for juicy copy!
One last thing I would like to mention is that I honestly hope that she wasn't denied a bid because of her race. But, I would like to know more about the other women who weren't given bids before I could judge that. I know that Alabama rush is very, very, very competitive and that it is difficult for any sophomore to get a bid. I also know it's impossible without recs, but no mention has been made in any article I read about her having her recs in order.
Alias23, I hope that cleared things up for you a bit! If you would like to discuss this further please feel free to drop me a PM any time!
Best,
Tracy