Good comments gee_ess!
I do know some of our alumnae, especially ones who initiated at a couple of chapters in particular, think you have to personally know a PNM to rec them.
Wrong!
There is no way alums of any group can personally know EVERY PNM...maybe that's true in a small town, but it's not going to fly in big or even medium-sized cities.
I have comfortably signed recs if I found someone else who was familiar with the family. I have even signed recs if I couldn't find anybody who knew them, but they looked good on paper.
After all....even the most highly recommended PNM, coming with personal recs from close friends and relatives, can screw up when she hits campus. We all know the straight-A student who slept off hangovers instead of attending class and got a choice reputation while getting those hangovers
.
You never know.