[ASTalumna06]

I agree with you... except for the fact that up until this year, there was little to no interest in Greek life at all (and this success by our chapter could taper off next year). And even the girls that have come to the events this semester, for the most part, were already acquainted with at least one of the sisters.

So, when freshmen, who know nothing about Greek life, and don't know any of the sisters show up, come to all of our events, and then hear, "Sorry, but you can't join this semester," it completely turns them off. Following that, trying to get them to come to anything is a challenge. They generally turn toward other organizations on campus... because they're hard-working, motivated girls who want to get involved. And that's what they've heard all through high school. At least I know I did. When I was graduating, all I heard was "get involved in college".

The thing is, the reason that the campus always gives for having deferred recruitment is that the freshmen don't yet have a college GPA. I understand this, but at the same time, they don't have a GPA to join any other organization, and other organizations don't have a minimum GPA to join. If we hold our members to a higher standard (and AST on the national level just changed their minimum from 2.3 to 2.5), why is it that freshmen can join other organizations but not ours?

And the same goes for them being new to college. It's a new environment, and yes, time management is something that needs to be worked on. But again, if they can't join a Greek organization, why can they join any other organizations? Especially when we offer programs that teach time management (my chapter is actually having an event based on that in a couple of weeks, where the sisters will bring their class and work schedules, a syllabus for each class, and analyze how and when their work should be done).

Let's be honest... Greek organizations, for the most part, offer more scholarship, leadership, and philanthropic opportunities than the entertainment board, the basketball team, and the multicultural club. So why can freshmen join any of those, but not a Greek organization?

And I don't necessarily agree with the "classic college experience" argument. It's not as if these freshmen are being forced into Greek life. It's a choice. If someone chooses to have a semester or two without being involved in Greek life, then that's fine. But if they get to school, meet a bunch of girls that they have fun with, and want to be involved on campus, why are they not allowed?