[h2oot]

Originally posted by justamom
My daughter and talked until 1:00 am. It was so much fun. I told her she shoud just say who she is and post but... Her sorority has had a mini rush workshop and throughout this year, have more or less been mentored. This is the jist of what she said.

Recs- When they had their first meeting with their Rho Chi, they explained that because of past quota and the number of girls rushing, apx 650 would be placed and 350 would not. The FIRST thing most of the sororities look at is who has a rec. The second is who has the grades. This cut is dramatic and sweeping, but at least these young ladies can understand WHY they were cut. Even those that had a policy to invite everyone back to the next round were allowed to cut because of the large number of girls.

Legacies-sororities cut legacies all the time. They take a closer look BUT if a chapter has a number of girls that know you and your past behavior was "irritating" or not reflective of standards, they will cut you. It is a concern that alums will get upset, but the house standards (pertaining to a bad reputation) MUST supercede the individual. Her exact statement was, "The alums are the ones who set the standards we live by. They can't expect us to lower the standards they themselves set just so their daughter can get in."
**********In this same vein, telephone calls are made to hometowns to check this out. A young man told my daughter he was asked about her. She too has been called by people at other schools to ask about girls.

Getting asked back/getting cut- This has a great deal to do with numbers. Beyond the obvious like appearing filthy, rude or there for all the wrong reasons, girls start looking for something of themselves in the PNMs. She said, when you are paired with someone, in the begining they TRY to match you with someone who shares your interests. If THEY can't talk to you or make you feel comfortable, they may get the idea that the fit isn't there. They REALLY try to bring you out and give you every opportunity.

The bid-This is the hardest part for them because in most cases there are more than enough girls who they like to fill a pledge class. How to decide. It goes back to seeing something of themselves in the PNM. This is where the emotion of the Little Sis really kicks in. By this point, she was told it's not unusual for people to feel passionately about the PNMs. When a PNM cuts a sorority, it can be very upsetting to individual sisters.

You end up where you belong- She is a firm believer in this IF you go through for the RIGHT reasons. There are two basic categories of PNMs-those seeking the sisterhood aspect and those seeking an image. The actives can spot who is who pretty easily. This is something that just happens, not easy to explain the hows of it, but you know it when you see it. In her opinion, there are 2 groups that have a sisterhood that is beyond the norm. She said, when you go to a club and see 60 girls celebrating someones birthday you know that's special. Their sorority (along with others) have been invited by other GLOs to attend celebrations. In several cases, no other sororities showed. One incident in particular was an NPHC anniversary where they were the ONLY ones to show up and share in the celebration. What kind of attitude towards Greek unity does that reflect? When you run into a mutual friend and ask how one of their sisters is and they respond they haven't seen them or they don't do much together well...that can say something too. PNMs need to decide what they really want from Greek life. If they are honest with themselves, if they ARE themselves, their chances of happiness will increase.

Her advice-Ask real questions about campus involvement, interaction with other Greek Organizations (NOT FRATERNITIES)
what do they do together as a chapter things that have real meaning. Relax, be yourself, laugh. Try to picture yourself as part of each chapter you visit. If the sisters look like they are comfortable just being THEMselves, you have a good indication of the inner dynamics of the group.

JAM just about covered it. With so many coming through rush it's important that you have as much going for you as you can going into rush. That means recs, grades, special talents like leadership/athletics/singing/art, etc. We have rush workshops in most key cities throughout the summer and have a good idea about the PNMs before formal rush begins.