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I actually agree with this article. I also posted a comment on there pointing out that there is no reason that sorority recruitment cannot be more casual if men are allowed to do a more casual, less regulated recruitment. It is downright sexist in my opinion that men are given the benefit of the doubt that they don't need a quota limit (at least at my University), they get the privilege of recruiting year-round, and also are allowed to have freshman move into their structures prior to their first day of college. And while I certainly don't want to generalize, it just seems ironic the freedoms offered to men instead of women in Greek life when it seems that fraternities and not as often sororities are the sources of hazing and unfortunate incidences like off-campus parties or deaths. At our school, men were given bid cards and THEY got to select what chapter they wanted. They weren't tearing open a card in a student union to find out what of three supposedly different organizations they would spend four years at. Why are women expected to be the ones to have a sixty second turnaround from finding out what chapter they are in to physically running to it, even if they are holding back tears that their absolute favorite didn't want them?
I just feel saying "the process works" is too simple of an answer. Yes, Alabama has 2,000 PNMs, but have them do a full first day of recruitment where they have to see each chapter. Then let chapters hold open events for a few days and then have them send out preference party invites. I was on the "other side of recruitment" and saw women that were smart, beautiful, and wonderful crying to their mother that they didn't want to be at college anymore. Don't tell that girl to trust the process. That girl doesn't care, all she knows is that her first memory of college is rejection. She will see women around her getting back to all their favorites and not understand what she did wrong. Obviously, all these things are my opinion but I just think that if we continue to have a system that often bases membership on whether or not a girl has a rec, her looks, and a two-minute conversation, our chapters aren't going to recruit the women they were founded to serve. It's not fair that those are our criterion to get the numbers down to who we're allowed to ask back when the men aren't limited like that. The process needs improvement and if we aren't willing to spend a longer period of time to select lifelong sisters, I just don't see how we can turn around and tout its value as much.
Not trying to offend anyone with this post, just seems like sorority recruitment is behind the times to me.
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