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Having very recently gone through the traditional fall formal recruitment myself, as well as having seen and heard intimate details of a less traditional spring formal recruitment at a very small school... I have to say that while I'm sure the Pi Chi who wrote the article means well and has a good basic idea, traditional formal recruitment works. I trust that system and I really think that it places girls where they were meant to be. It would be wonderful if chapters had a longer amount of time to get to know girls before making cuts, it is not always practical(Alabama, UT, other schools that draw thousands into rushing) and it does not always work in the PNMs favor.
Last year I attended a small private university that held their formal recruitment in the spring semester, I didn't end up going through recruitment last year but many many of my friends did and I heard all the stories and gory details. In theory this extended get to know you time is a good idea, it gives people a whole semester to get to know each other. But the real result is that PNMs spend the whole semester walking on egg shells and unintentionally screwing up their chances for recruitment for an entire semester. We are only human, sorority members and PNMs. People who can be jealous, caddy and vengeful. Everyone makes makes mistakes! So in my experience what I saw with that spring recruitment was that in the fall semester many girls who would have made wonderful members would hook up with or start dating a prominent sorority member's ex, not knowing the whole tumultuous relationship and break up had happened. Then prominent sorority member, because she to is a person with emotions, holds a grudge against unknowing PNM and when recruitment finally came around unknowing PNM doesn't gets cut.
I saw that situation quite a few times as well as many others. Some of my very good friends had their hearts broken in the spring because they didn't get a bid and had no idea why, only to later find that it was because they made some slip up the previous semester never knowing that wasn't something they should do. I also saw active members strike up friendships with PNMs and bid promise through out the semester. It was basically a huge mess! And from the stories the older girls told that happened every year.
When I think about what I witnessed last year and the experience I just had last week, I know that the traditional fall recruitment is really the best way to do things. Yes it would be nice if the first round was longer so that chapters could get more of an impression of the girls before making cuts, but it is a system that works and is successful! It was successful for me and and for that Pi Chi who wrote that article.
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