[Sciencewoman]

It sounds like you've focused on scholarship and cultivated friendships with sorority members, which is great! As far as recs go, I would definitely focus on getting them from alumnae, especially alumnae who really know you. With your sorority friends, share that you're going through recruitment, but don't ask current members for a rec -- most sororities have a national policy that current collegians cannot write recs for PNMs going through recruitment at their own chapter. Some sororities don't allow collegians to write recs at all, even for another school. They can advocate for you during recruitment, but they can't write an official recommendation for you using the sorority's official form. The point of a rec is that another sorority member (eg. alumna friend of the family) is recommending you to the current members of that chapter...a member from outside the current membership is vouching for you. A lot of the information on the official forms tends to be more business-like (grades, financial ability to pay, activities, personal character, etc.). If your friends just joined this year, they won't have gone through recruitment yet "on the other side," so they may not be aware of all the policies and procedures.

As far as the Tri Delt anecdote, any sorority can cut someone, even legacies, but they have no influence or communication with other groups regarding membership selection. Each group operates independently, making decisions for their own chapter only. Such stories can make their way around, as a way for people to diminish the hurt that happens when they're released from a favorite group or legacy group. Take such stories with a heavy grain of salt.