[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by thetalady

Christ Almighty.... how many times and in how many ways do we have to say this?

NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. If the policy of a sorority states that a rec is required, it is required on ALL CAMPUSES, no matter what the "culture" might be.

The campus culture mention reminded me -- I have been meaning to ask about some wording I saw on Belmont University's site:

Do I need letters of recommendation?

Though it is common practice across the country that for membership in Panhellenic Association (PA) or Interfraternity Council (IFC) organizations students are required or encouraged to seek out recommendation letters from current members in those groups, Belmont’s PA and IFC groups made the intentional decision to not support this practice in an effort to be inclusive so that all students have an equal opportunity to join. Though we allow our students to set their own high standards for membership (GPA requirements, service requirements, personal conduct requirements…etc.), it is the goal of Belmont that any student who wants to be a member of a fraternity or sorority has the opportunity to do so. Due to the personal nature of membership intake into a National Pan-Hellenic Council organization, recommendation letters may be requested for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. http://www.belmont.edu/organizations/greek/faq.html

Yet on 3 of the 4 Belmont chapters' websites (AGD, Theta, and Phi Mu) instructions/addresses for sending recs for PNMs are included.
Gotta wonder about that "campus culture" statement on the Belmont Greek Life site, as well as how much PA agreement or commitment there is regarding not supporting this "practice."

It seems like erring on the side of caution (obtaining recs in advance) might be a good idea.