carnation, thanks for a great post. I can certainly understand that sororities (or any group/club/organization) not wanting an individual in the membership who might cause problems down the road.
(As an aside, I think girls who are...err...'sexually liberal', probably are due to poor self-esteem, lack of self worth, a history of abuse, or confusing sex with love...but I digress. Ditto for girls who are mean/nasty - I guess I try to believe that people by nature are 'good', and if they're nasty, they are the ones probably most in need of someone to be nice to them and make them feel like they belong.)
I am very interested in discussing this topic of quality rushees who wind up "bidless". Also, you're right in your statement "forcing girls to go to parties that they don't want to attend and then penalizing them for not accepting bids they never wanted to accept in the first place by not letting them pledge for a year." is not the answer, either. As you know, this happened to me, and it was a devastating experience, even 10 years later. So I try to learn as much as I can about the Panhellenic workings, so that rushees are well informed about how to ensure that they get a good, positive outcome in Rush. I know that rushees won't always get their #1 pick, but for a rushee to get one they never ever wanted, or nothing at all, I think is a terrible shame.
Also, I don't know how you go about changing entrenched opinions, you're right, some sororities have the reputation of being more or less 'desirable' than their on-campus counterparts....it is tough indeed.
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