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ROUND 2- PHILANTHROPY
Just as we arrived in Royal City, I received a text from Fauna… Fairytale had just announced that all of recruitment would be virtual! This would make it more difficult for both the actives and the PNMs to get a feel for each other but at least PNMs wouldn’t have to worry about running from house to house in the heat.
Everything was changing so quickly. Fauna and I decided to stay in close touch so we could keep each other updated and commiserate. I would be staying in town until the day before classes started while Fauna would be moving Daisy in, driving home, and returning for bid day. I promised to help Daisy during the week if she had an emergency or crisis and needed in-person assistance.
The next couple of days were entirely a blur. Minnie moved into the dorm, met with her recruitment group in person (socially distanced of course), took a walking tour of the sororities, and on the morning of Day 1 of philanthropy round, she received her invitations.
Ariel
Belle
Elsa
Jasmine
Merida
Rapunzel
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White
Minnie had been prepared for huge cuts so she was excited to see that so many chapters had invited her back. She was a little disappointed not to see Anna and Cinderella on her list because she had really liked them both, had been interested in their philanthropies, and because of the connection to Merryweather, her SIL (both Annas) and her godmother (Cinderella). She didn’t seem bothered that the Tianas had released her but maybe she just had a sense that they weren’t a good fit. She even said she was happy not to have broken the family streak of being released by the Tianas in the first round.
Meanwhile, she was thrilled with the houses she did have left and quickly got herself ready for her first “party.” The philanthropy round was divided into two days and Minnie was scheduled for three parties Day 1 and five parties Day 2.
Day 1- Philanthropy
Sleeping Beauty: The first party on the first day of an entirely new format is bound to have some troubles and Minnie’s time with the Sleeping Beauties was no exception. Minnie said she had a bad feeling as soon as she logged on. She found the sister to be “snobby” and “kind of rude.” This first impression was bolstered when another girl appeared in the background. Minnie wasn’t initially sure what was happening, but the background girl must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time because she was trying to creep against the wall, crouching down so she wouldn’t be seen. This was only a minor distraction until the sister talking to Minnie whirled around and snapped in a whisper-shout “You aren’t supposed to be in here right now! Get out!” Minnie was taken aback but relieved that it was time for her to be bumped to a new sister. This one turned out to be nice and she and Minnie had a good conversation about why the Sleeping Beauty philanthropy was so important to her. The experience at Sleeping Beauty was a good lesson for Minnie about how there are many different kinds of personalities in the same sororities, especially at big schools like Fairytale, but she was still certain that she didn’t click with the Sleeping Beauties.
Jasmine: After the outburst during the Sleeping Beauty conversation, Minnie was happy to find that the Jasmine sister she spoke with was very calm and had a shared love for the same sport. Although the active was nice, she didn’t feel like she had a good sense of the chapter or their philanthropy. The president of the Jasmines popped in for a moment to introduce herself which surprised Minnie. She left the Jasmines feeling neutral.
Belle: Minnie was paired with two very outgoing Belles at her last party of the day. Though she described them as “nice,” Minnie also commented that they were both very hyper, loud, and talked a lot. One appeared to have more in common with Gaston than Belle with her boasting. Minnie didn’t feel a connection to their philanthropy or to them. She said she was absolutely certain she was not a Belle.
With philanthropy Day 1 over, Minnie said she didn’t want to think too much about the three chapters she’d met until after the second day was finished. She had taken notes so she would remember key points about each chapter, but she was trying to keep an open mind about until it was time to rank.
Day 2- Philanthropy
Ariel: Minnie started the second day with the Ariels. Both Ariels she spoke with were nice, if not a little shy. They talked a lot about their fundraising activities for their philanthropy and Minnie shared some of her experiences with community service. She left the Ariels with a pretty positive feeling, hoping that she would have another chance to get to know them better.
Rapunzel: Minnie spoke with two friendly Rapunzels during her visit with them. She didn’t have the impression they were especially passionate about their philanthropy, but she thought they were nice. Even though she wasn’t wowed by the Rapunzels, this was another house she would like to get to know better.
Snow White: At the Snow White party, Minnie was greeted by a friendly active who had participated in the same sports. They had even been at the same national event a couple of years prior. Minnie was surprised that both the president and the fundraising chair of the Snow Whites came in separately to introduce themselves. This was the third party in a row that left Minnie with a neutral feeling. She was still waiting for that “when you know, you know” feeling that she had heard people talking about. Even so, she liked the Snow Whites and would welcome the opportunity to learn more about them.
Elsa: Minnie didn’t have to wait long for the feeling. She knew from the moment she talked to the first Elsa. She described it to me like she was seeing an old friend for the first time. They clicked right away. She told Minnie all about how excited she was to meet her and how much she had heard about her from Minnie’s relative in the house. The president and recruitment chair also introduced themselves and before she knew it, Minnie’s time with the Elsas was up. Minnie adored the Elsas.
Merida: After her wonderful time with the Elsas, any house would have had difficult time measuring up. Unfortunately, the active that Minnie was paired with did little to make the Meridas appealing. Minnie was still interested and excited to meet the Meridas because of her strong ties with their philanthropy—personally, in her community service, and in some fundraising she had done on her own. Once Minnie and the Merida were in their private Zoom room, the sullen Merida proceeded to tell her that she was only informed she had to talk to a PNM a few minutes earlier and had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. Minnie tried to ask questions about the philanthropy, but the Merida gave one-word replies and was disengaged. After her positive experiences at all the other houses that day, Minnie was very disappointed that one she had been so looking forward to meeting was such a flop. She didn’t wish to return to Merida.
I don’t remember the numbers of houses they would have for the next round but if Minnie were to personally have ranked the houses from favorite to least at this point, it would have been:
1. Elsa
2. Rapunzel
2. Snow White
2. Ariel
2. Jasmine
3. Merida
3. Sleeping Beauty
3. Belle
I took Minnie to dinner after the second day of philanthropy round. She was as happy and excited as I had seen her in long time. She'd made a couple of friends in her Gamma Chi group and they had bonded while discussing their philanthropy round experiences. Maybe it was the social distancing and the fact that the PNMs were attending parties alone (and virtually), but she said that she hadn’t heard much tent talk at all. On the way back to her dorm, she asked me to drive her by the houses she had left so she could connect them in her mind with the parties since everything was so out of context on Zoom.
Mouse Mom Musings
Earlier I admitted I had mixed feelings about the possibility of Minnie becoming an Elsa. When she told me how much she loved them that night, I was surprised to feel something an awful lot like disappointment. I wished she had been able to visit all the houses in person. I wanted her to have choices. I worried that Flora had been right and maybe Minnie was being discounted because of the legacy. When I thought about it again (like a sane person), I was glad she had liked the Elsas and had felt a connection with at least one of the chapters. Maybe she wouldn’t be faced with quite such a dilemma as I had been. Of course, I didn’t say anything to Minnie about any of my thoughts. It was her experience, after all.
The Elsa members of my family who live in the Royal City region were all thrilled when Minnie’s grandmother reported back to them what a great experience Minnie had had. We all went to sleep that night excited to find out what invitations Minnie would receive in the morning.
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