Quote:
Originally posted by James
1. If eveyone you are cosidering has a recomendation, doesn't that diminish the value of them unless they come from someone with status in the sorority?
. . .
4. Isn't it possible that the writing of recs by a sorority member for a specific chapter in a specific system is actually a violation of the spirit of RUSH guidelines . . . that she is in fact pre-rushing that girl for that chapter . . . .
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Good questions, James --
#1. Not necesssarily; there can be "strong" recs and "weak" recs, and it usually doesn't take a genius to distingusih between them. I believe JAM once posted an edited excerpt from a rec she wrote that was an example of a very strong rec. In contrast, a rec that is simply a filled-out official sorority form with few personal comments might be seen as saying, essentially, "take a look, as far as I know she's okay." Sororities also are aware that there are areas of a state or even of the country where there aren't many prominent alumnae, so they may be delighted to get a rec on a great PNM who happens to live in Nowhere Junction instead of suburban Chicago / Atlanta / Denver / Dallas, etc., even if the alumna doesn't have a particularly high profile in the org.
#4. Again, not necessarily. A rec need not be "pre-rushing." It is often (usually) just a way to alert a chapter to someone who may be a good member. It's quite possible for a young woman to have a rec and not even know about it -- although usually the PNM or her mother will quietly get the word from an alumna that a rec has been sent in. Especially in areas where recs are all but essential, alumnae know that a rec doesn't promise a bid or even much in the way of special consideration -- it's more like a partial substitute for the first-semester or first-year scrutiny that women get at schools with
deferred recruitment.
Finally, there's the dreaded written No Rec -- very sparingly used, but this can alert a chapter that a PNM's behavior makes her unsuitable for the chapter. A No Rec can be useful in those rare cases where a mebers of a chapter are not aware of serious problems.