Quote:
Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
How do you remain unbiased when dealing with PNMs? And what was your reason for wanting to be one?
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As a Rho Chi, now called a Rho Gamma at UCF (we're phasing out Rho Chi to avoid confusion with a pre-professional honor society of the same name), disaffiliation for recruitment is taken very seriously!
When I decided to do it in 99, interested women filled out an application and went through a very interesting stress interview in which they sat at the front of a room at their own desk. And like a firing squad, Pan Exec, Recruitment Exec, the Presidents. RVPs and advisers of each sorority began shooting questions at them!
From there, the Recruitment Exec drafted their PX "Bid List"-- we went on a retreat, had a little made-up ritual and pretty much were of the mind that we'd joined (temporarily) another sorority whose mission was to help PNM's find their sorority home. We had weekly trainings through the summer and could not wear letters, or be around affiliated women wearing letters. The day before Greek Forum, Strict Silence was enforced-- we had zero communication with the chapters and moved into a hotel. You had to be accompanied by at least one PX not of your chapter at all times!
It was insane.
I remained unbiased because-- well, it was easy. Our campus Panhellenic was a very hospitable place-- we had close friends in all the chapters. While we wanted our chapters to succeed individually, we also were aware that our Greek system is only as strong as its weakest member.
I wanted to be a PX b/c I loved being able to advise a young woman through recruitment and experience life on "the other side"-- as a senior, I was a tad burned out.
Being away made me appreciate collegiate sorority life so much! Our chapters sent us little gifts each day we were sequestered, with little inspirational messages. And we tortured our PNM's incessantly-- What sorority do you think I'm? C'mon guess!! (Ask ZTAngel, she was a PNM that year! We drove the girls nuts!)
I was really proud to be able to participate as a PX, and it made me appreciate all the hard work our Panhellenic puts into promoting Recruitment and seeing all the great new PNMs coming through. It was also an ego boost to hear the girls come out of my chapter and talk about what a great time they'd had!
