At my school, Rho Chis had to be at least Juniors and they had to have gone through Formal Recruitment. That way they have seen both sides--as a PNM and as a sister--and are better able to answer PNM's questions. They also go through a semester-long training in how to deal with specific situations--girls that get cut from every house, girls that get cut from the one house they want, girls who aren't sure what they want, etc...--the Rho Chis are there to help. In no way are they professionals, but as their title states, they're counselors. They counsel to the best of their abilities. Granted, some are inherently better at it than others, but they have all had training.
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Exactly, a PNM should be able to make a free and clear decision based on all her available choices....even if it means deciding to Single Intentional Preference, drop out, or accept a bid. She should be able to do so without the hassle of people lecturing her about how she should keep an open mind about a group she truly dislikes. This also means not treating all freshmen like mere children just because they are young.
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Honestly, in all my experience as an undergrad, I've never heard of anyone really being forced to continue to attend parties at a chapter she
truly dislikes. The Rho Chi may say "go back at least once and if your feelings are still strong against them, by all means cut them or drop out." My freshman roommate dropped out of recruitment on 10-party day because she just wasn't feeling the houses she was invited back to. As long as the Rho Chi feels there is a good reason for this to happen (ie, it's not Polly Princess PNM whining about being cut from the pretty house), it's usually not a huge deal. And things DO change during recruitment week as you continually spend more and more time at the chapters. THe party times increase from 15 to 30 to 45 minutes to an hour. An hour is a pretty long time to be talking to someone and should really give you a good idea whether you are a good match for that house and vice versa.
Not only should a PNM be able to make a free and clear choice, she should also be very aware on what that choice means. If she decides to SIP she has to know her chances of receiving a bid are lowered and she may be offered snap bid. If she drops out she has an opportunity to informal but the houses she was most interested in may not be COBing. And if she puts down any house on her pref card that means she is
willing to accept a bid from them, even if they weren't her most favoritest house.
I agree that many college freshman are able to make their own decisions
if they are given complete and honest information about what is available to them and they are honest with themselves.