Promoting Greek life to HS Seniors

[ADPiEE]

I'm at at the age where many of my friends' children are about to go off to college so I do my best to encourage Greek life . I've been able to write a few Recs already this year.

My problem is that I know many girls who would make excellent sorority members (great grades, resume, high standards, parents supportive of Greek life, etc.) but they are choosing NOT to go through recruitment because of the negative stereotypes. I know Greek life isn't for everyone but I hate to see girls not at least try recruitment for THAT reason. I know that if they would at least try Recruitment, they would see that they stereotypes aren't true.

I'd love to hear any tips for promoting Greek life to these girls. Thanks!

[irishpipes]

I am having the same issue. One thing that keeps coming up is "I don't want to be told what to do." I know some girls that would be great sorority members, but they simply cannot see that the benefits might outweigh the "rules" they will be asked to follow. Frankly, they have never shared a bedroom or bathroom, and they don't want other girls so close in age dictating to them.

I have tried playing up the opportunities for intramurals, song/dance, scholastics, and leadership. These girls would LOVE all of those things. But, they don't want to be forced to participate in any of those things. These are all girls who have played on sports teams and such, so they have certainly been asked to follow a regimen in the past.

I am not pushing the issue. I feel like I gave them the ad for greek life, but if they feel that strongly against it, they will end up dropping out anyway.

[sigmagirl10]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I am having the same issue. One thing that keeps coming up is "I don't want to be told what to do." I know some girls that would be great sorority members, but they simply cannot see that the benefits might outweigh the "rules" they will be asked to follow. Frankly, they have never shared a bedroom or bathroom, and they don't want other girls so close in age dictating to them.

I have tried playing up the opportunities for intramurals, song/dance, scholastics, and leadership. These girls would LOVE all of those things. But, they don't want to be forced to participate in any of those things. These are all girls who have played on sports teams and such, so they have certainly been asked to follow a regimen in the past.

I am not pushing the issue. I feel like I gave them the ad for greek life, but if they feel that strongly against it, they will end up dropping out anyway.

I just have to cosign on the bolded, irishpipes. During my time as an undergraduate, we had a few girls who pledged who were amazing girls: involved on campus, friendly, good students, fun, overall great fits for our chapter...but. Big but. Rules and being "bossed around" (their words--more like "gently led") by people their own age was something they just could not hang with. Dress guidelines for recruitment? No can do. Committing to weekly meetings that were under 2 hours? No can do. Participating regularly in activities you pay for out of your dues? No can do. Behave within certain guidelines at public events where you are representing the sorority? No can do. These girls ended up disaffiliating.

The bottom line is that there are some girls who might make amazing members and are genuinely good people (and may even be genuinely interested in Greek life until they are, well, in), they are just too independent or free-spirited to hang with the "rules" side of being in a sorority, and I think that no amount of convincing or presenting Greek life positively can change that, unfortunately. Sorry, major run-on, but you get my point

[KillarneyRose]

I'm having the same problem! Many of KillarneyBud's friends are fantastic girls and I think being in a sorority would be very fulfilling to them. But most of them looked at me like I have three heads when I brought it up to them.

It looks like the negative stereotypes about us are alive and well, unfortunately. But all they have to do is look at me and see that I'm a (reasonably) normal, responsible person who actually thinks sorority membership is a GOOD thing! (maybe they think I keep sacrificial goats in the shed?)

[tea&krumpets]

Speaking from a different perspective...I was one of those girls who did not know much about Greek life other than the stereotypes, and what really got me thinking about seriously pursuing a bid was talking to a girl from my high school who graduated a year earlier than me and was in a sorority at her college. She didn't talk up all the opportunities - leadership, philanthropy, etc., although she did briefly mention those aspects. Instead, she just gushed about the people she met in her chapter - her best friends, girls who she had a great time with but also who she could go to crying in the middle of the night and they'd sit up with her and talk and eat pizza. I'm not sure if you've emphasized those points as well as all the opportunities, but I really think a more personal story like that would be effective - at least it was for me!

[TriDeltaC]

I was in the same boat as tea&krumpets (whose name I looove, by the way!) and thought that sorority life was silly and only for girls with a certain look.

What changed my mind and made me excited to rush was my friend who was a year ahead of me and had pledged KKG at a different school - her sensibility about it all calmed my stereotypes and my fears, and she held my hand (over the telephone!) in between rounds when I needed to talk about the different houses.... I'm so thankful for her that I was able to find my home in Tri Delta!

[TriDeltaC]

..and I'll always have a certain place in my heart for Kappa Kappa Gamma!! <3

[AnchorAlumna]

To the young 'uns, we are old, dried up ladies who haven't a clue as to college life today.

Let one of their contemporaries tell them about sororities. They might see the light then.

Also - don't ask for any kind of commitment about signing up for recruitment (they are saying "don't tell me what to do").
Just put the info out there and tell 'em they might think about it.

[AGDee]

With my daughter's friends, I just told them what it was like and compared it to activities they did in high school (mainly Girl Scouts and Marching Band). I didn't push, but told them if they had questions to feel free to ask. The ones who seemed the most interested, who I wrote recs for, didn't go through recruitment. The one who seemed most wary did and is an Alpha Gam My daughter did go through also and I wasn't sure she was going to. You just never know.

[PackPride]

My university actually just started a Greek Ambassadors program which does exactly what you are talking about. We go around to high schools in the area and discuss and promote greek life. I think it's a great idea to squash those stereotypes.

[clemsongirl]

At Freshman Orientation for me this past summer there were two representatives of Greek Life, but the girl came off as ditzy and unprepared and the boy seemed like he had just rolled out of bed in both appearance and mannerisms. My mom (who was Greek) and I were both very unimpressed, and that played a big part in my originally unfavorable opinion of Greek Life. It took me a semester of seeing how involved the sororities were on campus before I decided that I wanted to join, and even now many of my non-Greek friends don't think well of Greek Life.

The North is a completely different animal, though; it's hard to tell kids to go Greek when many of them are going to schools that don't even offer Greek Life. I don't know how to approach that one. Many kids that I know of who've rushed do so because their family or older friends were in it.

[justgo_withit]

It's a little different for me as a collegiate, but I've had some success by reminding them of the ridiculous stereotypes of a group they're in, and that accepting them without seeing for themselves first is letting someone else think for them. Like an "Oh right, because all of the marching band kids are completely socially inept? If you start to think for yourself and want to make your own decisions, I think you'll be really surprised when you actually go talk to sorority women."

The upperclassmen who convinced me to go greek (I was very much the resistant freshman girl, as it goes) tried the normal routes, and then finally went "Just come out and meet some of the girls! Just stop accepting what others tell you and give it a chance. Then you can decide for yourself that we're all dumb and useless."

[GPhiBLtColonel]

...is about the community service, typically higher GPAs, scholarships (thru each sorority's foundation), networking and then, depending on who I am talking to, I may rattle off a few "famous" sorority women's names that I know would impress them....and I always briefly share how sororities started back in the mid-to late 1800's - that often raises their eyebrows and makes 'em think twice. I typically don't have to do a lot of that living here just outside of Atlanta

Is there a nearby sorority information session the girls can attend? Our Alum Panhellenic Association also holds an annual session at Phi Mu HQtrs and we advertise it to girls who know they are going thru rush/recruitment and those who just want to find out more - we always let them know there is no obligation to join.

This article was just in our local paper today - I had just sent in the press release a few days ago - yay!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/celeeif...in/photostream

[TweedleDee199]

I was one of the only women in my freshman dorm to go through recruitment, and I would say that the majority of my hallmates had a negative view of Greek life. I knew that most of them would make phenomenal members, so when COB came around I brought the subject up with them. Being members of the honors program, other service groups, sports teams, etc. they already had opportunities for campus involvement. What tipped the scale was going through a full term of school and realizing that so few things in college were stable. You'll change your major, breakup up with boyfriends, and lose track of your friends from home, but a sorority offers a solid foundation to go through all of those changes on. They heard this from listening to me and women talk about our relationships with our sisters and chapter traditions, and they saw it first hand when they started coming over to the house with me. 3 years later those women are among the most respected in our chapter-a philanthropy chair, a new member educator, and a financial vice president. They represent a large group of members in our chapter, women who were initially wary of recruitment. Ultimately, their refusal to associate themselves with those stereotypes and high standards of what the chapter should be has made them invaluable members. I would say more than anything else that talking about the safe space that Gamma Phi Beta has afforded me to make mistakes and grow into an adult is what has been most effective in winning over hesitant PNMs.

[BadCat25]

In my Georgia high school the big reason more girls didn't rush was the recruitment horror stories. Brutal cuts and being judged solely on your looks.