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Coming from a small, Midwestern school with only 3 sororities, I can honestly say that legacies are few and far between and a recommendation is something I've never seen. That said, we would joyfully welcome and consider a reference letter from anyone, "Offical Recommendation from a Kappa" or not. I'd encourage you to write them, especially if these ladies are going to smaller schools or schools with smaller Panhellenics. Any heads-up you might give about a potential sorority woman would help both the woman and the chapter very much. However, at a school with a big system, you'll have to acknowledge the fact that your reference, though helpful, does not carry the same weight as a recommendation from an initiated member of the chapter in question. This is especially true at SEC schools, where every woman comes through armed to the teeth with official recommendations and even the legacies aren't guaranteed spots. So while you should write the letters in any case, you should consider your recipients before you write them.
To quote imsohappythatiama in a previous thread, you'll probably want to include a paragraph in your letter:
I realize that as an initiated, alumna member of ABC, I am unable to write an official recommendation of Polly PNM to XYZ. However, as a member of the Greek community, I wanted to offer this letter of reference attesting to Polly's capacity for loyalty, kindness and dedication. Any NPC sorority would be lucky to accept Polly as a new member... (Insert school, work, volunteer experience and/or personal anecdote here.) ...From one Greek to another, I sincerely hope you and your chapter will keep an eye out for Polly as she makes her way through Recruitment this semester.
Panhellenically,
ABC Alum
I think that NPC should establish a procedure for references sent by any Greek woman (as opposed to recommendations, which are sent by an alumna member to a chapter of her sorority). This would especially help the small schools with low Greek participation, where legacies or friends of any Greek would be welcomed. (For example, my little sis is a ZTA legacy, and another of her pledge class is Pi Phi. Neither chapter exists at our school, but it would have been cool to hear about them beforehand anyway. If anything, it would have given us something more to talk about at the parties.) A simple letter of reference, such as you're going to write, could be acknowledged with an NPC card similar to that with which we acknowledge alumnae recommendations. At the very least, there could be some sort of protocol for responding to such letters.
Any way we might implement that procedure? Panhel experts?
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History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.
Mark Twain
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