What do you dislike/ like about rush?!?!

[FoxC]

I was reading some of the topics on the general board and thought that this was interesting. I was wondering what fellow sisters like and dislike about rush. I'm also interested on your take on new sisters and there respect for or even disrespect of older sister.

For example I found it obnoxious going through rush and being asked the same three questions the whole time (what's your major, what year are you, what did you do in H.S.) they never seem to lead to GOOD conversation. Another difficult thing is girls coming thorugh rush that don't talk. How do you get through it.

As for respect to from incoming sisters. I think that this is an issue b/c I feel offended when new sisters come in and don't have respect for older sister and sometimes even for ritual (I think these two go hand in hand). Has any one else dealt with this?

[honeychile]

We had one sister who would say in one rush of words: "What's your major? Where are you from? What did you like to do in high school?" SO quickly, and then say, "Okay, that's over with, let's really talk!" She said it so funny, that everyone would laugh and feel at ease.

That's what I think the key to rush is. Just as you want people to be comfortable when they visit your home, you should make the pnms feel comfortable at your sorority home! Most of them are probably stressed out enough, it really helps to have a few funny stories ready for the tense pnm.

I think we could devote a whole thread on the respect issue. I was taught to have respect for the pin that the older sisters wear, therefore, show them the dignity it deserves. It's not demeaning or groveling - the way I see it, it's like when you don't care for a President. You may not care for the man, but you really need to show respect for the Office of the Presidency! (and no, I'm not talking about the current President!)

[adpiucf]

What I liked about Recruitment at UCF:

As a PM, I loved the "rush" of meeting new people and of putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together, trying to see where I fit best. In the first round of parties, I was the obnoxious one who declared, "If I don't get ADPi on Bid Day, I'm going to cry!" And there were only tears of happiness!

As a PM, I disliked the Florida heat and humidity in August, the make-up literally melting off my face before I walked into the houses!

As a sister, I loved bonding with the chapter and meeting the PM's. Spirit Week remains, in my mind, one of the most stressful and most wonderful weeks of my life! I disliked not having time to eat, but it's all par for the course! I have never experienced such a "high" of happiness that I felt during Recruitment with ADPi!

As a PX, I loved playing "mom" to my PM's and seeing where they would go! From Day One, they had me pegged as either a Kappa Delta or an ADPi. And they all preffed some variation of the two, if not both! And as a PX, I disliked being so far away from my amazing sisters. But the ADPi-PX's really bonded and got to know each other in wonderful ways, and I loved being a sister of PX-- and getting to know my Panhellenic sisters so much better!

And now, as an Alum, I love helping the women out during Spirit Week and Recruitment, working behind the scenes to make sure their plans go off flawlessly, and as an adviser and IO, keeping our new members in the chapter!

As for the respect issue, you walk a fine line. I am a Zeta Omega Alum, and coming from your chapter, Chenoa, I fully remember the older alpha classes mumbling that the newer sisters had no respect, blah blah, and I even did it later when I became an "old school ADPi." We all complained, but no one ever really did anything proactive in the chapter to educate our new members or to really poll the older ones to see if everyone felt this way!

Respect is a 2-way street. It is in no way hazing to lay down the ground rules-- have the NMC and the Standards Chair, with the Membership Ed Adviser get together and plan a new member workshop to be given at the new member retreat--- the topic is respect for Alpha Delta Pi. This includes all the general rules (respect for letters and yourself, etc. But you can also talk about respecting one's elders-- the advisers and older women of the chapter. Just because ADPi talks about us all being equal members doesn't give any sister, older or younger, the right to disrespect another sister. If anything, our beliefs in the equality of sisterhood should include being honest with our sisters-- we treat our new members really well, and they should have the good manners to treat us the same. Talk to them. You're not forcing an unfair rule on them-- you are showing them love and respect as new members, and they should show the same appreciation and respect for their older sisters. It's good training for the real world-- a little thing called professionalism in the workplace. While we're in college, we call it sisterhood. It's really just respect.

Good luck!

PLAM,
Abbey