from the author of Pledged

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by texas*princess
I just saw her blurb on the Today Show.. and wow.. if she thinks she can pass for 19, she's got something else coming. Most 19 yr olds I know don't look that.. old. Not that she's 80 or anything, but she does not look 19.

Once again, nothing new... just saying the same stuff over and over. It was so hard trying not to "" the entire time..

LOL! I just saw it too and I'm laughing and wondering how she could pass for college age and how she could claim that nobody can recognize her with that weird lazy eye thing she has going on -- WTF?!

It's amazing how the woman on the Today Show didn't even question this woman's mysterious sources. Give me a break. I can't even believe how much mindless fluff there is in the media today.

[MooseGirl]

I think she could pass for 19...at least around here...she's only around 27...I'm 26 and ppl still think i'm 20

it all depends on the clothes and make-up.


Anyway, despite what all of you recommend, I bought the book and started reading it. I wish my library had it cuz it's not worth buying. I've only read the first 60 pgs so far, and browsed through the endnotes.

As far as independants reading it - i think so - maybe the younger crowd, since for the most part it reads just like a work of fiction - I don't feel like Vicki and Sabrina et al are real ppl - as in I don't connect with them as characters. My own sorority experience is extremely different than the one portrayed in this book. (which I expected)

She does cite Greekchat, twice at least. in particular the NPC quota thread...

[AlphaXiGirl31]

I just saw the Today show spot and read the excerpt at the website... From the excerpt, it sounds nothing like my own sorority experience - granted, I'm from the west coast and I know every chapter/campus is different.

I am probably going to buy the book, and maybe have my lil' sis read it too, since she is a communications major and studies all kinds of interpersonal relationships.

p.s. I don't think that the author looks like she's 19...

[valkyrie]

Seriously, if you buy this book you are directly encouraging this woman to continue writing crap and passing it off as journalism. Why give her money? It's only going to make her rich and encourage her to write more stupid books like this. If you really want to read it, check it out from the library or wait until people are selling their used copies for $1.00 on half.com.

The more I think about it, the more she doesn't know what in the hell she's talking about -- on the Today Show, she mentioned that people rush at smaller schools and then tranfer to schools with huge greek systems so their sorority will "have to take them." That's not even true.

[Kevin]

This thread is free publicity for her. This thread needs to just be allowed to sink to the bottom.

[33girl]

Originally posted by valkyrie
used copies for $1.00 on half.com.

Incidentally, there are people selling copies of From Here To Fraternity on half.com for $100++!!!! That's nuts!! The book cost maybe $10 when it came out, and it's a cool book, but not that cool.

We did discuss people pledging at a smaller chapter for the purpose of getting into a larger chapter through the back door on here, and said it does happend, but we also said it's hardly a sure thing. I'm betting that also came from the 1984 rush book she cited.

[AXO Alum]

Originally posted by valkyrie
Seriously, if you buy this book you are directly encouraging this woman to continue writing crap and passing it off as journalism. Why give her money? It's only going to make her rich and encourage her to write more stupid books like this. If you really want to read it, check it out from the library or wait until people are selling their used copies for $1.00 on half.com.

The more I think about it, the more she doesn't know what in the hell she's talking about -- on the Today Show, she mentioned that people rush at smaller schools and then tranfer to schools with huge greek systems so their sorority will "have to take them." That's not even true.

Dang, valkyrie -- will you stop writing stuff that I agree with?? I mean it was one thing with the Adam guy over in CC Entertainment, but now this!!! There must be some snowballs in hell!

From the website:

But if you had a daughter, would you let her join a sorority?
Not until sororities make some broad changes. I think sororities have the poten_tial to be so much more than they are, but the national offices are so concerned with things like money and image that they’ve lost touch with the girls as individuals. I think if they wiped out the idea of pledging, didn’t force girls to live in a house together and really overhauled the rush process then I’d be much more likely to happily let a girl in. Some parents take sororities so serious_ly that they hire rush consultants, which are kind of like pageant consultants to guide their girls through rush.

This is truly sick -- first of all, nothing like being a dictator to your GROWN ADULT CHILD -- I mean 18 years of age is legal, right? If she wants to join a sorority, then she can do so without mommy dearest giving her permission.

Second - she supposedly interviewed at this mysterious school - so how the HELL does she "know" what national offices are concerned with? If she knew anything from this "fine" investigative "work" then she would know that all of our nationals are first and foremost a corporation, and that they are only as successful as their members. You treat your members right, and your company succeeds.

Third - again, she did no investigation or she would have been looking at all the changes to recruitment (again!) that NPC has brought to the table.

Fourth - who is she to bash consultants? I can guarantee that she has a manager who helped her get going. How is that any different? Yes, some women do seek the help of a consultant because they do want to join a sorority -- but heck, that would be like criticizing someone who pays a resume service to make their resume better.

This just pisses me off -- oops, I used a "bad" word -- guess my 10 years of being an Alpha Chi have served to give me trash mouth

Sounds to me like *someone* didn't get a bid the first go round... no names of course because that would really compromise my underhanded sneaky lying "source"

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by AXO Alum
Dang, valkyrie -- will you stop writing stuff that I agree with?? I mean it was one thing with the Adam guy over in CC Entertainment, but now this!!! There must be some snowballs in hell!

LOL!!

[adpiucf]

As of 2003, there are:
3,612,176 initiated NPC members
80,366 new NPC members
2,908 NPC Undergraduate Chapters
32 New NPC Chapters/Colonies
4,678 NPC Alumnae Chapters
213 NPC Alumnae Panhellenics

Greeks contributed 375,513 hours of service, and raised funds in excess of $2.3 Million. Over $430,000 in scholarships and grants were awarded to Greek Members. Of 152 reporting college panhellenics, 62.5% reported GPA's at or above the all-women's average.

NPC continues to present educational workshops to promote alcohol awareness, hazing prevention, eating disorders and hosts leadership programs for sorority women. A new, values-based risk management program called "Something Of Value" has received high marks and accolades from campuses across North America. NPC continues to look at creating and partnering with groups in a continual effort to raise awaress of mental disease and tobacco addiction.

There are trouble makers. The system isn't perfect. But there's also a lot of good work being done here. And that should not be, and can not be ignored.

[texas*princess]

Originally posted by AXO Alum
Dang, valkyrie -- will you stop writing stuff that I agree with?? I mean it was one thing with the Adam guy over in CC Entertainment, but now this!!! There must be some snowballs in hell!

ditto to that!

on her "interview" with the Today Show, she said that she has recieved many hate emails from "people who haven't even read the book" and many "thank you" emails from sorority women who have read it.

Once again lady, so some creds!

[Lady Pi Phi]

She writes this book like all chapters are the same, that we all have 100+ people in them, that we all live in the house...

She has no idea.

My chapter is small. We have about 25 wonderful members. We have no house. There were no quotas, etc because there is only one sorority on my campus.

Grrrrrrrr....I'm going to stop typing before I say something unladylike.

[ISUKappa]

Originally posted by texas*princess
ditto to that!

on her "interview" with the Today Show, she said that she has recieved many hate emails from "people who haven't even read the book" and many "thank you" emails from sorority women who have read it.

Once again lady, so some creds!

Yeah, I'd love to see some of those "thank you" emails. I highly doubt they were sorority women, more like the same people who already are against the Greek system for "validating" their opinions.

And she used GC as a resource? Granted, yes we have some very knoweldgable men and women on here, but an Internet Message Board? That would not be seen as a viable resource in any research by a creditable writer.

I think she did a few too many of those drugs that were just laying around the chapter houses while she was doing her "research." You'd have to be smoking something pretty fierce to come up with some of the things she did.

[texas*princess]

Originally posted by ISUKappa
Yeah, I'd love to see some of those "thank you" emails. I highly doubt they were sorority women, more like the same people who already are against the Greek system for "validating" their opinions.

And she used GC as a resource? Granted, yes we have some very knoweldgable men and women on here, but an Internet Message Board? That would not be seen as a viable resource in any research by a creditable writer.

I think she did a few too many of those drugs that were just laying around the chapter houses while she was doing her "research." You'd have to be smoking something pretty fierce to come up with some of the things she did.

She used GC as a resource? wow.. that's ... special.

lol @ the drugs comment

[hoosier]

There's now an excerpt at:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4741466/

The rituals of Greek life have been portrayed by Hollywood from the classic movie “Animal House” to the more recently successful “Legally Blonde,” in which Reese Witherspoon plays the perfect sorority sister. However, how realistic is that portrayal of sisterhood? In her new book, “Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities,” Alexandra Robbins shares her insights into the clique-like atmosphere of sororities. She discusses the book on “Today.” Read an excerpt here:

My challenge, then, in writing "Pledged," was how to reconcile the unexpected discovery of a dark side to sorority life with the observation that many of the girls who participate in it and continue to join it in droves are “normal” girls, girls who are sweet, smart, successful, and kind both before and after they join.
— Alexandra Robbins

[Tom Earp]

Oh, if I could only remember All Of He Excerpts!

Naked Pillow fights, Animal House being the main one!

All of tjhe things that she refered to sound like Grimms FairyTails!

She is to funny, and professes to have infiltrated Soroities?


Fiction at its Stephen King best.

So, do the Soroiities do all of this stuff!

I may be old and slow, but I anint Stupid!

The Dark Side of Soroities!

God, give me a break!

I am impressed like # 10 sandpaper