As an alumna, how WELL should you know a PNM in order to write a RecForm/Sponsorship?

[PenguinTrax]

I'm going to weigh in a little on this topic. Probably won't make some people happy, but here goes....


The NPC has the rule about chapters securing their own recommendations for a good reason. Not every NPC sorority uses the letter of reference process and on some campuses they are not allowed to use it at all. Some groups will only accept letters of reference from their alumnae, some will accept letters of reference from others. Some groups will only accept a form filled out with basic information, some require a detailed letter from someone that actually knows the PNM.

I have yet to meet a group that didn't have some sort of structure in place that could help obtain a recommendation (if required) if one were needed. My advice has always been, if you can easily find an alumna to write a letter of reference for you, great, if not, it is really not your responsibility to track these down. I went through recruitment without even knowing about recommendations and was pledged just the same. They wanted me badly enough, so they found a recommendation for me. Turns out one of my junior high English teachers was a ZTA alumna.


It kills me every year to see PNMs going nutso trying to track down recommendations. It's tough on them and it adds to an already stressful situation.

If you are an alumna and have been asked to provide a letter of reference for a PNM I say do what you are comfortable with. I know that I won't write a letter for someone I don't know. However, I did go out of my way both last year and this year to find alumnae in the PNM's area that might know her or her family and let those alumnae take it from there.

If I know a girl only slightly, then I provide an 'information-only' letter for her. If I know the girl (or her mother) very well, then I will write a more detailed letter.

Regarding summer contact - it depends on how involved an alumna is with the campus and with the individual campus rules. My feeling is that if Mary Alumna is an advisor of XY chapter at State U. and is being pursued to write a rec for a girl she hardly knows, but will be attending State U., it could violate summer contact rules. Especially if Mary Alumna wouldn't normally come in contact with the PNM.

It's kind of a grey area...sorry if this is not more coherent!