Alabama Recruitment

[Jill1228]

Originally Posted by WVU alpha phi

Thanks to the creators of the Alabama Bid List for referring to Alpha Phi as "Alpha Pi."

I know, right? Dude, get with the program

Originally Posted by aopirose

One of my MIF girls went Gamma Phi Beta!

my rec girl went Chi Omega

Originally Posted by IHeartUGA

Anyone else notice that Alpha Phi's pledge class is almost entirely made up of Georgia Girls (or at least out of state girls)?

I noticed that...not many west coast girls though

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

Well, sure, you make a fair comment.

Really, I wish more mamas and their daughters would discover Greekchat at least a year before going off to college and start asking questions BEFORE rush. Otherwise go to a smaller out of state school. Perhaps their rush is different than at the big schools.

HOWEVER ...

Let this be a caveat. When in Rome, do like the Romans ... lol!

(Oh yeah, they stole the Greek culture, didn't they?!?)

Definitely agree.

I'll put it this way: if I, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, looked on Bama's webpage and saw picures of girls wearing DRESSES AT FOOTBALL GAMES, this should be a tipoff to me that there are going to be LOTS of things that are different than what I grew up with, and anything I want to be involved with (including sorority rush) merits much research and investigation to do it properly.

[Loyally Kappa]

Well, I don't think I'm divulging any secrets by saying the the student government at MOST of the SEC schools are referrred to as "The Machine."

The county where my girls grew up in Alabama had an equally effective Panhellenic alum group that continues to operate as a machine. I never got involved in that, but I paid my alum dues to my local KKG group, attended a few teas ... took my two little darlings to some of them to be introduced, etc., etc., etc.

In other words, I spent 20+ years laying the groundwork for them to rush at whatever school they chose to attend.

What the county Panhellenic where I lived did was to invite all senior girls to a sorority recruitment meeting in late April. And I mean, ALL senior girls. The meeting was posted at the local high school. We had "the box" ... literally a file box where the local girls were instructed to drop off however many copies of their resume, transcripts, and photo as there were sororities at the school they they planned to attend. The different alum groups would visit "the box" by late June and pick up a vitae for each girl in the county. They would then have their summer luncheons and decide on which girls each would recommend. Of course, that got personal, but overall the process was very organized. No girl was left out unless she or her mama had her head stuck in the sand.

I'm teaching at Ole Miss now, but I think they are similarly organized as to rush.

Originally Posted by BlueCarnation

Hey, I'm a Yankee, so what do I know, right? I know that there are girls coming here from my town that still don't know if they are going to rush and it is less than 3 weeks away. I don't even think our recruitment website even mentions needing recommendations, other than to give the address to each sorority house! And we're a huge state school! It's just totally different. This is so fascinating to me.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Definitely agree.

I'll put it this way: if I, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, looked on Bama's webpage and saw picures of girls wearing DRESSES AT FOOTBALL GAMES, this should be a tipoff to me that there are going to be LOTS of things that are different than what I grew up with, and anything I want to be involved with (including sorority rush) merits much research and investigation to do it properly.

And honestly, how could one end up partaking of this cross cultural experience without knowing, at least partially, what you were getting into. Hello! Tuscaloosa, Alabama! Hello!

I'm not moving to Pittsburgh, and then complaining about your capes! (Carnegie Mellon, joke, I think, right?)

[33girl]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

And honestly, how could one end up partaking of this cross cultural experience without knowing, at least partially, what you were getting into. Hello! Tuscaloosa, Alabama! Hello!

I'm not moving to Pittsburgh, and then complaining about your capes! (Carnegie Mellon, joke, I think, right?)

ha ha - and even some Pittsburghers would look askance at that. We had a consultant one year who bemoaned our "casual" dress. Umm hello....we are on a hilly, rainy, snowy campus. We are not going to wear dress pants and heels and fall on our noses walking to class.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

ha ha - and even some Pittsburghers would look askance at that. We had a consultant one year who bemoaned our "casual" dress. Umm hello....we are on a hilly, rainy, snowy campus. We are not going to wear dress pants and heels and fall on our noses walking to class.

Hey now, I'm an Ohio girl and we wore pin attire to most chapter meetings, which required us to trek across campus in heels and such in the snow!

[BlueCarnation]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

And honestly, how could one end up partaking of this cross cultural experience without knowing, at least partially, what you were getting into. Hello! Tuscaloosa, Alabama! Hello!

I'm not moving to Pittsburgh, and then complaining about your capes! (Carnegie Mellon, joke, I think, right?)

Hey, I'm totally with you ladies!!! Absolutely, when in Rome...

I don't get the thing about the capes, but we managed to dress in pin attire in the frozen tundra.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by BlueCarnation

Hey, I'm totally with you ladies!!! Absolutely, when in Rome...

I don't get the thing about the capes, but we managed to dress in pin attire in the frozen tundra.

The cape thing was just a joke going back a while with 33Girl when we were talking about differences in campus culture and how people saw their groups. Although it's funny for me to imagine an entire campus or city in capes. . .

I think there's a tendency for other regions to regard southern recruitment as particularly bizarre, and I'm not sure that we don't foster that some ourselves, but it's hard to see how it could be the campus's fault that a young woman chose a campus and the corresponding Greek system but then didn't realize what she was getting into.

[BlueCarnation]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

The cape thing was just a joke going back a while with 33Girl when we were talking about differences in campus culture and how people saw their groups. Although it's funny for me to imagine an entire campus or city in capes. . .

I think there's a tendency for other regions to regard southern recruitment as particularly bizarre, and I'm not sure that we don't foster that some ourselves, but it's hard to see how it could be the campus's fault that a young woman choose a campus and the corresponding Greek system but then didn't realize what she was getting into.

I absolutely agree. For the record, I don't think it's bizarre, just totally different than what I've experienced; I like to hear about all the different rush processes and learn what goes on at all of them. I have learned so much in the past week and am excited for our recruitment coming up. I guess it's just a lot easier for some people to try find someone or something else to blame when it doesn't work out than to face the real facts.

[Loyally Kappa]

I guess it's just a lot easier for some people to try find someone or something else to blame when it doesn't work out than to face the real facts.

Thank you, Captain Obvious!

[tainey]

I think there's a tendency for other regions to regard southern recruitment as particularly bizarre, and I'm not sure that we don't foster that some ourselves, but it's hard to see how it could be the campus's fault that a young woman choose a campus and the corresponding Greek system but then didn't realize what she was getting into.[/QUOTE]

grammar check at UGA? Just kidding truly!

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by kk_bama

My favorite recs to look through are the most complete ones. A fully complete rec packet should include, IMO:

-The most updated reference form from your nationals (some that we get are YEARS old photocopied from an old sorority magazine).

-A detailed resume that includes high school class rank and any family greek affiliations (doesn't hurt to list aunts & cousins in addition to sisters, mothers, grandmother & great-grandmothers). We get a lot of great resumes but they are sometimes missing those items.

-Complete high school transcript.

-At least a headshot and a full body photo. Some girls do a cute color full-page photo collage showing them in all their various activities. I love these. So fun to see the girls in their prom dresses, sports uniforms, with family, etc.

-Sometimes we get a handwritten note or typed letter from the alum in addition to the recommendation form. Going into detail about how you know the PNM is great and the fact that the alum went the extra mile means a lot.

Also
--Home Address
--Parents' names
---Their colleges and Greek groups, and what they do for a living (nosy? Yes...but I want to know the sorority bill will be paid)
--ACT/SAT scores

I am building an Excel spreadsheet for Alabama's recruitments (darn those UA people for not posting it that way to begin with!!) that you can sort for sorority, hometown, state, etc. If anybody wants a copy, DM me your e-mail address and I'll e-mail you a copy. It may be tomorrow before I'm finished.

[VandalSquirrel]

This isn't just about 'Bama, but if at my school (middle of nowhere, full of farmers and first generation students) we can manage to get recs on women, then it shouldn't be hard in a more populated area with a funcitoning Alumnae Panhellenic. There is a good reason that at larger schools where rush is competitive there is a cut off date to sign up. One is so grades and eligibility can be checked by Panhellenic, the other is that there is a final list give to each chapter to handle as they see fit. Even though I am currently living in the town where I attended school, I have written recs for women from my home area as well as from other areas my family lives in.

The women I have been contacted about are not legacies, are not from this state, and may be first generation college students, but I not only help my sisters, but my Panhellenic sisters by writing recs on these women and passing on their information to alumnae I know in the other eight NPC groups on my campus. I feel it is my job not only as an alumnae, but as a woman, to give every qualified woman an equal chance at rush, even if she doesn't attend my school. I have driven hours or met with women while on vacation to write a solid and informative rec because I truly believe one shouldn't be limited by her connections or not being as savvy as another. Recruitment is every woman's job, collegian or alumnae and some of my favorite sisters (my own and in other sororities) are women who knew nothing about the process and I took the time to help. I think that to acquire quality members we need to do what we can to reach the women who aren't in the know, and with all of the technology available to us in 2009 it is possible.

[BlueCarnation]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

I guess it's just a lot easier for some people to try find someone or something else to blame when it doesn't work out than to face the real facts.

Thank you, Captain Obvious!

That's what I'm here for!

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by 33girl

...if I, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, looked on Bama's webpage and saw picures of girls wearing DRESSES AT FOOTBALL GAMES...

In 1980, my husband and I and a group drove up to Pennsylvania to attend an Alabama-Penn State and were quite amused by the differences.

We would not get to the stadium less than one hour before kickoff, even with reserved seats....the Penn Staters wandered in about halfway through the first quarter. Even as alumni, we would never wear jeans to a game (back then...not now)...the Lions wore jeans, boots and sweatshirts (no need for a sweatshirt at an Alabama game until November!)...intoxicant of choice at Bama=bourbon...intoxicant of choice at Penn State=some sort of blackberry cordial...we Bama fans stayed until the end, and then some to cheer...Nittany Lions began wandering off at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Granted, we won...but still, the game could be won or lost in the last seconds, so you'd better stay!

No one right or wrong way...just different.