Legacy disclosure

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by FloMo Mom

My daughter is going through recruitment next week. We listed both legacy chapters on her resume. She is a legacy through grandmothers and great-grandmothers. We talked about leaving this information off the resume and decided to be honest and include it. I'll let you know later if it was a good or bad idea!

I hate this frame. A resume is an opportunity to present your case. You put stuff on it that makes your best case and leave off stuff that hurts your case. Leaving off legacy information isn't dishonest. It's just making sure you are stating your best case for membership.

If a form asks the question and you don't answer, you aren't lying. You declining to answer. Frankly, I think that question should not be asked since it is harmful to PNMs in the current environment. We used to ask to make sure that legacies got the special attention they deserved. It was designed to make sure that legacies came to the attention of their legacy chapter. It was a helpful question, not a harmful. I don't find it dishonest to decline to answer a question when legacy information really is only the business of the PNM's legacy chapter(s).

Asking if someone is a legacy is like asking how much money their Daddy makes or where I go to church. The chapters might be interested in that information, but they really don't deserve an answer to the question. If I need to you know that, I'll tell you. Otherwise, I'm not answering the question.

[Auburnmom23]

I agree with you now that I'm much better informed, KDCat. I believe that sharing legacy status, other than with legacy chapters, is never a positive and more often than not is a very significant negative. It gives chapters with historically strong recruitment another reason to cut a PNM, as they don't want to assume any known risk linked to the bids they send out at the end of the day. With PMN groups that are 1000 -2500 girls strong, they'll have multiple girls that look fabulous for each coveted spot. If one of those great PNMs is known to be a legacy at one or more houses (or worse, a double or triple legacy), they are the great girl who is going to get cut.

It makes sense from a practical perspective. Even with PNMs who have an open mind, chapters know that if the girl prefs two or three houses inclusive of the legacy house, there is a good chance that the girl will be at the top of the legacy chapters list resulting in a likely match, even if the PNM didn't rank them first. Others that know this process better than I, please correct me if I'm off base here.

This is a bit of a generalization, of course, but something to keep in mind. I was happy to honor requests not to include legacy info on recs. I often leave SAT and ACT info off as well, if that is not provided to me.

[sigmagirl2000]

Originally Posted by Auburnmom23

It makes sense from a practical perspective. Even with PNMs who have an open mind, chapters know that if the girl prefs two or three houses inclusive of the legacy house, there is a good chance that the girl will be at the top of the legacy chapters list resulting in a likely match, even if the PNM didn't rank them first. Others that know this process better than I, please correct me if I'm off base here.

That's not how bid matching works. If a PNM ranks a group first and they are high enough on that group's list, they go to their first choice. If they are not high enough on the first group's list, they would go to another group or be a QA in some cases.

[Titchou]

Yes, the PNM is matched to her choices not the chapter to the woman.

[Auburnmom23]

Understood, thanks.

[DGTess]

Is this really even an issue outside of a dozen or so campuses that are steeped in tradition? It is so totally outside my frame of reference I am having a hard time even imagining it.

I know our form asks for greek affiliation of parents, but so far I've never written for a woman who comes from a strong greek family.

[texasprincess]

I know at least at my smaller, less competitive, West Coast school it's kind of a "thing" to see who can "steal" legacies - all in good fun, of course, but a girl's legacy status wouldn't count against her - if we wanted her, we might fight even harder.

[9194Mom]

I am torn on the topic. We disclosed all legacies for both DD's and I think I would still do it again but I think having a sitting sister at the same school (a mildly competitive school) was actually more challenging for my younger DD. Sisters of sitting sisters/recent grads almost exclusive pledge their sister's house. In my younger DD case it did turn out to be a good fit in the long run but how awkward is it to be asked at a non-legacy house that has been at the top of your list "So are you and your sister friends?" That's a no win question. Yes translates to some as I want to pledge her house and No can mark you as a girl with all kinds of potential drama.