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My Mom has always told me that when she went through Rush in the 1960s at the University of Michigan, there were only 4 houses that 'took' Jews. 2 of them, I'm pretty sure were founded as non-sectarian (DPhiE and Phi Sig). The other 2 were definitely founded as 'Jewish' sororities (AEPhi and SDT). But she has always said that she never looked at the other houses because she was more comfortable where there were other Jews. I know they weren't discouraged from joining a house that didn't have Jews, but no one apparently did it. That and I think in 'mutual selection' both the 'non-Jewish' houses and the "Jewish" rushees would mutually drop each other. I think that Jewish girls were more attracted to houses where they felt like there were others 'like' them. Isn't that why we all joined our respective chapters in the first place? Someone in DPhiE confirm this--weren't at least some of your founders Jewish?
Contrast to when I rushed...when girls joined every NPC chapter on campus regardless of their religion. Yes, AEPhi did cater to more Jews (partially because so many of us were legacies because our Mothers/Grandmothers/etc. only joined "Jewish" houses) but they definitely took non-Jews too. I knew a girl who was a Lutheran who joined AEPhi the year we pledged. She was the only non-Jew in her pledge class. Didn't bother her one bit. I do know that some girls were a little turned off by the fact that AEPhi was 'so Jewish', but I also went to a school with a large Jewish population, so that was also probably a factor. I personally didn't join AEPhi, and joined a house that was pretty religiously mixed. There weren't that many Jews in my pledge class specifically, but I was far from the only one.
If memory serves me right, there was a time where some houses really didn't take Jews, and that had a lot to do with the Christian ideals that they were founded on. But someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong--aren't the NPC chapters all supposed to have non-discrimination policies nationally now?
/end hijack
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