Hey Ooh La La, I'm a current student at Mason. Send congratulations to your sister, Mason is a great place to be right now!
I would not characterize recruitment here as being very competitive. The majority of girls who go bid-less have probably not maximized their options. Some rumors and tent-talk can be harsh, and they are all very out of date. At present all six chapters are right around total, so rumors of weaker chapters are quite untrue. All the chapters have a lot to offer and will provide a very full sorority experience. Encourage her to maximize her options and ignore tent-talk to assist in a successful recruitment!
I'm not sure about recs, but she should join the Panhellenic Recruitment Facebook Group (
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109272429105796) so she can ask questions and get the most up-to-date information from Panhellenic Exec.
SthrnZeta's
recruitment story takes place at Mason, so you might want to give that a read, though a few things have changed since she went through recruitment. If you have any other questions please feel free to let me know!