OLE MISS RECRUITMENT!

[GatorDG]

My daughter went through last year at Ole Miss and had a blast. However, during orientation the need for recs was down played. Make SURE you have one for each house.

One thing I noticed last year is that girls coming from certain areas thought they could only be an ABC or XYZ because all the girls from their hometowns were in that house. As competitive as the recruitment is at Ole Miss, that did not always work out. My daughter's roommate was in this category and was crushed when she received her preference choices. I encouraged her to continue with the preference parties and then make her decision. She did join a house and is thrilled with her choice. She will end up being a great leader in the house and probably on campus as well. She will have more opportunities for being a standout in the house she joined than the one she thought she "needed to join". It is really important that you do not listen to "tent talk" and make up your own mind. All of the houses are strong, so you really have some great choices.

Get working on the sponsorships right away. The sororities are gathering them now and the sooner the better.

Best of luck, but most of all, have a good time!

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by GatorDG

My daughter went through last year at Ole Miss and had a blast. However, during orientation the need for recs was down played. Make SURE you have one for each house.

One thing I noticed last year is that girls coming from certain areas thought they could only be an ABC or XYZ because all the girls from their hometowns were in that house. As competitive as the recruitment is at Ole Miss, that did not always work out. My daughter's roommate was in this category and was crushed when she received her preference choices. I encouraged her to continue with the preference parties and then make her decision. She did join a house and is thrilled with her choice. She will end up being a great leader in the house and probably on campus as well. She will have more opportunities for being a standout in the house she joined than the one she thought she "needed to join". It is really important that you do not listen to "tent talk" and make up your own mind. All of the houses are strong, so you really have some great choices.

Get working on the sponsorships right away. The sororities are gathering them now and the sooner the better.

Best of luck, but most of all, have a good time!

Welcome back, GatorDG,
Did we ever hear what chapter your daughter pledged? I'm thinking DG, but can't remember.

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by GatorDG

However, during orientation the need for recs was down played. Make SURE you have one for each house.

I get so annoyed hearing stories like that. Why won't Panhellenic's be honest? Just come right out and say Recs are critical on this campus. Grades too, on average our chapters expect a minimum of ___. I hate hearing about PNMs who got blindsided because they followed the bad advice of Panhellenic -- people who are in charge of making sure the recruitment process is run appropriately and fairly.

[FSUZeta]

when i attended orientation with my daughter 2 summers ago, we attended the optional greeklife info. sessions. the panhellenic vp recruitment stated that recs. could only come from alumnae of the chapters-she did not say "the specific sororities." i was so worried that some unknowing pnm would stress out and not send in recommendations because she did not know samford alumnae!

fyi- for any pnms reading this-any alumnae of a sorority may send a recommendation to any chapter of her sorority.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

fyi- for any pnms reading this-any alumnae of a sorority may send a recommendation to any chapter of her sorority.

Not necessarily true of every sorority.

[FSUZeta]

can you elaborate?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

can you elaborate?

Yeah, that's definitely the first I've heard that on here.

[AnchorAlumna]

I know one sorority that only accepts recs from the person designated for that area. For instance, an organized alum group has a person designated as the recommendation chairman. Her signature has to be on that form for a chapter to accept it. Other members may recommend the PNM, but only the official person's recommendation is counted.
Another group, I heard several years ago, discounted recommendations from members of a particular nearby chapter. Now, I think they were doing this "illegally" - that is, against their own sorority's policies.
And I've heard of a third where a few chapters "unofficially" would give greater weight to recommendations from alumnae of their own chapter. Again, against their sorority's official policies.
But in the case of the first sorority, I've been told by 2 different members that that is their official policy.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

I know one sorority that only accepts recs from the person designated for that area. For instance, an organized alum group has a person designated as the recommendation chairman. Her signature has to be on that form for a chapter to accept it. Other members may recommend the PNM, but only the official person's recommendation is counted.

So if Polly PNM lives in California and her mom is an alumna, but she's rushing in New York, the sorority won't count the rec her mom sends in? I'm sorry but that is stupid. Or could Mom send the rec she writes to the area person and get the area person to also sign it - to put her OK on it?

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

And I've heard of a third where a few chapters "unofficially" would give greater weight to recommendations from alumnae of their own chapter.

Again, against their sorority's official policies.

If the chapter has an unofficial policy that says all recommendations from any chapter alumnae is weighted more simply because they are from the chapter, then that does not seem right.

And while I understand that all recommendations should be treated the same, I would guess that most chapters value (give weight to) a recommendation from someone they know and respect (i.e. member from the chapter) than perhaps a recommendation from a member (alumnae) of another chapter. Especially when the alumnae may not be known by any of them. That seems normal - and fair - to me.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

I know one sorority that only accepts recs from the person designated for that area. For instance, an organized alum group has a person designated as the recommendation chairman. Her signature has to be on that form for a chapter to accept it. Other members may recommend the PNM, but only the official person's recommendation is counted.
Another group, I heard several years ago, discounted recommendations from members of a particular nearby chapter. Now, I think they were doing this "illegally" - that is, against their own sorority's policies.
And I've heard of a third where a few chapters "unofficially" would give greater weight to recommendations from alumnae of their own chapter. Again, against their sorority's official policies.
But in the case of the first sorority, I've been told by 2 different members that that is their official policy.

In Pi Phi, there are local alumnae officers who have just that duty (ACRICs, they're called, or at least they used to be) - collecting RIFs (Pi Phi's word for rec) for women from their area. Chapters are supposed to contact them for any women who don't have RIFs and they'll write one - scouring yearbooks and things like that, even sometimes if it's only a "info only" rec. Of course in Pi Phi there is backup system for women who don't receive RIFs even after this, to ensure that every woman gets a recommendation. In my chapter even after sending out RIF requests we still didn't have RIF forms for the majority of the women we pledged and we used the "backup" method of recommendation. (Hope I'm not revealing too much here).

BUT - as the officer who was in charge of requesting RIFs one year, I find it really crazy that you would limit who can write the RIF to the local area of the chapter. I faced a big problem because not every region even had an alumnae club, and some of those that did didn't appoint ACRIC chairs! And how in the heck would we have gotten the women from the Northern Virginia or Roanoke Pi Phi alum clubs (just to name the two closest to my undergrad chapter) to possibly get RIFs for women from California or Texas? Even cobbling together an "info only" rec for women from those areas would be like crazy impossible for those women!

Would you mind telling us which group this is? It frankly boggles my mind. I honestly wonder if the members who told you this was misinformed or (eek) not following national policy correctly. If they're from the same area/chapter, they could be similarly misinformed...