A Different Kind of Live Recruitment Story

[ASTalumna06]

No, I'm sorry. I guess my "anger" (if you even want to call it that) was geared more toward 33girl, in that she thinks I'm crazy in saying that we can't change to formal recruitment without having more girls, and more prominence on campus. To me, that's the only setting that formal really works in. Again, if no one signs up for recruitment, how do you have formal?

The other problem with deferred recruitment... on a good portion of campuses that have it, it applies to all girls. At our school, only first semester freshmen can't receive bids in the fall. So while some girls are celebrating, other girls are wishing that they could. And yes, it is difficult to keep girls around. I can completely understand the thinking of, "well, if I can't join this semester, why not just wait until next semester to show up?" Because again, there is very little interest in joining a sorority. If you ask any of the girls in my chapter they'll say they never thought they would and/or they were completely against it. And now they love it. It takes convincing. So yea, if I was asked to attend events during my first semester, and I couldn't join, there's a very good chance that I wouldn't go.

And that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be a good member, and that I wouldn't dedicate myself completely to the sorority the following semester. That just means that I have the same reaction as most people: If I can't join, why go?

And again, if, as a whole, the sororities continue to have problems recruiting a large number of girls each year, I think it would be beneficial (for the time being), to get rid of deferred recruitment. Unless of course it applied to all students, but that would make things extremely difficult right now with so little interest.

It's a difficult situation that, right now, has no easy answers. I realize more and more after visiting this website that we have a more complicated system than most others. But I have been in the sorority for almost 5 years, and I've seen how the system works and doesn't work.

Now I'M not trying to be snarky... just trying to give my opinion about the direction Greek life should be headed. Hopefully the other two chapters have as much success this year as my girls are having, and the entire system can be changed. But we'll just have to see.

And I'll be back soon to update the story!

[33girl]

The main reason I think deferred is good (BTW, I am the biggest deferred rush cheerleader for everyone, it's not just your campus) is because the women have time to know what they're getting into or warm up to the idea. On a campus where the majority of people do not have a Greek background, this is even more important. Sure you would have people join first semester if they could. You'd probably also have an increase in losing members with people who drop out or flunk out or transfer. Ole Miss and Bama and places like that can handle that happening w/ no problem. Smaller chapters can't.

I just feel like a lot of what you are saying is a self fulfilling prophecy.