Alabama Recruitment

[Loyally Kappa]

Well, I don't think I'm divulging any secrets by saying the the student government at MOST of the SEC schools are referrred to as "The Machine."

The county where my girls grew up in Alabama had an equally effective Panhellenic alum group that continues to operate as a machine. I never got involved in that, but I paid my alum dues to my local KKG group, attended a few teas ... took my two little darlings to some of them to be introduced, etc., etc., etc.

In other words, I spent 20+ years laying the groundwork for them to rush at whatever school they chose to attend.

What the county Panhellenic where I lived did was to invite all senior girls to a sorority recruitment meeting in late April. And I mean, ALL senior girls. The meeting was posted at the local high school. We had "the box" ... literally a file box where the local girls were instructed to drop off however many copies of their resume, transcripts, and photo as there were sororities at the school they they planned to attend. The different alum groups would visit "the box" by late June and pick up a vitae for each girl in the county. They would then have their summer luncheons and decide on which girls each would recommend. Of course, that got personal, but overall the process was very organized. No girl was left out unless she or her mama had her head stuck in the sand.

I'm teaching at Ole Miss now, but I think they are similarly organized as to rush.

Originally Posted by BlueCarnation

Hey, I'm a Yankee, so what do I know, right? I know that there are girls coming here from my town that still don't know if they are going to rush and it is less than 3 weeks away. I don't even think our recruitment website even mentions needing recommendations, other than to give the address to each sorority house! And we're a huge state school! It's just totally different. This is so fascinating to me.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

Well, sure, you make a fair comment.

Really, I wish more mamas and their daughters would discover Greekchat at least a year before going off to college and start asking questions BEFORE rush. Otherwise go to a smaller out of state school. Perhaps their rush is different than at the big schools.

HOWEVER ...

Let this be a caveat. When in Rome, do like the Romans ... lol!

(Oh yeah, they stole the Greek culture, didn't they?!?)

Definitely agree.

I'll put it this way: if I, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, looked on Bama's webpage and saw picures of girls wearing DRESSES AT FOOTBALL GAMES, this should be a tipoff to me that there are going to be LOTS of things that are different than what I grew up with, and anything I want to be involved with (including sorority rush) merits much research and investigation to do it properly.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Definitely agree.

I'll put it this way: if I, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, looked on Bama's webpage and saw picures of girls wearing DRESSES AT FOOTBALL GAMES, this should be a tipoff to me that there are going to be LOTS of things that are different than what I grew up with, and anything I want to be involved with (including sorority rush) merits much research and investigation to do it properly.

And honestly, how could one end up partaking of this cross cultural experience without knowing, at least partially, what you were getting into. Hello! Tuscaloosa, Alabama! Hello!

I'm not moving to Pittsburgh, and then complaining about your capes! (Carnegie Mellon, joke, I think, right?)

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by 33girl

...if I, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, looked on Bama's webpage and saw picures of girls wearing DRESSES AT FOOTBALL GAMES...

In 1980, my husband and I and a group drove up to Pennsylvania to attend an Alabama-Penn State and were quite amused by the differences.

We would not get to the stadium less than one hour before kickoff, even with reserved seats....the Penn Staters wandered in about halfway through the first quarter. Even as alumni, we would never wear jeans to a game (back then...not now)...the Lions wore jeans, boots and sweatshirts (no need for a sweatshirt at an Alabama game until November!)...intoxicant of choice at Bama=bourbon...intoxicant of choice at Penn State=some sort of blackberry cordial...we Bama fans stayed until the end, and then some to cheer...Nittany Lions began wandering off at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Granted, we won...but still, the game could be won or lost in the last seconds, so you'd better stay!

No one right or wrong way...just different.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

I'm thinking the latter, that the out of state girls showed up with recs, resumes, and photos already AT the chapter houses BEFORE rush. I mean, the addresses of the rush chairmen are posted.

Geesh ... is anyone really so naive as to think that all you have to do is pay the rush fee and then show up to enjoy the door songs?!?

Oh, I know the answer. I was just trying to figure out what Nhfulmer was trying to get across.

[Nhfulmer]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Are you insinuating that the chapters are scrambling to secure recs or that these out of state PNMs were actually prepared and secured recs for themselves? I am assuming the latter for the most part.

I'm saying that the out-of-state PNMs must have been prepared - I know the ones I worked with from Charlotte were - as well as girls going to Clemson, Duke, Chapel Hill, NC State and South Carolina. Alumnae Panhellenic held a tea for girls & mothers and each girl brought enough pictures & resumes to distribute to the alumnae who were there. We also had an opportunity to interact with them and to form an initial opinion. We plan to do this again next year on a larger scale.