What’s it like to be in a Huge Chapter?

[angels&angles]

Originally Posted by psusue

It may be different at other schools, but we have a very strict '1st active to 1st PNM in line' rule. There is no picking and choosing PNMs. I'm sure it happens to a degree (especially with very desirable PNMs) but for us you can get major infractions for this.

And I don't know, there were certain chapters that I knew about that I was too intimidated to even go to their informal parties because of their persona. I just thought that I'd never fit in. Now having met sisters of that chapter at Panehellenic events I know differently, but I still have no idea whether they would have given me a bid.

psusue, we have that rule too. So when we line up to the door, we LINE UP IN THE ORDER OF THE PNMS. Maybe the rule you reference forbids this, but it's pretty much the way it works where I am. It can get thrown off when someone quits at the last second but generally works pretty well.

[WCsweet<3]

Originally Posted by angels&angles

psusue, we have that rule too. So when we line up to the door, we LINE UP IN THE ORDER OF THE PNMS. Maybe the rule you reference forbids this, but it's pretty much the way it works where I am. It can get thrown off when someone quits at the last second but generally works pretty well.

When I was recruiting for the first time, we were given PNM's names and called them out. So I would go to the door and say "Hi! I'm WCsweet<3 and I'd like to welcome Patty PNM to KD's open house day." The second year I was a rho gamma and the PNMs were lined up by number (more or less alphabetically unless you signed up late). The sisters were lined inside the house according to where the assigned PNM would be in line outside the house. So Patty PNM would be 27th from the door, I would be 27th in line inside the house. The rho gams (minimum of three at every house) would have a few by the door (to give an attendance report to the house so lines weren't messed up) and at least one near the end of the line so we could catch girls quitting at the last minute.

My senior year of college chapter average was 158 members. I loved it. The only problem was learning all the new members names and keeping them straight. While I would say that my chapter could find a niche for just about everyone going through recruitment, there were/would be some that would fit better. We had artists, athletes, leaders, and etc. However, in my chapter (and others on campus) we definitely had more members in one area than others or had interests that were similar. So yes Patty PNM could love juggling pears and we might have a sister who also loved to juggle pears, but the majority of sisters wouldn't. The sister would likely have other interests that fit the chapter (perhaps not), but if pears is the only thing the two talk about during recruitment or if that is basically the only commonality between the PNM and the chapter then it seems like she would really only have a connection to a few girls in the chapter.

Going back to recruitment and matching women for certain days. I know there were two houses (minimum just two that jump out at me) that I grew to dislike because of who they matched me with. We had almost similar interests (they were a cheerleader I was a dancer), but it just wasn't the same and it grew annoying. That chapter is a wonderful and I know many women who are my friends in it, however, I wouldn't have gotten along with the majority of the chapter.

I do think that in a large chapter there will be niches for just about any PNMs. However, it could be relatively small where as in a different chapter the niche might be bigger.

[psusue]

Originally Posted by angels&angles

psusue, we have that rule too. So when we line up to the door, we LINE UP IN THE ORDER OF THE PNMS. Maybe the rule you reference forbids this, but it's pretty much the way it works where I am. It can get thrown off when someone quits at the last second but generally works pretty well.

Hmm, maybe other chapters do this but I know we certainly don't. There just isn't enough time between rounds with MS, especially during open houses. For example, during open houses it's three nights and all 800 or so PNMs must visit every chapter (and there are 19 chapters) so it breaks down to about 10 parties the first two nights (give or take, it's all a blur) and then like 4 or 5 on the third. So about 24-25 (20 minute) parties to accommodate everyone with 10 minute breaks in between. It's pretty much madness. Sometimes we would barely all be back in line, period, as the PNMs were walking in the door. This was especially true if PNMs dawdled to leave.

Now I kind of want to ask friends in other chapters if they matched PNMs to sisters but I really thought that was verboten. Maybe I'm wrong, but like I said, it would have been insane for any night but maybe second rounds or pref. There are just so many PNMs and so many drop out (almost half) that I can't imagine it.