University of Mississippi - Ole Miss Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment 2013

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by MaryPoppins

Hartofsec, I don't have 2012-13, but there is data showing that Fall recruitment might have a detrimental effect. Though I'm sure it's not the only drag on GPA affecting Greek women. And it is obvious that Panhellenic is taking grades far more seriously than in the recent past.

Panhellenic All Sorority Average

Year . . . . . . . . . .Fall . . . . . . .Spring . . . . . Diff +/(-)
2007-08 . . . . . . 2.88 . . . . . . 2.69 . . . . . . (0.19)
2008-09 . . . . . . 2.96 . . . . . . 2.70 . . . . . . (0.26)
2009-10 . . . . . . 2.99 . . . . . . 3.06 . . . . . . . 0.07
2010-11 . . . . . . 3.02 . . . . . . 3.10 . . . . . . . 0.08
2011-12 . . . . . . 3.00 . . . . . . 3.12 . . . . . . . 0.12

Worse yet, those figures are an average of all sororities, and include the chapter GPAs of 2 NPHC sororities (with 4 and 8 members respectively) that were higher than any of the NPC sororities.

For the last fall (2011) listed on the chart, the 9 NPC sororities holding huge fall recruitments even fell slightly below that with a collective average of 2.98.

Panhellenic needs to be serious!

I don't really understand how deferring recruitment to January, for instance, would represent such a financial hit to the chapters (at least relative to the potential impact on scholarship). The new members wouldn't be joining until midterm anyway, and they don't live in the house. Not to mention that the chapters have grown over the years -- there are many more actives now to spread the cost over than in the past.

And I don't really buy the University's concern that girls will drop out of school to pursue their dream chapter elsewhere if rush is held in August. Just the logistics of this -- not to mention the complications presented by social media -- would render this improbable to be successful or likely to occur with any regularity. Heartbroken PNMs can otherwise drop out or transfer regardless of when recruitment is held (and probably do on every campus).

It seems a lot more likely that the girls' grades would cause problems with retention. GPAs that low will certainly limit their opportunities on the other side of undergrad -- even if they stay until graduation.

The current recruitment time frame just seems illogical -- especially, as you pointed out, for an institution that should be in the business of serious academics.