Indiana University 2014 Recruitment

[Mom64]

Just found out that IU cheerleaders were unable to participate in 12 party because of a basketball game, so they submitted "applications" instead. I am unsure if they attended 3 parties, but rumor is they've already received their bids as there is another basketball game tomorrow. Find this hard to believe, so would love to hear that my daughter and her friends have gotten the wrong information.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Just found out that IU cheerleaders were unable to participate in 12 party because of a basketball game, so they submitted "applications" instead. I am unsure if they attended 3 parties, but rumor is they've already received their bids as there is another basketball game tomorrow. Find this hard to believe, so would love to hear that my daughter and her friends have gotten the wrong information.

What difference does it make to you and your daughter?

[Mom64]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

What difference does it make to you and your daughter?

How do houses judge based on an application? As AXOrushadvisor has pointed out, "A lot of recruitment, whether we want to admit it or not, is how you look and dress and the conversations and connection.

It doesn't make a difference to me or my daughter, unless maybe she would have looked better on paper than in person. She was invited back to 11 houses for 12 party, perhaps one of the houses she really liked would have liked her written application and invited her to 3 party.

If this is true it just seems to be another flaw in this year's IU rush process.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Mom64

How do houses judge based on an application? Isn't it all about "connecting". Doesn't make a difference to me or my daughter, unless maybe she looks better on paper than in person. She was invited back to 11 houses for 12 party, perhaps one of the houses she really liked would have liked her written application. If this is true it just seems to be another flaw in this year's IU rush process.

This isn't peculiar to IU. Schedules are adjusted at most schools to accommodate women who participate in sports, theater, music and Saturday classes.

How chapters evaluate those women is part of membership selection and it's private.

However, looking at it from the outside I would say this: One of the advantages of winter recruitment is that you have time to get to know people and they will vouch for you. I'm sure that cheerleaders in sororities vouched for the PNM cheerleaders that they like. (This can also work against the PNMs. If they did something stupid during their first semester, everybody hears about that as well.)

[Mom64]

Originally Posted by KDCat

This isn't peculiar to IU. Schedules are adjusted at most schools to accommodate women who participate in sports, theater, music and Saturday classes.

How chapters evaluate those women is part of membership selection and it's private.

However, looking at it from the outside I would say this: One of the advantages of winter recruitment is that you have time to get to know people and they will vouch for you. I'm sure that cheerleaders in sororities vouched for the PNM cheerleaders that they like. (This can also work against the PNMs. If they did something stupid during their first semester, everybody hears about that as well.)

Indiana is a HUGE school. As an incoming freshman you spend a good portion of your first semester becoming friends with those living on your floor/quad/neighborhood and classes. These are by majority freshman as well. There were little if no pre-recruitment activities, so little chance to get to know people who will vouch for you.

I believe that everything happens for a reason and that my daughter will be just fine. I also believe that sometimes processes need to be reevaluated for the good of everyone. I think that Indiana's rush process needs to be rethought.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Indiana is a HUGE school. As an incoming freshman you spend a good portion of your first semester becoming friends with those living on your floor/quad/neighborhood and classes. These are by majority freshman as well. There were little if no pre-recruitment activities, so little chance to get to know people who will vouch for you.

I believe that everything happens for a reason and that my daughter will be just fine. I also believe that sometimes processes need to be reevaluated for the good of everyone. I think that Indiana's rush process needs to be rethought.

That's not the kind of networking that is most helpful.

There are tons of campus clubs, activities, honor societies, academic clubs, arts groups, and sports. I would highly recommend that freshmen planning on a winter recruitment do something on campus. It's fun. It gives you an opportunity to network (and make genuine friendships) with sorority women who share your interests. It gives you a fallback position if your recruitment doesn't go as hoped.

Good luck to your daughter.

[Dtjb]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Indiana is a HUGE school. As an incoming freshman you spend a good portion of your first semester becoming friends with those living on your floor/quad/neighborhood and classes. These are by majority freshman as well. There were little if no pre-recruitment activities, so little chance to get to know people who will vouch for you.

I believe that everything happens for a reason and that my daughter will be just fine. I also believe that sometimes processes need to be reevaluated for the good of everyone. I think that Indiana's rush process needs to be rethought.

Again, all can vent as much as they want but I attended Indiana, participated in the process, and had a fabulous Greek experience. It's an amazing school qnd a great Greek system regardless of the process. I went thru rush not having any connections and not being a legacy and it worked out great for me. I'm tired of hearing all the negative. Sounds to me like unless "all get a bid" it's not going to be fair to the moms. There's nothing special about some thing that everyone can just get. If that's how Alabama does it then it must not be all that special to be in a house and I question how close a "house" of 200 women could be if they take these enormous pledge classes. Furthermore, if there's anyone out there that would think an IU cheerleader would not have a better chance of getting a bid to a house regardless of being present, is living in a dream world. Activities/ resume matter and that will gain big points for houses recruiting girls. I get parents hurt for their kids, but much of what I'm reading is the mentality of "everyone should get a trophy and everyone should get a prize and everyone should win" which is proving to be not very real-world. Lots of competition out there...not everyone is going to get in. That doesn't make the process unfair, it makes it competitive.

[suzy88]

Originally Posted by Dtjb

Again, all can vent as much as they want but I attended Indiana, participated in the process, and had a fabulous Greek experience. It's an amazing school qnd a great Greek system regardless of the process. I went thru rush not having any connections and not being a legacy and it worked out great for me. I'm tired of hearing all the negative. Sounds to me like unless "all get a bid" it's not going to be fair to the moms. There's nothing special about some thing that everyone can just get. If that's how Alabama does it then it must not be all that special to be in a house and I question how close a "house" of 200 women could be if they take these enormous pledge classes. Furthermore, if there's anyone out there that would think an IU cheerleader would not have a better chance of getting a bid to a house regardless of being present, is living in a dream world. Activities/ resume matter and that will gain big points for houses recruiting girls. I get parents hurt for their kids, but much of what I'm reading is the mentality of "everyone should get a trophy and everyone should get a prize and everyone should win" which is proving to be not very real-world. Lots of competition out there...not everyone is going to get in. That doesn't make the process unfair, it makes it competitive.

Thank you for informing most of the women on this forum that there sorority experience wasn't special because their college made a practice of finding a home for most young women who wanted to participate.

[TAMUAlphaPhi]

Originally Posted by Dtjb

Again, all can vent as much as they want but I attended Indiana, participated in the process, and had a fabulous Greek experience. It's an amazing school qnd a great Greek system regardless of the process. I went thru rush not having any connections and not being a legacy and it worked out great for me. I'm tired of hearing all the negative. Sounds to me like unless "all get a bid" it's not going to be fair to the moms. There's nothing special about some thing that everyone can just get. If that's how Alabama does it then it must not be all that special to be in a house and I question how close a "house" of 200 women could be if they take these enormous pledge classes. Furthermore, if there's anyone out there that would think an IU cheerleader would not have a better chance of getting a bid to a house regardless of being present, is living in a dream world. Activities/ resume matter and that will gain big points for houses recruiting girls. I get parents hurt for their kids, but much of what I'm reading is the mentality of "everyone should get a trophy and everyone should get a prize and everyone should win" which is proving to be not very real-world. Lots of competition out there...not everyone is going to get in. That doesn't make the process unfair, it makes it competitive.

I'm offended on so many levels -- particularly for all the sorority members/alumnae who endured those sorority experiences that are "nothing special."

I don't think I've seen anyone in this thread advocate for a system where every PNM gets what they want or even just finds a place. What I see is women who are struggling with a system that places a significantly lower percentage of PNMs than others.

After days of debate, I still haven't heard a compelling explanation of why a system that works on almost every other campus won't work at IU. Lack of off-campus housing options adds an interesting complication, but the students who don't participate in Greek life (either by choice, because they just aren't a good fit for Greek life or because they were "victims" of IU's low quotas) seem to make it work.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by Dtjb

Again, all can vent as much as they want but I attended Indiana, participated in the process, and had a fabulous Greek experience. It's an amazing school qnd a great Greek system regardless of the process. I went thru rush not having any connections and not being a legacy and it worked out great for me. I'm tired of hearing all the negative. Sounds to me like unless "all get a bid" it's not going to be fair to the moms. There's nothing special about some thing that everyone can just get. If that's how Alabama does it then it must not be all that special to be in a house and I question how close a "house" of 200 women could be if they take these enormous pledge classes. Furthermore, if there's anyone out there that would think an IU cheerleader would not have a better chance of getting a bid to a house regardless of being present, is living in a dream world. Activities/ resume matter and that will gain big points for houses recruiting girls. I get parents hurt for their kids, but much of what I'm reading is the mentality of "everyone should get a trophy and everyone should get a prize and everyone should win" which is proving to be not very real-world. Lots of competition out there...not everyone is going to get in. That doesn't make the process unfair, it makes it competitive.

Well, that pretty much sums up what most of us have come to believe about the attitude of women in the IU Greek system.

Why any woman who wants to be Greek would ever consider IU is beyond me. There are SO MANY excellent schools with strong Greek systems... Why in the world would you subject yourself to this?

And that Rho Gamma better be reported. I cannot believe she would say something like that.

Actually, I can. This is Indiana, a school I have really lost respect for over the past few years. (No offense to the few women on here from IU who recognize the problems at their school, but wow. What a mess.)

[UofISigKap]

Originally Posted by Dtjb

...Sounds to me like unless "all get a bid" it's not going to be fair to the moms. There's nothing special about some thing that everyone can just get. If that's how Alabama does it then it must not be all that special to be in a house...

I respect your right to have an opinion, but I think you're confusing trophies for all vs. matching more women who had friends/connections/people pulling for them but missed the house-selected number cut bythismuch. Someone else posted earlier on that first cut is the same as last cut. The only difference is your house may have actually really wanted the woman first cut. I'm not saying take everyone, because I recognize that not every woman would feel comfortable in every house.

"It must not be all that special to be in a house in Alabama." Nooo, not everyone gets a bid in Alabama either, but they recognize that even their most coveted houses (by whatever standard you want to use) can, and do, take more women they want by using the same quota that the other chapters do. Is the system at Alabama still exclusive? Yes; we wouldn't have as many threads about southern recruitments, teas, letters of rec., etc... if just anyone could strut into their system.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Dtjb

Again, all can vent as much as they want but I attended Indiana, participated in the process, and had a fabulous Greek experience. It's an amazing school qnd a great Greek system regardless of the process. I went thru rush not having any connections and not being a legacy and it worked out great for me. I'm tired of hearing all the negative. Sounds to me like unless "all get a bid" it's not going to be fair to the moms. There's nothing special about some thing that everyone can just get. If that's how Alabama does it then it must not be all that special to be in a house and I question how close a "house" of 200 women could be if they take these enormous pledge classes. Furthermore, if there's anyone out there that would think an IU cheerleader would not have a better chance of getting a bid to a house regardless of being present, is living in a dream world. Activities/ resume matter and that will gain big points for houses recruiting girls. I get parents hurt for their kids, but much of what I'm reading is the mentality of "everyone should get a trophy and everyone should get a prize and everyone should win" which is proving to be not very real-world. Lots of competition out there...not everyone is going to get in. That doesn't make the process unfair, it makes it competitive.

That is not a fair assessment of what other campuses do. In other places the system is maximized to place as many qualified women as possible. The problem with IU seems to be that many qualified women go without bids.

Campuses that don't use bed total (ie. just about everybody but IU) still have standards. Our national organizations set standards for academics and character, and chapters often set standards that are above those minimums. PNMs still have to be decent people and have extracurriculars and grades.

I'm not clear how shutting out qualified PNMs makes IU sororities better than sororities in other places.

[sigmagirl2000]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Just found out that IU cheerleaders were unable to participate in 12 party because of a basketball game, so they submitted "applications" instead. I am unsure if they attended 3 parties, but rumor is they've already received their bids as there is another basketball game tomorrow. Find this hard to believe, so would love to hear that my daughter and her friends have gotten the wrong information.

Well, there must be something in place for students who must miss a party for classes or athletics. I would question the already having bids.

[Mom64]

Originally Posted by sigmagirl2000

Well, there must be something in place for students who must miss a party for classes or athletics. I would question the already having bids.

Well there wasn't for IU dance majors who had a performance on Saturday and were told they could not rush.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Well there wasn't for IU dance majors who had a performance on Saturday and were told they could not rush.

I am very suspicious of this being the gospel truth. Rumors fly like crazy during recruitment. If you didn't hear this directly from someone in charge, I'd take it with a boatload of salt.