Automatic Total readjustment

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

That is what I was going to say, only in a more diplomatic way. There are enough girls who are willing to go thru rush at Bama, Auburn, Georgia, Texas, etc., and the enrollment is open to all women on campus. It is up to them to enroll.

If some feel intimidated and decide not to enroll in recruitment it is unfortunate for them, but as statistics prove the chapters are not wanting for new members.

And I would say that those women who did not enroll in recruitment at "huge recruitment" universities are the ones who missed out, because they never even gave it a try.

I would say those who don't enroll may be those who simply never gave a thought to what a big deal it is. When they find out, it's too late, at schools that define themselves by their athletic conferences (which is my way of saying I don't know Big 10 from PAC whatever from SEC). Thus, the women LEARN that sororities are elitist and only for those "in the know" and the stereotype is perpetuated.

[33girl]

Again, how is it that people research to the nth degree the academics of the school they want to attend and how pretty their living space will be, but don't bother to find out the differences from school to school regarding Greek life (or campus life in general for that matter)? Why would anyone think that rush at a private college in Oregon and a huge flagship in Louisiana are the same? It just seems like common sense to try and figure out the lay of the land before the 11th hour.

[Xidelt]

Unless you have parents like mine who nixed the idea of going Greek before I even new it was a possibility. And by the time I did figure it out, I was a more socially confident junior who had no friends or acquaintances that were sorority women. I found my niche in a local GLO, but wish I had the opportunity to at least give formal recruitment a shot.

[Xidelt]

And since that membership bubble will some day pop, why not start reaching out to those maybe-joiners now instead of waiting until you are in jeopardy of shutting down chapters due to low numbers?

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Again, how is it that people research to the nth degree the academics of the school they want to attend and how pretty their living space will be, but don't bother to find out the differences from school to school regarding Greek life (or campus life in general for that matter)? Why would anyone think that rush at a private college in Oregon and a huge flagship in Louisiana are the same? It just seems like common sense to try and figure out the lay of the land before the 11th hour.

When you see Alabama's greek life page (IF you're even thinking about greek life; if it's something you weren't raised with, you may not) and it says 29% of the student body is greek, you figure damn near 3/4 of the population is NOT. A student looking for extracurriculars sees it as ONE of a number of possibilities, and probably not as some big honking deal.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by DGTess

When you see Alabama's greek life page (IF you're even thinking about greek life; if it's something you weren't raised with, you may not) and it says 29% of the student body is greek, you figure damn near 3/4 of the population is NOT. A student looking for extracurriculars sees it as ONE of a number of possibilities, and probably not as some big honking deal.

Yes but, if you are interested in Student Government, athletics, at Alabama you better pay attention to the Greeks. Very few SGA Presidents and major office holders have EVER been non Greek. There is this thing called The Machine...if you are interested in a future in polictics, being in a Machine fraternity or sorority there is almost a must. And yes, check wiki for The Machine- University of Alabama. Several former governors were SGA Presidents there....

And please, for heaven's sake, don't tell me how awful, dumb, whatever that may be because I have no control. I'm just the messenger. It's there, it exists, learn to live with it.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

If some feel intimidated and decide not to enroll in recruitment it is unfortunate for them, but as statistics prove the chapters are not wanting for new members.

It would be nice if the chapters sought out all outstanding freshmen, instead of just accepting a pool of women from a certain background.

[DubaiSis]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

And since that membership bubble will some day pop, why not start reaching out to those maybe-joiners now instead of waiting until you are in jeopardy of shutting down chapters due to low numbers?

Because there are multimillion dollar homes at risk here. This is a lot more than a club for women. And a new beatiful house at Bama coupled with a failed chapter could literally mean the end of a sorority. Nationwide.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

It would be nice if the chapters sought out all outstanding freshmen, instead of just accepting a pool of women from a certain background.

That would actually be - gasp! - recruitment.

#newtermsarestillstupid

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

That would actually be - gasp! - recruitment.

#newtermsarestillstupid

*like*

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by 33girl

That would actually be - gasp! - recruitment.

But as long as we have plenty of white women rushing, that's too much work.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

Because there are multimillion dollar homes at risk here. This is a lot more than a club for women. And a new beatiful house at Bama coupled with a failed chapter could literally mean the end of a sorority. Nationwide.

No it would not. Chapters have closed at Bama before and the national sorority managed to survive just fine without their Bama chapter.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

Because there are multimillion dollar homes at risk here. This is a lot more than a club for women. And a new beatiful house at Bama coupled with a failed chapter could literally mean the end of a sorority. Nationwide.

The houses at Bama are on UA land with a UA mortgage. UA will simply take the house back via a method already included in the land lease and the mortgage. So problem there other than the bad PR.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

It would be nice if the chapters sought out all outstanding freshmen, instead of just accepting a pool of women from a certain background.

Enrollment is open to any matriculated female student(of any background). Many alumnae panhellenics hold information sessions in the winter and early spring for any young women interested in sorority recruitment. They are usually advertised in the local newspaper and sometimes even on radio and TV. There are resources out there and are available to all-it is up to the PNM to avail herself of them.

I think that the "good old girl" network of the past is diminishing-we can look to Bama's bid list and see that women from all over the country are receiving bids there.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Enrollment is open to any matriculated female student(of any background). Many alumnae panhellenics hold information sessions in the winter and early spring for any young women interested in sorority recruitment. They are usually advertised in the local newspaper and sometimes even on radio and TV. There are resources out there and are available to all-it is up to the PNM to avail herself of them.

I think that the "good old girl" network of the past is diminishing-we can look to Bama's bid list and see that women from all over the country are receiving bids there.

I think we're coming from different perspectives here.

Coming from New England, attending a small school, and hardly knowing sororities existed prior to getting to campus did not prepare me to counsel my daughter attending Texas. Though I was active in the alumnae group there, never did someone offer to write a rec, or suggest she should go to the information session. I presume, since most of the members came from that area, they never even considered that someone wouldn't know what a big deal it is.

I believe those who have experience of the "importance" of sororities (and a few of us who have learned here), even if we wish it were different, are the minority among women choosing to attend college. Perhaps not among those attending for football, but overall. They don't even consider that there are other perspectives.