Retro Recruitment

[violetpretty]

Are you going to Dolly or are you through with them?

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

Are you going to Dolly or are you through with them?

We'll have to see who invites me to events, won't we?

By the way, friends one year younger than me from my high school pledged Babe Williams (1), Dolly Levi (1), Magnolia Hawkins (2), and Cora Hooper (1), so maybe I will know some girls in the chapters this time!

[violetpretty]

I guess UGA does informal a little differently than UMD. During our informal recruitment, PHA has very little involvement. A PNM merely has to bring her transcript to show that she has the credits and GPA and she can go to anyone's open houses that she wants without having an invitation first. PHA does have a booth set up with all 14 chapters so PNMs can get the schedules, and PHA does hand out master schedules and maps, but that's about it.

So do PNMs sign up with PHA, and then PHA tells the chapters that dramadawg is signed up and the ones who want her to come to an event invite her? So you pretty much have to have connections to even get an invitation?

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by dgdramadawg

We'll have to see who invites me to events, won't we?

By the way, friends one year younger than me from my high school pledged Babe Williams (1), Dolly Levi (1), Magnolia Hawkins (2), and Cora Hooper (1), so maybe I will know some girls in the chapters this time!

Well, now you're just abusing us with all this waiting. How about some hints of which group is which in real life?

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

So do PNMs sign up with PHA, and then PHA tells the chapters that dramadawg is signed up and the ones who want her to come to an event invite her? So you pretty much have to have connections to even get an invitation?

Historically, I'd say this is pretty accurate, and it's also pretty rare, as far as I know, for as many groups to be participating in informal as are for DGDramaDawg's informal rush.

DGDD(if I can take the liberty to abbreviate your user name), wouldn't you say it's more typical for only a couple of groups to be doing informal and that most of the time a PNM might only be recruited by one group?

[notyouraverage]

I'm always late to these threads - I'm loving your story though!

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

So do PNMs sign up with PHA, and then PHA tells the chapters that dramadawg is signed up and the ones who want her to come to an event invite her? So you pretty much have to have connections to even get an invitation?

Yes, it's basically like this (or was during the 2002-2003 school year when I was a sophomore):

1. PNM signs up with PHA and fills out recruitment forms which include collegiate GPA.
2. PHA gives info to chapters for all PNMs.
3. Chapters choose who to invite to events. Some chapters might invite all PNMs to all events, others might invite only some PNMs to all events, some chapters might invite all PNMs to the first event and then make selections for other events, and some might invite only some PNMs to the first event and then make cuts from there. It depends on the chapter.
4. PNM goes to Greek Life Office on Bid Day to pick up bids. Greek Life Office may have multiple bids for a PNM because PNM may have attended every event for more than one group.

Generally, it's pretty rare for 6 groups to do informal, as alphagamuga mentioned. A lot of times if 5 or more groups are participating in informal at UGA, it's because a spot or two have been vacated by seniors who graduated in December and the chapter wants to fill to total (I know this was the case with one chapter who participated when I pledged... the rumor was that they had only one spot!). I also agree with alphagamuga that oftentimes the PNMs know who they want and the chapters know who they want beforehand. I was definitely the exception, going through without a lot of Greek friends and having several chapters I was interested in.

[dgdramadawg]

Hints (because alphagamuga asked):

Here's who's not participating in spring recruitment:

Alpha Delta Pi (Marian Paroo)
Phi Mu (Roxie Hart)
Chi Omega (Lois Lane)
Sigma Kappa (Julie Jordan)
Kappa Delta (Carrie Pipperidge)
Zeta Tau Alpha (Eva Peron)
Pi Beta Phi (Charity Hope Valentine)
Delta Delta Delta (Anne Egerman)
Alpha Omicron Pi (Eliza Doolittle)
Reno Sweeney (Delta Zeta)
Annie Oakley (Kappa Alpha Theta)
Janet Weiss (Kappa Kappa Gamma)

That leaves:

Delta Gamma
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Chi Omega
Gamma Phi Beta
Sigma Delta Tau
Delta Phi Epsilon

[violetpretty]

I wish informal recruitment was less common at UMD. All of the chapters do it every fall, though the number of spots available in each chapter varies. It's because quota x 3 is only in the 60s (we have spring formal recruitment), whereas total is 95. So each fall, an average chapter would take about 10 new members. It might be fewer if they didn't have very many seniors graduate, or more if a chapter is small, has withdrawals, or has a lot of seniors graduate. Last fall, one chapter took 4, and I know some had around 30 spots.

The problem is that because fall informal is so "established" as a way to join a sorority at UMD, lots of PNMs will just do fall if they don't get what they want in the spring, because every chapter does fall. When I was flyering right before recruitment, I had a girl tell me "Oh, no, I'm going through in the fall". NO! That's not how it's supposed to be!

[UGAalum94]

Are there some advantages though too? I bet having all the groups do informal might be a little more relaxed in general. Having one big high stakes formal rush/recruitment isn't always so great for PNM or chapters.

(While most groups do make quota and it allows them to be at total, if you don't, there's kind of a stigma to COB and informal. The perception is that the top tier groups don't ever do it.)

If everyone was kind of in the same "always doing informal" boat, it might make recruitment a more natural process where you could really get to know PNMs and groups.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

Are there some advantages though too? I bet having all the groups do informal might be a little more relaxed in general. Having one big high stakes formal rush/recruitment isn't always so great for PNM or chapters.

(While most groups do make quota and it allows them to be at total, if you don't, there's kind of a stigma to COB and informal. The perception is that the top tier groups don't ever do it.)

If everyone was kind of in the same "always doing informal" boat, it might make recruitment a more natural process where you could really get to know PNMs and groups.

It is true that there is no stigma about informal recruitment. However, it would benefit the smaller chapters to not have to compete with the larger ones during informal. Plus, it would give chapters at total the chance to have a retreat or something at the beginning of the semester, more programming, more socials, whatever, instead of spending all that time (and money) on pre-recruitment, recruitment, and a new member period.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

If everyone was kind of in the same "always doing informal" boat, it might make recruitment a more natural process where you could really get to know PNMs and groups.

Plus, if everyone always did it, there wouldn't be a negative connotation to doing informal like there can be if only 4 or 5 out of 18 participate.

I guess the grass is always greener...

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

It is true that there is no stigma about informal recruitment. However, it would benefit the smaller chapters to not have to compete with the larger ones during informal. Plus, it would give chapters at total the chance to have a retreat or something at the beginning of the semester, more programming, more socials, whatever, instead of spending all that time (and money) on pre-recruitment, recruitment, and a new member period.

Yeah, I guess the grass is always greener.

I hadn't thought about some of the issues. I don't remember informal being that draining, but I can see that if everyone did it, then it would get more competitive too, and you'd end up having to work at it just as much as formal in terms of planning, etc.

It seems to me that your campus needs to lower total and fast.

[CZAXOTerp]

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

I wish informal recruitment was less common at UMD. All of the chapters do it every fall, though the number of spots available in each chapter varies. It's because quota x 3 is only in the 60s (we have spring formal recruitment), whereas total is 95. So each fall, an average chapter would take about 10 new members. It might be fewer if they didn't have very many seniors graduate, or more if a chapter is small, has withdrawals, or has a lot of seniors graduate. Last fall, one chapter took 4, and I know some had around 30 spots.

The problem is that because fall informal is so "established" as a way to join a sorority at UMD, lots of PNMs will just do fall if they don't get what they want in the spring, because every chapter does fall. When I was flyering right before recruitment, I had a girl tell me "Oh, no, I'm going through in the fall". NO! That's not how it's supposed to be!

Informal didn't get so popular until they announced that they were moving formal rush to Spring. My chapter had a pledge class of 4 in spring 94 and I know that entire pledge class were basically women who were already friends w/ others in our chapter and didn't want to bother w/ formal rush. Also as the # of PMN's signing up for rush decreased (quota was 36 in Fall 94 - too high as only like 5-6 houses reached it out of 15) it dropped to 26 for Fall 95 formal, yet even though quota dropped, total remained the same (it almost has to to support the houses that hold 35-50 women.) So many houses have to do it to keep the houses full and stay as close to total as possible- or probably above in some cases.

Additionally by moving formal to the spring, sophomores are MUCH more likely to go through informal in the fall (they probably feel that if they waited until their 2nd spring on campus they would be at a disadvantage vs. the freshman who were rushing their 2nd semester) and to that point there are probably freshmen who figure- well I might as well wait another semester, live in the dorms again next fall- stay friends w/ my friends who join this spring and then just pick from their houses in the fall. etc. etc.

[UGAalum94]

Since DramaDawg is making us wait, I've highjacked some:


Because I'm a complete nerd, I pulled up the UMD greek life grade report from Fall of 06 since that was the most recent. I didn't look like anyone had above 95 members. And that would have reflected the results of formal rush.

Maybe you all could drop total to about 75 or so. At first girls might have to go through formal to get bids since there'd be fewer open slots in the fall, but since quota can be adjusted based on the number of girls, they could find homes in the spring.

At UGA some groups who always make quota have way above total, but it's still set reasonably enough that most groups don't have to hold year round rush to be at total.

Is lowering total something that your PC talks about? Why does it get shot down?