Urban Legends About Recruitment

[DaffyKD]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

I don't think this is necessarily an urban legend in every case.

I'm well aware of one chapter where the father's occupation, the car the rushee drove, and the high school attended were deciding factors. The chapter had no qualms about asking this directly during parties which shocked more than a few rushees.

Many moons ago when I went through rush, I arrived at a house on first day. The sister took an instant dislike to me and I felt the same way about her. I had no one to give me rush advise except my mother who knew every urban legend and had told them all to me as if they were gospel truth. This sister asked me, "What does your daddy do for a living?" I figured all of her sisters were the daughters of bank presidents so I thought about making my dad a bank president. Instead, I looked her right in the eye and told her, "my daddy is the chief garbage collector for our town." Guess which house never invited me back!

DaffyKD

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

A chapter (of another group) at another university took it way too far though. A friend of mine has a very distinguished (double) last name that suggests wealth. Every summer while in college, she would be contacted by said chapter and asked if she was rushing because shee "seemed like sorority material" (she never rushed, Greek life wasn't for her). She was also contacted whenever the chapter did COB.

She got so sick of being invited just because of her name, come spring junior year, when they called she told them she wanted to go to an event, but coundn't attend since she had to work, as her parents couldn't afford to pay for school (wasn't true, her family is actually quite affluent but as she didn't like to show her wealth nobody really knew). They never called her back.

Obviously this case is very extreme. So I do get where the "you must be very affluent to join XYZ" comes from, but in 99,9 % of times, it's nowhere near the truth.

A friend of mine had this happen to her, only it wasn't her family's money, it was her looks. (She looked like Marilyn Monroe.) The "prettiest" group rushed her hard, but not in a manner that showed that they wanted her for what was inside, not outside...so she never went Greek.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by DaffyKD

Many moons ago when I went through rush, I arrived at a house on first day. The sister took an instant dislike to me and I felt the same way about her. I had no one to give me rush advise except my mother who knew every urban legend and had told them all to me as if they were gospel truth. This sister asked me, "What does your daddy do for a living?" I figured all of her sisters were the daughters of bank presidents so I thought about making my dad a bank president. Instead, I looked her right in the eye and told her, "my daddy is the chief garbage collector for our town." Guess which house never invited me back!

DaffyKD

This is what I would probably do as well. Good for you!

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by KD4Me

One sorority always has a theme that requires everyone to take their shoes off at the door. During the party, a member checks the labels to see who has designer shoes.

Seems like an awful lots of work. lol

Originally Posted by 33girl

Fussing? Seriously?

Let's be honest, there are things that sorority alums and members can say that if rushees say, they come off sounding like a bitch. She's stated where she's rushing and once you do that, you should probably watch what you say on here, if not everywhere.

But then again, you are right and everyone else is wrong or prejudiced or Southern or a puppet of the patriarchy, so I guess we should all just shut the fuck up.

[katydidKD]

One time when talking about majors and what not i told the PNM i was pre-law. She then said "oh, my father is a lawyer......wait omg was I not supposed to say that". Poor thing was so worried I'd take that as her trying to tell me she was affluent and not as her trying to share something in common with me (which i knew her intention was the latter and not the former.) You shouldn't talk about the three B's, but I knew that wasn't her intention

[DTD Alum]

Originally Posted by BraveMaroon

The room they take me to during the party determines whether they keep me or cut me.

No. Rush is about choreography. I am taking you to the sun porch because that is my designated spot, and it's where I take everyone I rush. Last year, I was staked out in the date room, and next year maybe I'll be in the foyer. It means nothing.

Complete lane swerve, but I was told anecdotally by close friends that this was the case in at least two sororities at the school I went to, one a "top tier" and one a "middle tier". Comments were more or less to the extent of, "I was really nervous because they are assigning me to rush in the __________ room, and that's where the girls we really want are taken," or "Knowing what I know now, I was surprised I got a bid because in retrospect they put me in the __________ room on the first day." So while I can't tell you for sure, these comments clearly seemed to indicate that some chapters at my school do pre-evaluate you to some extent and PNMs are "filtered" (for lack of a better word) to be in certain areas or meet the "best" rushers. I remember thinking how crazy organized and pre-destined it seemed at the time, and it really stuck with me. These weren't PNMs, these were girls who had gone through rush on their side multiple times so it seemed much more concrete than an urban legend.

[BraveMaroon]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

Complete lane swerve, but I was told anecdotally by close friends that this was the case in at least two sororities at the school I went to, one a "top tier" and one a "middle tier". Comments were more or less to the extent of, "I was really nervous because they are assigning me to rush in the __________ room, and that's where the girls we really want are taken," or "Knowing what I know now, I was surprised I got a bid because in retrospect they put me in the __________ room on the first day." So while I can't tell you for sure, these comments clearly seemed to indicate that some chapters at my school do pre-evaluate you to some extent and PNMs are "filtered" (for lack of a better word) to be in certain areas or meet the "best" rushers. I remember thinking how crazy organized and pre-destined it seemed at the time, and it really stuck with me. These weren't PNMs, these were girls who had gone through rush on their side multiple times so it seemed much more concrete than an urban legend.

Yeah, to be fair, I can't say across the board that it's an urban legend, but in my experience and specifically with the first parties, there was no method to our madness, except that you had a spot you were assigned to for traffic flow reasons only.

One exception to that might be if we knew a legacy was coming through at a certain party, we may try our best to match her with someone she would mesh well with - but even that was beyond our control sometimes.

The sorority I remember this rumor being applied to - you either rushed in the formal living room which was upstairs, or they took you downstairs to a den area. I went downstairs, which was the alleged code for "cut" - and yes, I was. Those two things may be related, or not.

I think that the legends obviously originate from somewhere, and in most of them there's some fragment of reality that got distorted over years and years.

Or, like mythology, they were created to explain the inexplicable. Like those mysterious computer glitches that drop you from all the best houses right before 3rd round... Hmmm.

[HannahXO]

I mean, it's no secret to most PNMs that they are matched with actives who they will hopefully mesh with. Extending that a little further, if there is a PNM a sorority really wants, she may be assigned to one of the "best" rushers, and it just so happens that AwesomeRusher is assigned to the foyer...in rumor-land, it's not such a far leap to "if they put you in the foyer they really want you!!!!"

But disclaimer to PNMs reading this: where you are rushed probably means nothing, but even if it did mean something there's not a whole lot you could do about it.

[sdtennisgal]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

I don't think this is necessarily an urban legend in every case.

I'm well aware of one chapter where the father's occupation, the car the rushee drove, and the high school attended were deciding factors. The chapter had no qualms about asking this directly during parties which shocked more than a few rushees.

LOL...our house was across the street from the "rich girls" house, so on open house day (our first day of recruitment) we normally got groups who had just passed through there. Those items were clearly discussed and/or interrogated about at their house, as the PNM's seemed over-eager to offer those details. Example:

Me: "So, how did you pick your major?"
PNM: "Well, as my father is a LAWYER with a BIG FIRM in St. Louis, I felt elementary education was a natural choice..."

Me: "Have you had time to get the bus system down before classes start?" (note: a MUST at our university)
PNM: "I checked it out when I moved into the dorms. Since my parents got me a TOYOTA Z-28 for graduation, I really am nervous about driving it around too much..."

Me: "What does your schedule look like for this fall?"
PNM: "Well, I have biology lecture three mornings a week, and it will be wierd, as at <super expensive girls' private school in St. Lous> we never had more than 15-20 girls in a class..."

Finally: The urban legand I heard about continually: If you were not seated in the front row on skit day, you were as good as cut. I saw girls (who we really wanted) in tears several times for that reason. Hello ladies...you are lined up alphabetically, it is easier to seat you that way after you are greeted at the front door...(usually)

[sdtennisgal]

[QUOTE=GammaPhi88;2071558] That one's not true! I don't want to think about what our Greek system would look like if we chose based on who made the best dreamcatcher or picture frame!

LOL...laughing my ass off! I am picturing a bid day group picture with 120 girls who all have Martha Stewart's face!

Now THOSE would be some superlative dreamcatchers and picture frames!

[katydidKD]

Originally Posted by GammaPhi88

This one was rampant on our campus! I had a girl start her craft and look at me with a miserable look on her face and go "Im not good at art. I'm so sorry and I really like this house!" It took all my strength to not burst out laughing since she seemed so pitiful over it, and set her straight. That one's not true! I don't want to think about what our Greek system would look like if we chose based on who made the best dreamcatcher or picture frame!

This is funny...when I was in Gamma Phi making a friendship bracelet and struggling the girl could tell I was nervous about it. She laughed and said don't tell anyone i told you this but don't worry cause they don't send them anyways because who wants a friendship bracelet from someone they don't know. Made me feel better, and I was invited back

[DubaiSis]

There was one chapter on my campus who was known to ask about Dad's job. In my case I didn't really pay attention to it because I'm used to people asking about my Dad - he's a photographer and has photographed a pretty impressive list of celebs - but a pledge sister told me about her time there and was appalled. She told me she told them her Dad was dead. I think they also had a room you were put in as overflow if you weren't important enough. Or rumor had it anyway...

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by sdtennisgal

Me: "So, how did you pick your major?"
PNM: "Well, as my father is a LAWYER with a BIG FIRM in St. Louis, I felt elementary education was a natural choice..."

Me: "Have you had time to get the bus system down before classes start?" (note: a MUST at our university)
PNM: "I checked it out when I moved into the dorms. Since my parents got me a TOYOTA Z-28 for graduation, I really am nervous about driving it around too much..."

Me: "What does your schedule look like for this fall?"
PNM: "Well, I have biology lecture three mornings a week, and it will be wierd, as at <super expensive girls' private school in St. Lous> we never had more than 15-20 girls in a class..."

lane swerve/

This made me LOL.

/lane swerve

[Dutchie]

"Since there are so many girls going through recruitment this year, rush is super competitive and a lot of girls won't get bids."

The only schools this could be true at are the schools that have bed rush (and the only school I can think of that currently does this is IU).

Just because more girls are going through recruitment than previous years does not mean that more girls will end-up without bids. I seriously doubt the greek coordinator at Arkansas thought 101 would be an ideal new member class size-quota was that high because of the high interest. So just because there is a record number of girls going through recruitment at your school doesn't mean your chances at Greek life are any less than if less girls where going through.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Dutchie

"Since there are so many girls going through recruitment this year, rush is super competitive and a lot of girls won't get bids."
The only schools this could be true at are the schools that have bed rush (and the only school I can think of that currently does this is IU).

This is my personal favorite urban legend.

It usually comes complete with some made up statistic like "omg recruitment was soooo tough this year. Like half the girls going through didn't get a bid."

False.

Even at the most competitive of the competitive schools, the placement rates are in the 90% range.