Are recs obsolete?

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

at ultra large recruitments, it is just so easy to cut a girl with no rec., rather than to have someone phone someone in her hometown to see if they know her, and ask them to write a rec. why work that hard, when you already have hundreds of girls to chose from who do have a rec. for your chapter? a pnm would have to be someone pretty special to work that hard for.

Agreed.

[adpiucf]

Amending what I said a while back-- what is wrong with a blurb on a school's recruitment materials such as: "While they are not required per NPC bylaws, PNMs at XYZ University are strongly encouraged to submit alumnae letters of recommendation to the alumnae's respective sorority chapters."

ETA: This spells out that you should have recs, but it does state NPC's standpoint on recs. I don't think this is misleading the PNMs.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by JocelynC

QUESTION:

Why do some Panhellenics say on their sites that recs are the responsibility of the CHAPTER when that clearly isn't the case? I can think of at least 2 SEC school's sites who say that.

I believe it is because Panhellenic wants to promote a sense that recruitment is fair and even - that there is no social elitism in Greek life. Plus, if taking a napkin from a rush party is an infraction, I am sure officially requiring a rec would be too. That would be hazing or some other horrible maltreatment of PNMs.

I am with Dani on this one. I do NOT think that the recruitment guides should say that ACB requires a rec and DEF doesn't - PNMs may take that to mean that ABC is more exclusive that DEF. I DO think that the recruitment guides should stop promoting the lie that chapters will get recs for you since it is technically their responsibility. The guidebooks should inform PNMs that although the procurement of recommendations is ultimately the responsibility of the sorority, it is in the PNM's best interests to obtain recommendations for each chapter before recruitment begins.

I don't see this as being any different from informing PNMs on what to wear. Actually, a chapter is more able to overlook a PNM who over or under-dresses for a party than one who does not have a rec when that chapter requires one for membership consideration.

My sisters (biological) frequently made comments like, "we really liked her but she just didn't have a rec and we had to let her go." PNMs need to know this is the case.

[AUAZD2001]

When I was a PNM (almost 5 years ago!) and I read the statement in my Recruitment Handbook "It it the responsibility of the individual sororities to obtain a reccomendation for a PNM," I took that statement to mean that if you made it through to the end of recruitment and they wanted to offer you a bid, that they would get a reccomendation. And I thought that maybe the chapter advisor or someone like that would write the rec.

That's just the way I imagined it would be. How naive I was back then. Those sure were innocent times.