Northern Woman Getting Bids at an SEC School

[Zillini]

Here's a little explanation about Bama as I've seen in over the past decade or so. When I first started working with my Chapter there were very few out of state members. Those that we did have were usually "transplants" that had lived in Bama but their families moved. The others were from surrounding states of GA, MS, LA, FLA and TN. Usually they had some sorto of Bama ties as well such as maybe Mom or Dad were from here or went to school here, etc. But on the whole, it was a very small percentage of members that didn't live in Bama.

Seeing as I wasn't born and raised in Bama or even from the South yet was welcomed with open arms, of course I asked why? The answer was simple enough and had nothing to do with prejudice or anti-Yankee/non-Bama feelings. It was simply that the actives didn't know the girls. They were hesitant to take a chance on an "unknown" girl especially when there were so many "known" girls they already loved.

Then a few women from other states came through with spectacular resumes, sparkling personalities and had some friends that were able to vouch for them. It was like these women were able to break down the barrier. The actives started realizing that they had probably been missing out on amazing women by not looking beyond their own backyard. Things started to slowly open up.

Add to the mix that the University Admin has been steadily increasing the size of the student population over the past few years. Much of their recruiting efforts have been out of state, so obviously that has translated in more out of state women going through NPC recruitment. All of this combined has really started to open the Chapters up to members from all states.

I'll admit it's still harder on out of state women going through recruitment, but as we've all seen it's no longer impossible to get into a fabulous Chapter. Just keep in mind that at the same time it's also hard on a girl from Smalltown, AL who is the first person in her family to go to college, that doesn't know anyone who is Greek, etc.

[AnchorAlumna]

Re: out of state new members at Bama (and any other school)
We have a wonderful Mississippi member in her...I guess 70s now, or maybe 80s, who has been a recruitment consultant for many, many chapters. She really stresses pledging in-state girls, especially from small towns. That doesn't mean she throws out ALL the out-of-state girls, but she really pushes for 75% of the new member class to be in-state girls. Her reasoning is that these girls will more than likely marry their hometown sweetheart, go back to that area and can send more new members. Another aspect is that it gives you more local alumnae to draw from for advisors. I have seen her theories proved right in many locales.

[WVU alpha phi]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

Re: out of state new members at Bama (and any other school)
We have a wonderful Mississippi member in her...I guess 70s now, or maybe 80s, who has been a recruitment consultant for many, many chapters. She really stresses pledging in-state girls, especially from small towns. That doesn't mean she throws out ALL the out-of-state girls, but she really pushes for 75% of the new member class to be in-state girls. Her reasoning is that these girls will more than likely marry their hometown sweetheart, go back to that area and can send more new members. Another aspect is that it gives you more local alumnae to draw from for advisors. I have seen her theories proved right in many locales.

I can see why this theory makes sense, but what about the counterpoint of it.. I've found in my experience that many in-state girls rushing are the ones who go home frequently on the weekends (to see that high school love) and who sometimes ultimately drop out of school to return home. In fact, we kind of mark it as a negative when a girl talks about her boyfriend who is still at home, because we figure she'll be going home a lot on the weekends and won't be involved in the sorority.

[Zillini]

Here's something to throw in the mix. The Georgia Hope scholarship has made it harder on GA girls going through Recruitment at Bama and probably elsewhere as well. Chapters have been "burned" by pledging GA girls who: 1) Only attend long enough to get their grades up enough to transfer back home for the free tuition. 2) After a year of paying out of state tuition Mom and Dad tell her they can't afford it or simply don't want to pay it anymore and she must move back home because it's free.

For the record I'm not saying GA girls won't be extended bids on Bama's campus. Just look at the UA Panhellenic pledge list and you'll see many. We have several that are wonderful members, past and current. All I'm saying is that is that these girls are looked at more closely than in the years prior to the Hope scholarship coming into place.