meanies

UGAalum94 · #1 04-02-2007, 10:12 PM

PM Mama,

Are you saying that image did not figure into recruitment at your school at all? If you have more than one chapter, I'm having a hard time believing that's true.

I'm not saying that at every campus groups worry about image so much that they place girls in recruitment line ups a certain way, but if somehow, on your campus, no PNM made a decision about a group and no chapters made decisions about PNM based on image, then you all are way above the average greek system, and I'd like to know how you did it. How did you all structure recruitment to allow you to get to authentically know each and every PNM and for each PNM to know each member of each chapter?

I agree that groups don't have to buy in to the image game when they plan for recruitment, and the video line-up in this story may have been unusually harsh. But a campus on which image matters not at all seems a little too good to be true.

Girls who intentionally hurt other girls like this probably do deserve the title, but calling them that doesn't reflect better on you. If you're complaining about how other people affect your image, then think about what you are projecting when you use this language. Do you look better having called someone a "stupid bitch"?

PM_Mama00 · #2 04-02-2007, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

PM Mama,

Are you saying that image did not figure into recruitment at your school at all? If you have more than one chapter, I'm having a hard time believing that's true.

I'm not saying that at every campus groups worry about image so much that they place girls in recruitment line ups a certain way, but if somehow, on your campus, no PNM made a decision about a group and no chapters made decisions about PNM based on image, then you all are way above the average greek system, and I'd like to know how you did it. How did you all structure recruitment to allow you to get to authentically know each and every PNM and for each PNM to know each member of each chapter?

I agree that groups don't have to buy in to the image game when they plan for recruitment, and the video line-up in this story may have been unusually harsh. But a campus on which image matters not at all seems a little too good to be true.

Girls who intentionally hurt other girls like this probably do deserve the title, but calling them that doesn't reflect better on you. If you're complaining about how other people affect your image, then think about what you are projecting when you use this language. Do you look better having called someone a "stupid bitch"?

I've already said that the two sororities on my campus that have no trouble recruiting have very diverse images. We both had plus size girls, skinny girls, girls who put a lot of work into their images, girls who went to school in sweats (commuter campus... yes it happens). I'm proud to say that my chapter cared more about whether a girl would fit in in terms of personality, rather than if a girl was skinny or the "ideal sorority girl". Now whether individual sisters felt strongly about image, I'm not sure because no one really ever mentioned it outloud during recruitment. Our groupings, or "line-ups", were based on personality and how outgoing a girl was.

Keep in mind that commuter campuses with smaller Greek systems have the advantage of actually (somewhat) getting to know potential members. Panhel has activities during the summer where the presidents and membership heads get to meet PNMs. We had a Greek open house the first or second week of the semester. And then there was formal recruitment. A good quota on our campus was between 10-15. So yes it was easy to get to know the girls without solely judging them on image. I think it's a shame that other chapters don't get this opportunity.

And as for caring how I look when calling out a "stupid bitch"... I don't. Those are the girls who feed into the sorority stereotype and I don't think it's fair to us girls who were/are there for the sisterhood.

UGAalum94 · #3 04-02-2007, 11:17 PM

I don't think that everyone concerned at all with image is a "Stepford" group. I think many groups play up the diversity of members, even if it's just superficial diversity.

At really big schools, with large groups, a large number of groups, and a large number of PNM, unfortunately not everyone can make a decision based on deep evaluation of character. (I say that sincerely. It's a shame that people don't really get to know potential sisters better before they decide which ones get bids.)

Groups and PNM have to decide to put their best foot forward in the limited time they've got, but I agree that they shouldn't put sisterhood second to do it.