Resident Assistants (RAs!) in recruitment

[UGAalum94]

From a purely practical standpoint, I can see why it would be better for RAs to be available to their halls during recruitment rather than being at their chapters, especially as girls get dropped or drop.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

From a purely practical standpoint, I can see why it would be better for RAs to be available to their halls during recruitment rather than being at their chapters, especially as girls get dropped or drop.

Well, my RA from the semester before I rushed was in a sorority, and I just have to say she was the LAST person anyone who was cut or dropped would have wanted to talk to. Rho Chis are trained to handle situations like that, RAs are not. If an RA wants to do that, she should be a Rho Chi.

[AlphaFrog]

If I was dropped, I don't think I would WANT to be with my Greek RA at that time. Just one more area of the PNM's life that screams "You failed at rush".

[UGAalum94]

I wasn't even thinking about the counseling aspect as much as simply being on the hall and available, more to communicate that life goes on though action rather than discussion.

It just seems better to me that you could be sure that the girl wasn't just sitting there while literally everyone else was at recruitment.

(And won't the rho chis/ rho gammas be at recruitment rather than available anyway?)

[ekDZ1535]

Although where you're coming from makes sense, I ditto the remarks of 33girl and Alphafrog that a sorority woman who is also an RA should be able to participate in recruitment events as any other member would - nonetheless, there is always additional hall staff - including RAs, hall directors, etc., who are there for student concerns. Sometimes at a time like that, as others have mentioned, a non-Greek perspective or shoulder to cry on will be far more helpful. Not knowing the set-up of this particular university's recruitment, several campuses have taken to having panhellenic members and/or professional staff who are available for various crisis throughout recruitment - sounds like a bit much, however, the recruitment process, and rejection if it occurs, can be very difficult. Such is life. And for the very few women who will return to that particular floor rejected from the process it doesn't seem to make sense to sacrifice this member's participation in the process for her obligations as an RA. Nonetheless, that should be a member's personal decision, not that of Panhellenic - if PHC needs more people to help rejected PNMs, that's their responsibility to find them and acknowledge that need in their community - not rely on someone else's campus job and set up recruitment rules barring them from participation.

[33girl]

Unless your school is very heavily Greek, it always seemed to me that when the RAs were placed in their floors/dorms, they made an effort to mix it up for that very reason. That is - the floor had 2 wings - A wing's RA was Greek and B wing's was not. In general it would make it easier for there to always be an RA on the floor, not just for rush but for other activities. The same reason that you wouldn't have every RA in the dorm be on student senate or the rugby team or something.

[adpiucf]

Does your disaffilation at recruitment extend to not being able to display sorority memoribilia or telling a PNM your affilation? If so, you and your suitemates may want to refrain from decorating or hanging up paddles, etc., until after recruitment.

Talk to your roommates about your disaffiliation and ask that they keep conversation about recruitment and MS to themselves out of consideration for your RA duties during recruitment week. They don't have to stop whispering when you walk in the room, but surely after 10-12 hour days in recruitment, they will be sick of it and ready to talk about something else!!! Have an open discussion about this over the summer and come to an agreement that everyone can live with. Good luck as an RA and to your chapter this recruitment!