Is it time to change who we think of as legacies?

[UGAalum94]

I don't know the answers, but I agree that it's difficult to imagine how the legacy policies can remain significant as a higher and higher percentage of the population goes to college.

The part of the policies, if you have them, that require that a legacy be invited to the first invitation round seem like they could go on forever, but they don't mean much.

Having a different standard for legacies from the same chapter might be the way to go for any kind of deeper level of deference to the PNM legacy.

[Buttonz]

I really think that something needs to be done. At some schools it seems beneficial not to announce that your a legacy so you have a fair shot at all the groups.

What should be done, that I don't know.

[adpiucf]

I don't think it needs to be generally advertised to your non-legacy chapters where your relative initiated, but that's more of a competitive culture than anything else. I think it is easy enough to change that by not asking the question on a recruitment application. It's no one's business except for the legacy sorority. Similiarly, the individual sorority rec forms really have no business asking you what other sorority influences/legacy status you might have. Maybe it's for statistical purposes, but I think it hurts the PNMs. Some chapters automatically assume a young woman will join her legacy sorority. And then when the legacy gets cut by her mother's sorority b/c she isn't a fit for that chapter, she has no where to go... or fewer options at the very least.

If you were to put a college admissions committee and a sorority membership team side by side, there are a lot of similiarities-- the grades, the activities, "celebrity status," diversity, etc.-- as things that are considered in admissions.

In university admissions, some minority groups receive additional special consideration. It doesn't guarantee them a spot, but it can help because the university is committed to helping these groups achieve greater presence in higher education.

Legacies are like our minorities for the purposes of recruitment-- we want to give them some special additional consideration, but it isn't a free pass. It never has been, and it never should be. I would hate to be a legacy and think the only reason I received a membership bid was because the chapter "had to," and not because they wanted to.

I don't think the legacy consideration needs review, but I do think that legacies shouldn't be required to make their status publicly known.

[SWTXBelle]

After reading all the posts about it, I have basically decided that my daughters will NOT list their legacy sororities on the general registration form- those sororities will be notified, and the others really don't need the information.

[Buttonz]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

After reading all the posts about it, I have basically decided that my daughters will NOT list their legacy sororities on the general registration form- those sororities will be notified, and the others really don't need the information.

I feel the same way

[SydneyK]

It seems like the biggest benefit of a PNM's legacy status is that her family is knowledgeable/supportive of Greek life. When a college freshman comes into recruitment having talked with a family member who was in a sorority, she is probably more aware of all the different kinds of commitments (time, money, grades, etc.) required by sorority life than her peers who may not have a relationship with a sorority member.

Perhaps it would suffice for a PNM to simply say she has X relatives who were in NPC groups. Heck, it might even be helpful to say she has Y male relatives who were in NIC groups. (After all, fraternity life, I'm assuming, also requires similar commitments.)

Since legacy status means such different things depending on the campus, I think it would be difficult for NPC to come up with a blanket change that would be beneficial to everyone.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

After reading all the posts about it, I have basically decided that my daughters will NOT list their legacy sororities on the general registration form- those sororities will be notified, and the others really don't need the information.

I think this is fine, but be aware that it might not be foolproof. I know our rec form asks about the PNM's family Greek affiliations. You could neglect to provide it to the rec. writers not from the legacy groups, I guess.

[SWTXBelle]

Well, you can only do what you can only do. Several of the campuses my 17 yr. old is looking at do NOT have Gamma Phi chapters () so on those campuses I would list all Gamma Phis to show that she has a greek background. On the others, I would not want her to put it on the general application, and when talking to the women in my Alumnae Panhellenic ( who would probably be the rec writers) I would ask them not to mention their legacy status, unless it was to THEIR glo. I've now got a network developed enough to basically get recs from all glos from my a.pl, friends or family, so that helps.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by 33girl

There have been many threads on here about certain schools having to cut lots of women who are legacies because there are more legacies rushing than there are spaces in quota. Plus the new release figures compel the more successful chapters to release more women sooner. Sometimes these women are so disappointed they drop out of rush altogether and their female relatives stop supporting the sorority as alumnae.

There have also been threads about how women feel pressured by their female relatives to pledge their legacy chapter even if they don't fit in, or how a woman will end up getting cut from all the other chapters because they assume she'll pledge her legacy chapter - so her options are removed, even if that's not necessarily what she wanted to do.

As more women enter college, more women will go through rush and these issues will keep reappearing.

Is the legacy system "broken"? Could it perhaps be improved by tightening the requirements of who is a legacy (i.e. daughters only, same chapter only), or should it be done away with altogether? Or is this an isolated thing that only happens at a few schools in the country (i.e. the SEC and such) and the system of legacies as is is working out great for the NPC groups on the whole?

and as more women enter college, the more likely that those who do rush could be legacies. i mean, there are more likely to be SGRho legacies in 2007 than, let's say, 1967. you just figure with ever generation there are an exponential amount more legacy PNMs. and of course not EVERY COLLEGE WOMAN will rush and accept a bid, but you are bound to have more and more legacies during recruitment as time goes on.

[PinkRose1098]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

After reading all the posts about it, I have basically decided that my daughters will NOT list their legacy sororities on the general registration form- those sororities will be notified, and the others really don't need the information.

That is the way I'd like my daughter to go if she does decide to rush. I want her to be able to choose where she is a member and not be unfairly cut just because of my choice.

[AU_ZTA86]

Just curious - how many groups have a national policy regarding the rules with regarding legacy PNM's? I know we do.

[ASUADPi]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

After reading all the posts about it, I have basically decided that my daughters will NOT list their legacy sororities on the general registration form- those sororities will be notified, and the others really don't need the information.

I totally agree. When I have kids and if I am lucky enough to have a legacy, she will not be listing it on the general recruitment form. I will send information to ADPi (if there is a chapter at the school she is going too). I don't want her legacy status to impede her into not having a wonderful recruitment. Of course I would want her to go ADPi, but if she doesn't feel at home with them, I would just want her to find her home. That is what is important.

Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum

I don't think free legacies would be a particularly good policy, but why do you think it would make the cutting of other groups legacies worse?

(If your group wants her, they want her whether or not she's a legacy elsewhere; if they don't want her, what difference will it make to them that she can be "free" someplace else? I'm not trying to be a smarty pants; I'm just missing something. Are you thinking that all other groups would assume that she'll go the legacy chapter whether they really are her first choice or not?)

Personally, a GLO could have a form letter that included data from the high number of legacy chapter and the legacy policy that those chapters could send back to whoever sent the legacy form as soon as they received it. It could basically say in raw form:

We're delighted to learn of your legacy coming through recruitment, and we look forward to meeting her. We have not yet begun to evaluate potential new members, but we wanted to give you a clear understanding of the challenge that our chapter faces regarding legacies.

We understand the unique role they can play in the overall richness of life as an XYZ, but in the last few years, we've had 83, 102, and 78 legacies participate in recruitment while quota has been around 50. We will follow the XYZ legacy policy throughout our recruitment, but we wanted all members with legacies to be aware that it will be impossible for all of them to be placed in our new member class. Please encourage your legacy to keep an open mind about recruitment at our university; we have many excellent chapters for your legacy to join in should she not find a home in XYZ.

And a similar letter could be from campuses which have to cut a significant number of legacies a year.

Excellent!!!!!