Auburn University Rush--Fall 2007

[alum]

I thought a PNM maximized her invitations and had to cut some groups for the next round, she could drop M, N, O by doing a "regret with interest" . Then if the number of a PNM's invites are less than the number of parties, add M, N, O back into her schedule.

Of course M,N,O might be less-inclined to invite the PNM back knowing that she had let them go once...

Now that there is the New Recruitment (forgot the correct title), aren't the largest groups with the best rates of return being forced to make huge cuts after Round 1?

[carnation]

Yes, but most of them release the most heavily after second parties because they have to keep legacies and recommended women for at least one invitational.

I don't know if Auburn allows "regret with interest" these days. They didn't in the seventies or eighties and I think they should, particularly for the PNMs who come into recruitment not knowing the groups beforehand. There are so many groups that's it hard to tell them apart!("Who was it that had ladybugs?" "Whose colors were double blue?", etc.)

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by carnation

Yes, but most of them release the most heavily after second parties because they have to keep legacies and recommended women for at least one invitational.

I don't know if Auburn allows "regret with interest" these days. They didn't in the seventies or eighties and I think they should, particularly for the PNMs who come into recruitment not knowing the groups beforehand. There are so many groups that's it hard to tell them apart!("Who was it that had ladybugs?" "Whose colors were double blue?", etc.)

Someone here explained to me that inviting back regret with interests really messes up the release figures. I think the reasoning went like this: since the number of girls that you can invite goes down with each round, if a group re-invites a RWI, they essentially choose her over a guest who attended the round rather than regretted.

It seems like there'd be a way to build in regrets with interest in to the process, like the flex lists, though.

[doubleblue&gold]

Regret with interest helps both parties. It gives the PNMs a chance to look over groups they still could fit in. Same way with the groups. They can look over someone again they were willing to invite back and help their numbers also if PNMs cut them heavily.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by doubleblue&gold

Regret with interest helps both parties. It gives the PNMs a chance to look over groups they still could fit in. Same way with the groups. They can look over someone again they were willing to invite back and help their numbers also if PNMs cut them heavily.

Oh, I agree. But some of the panhellenic advisers on here, I believe, explained that it was harder to implement that it's used to be.

It seems like it would be easier with priority ranking; the groups could just pick them back up if others declined invitations.

There are always a couple of folks on here who really feel it's important for PNMs to be able to cut groups even if they aren't going back to the maximum number of parties, but I tend to think it's in their long term best interest to have as full a schedule if they can.

[Army Wife'79]

I am usually a lurker on this board but today will jump in. I wonder if the PNM's took the Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator test what it would show? Would they all be the same type? I think that rushing as an introvert is painful and a killer at an SEC school. Groups need both Queen Bee's and Worker Bee's in order to be successful. The QB has the great plans and is a good "front person" and the WB is the quiet behind the scenes type who can implement the plans making the QB look great. I have found this to be true in my experience with Junior League and the Officer's Wives Clubs. When you have a room full of QB's there can be problems. Momto2, I am so sorry for your daughters experience. I feel your pain, as it is exactly what I went thru years ago. My introverted daughter (4.45 GPA, Honors College, great resume & looks, size 6, yadda yadda yadda) went to 3 prefs and got no bids at an SEC school. I think rushing was like walking on cut glass for her but she took herself out of her comfort zone and did it. Since she was from out of state (another hurdle) I encouraged it so she could make friends. For her entire life she had been moved every 2 years ripping her away from her friends, dance class, activities etc. After she got "the call" she got involved in a lot of activities and was happy and in Jan. she was COB'd b/c by that time many girls got to know her slowly and realize how great she was.

[UGAalum94]

Army Wife,

Did your daughter list all three on her bid card and not become a quota addition? That' really interesting. I thought almost every SEC campus had gone to guaranteed matching for girls who maximized their options.

I only know about one SEC school's rush first hand, but I think the groups do end up with a mix of true personality types, but that the members who would naturally be introverts are socially trained, for lack of a better word, to believably fake extroversion during recruitment. (Sort of what your daughter must have done to be invited to three prefs.)

I think it's true for introverts with good manners generally that they make themselves interact in situations that require it, even though they'd rather hang back.

[Regina Filangie]

I guess my point was that not everyone who starts recruitment and wants to be in a sorority will get a bid no matter how open minded they are. I agree that in many cases it's because the girls will only consider the top tier houses and that's their own fault. However it doesn't sound like momto2gals's daughter had that attitude. So why was she cut? Who knows... Like others have said PNMs are required to rank the houses and someone has to be last on the list, so they're pretty much at the mercy of the chapters that invite them back.

momto2gals - if your daughter still wants to be in a sorority she can go to go to the greek life office and sign up for COB. There's no guarantee that the houses she really liked will do COB or that she'll get a bid out of it but she might end up finding another house that she likes just as much. But I agree with others it might be good to back off a little and let your daughter figure out how she wants to continue on her own. She might decide that she's more interested in other campus groups and that sorority life isn't as much of a priority as she thought. I know a bunch of people who go to or went to Auburn and only 1 of them is in a sorority, and she didn't pledge until her sophomore year. All of them love it and wouldn't trade their experience at Auburn for anything so I'm sure your daughter will find her niche.

auburnmom and elaine - how's it going for your girls?