Dirty Rushing and Consequences

[kathykd2005]

Neither have I!!! I'm surprised their National Headquarters didn't throw down about this.

[fantASTic]

Originally Posted by kathykd2005

Neither have I!!! I'm surprised their National Headquarters didn't throw down about this.

This school only has locals, no national sororities. That may have had something to do with it. I believe they were on probation by the school at the time, too, for hazing that included:

1). Giving NMs a frozen hot dog and giving them 2 minutes to 'warm it up'.

2). Circle the fat, in a football field, by a fraternity. Then, they would have the NMs lay down on the ground, put raw meat on the circled parts, and bring out dogs to eat it off their bodies.

Sounds like an exaggeration, I know, but I know this because my best friend's little sister pledged there and ended up dropping because she couldn't take it.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

This school only has locals, no national sororities. That may have had something to do with it. I believe they were on probation by the school at the time, too, for hazing that included:

1). Giving NMs a frozen hot dog and giving them 2 minutes to 'warm it up'.

I'm assuming they weren't allowed to use a microwave? LOL

Yeah, if it's a locals only school, limiting pledges is what is usually used for fraternities and sororities as far as discipline for anything is concerned.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

1). Giving NMs a frozen hot dog and giving them 2 minutes to 'warm it up'.

Wow. I think I'd tell them where they could stick that hotdog to warm it up. And it would be even less comfortable than what they were planning on...

[chitownxo]

As AlphaFrog can attest, Western Illinois back in the day, did not have the best idea of "panhellenic unity", so it never surprised me when we heard about rush infractions. There was one incident that sticks in my mind, both for what was said, and the group's punishment.

When I was an undergrad, there were 6 sororities; 3 always made quota, 2 made quota every couple of years, and 1 never did. During my junior year, the house that never made (DEF) quota had their national come down and help them with recruitment. According to the story I heard from their recruitment chair (who was a very good friend of mine), their return rates for 2nd round were amazing - literally all but 5 they invited came back. Their returns for pref were horrible. A couple of the girls who did come back mentioned that the ABCs told everyone that the DEF's would be closing at the end of the year, and not to waste their time going back to that house. They offered up the fact that their nationals were in town as proof. Part of our new member class confirmed the story.

So, DEF complains to Panhellenic, and ABC eventually acknowledges it. Their punishment? Panhellenic had them become parade marshalls at the homecoming parade. Yup. They were able to wear letters and march in the parade promoting the sorority while waving to the crowd. Justice wasn't exactly served here.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by chitownxo

As AlphaFrog can attest, Western Illinois back in the day, did not have the best idea of "panhellenic unity", so it never surprised me when we heard about rush infractions. There was one incident that sticks in my mind, both for what was said, and the group's punishment.

There are certain chapters that can't get in their head that when one group drops off, the next group down the line becomes the weakest link, and they end up with a target on their back. Pretty soon, the group putting the target on the weak group's back is going to end up as the weakest group.

[acuisla]

Originally Posted by chitownxo

So, DEF complains to Panhellenic, and ABC eventually acknowledges it. Their punishment? Panhellenic had them become parade marshalls at the homecoming parade. Yup. They were able to wear letters and march in the parade promoting the sorority while waving to the crowd. Justice wasn't exactly served here.

Wow. Unbelievable.

Not trying to one-up here, yet this punishment (or lack of) sounds like something that happened at a school I currently advise. Except at this school, the GA was recommending the dirty rush techniques!!! Get this: organization XYZ came to the GA with small things to hand out to PNMs during the time right before recruitment would start that said "Rush XYZ!!" on them. Getting beyond the whole concept that they spent money to have stuff printed that says "rush" on it in this day and age, the fact that the GA talked to the other groups on campus recommending this practice to them just appalled me!!! Of course there was nothing done about this.

So what do you do when the GA is even letting stuff happen???

[NutBrnHair]

There is this insane example from Univ. of Kansas:

The historic Chi Omega house was damaged in the spring when a driver crashed into the side of the house.

Here is the update that was posted this fall in the Chi Omega forum:

An update on this story. Their house indeed is not finished for recruitment, and over that large area that covered the damage with a large hanging sign they had printed. The only problem is that the text they had printed to be put on the sign said something along the lines of:

"We are "rushing" to repair our historical chapter house."

Panhellenic fined them for using the word "rushing" on the outside of their house, and they were forced to cover up the sign, and change the wording to, "We are working to repair our historical chapter house."

[skylark]

Originally Posted by acuisla

Getting beyond the whole concept that they spent money to have stuff printed that says "rush" on it in this day and age, the fact that the GA talked to the other groups on campus recommending this practice to them just appalled me!!! Of course there was nothing done about this.

So what do you do when the GA is even letting stuff happen???

The chapter I advise runs into similar GA problems ... the GA was in a local sorority in college and so the NPCs often are in the position of educating the GA as if she were non-greek. If education doesn't work and the GA doesn't think that she or he is doing anything wrong, then make sure all the members know that no GA or greek council or any other college official can take a panhellenic rule and throw it out the window for panhellenic groups. If ABC sorority violates a panhellenic rule, their HQ (and NPC) isn't going to give a crap that the local GA said it was okay. If the local GA said it was okay to haze, would that make it okay? Remind everyone of that (including the GA, if necessary) and if a rule is violated, address the issue with the national leadership of the offending group and your panhellenic delegate.

[33girl]

Or the GA can be a guy who just thinks the NPC rules are ridiculous.

It can be a hard line to walk - you want the women to follow NPC rules, but at the same time, if you piss the Greek advisor/host institution off, they can kick you off campus if they feel like it. One of our volunteers was upset at a GA that constantly used the word "pledge" instead of "new member" - what she didn't understand was that the campus was more locals than nationals, locals that had been there since early in the century, and we were the new kids on the block. The GA could have cared less about what NPC said was the correct term - we were in the minority.

You just have to pick your battles and see them through, rather than get upset at everything, if you're in a situation with that sort of GA. I mean, something like handing "rush XYZ" stuff out...it's that group's money to lose, and if everyone else doesn't do it, they're the ones who will look stupid.