SPRING RUSH AT ALABAMA??

[bamagirl09]

Alabama does a very informal spring recruitment. It's basically a meet and greet at the Ferg (student union). Spring recruitment is NOTHING like Fall. Like others said, only those chapters under house total are allowed to participate. Last year 4 or 5 chapters participated and roughly 70 girls registered. I think about 30 bids or so were distributed. The year before last only 2 chapters participated and no girls recieved bids. It just varies on how many chapters are allowed to take girls and how many girls are interested.

The big difference maker last year was the bump in house total. House total is now 180, the year before it was 140 and the year before that 125. I doubt house total will go up this year because that only hurts the chapters below total because they can't catch up. Also, with extension in the near future for UA as many chapters as possible need to be at total.

I would suggest that your daughter (I'm assuming your daughter is looking at recruitment) wait until fall to participate just so she has the most options. With the possible addition of 2 (maybe) chapters and the current 15 NPC houses on campus, your daughter will surely find her place. But if she is just dying to join a house now, encourage her to attend COR events with chapters that are currently under total so that she can get a real sense of the chapter since the Spring "meet and greet" recruitment process can leave something to be desired in the way of meeting and learning about the women of a chapter.

[AOII BAMA MOM]

Originally Posted by bamagirl09

Alabama does a very informal spring recruitment. It's basically a meet and greet at the Ferg (student union). Spring recruitment is NOTHING like Fall. Like others said, only those chapters under house total are allowed to participate. Last year 4 or 5 chapters participated and roughly 70 girls registered. I think about 30 bids or so were distributed. The year before last only 2 chapters participated and no girls recieved bids. It just varies on how many chapters are allowed to take girls and how many girls are interested.

The big difference maker last year was the bump in house total. House total is now 180, the year before it was 140 and the year before that 125. I doubt house total will go up this year because that only hurts the chapters below total because they can't catch up. Also, with extension in the near future for UA as many chapters as possible need to be at total.

I would suggest that your daughter (I'm assuming your daughter is looking at recruitment) wait until fall to participate just so she has the most options. With the possible addition of 2 (maybe) chapters and the current 15 NPC houses on campus, your daughter will surely find her place. But if she is just dying to join a house now, encourage her to attend COR events with chapters that are currently under total so that she can get a real sense of the chapter since the Spring "meet and greet" recruitment process can leave something to be desired in the way of meeting and learning about the women of a chapter.

Thank you for all of the info. My daughter is already an AOII (ergo my name AOII BAMA MOM : ) ) I was a Tri Delta at the University of Georgia and back in my day--all sororities participated in what was called a winter rush and began in January--of course the numbers were smaller back then. Anyway my daughter has a friend that lives in her dorm who dropped out during Fall rush. This girl wants to be an AOII badly....but it sounds like AOII with a house total of over 200 would not be allowed to participate. I will recommend that her friend wait until next Fall when she is a sophomore. Thank you for your help. Have you ever heard of a sorority offering a bid to someone even though they filled their quota?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AOII BAMA MOM

Have you ever heard of a sorority offering a bid to someone even though they filled their quota?

The only way they could offer a bid if they filled quota is if filling quota still didn't put them at campus total, and that isn't the case here.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The only way they could offer a bid if they filled quota is if filling quota still didn't put them at campus total, and that isn't the case here.

And what if they have a couple drop out of their new member class before initiation?

[kk_bama]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

And what if they have a couple drop out of their new member class before initiation?

That still wouldn't make any difference. AOPi currently has more than 200 members, and house total is 180.

[Low C Sharp]

SECMom, I'm with you. Ultimately, everybody here who obeys the TOS has a right to post whatever they want, even if it's snarky, but I'd be happy to see a little more patience with newbies.

It's striking to me that on this board, a mild insult to a CHAPTER merits a quick and universal smackdown, but yelling insults at a fellow poster is so common. I'm much less bothered by someone's opinion that the Mu Nus at Illinois are stuck-up than I am by being yelled at, and that would still be true even if I'd been an Illinois Mu Nu.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

SECMom, I'm with you. Ultimately, everybody here who obeys the TOS has a right to post whatever they want, even if it's snarky, but I'd be happy to see a little more patience with newbies.

It's striking to me that on this board, a mild insult to a CHAPTER merits a quick and universal smackdown, but yelling insults at a fellow poster is so common. I'm much less bothered by someone's opinion that the Mu Nus at Illinois are stuck-up than I am by being yelled at, and that would still be true even if I'd been an Illinois Mu Nu.

I think I understand what you are saying, but the insults to the chapter in recruitment threads are taken pretty seriously because they are kind of a stupid course of action. If you don't know where you will end up with a bid, it's not smart to bust on any chapters in your 1st round reviews. Why start publicly writing off groups who might end up being your only options later?

I would like us to be a lot kinder to new posters and not be so quick to second guess their motivation. I think it's fine to ask questions simply because you are curious about how stuff works even if there's no need to know. I think it's fine to ask even if there was a thread about the same topic in 2004.

I do however think that second guessing heli-parents may be doing society a service because maybe the ones who really are hovering too much will stop and think about why they assume their children are too crippled themselves to perform basic tasks. And normal parents will have a good reason for asking, so it really shouldn't bother them. But this is a policy I'd like to see in real life too, not just Greek Chat policy.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by AOII BAMA MOM

Thank you for all of the info. My daughter is already an AOII (ergo my name AOII BAMA MOM : ) ) I was a Tri Delta at the University of Georgia and back in my day--all sororities participated in what was called a winter rush and began in January--of course the numbers were smaller back then. Anyway my daughter has a friend that lives in her dorm who dropped out during Fall rush. This girl wants to be an AOII badly....but it sounds like AOII with a house total of over 200 would not be allowed to participate. I will recommend that her friend wait until next Fall when she is a sophomore. Thank you for your help. Have you ever heard of a sorority offering a bid to someone even though they filled their quota?

NO. A sorority CANNOT offer bids after they've met quota and total.

Here's the thing....
I was OK with ignoring the Helicopter parents...I'm a parent myself, I can sympathize a little...but you're now helicoptering YOUR DAUGHTER'S FRIEND??? WHAT.THE.EFF.???

The questions you asked us should have been asked BY YOUR DAUGHTER to her sorority's MEMBERSHIP CHAIR...not by YOU on GREEKCHAT.

By the way... you WERE a Tri Delta??? Did you turn in your pin?

ETA: I realize I was harsh, and I'm sorry...but AOII BAMA MOM, have you not read ANYTHING else on here? The boards have not been favorable this year to moms who are spoon feeding their daughters and living vicariously.

[Helicopter1]

Oh, great.

First I find that I cannot change my user name.

Then someone comes along and pokes a hole in my fragile little dam.

Damn.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by Helicopter1

Oh, great.

First I find that I cannot change my user name.

Then someone comes along and pokes a hole in my fragile little dam.

Damn.

You can PM John (username: John) and he can change it for you. Just tell him what you want it to be.

[SECMom]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

NO. A sorority CANNOT offer bids after they've met quota and total.

Here's the thing....
I was OK with ignoring the Helicopter parents...I'm a parent myself, I can sympathize a little...but you're now helicoptering YOUR DAUGHTER'S FRIEND??? WHAT.THE.EFF.???

The questions you asked us should have been asked BY YOUR DAUGHTER to her sorority's MEMBERSHIP CHAIR...not by YOU on GREEKCHAT.

By the way... you WERE a Tri Delta??? Did you turn in your pin?

ETA: I realize I was harsh, and I'm sorry...but AOII BAMA MOM, have you not read ANYTHING else on here? The boards have not been favorable this year to moms who are spoon feeding their daughters and living vicariously.

SOOOooo, like if she were just a random somebody with no kid in a sorority she could ask this question and you would be OK with it? Sheesh! Give us a break!

I am of the opinion that anybody ought to be able to ask an innocent question around here and not find feet in their throats!

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by SECMom

SOOOooo, like if she were just a random somebody with no kid in a sorority she could ask this question and you would be OK with it? Sheesh! Give us a break!

I am of the opinion that anybody ought to be able to ask an innocent question around here and not find feet in their throats!

I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be asking this question if she didn't have a kid in a sorority so your hypothetical is entirely irrelevant.
As for your opinion-sorry, GC is not happy ponies and rainbows land. People here are snarky (sometimes unnecessarily, I'll grant you that) and I like the sass. It keeps me interested and makes me laugh. What an innocent question is to you isn't always to other people.

[SECMom]

I've been on this board for over a year and frankly I find some of the "snarkiness" amusing also, but this has gotten ridiculous. Whether or not you find my example relevant is immaterial. The woman asked a question. Stupider questions have been asked. My point is that if she had not been a parent she would not have elicited (sp?) the response that she did. Alpha Frog has the Gift of Snark, no doubt, but enough is enough. Helicopter parents annoy me as well, and believe me I know all about them, but to be that accusatory over an innocent question was uncalled for.

I also have a question regarding the whole rush ordeal at Bama this year....has to do with AOPi also....neither of my girls are AOPis, this is about a local girl..but I will keep my mouth shut...not fond of frog toes.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by SECMom

SOOOooo, like if she were just a random somebody with no kid in a sorority she could ask this question and you would be OK with it? Sheesh! Give us a break!

I am of the opinion that anybody ought to be able to ask an innocent question around here and not find feet in their throats!

Actually, yes...if she was some random person, and GC was her best source for info, I wouldn't think twice about it. Besides, some random person is probably either a)a PNM who doesn't have an "in", or b) completely 100% hypothetical, because I doubt we have too many random people without daughters (or sons) who come here to ask questions about Greeklife.

I am of the opinion that people shouldn't ask questions of random people on TEH INTARWEBZ that they could easily find out directly from the source. If these girls are old enough to have made it into college, they are old enough to find out the answers themselves.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

If these girls are old enough to have made it into college, they are old enough to find out the answers themselves.

You're right about these girls being old enough to find out the answers themselves.

But, In defense of the OP ( )...

If her daughter is a new member, she might still be so overwhelmed with NM stuff that she doesn't know who to ask. Or, she might secretly not want her friend to be in AOII, and so she doesn't really want to ask (so she puts her mom up to it in a pseudo-anonymous kind of way). Or, maybe neither of these is right, and I'm giving the OP too much credit. We'll never know.