A totally honest thread...from long long ago

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

I wonder if part of that is for help with recs - like if Suzie PNM is not known by the women in the PA but she puts "Spaghetti Monster" for religious affiliation, the women can then call others they know who go to the Spaghetti Monster church and ask about her.

Oh, I'm in troubles now! There is a local church which has Spaghetti Dinners what seems to be every other week. It's a local joke, because if you don't go early, it's so watered down that you need a bib just to eat it.

I just know I'm going to slip and call it the Spaghetti Monster church!

[StarGazer08]

Thanks ellebud for such a great read! While I know it exsisted it's difficult imagining a time in which religious affiliation mattered. Congrats on AEΦ !

LML,
StarGazer08

[AlphaXi_Husky]

Wow, what a wonderful retro thread. Thanks so much for sharing.

[Benzgirl]

(sorry for the hijack)

[RedRover]

I want to add this story about one of my friends. When he was in college and going through rush, the fraternity that he felt most comfortable with was historically Jewish. He was Christian, educated by the Sisters of Mercy and Jesuits.

After attending a couple of parties, many of the brothers were quite enthusiastic about him joining their fraternity. Quite late in the process. the brothers learned that my friend wasn't Jewish. While some of the brothers promoted him, he knew that the possibility of him joining this fraternity was fading fast.

When one of the brothers who was skeptical about him asked why should a Jewish fraternity offer a bid to a gentile, he said "Well, you guys might have need of a shabbos goy."

A lot of skeptics were won over when they realized that he knew a shabbos goy was, especially since a number of members had never heard the term (A shabbos goy, for those of you unfamilar with the term, is a Gentile employee of a Jewish household who job is to do those tasks that a observant Jew cannot do on the Sabbath; in some observant households, such tasks could be as mundane as turning on the lights.)

Needless to say, he got a bid and was a very active member. He married a Jewish woman, although neither ever converted to the other's religion. He and his wife will soon celebrate their silver wedding anniversary

[Leslie Anne]

^^^ Cute story, RedRover!

[ellebud]

RedRover:

I love your story! Incidentally my husband isn't Jewish, but our children are Jews. I mentioned that during my time in college women went to college to meet their husband the rationale for religious segregation was that we would all meet potential spouses that were from our background (the "comfort factor"). Who knew that I would meet an east coast Episcopalian from an Ivy League school?

[breathesgelatin]

I was hanging out with some people earlier this week that really made me reconsider just how dated this thread really is.

I was hanging with an alum of a UT sorority (won't say which one) who said that Jewish PNMs who don't wish to join the 2 traditionally Jewish sororities at Texas often wear cross necklaces during recruitment to ensure that the members of the other GLOs know they are looking to join there.

It especially makes me wonder because there was a thread started about this recently by a PNM... at Texas I believe.

This same woman also confirmed that the two Jewish sororities are (to her knowledge obviously) still 100% Jewish at UT. I knew that one of them was based on my relationships with members. I didn't realize the other was as well (assuming that what this woman said is accurate).

It really made me think.

[exlurker]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

I was hanging out with some people earlier this week that really made me reconsider just how dated this thread really is.

I was hanging with an alum of a UT sorority (won't say which one) who said that Jewish PNMs who don't wish to join the 2 traditionally Jewish sororities at Texas often wear cross necklaces during recruitment to ensure that the members of the other GLOs know they are looking to join there.

It especially makes me wonder because there was a thread started about this recently by a PNM... at Texas I believe.

This same woman also confirmed that the two Jewish sororities are (to her knowledge obviously) still 100% Jewish at UT. I knew that one of them was based on my relationships with members. I didn't realize the other was as well (assuming that what this woman said is accurate).

It really made me think.

Wow. If accurate, just wow.

[LadyLonghorn]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

I was hanging with an alum of a UT sorority (won't say which one) who said that Jewish PNMs who don't wish to join the 2 traditionally Jewish sororities at Texas often wear cross necklaces during recruitment to ensure that the members of the other GLOs know they are looking to join there.

Hmmmm, well I am an active who has now been through several recruitments and have never heard this. So if women really are doing it, the message isn't getting through. It makes me really sad to hear that someone would even consider doing this, and makes me even sadder that a rumor like this would be perpetuated even if true.

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

This same woman also confirmed that the two Jewish sororities are (to her knowledge obviously) still 100% Jewish at UT.

As far as I know, this is indeed true. But I am sure you already know that many Jewish women come into recruitment with their heart set on one of those particular houses since there is a definite tier level even in that niche. Suiciding and dropping out of recruitment because you're not invited back to the "top tier" historically Jewish house is far from infrequent.

It also is important to note that while the historically Jewish houses are still 100% Jewish members, the other sororities on campus are far from being 100% non-Jewish.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by LadyLonghorn

Hmmmm, well I am an active who has now been through several recruitments and have never heard this. So if women really are doing it, the message isn't getting through. It makes me really sad to hear that someone would even consider doing this, and makes me even sadder that a rumor like this would be perpetuated even if true.



As far as I know, this is indeed true. But I am sure you already know that many Jewish women come into recruitment with their heart set on one of those particular houses since there is a definite tier level even in that niche. Suiciding and dropping out of recruitment because you're not invited back to the "top tier" historically Jewish house is far from infrequent.

It also is important to note that while the historically Jewish houses are still 100% Jewish members, the other sororities on campus are far from being 100% non-Jewish.

Lady Longhorn, honestly I'm so glad you responded to my post. The alum's comments from Thursday night honestly threw me for a complete loop, especially because this had already been discussed on GC recently. I don't know what group you're in - I still don't want to say what group the person I met was in, but she graduated in 2007 and was highly involved in her chapter's recruitment, so I had no reason to disbelieve what she said. Things she said in other regards were definitely accurate, in terms of insider info, tiers, recent Greek life developments at UT, etc... it's just odd to me that this would be the case.

Yes, I'm aware of the tiers with the Jewish sororities at UT... I have a few friends who are alums of one of the groups and it's striking to me that all their little sisters seem to have joined the "top" group... I think the lower tier group is really having a struggle over whether it wants to remain 100% Jewish or not... although, I actually think that they've made their bed and decided to lay in it on that one at this point.

[ellebud]

I remember the thread from the girl who was a pnm at UT. There were FAR more layers to this young woman's story. She, while Jewish, referred to Jews as "you" Jews. (I don't remember if this was in a thread or a private message.) At a very basic level she was searching not to find a home but to reinvent herself with a new identity. I also find it hard to believe that young women who want to signal that they want to be available to all types of sororities would wear a cross (if Jewish) or a Star of David (if Christian). When one wants to be available to all houses (if there is open religious bidding) there are ways to let people know, as opposed to wearing a treasured symbol of a religion (Christian or Jewish) as a sort of "Hey, I'm available!" sign. (I am aware that the signal, "Hey I'm Jewish/Christian and I want you to know!" is fine, but then a pnm isn't taking another's religious identity as a frivolity.)

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by ellebud

I remember the thread from the girl who was a pnm at UT. There were FAR more layers to this young woman's story. She, while Jewish, referred to Jews as "you" Jews. (I don't remember if this was in a thread or a private message.) At a very basic level she was searching not to find a home but to reinvent herself with a new identity. I also find it hard to believe that young women who want to signal that they want to be available to all types of sororities would wear a cross (if Jewish) or a Star of David (if Christian). When one wants to be available to all houses (if there is open religious bidding) there are ways to let people know, as opposed to wearing a treasured symbol of a religion (Christian or Jewish) as a sort of "Hey, I'm available!" sign. (I am aware that the signal, "Hey I'm Jewish/Christian and I want you to know!" is fine, but then a pnm isn't taking another's religious identity as a frivolity.)

Totally agreed about the earlier UT thread where the PNM was saying some really inappropriate things. That's why I haven't bothered to look up that thread to help her or anything.

I can't emphasize enough that I have no first-hand knowledge of this situation at UT myself. I was totally floored by the woman who told me this in the first place and didn't know whether to believe it. Lady Longhorn says she's never heard it so maybe it's totally false. I just can't imagine where it even came from though, if there's nothing to it.

The only explanation I could think of is that the top tier Jewish sorority at UT, as Lady Longhorn notes, is much sought-after, and in a tight timed situation, chapters might cut a Jewish woman if they weren't sure she was interesting in joining them, thinking she was only pursuing the Jewish orgs. But again, as you said, there seem to be other ways to signal that besides wearing a symbol of a religion that's not yours.

I don't mean to cause controversy, I was just shocked to have this paraded in front of me in the 21st century and thought it was interesting/relevant to this thread - whether true or not.

[ellebud]

I will say that when I rushed...in the last millenium...I HEARD that Texas had "Jewish Rush", which at that time meant (I guess) that Jews rushed separately. And in my time it might have been the way my rush could have been construed, although my school had only one Jewish house. We might as well have rushed separately since with the exception of one young women, who sort of hemmed and hawed as to whether she was Jewish, because we really didn't (AT THAT TIME) have options.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by ellebud

I will say that when I rushed...in the last millenium...I HEARD that Texas had "Jewish Rush", which at that time meant (I guess) that Jews rushed separately. And in my time it might have been the way my rush could have been construed, although my school had only one Jewish house. We might as well have rushed separately since with the exception of one young women, who sort of hemmed and hawed as to whether she was Jewish, because we really didn't (AT THAT TIME) have options.

Very interesting, I'd never heard of that.