A Very Untraditional Recruitment/Expansion Story

klk112 · #1 01-04-2008, 04:09 AM

The general procedure for the presentations was that each organization would make a general Panhellenic presentation open to the community, and then a presentation specifically to our chapter. We weren't really sure what to expect from all of these presentations, but we went in with an open mind. Our chapter advisor was also present during all of the presentations, and as the new alumnae relations chair, I worked with her to take notes and ask questions about things that our alums would be interested to hear.

Relish was the first to present. They set up their materials in our living room as we waited upstairs. When we came downstairs, it was like going through FMR--collegians from Pitt and Duquesne greeted us, introducing themselves and making conversation. Some of them talked about Relish and how great it was to be a member. Some of them even bumped like it was FMR! We sat on our own couches and dining room chairs, and I really felt like I was being rushed. It was an odd feeling for me, considering that I never experienced it from the PNM side. I spoke to a girl from Pitt, but I mainly remember really liking her outfit, which was a green V-neck sweater with a white collared shirt underneath and khakis. It was hard for me to not think about the people I knew from high school who went to Pitt while I talked to this girl, wondering if any of them had joined Relish.

The presentation itself was pretty good. They brought their director of expansion and the woman who would be our individual chapter consultant if we chose them. They showed us a video that they send to members to encourage them to donate money to their foundation, talked about their national philanthropy, and gave some history on their organization. They also talked about how blown away they were by our symphony, officer structure, and longevity.

However, they seemed to be overly optimistic. They said that it was feasible for them to attract 40 girls to get us to total with the rest of the groups on campus that same semester. We were slightly skeptical about what they could do on a campus like ours. What kind of tricks did they have? Only about 90 girls finish FMR each year.

We also wondered if they knew what they were getting themselves into when colonizing a local. When someone asked what our chapter name would be and if we had any input into it, they said that National Council might approve of us breaking the naming convention to incorporate some of our current letters into our chapter name.

Overall, I think that we were impressed, but not in love. We would need to compare this presentation with the others that were to come. Mayo would be presenting to us in a few days...

NutBrnHair · #2 01-04-2008, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klk112

They also talked about how blown away they were by our symphony, officer structure, and longevity....

Your local had a "symphony?" How did that go?

bejazd · #3 01-04-2008, 01:59 PM

What happened to the boyfriend? Did he come around or did you kick him to the curb??? Funny he was more uptight about sorority sisters than all the GUYS in computer science. A girl can't live by video games alone....

Please continue! I'm loving your story!

alum · #4 01-04-2008, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bejazd

Funny he was more uptight about sorority sisters than all the GUYS in computer science. A girl can't live by video games alone....

As we Lady Tartans would say: The odds are good but the goods are odd!

klk112 · #5 01-04-2008, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bejazd

What happened to the boyfriend? Did he come around or did you kick him to the curb???

Oh yes...

Back to November...

Our local had a ceremony for the semester after you initiated where you would receive your own badge. Your big would ask your parents, boyfriends, friends on campus, etc. for cards/presents for you, to show you that there are people outside of the house who care for you as well. When the big contacted these people, she stated clearly that you were not to tell the girl about what was going on.

A few days before my pinning ceremony, as we called it, my boyfriend said, "Oh yeah, a girl named Christin sent me a Facebook message asking if I wanted to buy a present for you. I just ignored it." I was angry for so many different reasons. One of the reasons that he didn't like sororities was because of all the secrets that we had, and he didn't understand why it was such a big deal. That's why he didn't keep my big's message a secret from me. Also, the fact that he wasn't going to put in any sort of effort for this special occasion in my life was incredibly disappointing. Then, he didn't even have the courtesy to send her a response.

Pinning came, and my parents had bought me a beautiful sapphire ring (at my big's suggestion, who had received jewelry from her mom for her pinning), and my friends wrote cards to me. There was also a vase with a dozen pink roses on the table, and my big said, "The roses are from your boyfriend." I was very surprised, but I also didn't believe my big, sadly.

When I talked to my boyfriend later that night, I questioned him about the roses. He repeated that he had ignored the message, and he didn't tell Christin to buy anything for me. Christin later told me that when he didn't respond to her, she wasn't sure what to do and guessed that he was just too busy and either never got the message or forgot to respond.

A few weeks after the incident, we broke up.

AOII Angel · #6 01-04-2008, 07:34 PM

Awww..your big sis is soooo sweet!

AlwaysSAI · #7 01-04-2008, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klk112

A few weeks after the incident, we broke up.

Nice Move! Sorry....I'm a little jaded.

Waiting for Mayo.....

BadSquirrelBeta · #8 01-05-2008, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

Nice Move! Sorry....I'm a little jaded.

Waiting for Mayo.....

Yes, good move on that part. Sorry if it caused you any pain, but you seriously sound like you don't need that kind of an a-hole boyfriend.

klk112 · #9 01-04-2008, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Your local had a "symphony?" How did that go?

It wasn't a symphony in the orchestral sense. It was like a long creed, explaining our beliefs as a sisterhood. The total length was around six paragraphs. We had a creed, too, but it was six Greek letters that stood for six words: Trust, Leadership, Mission, Service, Scholarship, and Respect.

OtterXO · #10 01-04-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klk112

It wasn't a symphony in the orchestral sense.

I don't think she meant that

NutBrnHair · #11 01-04-2008, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klk112

It wasn't a symphony in the orchestral sense. It was like a long creed, explaining our beliefs as a sisterhood. The total length was around six paragraphs. We had a creed, too, but it was six Greek letters that stood for six words: Trust, Leadership, Mission, Service, Scholarship, and Respect.

Yes, I'm familiar with a "symphony." I just wondered if it was similar to the Chi Omega Symphony.

SWTXBelle · #12 01-04-2008, 03:45 PM

I'm laughing at the restraint shown by the Chi Os on the board. Yeah, I think they are pretty okay with the idea of a "symphony" that isn't a work of music.

(op, you might want to check this out - www.chiomega.com - look under friends and family and you can click on their symphony)