Alabama Recruitment

[Zillini]

Please forgive me if this comes across as snippy, but I get a bit frustrated by the continual claims that it's all Panhellenic's fault for not educating PNMs. Now granted there are a lot campuses that do not do a good job and keep giving out bad info year after year, but IMO UA's Panhellenic has been doing a very good job of trying to inform PNMs about the process or at least getting the info out there. It is up to the PNMs to look for the information and attend the different functions where information is available.

I also get frustrated by PNMs and/or parents who rely on information from an alumna who graduated 10-20 years ago and hasn't been active helping with Recruitment since. Or worse, those who attended other schools who think they know how Bama or for that matter how any other campus Recruitment operates. Times change. NPC Rules have changed. I/natl policies have changed. Campus Panhellenic policies change. Numbers of women participating in Recruitment change (higher or lower) which forces structural changes. Chapter policies change. Competitive standings change. Need I go on?

I assume most HS seniors researched the different colleges before deciding where to apply to and/or attend. I assume they did not rely on word of mouth about how competitve the school admissions process was or whether it provided a quality education. Why don't more PNMs research Recruitment?

Just to prove my point, please check out the UA Greek Life Webpage about sorority recruitment. On the right hand side you will find additional links to webpages and Powerpoint presentations with loads of information including:

- "Sorority Life at the Capstone" presentation featured at Bama Boundthat includes 17 pages of info

- Parent's Presentation featured at Panhellenic Preview Weekend with 29 pages of info

- Information regarding letters of recommendation with a link to a separate webpage that includes info and links to all the I/natl sorority websites and NPC's Alumnae Panhellenic list

- 2009 Sorority Recruitment Guide (aka Rush Book) with tons of info

In addition, the Alabama Panhellenic Association has its own website loaded with info.

Spring Panhellenic Preview Weekend is probably the most informative pre-recruitment time. Not only are there general overview presentations, but also each sorority has a table with representatives to answer questions. Also there are tours of all the Chapter houses with members present to answer questions and meet pre-PNMs there as well. On top of that, Chapters have Meet 'n Greet type functions on the Friday evening beforehand, though they do require an invitation.

As for the continual claims that out-of-state PNMs have little chance of getting a bid at UA, well we don't have stats yet for this year however according to PowerPoint from this past Bama Bound (aka Freshmen orientation) presentation:

In 2008 over 50% of the fraternity and sorority new members were from out-of-state.

/rant

[Txborn]

I just want to say out of state girls can and do get good rushes and pledged good houses. My daughter from Texas - and her friend from her school both rushed a couple of years ago. She and I worked hard to have both recs and letters for each sorority. I even went online to the national website for a sorority we don't really have in Texas and got someone from this area to write her a rec. Before she started, I encouraged her to keep an open mind and look around. Every round she had the houses she wanted to go back to and pledged what people consider a good house. Her friend did as well.

She did have a friend who did not do as well, but she did not have all the recs and really concentrated on one house. BIG MISTAKE. I know this year there were a lot of Texas girls and I heard that alot had great rushes.

[Wipledale]

I am going to chime in as well...My daughter is Gamma Phi and rushed last year. We came to preview weekend in April of last year and we did our homework, basically from asking alot of questions of the parents of the ONLY person my daughter knew who is Alpha Chi...Trust me, we asked tons of questions and really studied the web site(s). She secured recs and they were from all different sororities. She also was a legacy in Gamma Phi, which we did not realized until she questioned her great grandmother! Now mind you, her grandmother did not write a rec (she is 96), so the only place that was mentioned was on the questionnaire she filled out. I remember last year during rush how hard it was...knowing only one person at Bama and being out of state...She stuck with it and after bid day on Sunday (thinking she did not get the one she was supposed to be in) she absolutely fell in love with her sisters, a sorority who stuck with her until the very end....That is how the system is supposed to work..I cannot tell you how many times our friend emphasized that to us before Rush...my daughter found that out the Sunday night after rush.....you just can't drop out or quit just because you came in contact with a few of the reps from the sorority...
If you trust the system it will work....

[kk_bama]

Originally Posted by Wipledale

I am going to chime in as well...My daughter is Gamma Phi and rushed last year. We came to preview weekend in April of last year and we did our homework, basically from asking alot of questions of the parents of the ONLY person my daughter knew who is Alpha Chi...Trust me, we asked tons of questions and really studied the web site(s). She secured recs and they were from all different sororities. She also was a legacy in Gamma Phi, which we did not realized until she questioned her great grandmother! Now mind you, her grandmother did not write a rec (she is 96), so the only place that was mentioned was on the questionnaire she filled out. I remember last year during rush how hard it was...knowing only one person at Bama and being out of state...She stuck with it and after bid day on Sunday (thinking she did not get the one she was supposed to be in) she absolutely fell in love with her sisters, a sorority who stuck with her until the very end....That is how the system is supposed to work..I cannot tell you how many times our friend emphasized that to us before Rush...my daughter found that out the Sunday night after rush.....you just can't drop out or quit just because you came in contact with a few of the reps from the sorority...
If you trust the system it will work....

This is so right. Being open-minded is really the key. Wipledale, I'm so glad your daughter is having a great time. She looked beautiful this week by the way!

That's so funny that she did not know she was a leg until she asked her great-grandmother!

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Zillini

Please forgive me if this comes across as snippy, but I get a bit frustrated by the continual claims that it's all Panhellenic's fault for not educating PNMs. Now granted there are a lot campuses that do not do a good job and keep giving out bad info year after year, but IMO UA's Panhellenic has been doing a very good job of trying to inform PNMs about the process or at least getting the info out there. It is up to the PNMs to look for the information and attend the different functions where information is available.

I also get frustrated by PNMs and/or parents who rely on information from an alumna who graduated 10-20 years ago and hasn't been active helping with Recruitment since. Or worse, those who attended other schools who think they know how Bama or for that matter how any other campus Recruitment operates. Times change. NPC Rules have changed. I/natl policies have changed. Campus Panhellenic policies change. Numbers of women participating in Recruitment change (higher or lower) which forces structural changes. Chapter policies change. Competitive standings change. Need I go on?

I assume most HS seniors researched the different colleges before deciding where to apply to and/or attend. I assume they did not rely on word of mouth about how competitve the school admissions process was or whether it provided a quality education. Why don't more PNMs research Recruitment?

Just to prove my point, please check out the UA Greek Life Webpage about sorority recruitment. On the right hand side you will find additional links to webpages and Powerpoint presentations with loads of information including:

- "Sorority Life at the Capstone" presentation featured at Bama Boundthat includes 17 pages of info

- Parent's Presentation featured at Panhellenic Preview Weekend with 29 pages of info

- Information regarding letters of recommendation with a link to a separate webpage that includes info and links to all the I/natl sorority websites and NPC's Alumnae Panhellenic list

- 2009 Sorority Recruitment Guide (aka Rush Book) with tons of info

In addition, the Alabama Panhellenic Association has its own website loaded with info.

Spring Panhellenic Preview Weekend is probably the most informative pre-recruitment time. Not only are there general overview presentations, but also each sorority has a table with representatives to answer questions. Also there are tours of all the Chapter houses with members present to answer questions and meet pre-PNMs there as well. On top of that, Chapters have Meet 'n Greet type functions on the Friday evening beforehand, though they do require an invitation.

As for the continual claims that out-of-state PNMs have little chance of getting a bid at UA, well we don't have stats yet for this year however according to PowerPoint from this past Bama Bound (aka Freshmen orientation) presentation:

/rant

I think feeling that if you'd had more information, things would have worked out differently is a way for super-type-A-achievers to feel in control of what just happened to them or their daughters. It certainly comes off as criticism or blaming the wrong people, but if you're facing the darkest, and likely completely irrational, fear that your rejection was the inevitable outcome of your own defects or faults, (or your daughter's defects or faults), blaming panhellenic seems like a swell idea.

What more could Alabama do systematically? Nothing.

Don't let it bother you.