Has the tradition of Legacies outgrown its usefulness?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by honeychile

Yes, but I'm thinking deeper. If you have 180 legacies who were groomed to be an ABC with her first onesie, and quota is 60, how do you tell 120 perfect women that she can't pledge the same house as her mother, grandmother, ggrandmother, etc? It seems too cruel - and yet, there will be other women who doesn't have any greeks in her family, but everyone loves her.

That's how life works. I mean, on the flipside of that, how would you tell the women without those ties that because they were not born into a family of ABCs, that they don't get the same chance to be one?

I think it would serve parents well to get up to speed on what it means to be a legacy in this day and age. Back when some moms were rushing, legacies may have been pretty much guaranteed bids. It simply doesn't work that way today.

I mean, I went to school in northern Ohio and saw legacies get get released from chapters at times. Depending on the year, there are just too many.

[dukedg]

I agree with honeychile: I would like to see this topic considered more thoroughly. I only see this problem getting worse unless we hit a point where interest in joining sororities starts to decline.

I also wish it was as easy as thinking we could tell these mothers to get over it and realize times have changed since they were in college. As someone who has had to make those calls to alums when their legacies were released, I can tell you it is often sad and heartbreaking. I do not think we should take all legacies, or anything like that, but some of these women have been thinking for the past 18 years that their daughters will be given the same consideration they remember giving legacies when they were in college.

[AOII_LB93]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I think it would serve parents well to get up to speed on what it means to be a legacy in this day and age. Back when some moms were rushing, legacies may have been pretty much guaranteed bids. It simply doesn't work that way today.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I agree with this. Even at schools where you don't get a whole lot of legacies, and there is not a super competitive recruitment, it disturbs me that some alums automatically assume that their daughter is going to be an ABC because they were. I'm sorry, sure they might get an invite to round 2, but is it really fair if you force a collegiate chapter to take someone that they don't want for whatever reason just because mommy might get mad?

If I have a daughter and someday she wants to rush, I'll be happy if she is happy. If she's an AOII, that would be awesome, but if not that's ok too...she'll just be paying her own dues. (I'm not kidding, she'd be paying them herself anyhow, AOII or not. )

[PhoenixAzul]

Coming from a local sorority...legacies have a bit of a special tie. It's so rare to have one! The two years I was a PX, I had at least 3 legacies in my groups...and oddly enough I can think of only 1 who went to her legacy chapter (direct, her sister was in the chapter if I remember correctly?). While each sorority has their own policy, generally legacies are offered an invitation to first round parties (although it is up to the PNM to accept or regret the invite...). And it is also the responsibility of the PNM to identify herself in her sign up form as a legacy. You'd be amazed at how many girls have no idea if they are or not. I don't know of any legacies in my sorority since I joined, although we were re-founded in the 80's so it is almost time for those first few refounding sisters to have children going through recruitment!

I think whoever mentioned legacies being important on a small campus was on to something. Because our chapters and campus are so small, I think that legacies take on a very special role. We've also got these massive families of alumni who send all their kids to OC, so I guess it really is an ingrained and innate thing. Our alumni are extremely loyal (and that's how we like 'em )