Has the tradition of Legacies outgrown its usefulness?

[cbm]

I guess I am in the minority, as I think legacies should get a little extra treatment (i.e. guaranteed parties) to a certain extent before they are cut.

My sorority (not sure if it was our chapter or nationals) was required to invite legacies back to Day 2. If we kept them until Pref, then they were at the top of our list. I worked back office for one rush and I do know that the mother's level of involvement in her local alum chapter or natioanlly had some bearing on whether or not her daughter came back again after Day 2+. (Granddaughters were not considered legacies in my chapter, again I can't remember if this was a national rule or not.) This always seemed to work out well for us, at least from the sorority's side. I also got to hear advisors make numerous courtsey phone calls to the mothers or sisters of legacies who were cut....not fun at all!

I was not a legacy to my house, but I do understand why we gave that little special treatment to daughters and sisters of our sorority sisters. I didn't mind it at all. I just took it as one of the perks of an elitist organization (because that's what a lot consider Greek organizations to be).

I have also heard it said that having a parent or sibling who is Greek, regardless of the affiliation, makes one more desirable, since the parents will know what all is involved with Greek life and there won't be too many surprises, so to speak. I'm not sure if this is the actual case or not, but it does present a good argument.

I've not listed my sorority or school anywhere on this site...not very concerned if this is giving away any secrets.

[SydneyK]

^^ I don't necessarily think you're in the minority: lots of folks think legacies should be given extra consideration. The problem is, the number of legacies is greater than the number of bids available. With strict quota/ceiling guidelines, the math just makes it impossible for every legacy to be bid to her legacy chapter (assuming both parties want the other).

Originally Posted by cbm

I have also heard it said that having a parent or sibling who is Greek, regardless of the affiliation, makes one more desirable, since the parents will know what all is involved with Greek life and there won't be too many surprises, so to speak. I'm not sure if this is the actual case or not, but it does present a good argument.

I have heard similar arguments. And I think those arguments are fair. (There are still arguments to be made, however, that someone whose parents aren't Greek can still prove him/herself an excellent fit for Greek life.)

I would be happy if there ware a general Greek-legacy status on applications. Women going through recruitment would have a place to indicate on her application/registration form whether a family member (sister, mother, father, etc...) was involved in a GLO. There wouldn't be a need to specify the sorority or fraternity. This could cut down the number of PNMs who get cut from XYZ because the XYZs know Patty PNM is an ABC legacy. If Mom (or BioSis, Aunt Jenny, or Grandma) thinks Patty PNM is a super-legacy and should be given extra consideration, then by all means, contact the chapter.

Having said, that, I don't much care for the term "super-legacy". Actually, I don't much care for the concept, either.

ETA: Even though I just put that "general legacy" status out there, I would hate it if the chapters suddenly had to deal with all the heli-moms who undoubtedly believe that their darling is a super-legacy. Probably a bad suggestion looking back, but I'm sure there are some GCers who could tweak it perfectly.