Few Things I've Always Wondered About

[excelblue]

Please excuse my nosiness, but I just can't seem to control myself in wondering about a few aspects on how sorority recruitment works.

- Recruitment counselors are separated from their houses during formal recruitment, right? Where do they live? What if they're taking a class with a sister and need to work on a group project?

- If a PNM happens to know a recruitment counselor beforehand (eg. through family/friends), are they usually put in another group? Or, is it more of a don't ask don't tell thing?

Finally:

One thing I always noticed when the sororities on my campus are doing recruitment are the piles of bags/purses right outside the house. How often do they get mixed up, and how badly will I get beaten up if I were to lay my hands on one?

[Alumiyum]

It all depends on the campus. On ours the recruitment counselors are housed in the campus "hotel" which is just an old dorm that family members can rent rooms in for graduation and such. That's just for the week of formal recruitment. The two weeks prior we all live at home except for those that are living on their sorority hall (or with an active, unless they are biological sisters)...they find another recruitment counselor to stay with. Class is always an exception to the silence...I never knew it to happen but if two sorority girls had a group project to work on together, I don't think anyone would ask them not to.

For us, PNMs that knew were told prior to recruitment to keep their mouths shut. I've never personally heard of a PNM who knew going around telling everyone (though I'm sure it's happened)...mostly because if girls really want to know they just have to ask a fraternity guy. I had two PNMs in my group that knew my affiliation both years I was a RC and just told them I would be irked if they told...they didn't.

The bags and purses usually get sorted out but I don't recommend trying that. A few fraternity guys did one year as a joke and there's nothing like a ton of shrieking girls to scare the poo out of you.

[angels&angles]

1. "separated from their house" is not literal. It means that they're not affiliated via Fbook, don't show up on the chapter website, face is covered in chapter composites, etc. I definitely knew Rho Gams who lived in the house. Since PNMs can't go in the house, it doesn't matter (but they would usually crash with someone off campus during recruitment).

2. Sometimes you know what group your Rho Gam is in. It happens. Esp with sophomores. The deaffiliation is mostly so that PNMs feel like they can confide in a Rho Gam without offending her. It only works some of the time.

3. We had to put our name on everything, and the Rho Gams would watch them. I doubt a dude could get close enough to the Rush Madness to steal a purse. And stealing is wrong. Sometimes girls would leave things at a house during recruitment; it would be returned to her Rho Gam, to be returned to the PNM (or put in a "Rush Lost & Found" box).

[Drolefille]

1. They did have to move out of the greek dorm, most of our Pi Chis were older though and did not live on our floor. If they lived in an apartment with other sisters or a mixed group of sorority members they spent a LOT of time in their room and never mingled in public or in sight of others.

2. I don't know that there was ever any sort of intentional shuffling of PNMs because they were close with Pi Chis, but I wasn't a Pi Chi. But for example a younger sister of a Pi Chi was going through recruitment, I'm fairly certain they kept her out of the group.

3. You really want your ass handed to you by a bunch of 18 year olds who are wound up and under extreme pressure? Go for it

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by angels&angles

1. "separated from their house" is not literal. It means that they're not affiliated via Fbook, don't show up on the chapter website, face is covered in chapter composites, etc. I definitely knew Rho Gams who lived in the house. Since PNMs can't go in the house, it doesn't matter (but they would usually crash with someone off campus during recruitment).

2. Sometimes you know what group your Rho Gam is in. It happens. Esp with sophomores. The deaffiliation is mostly so that PNMs feel like they can confide in a Rho Gam without offending her. It only works some of the time.

3. We had to put our name on everything, and the Rho Gams would watch them. I doubt a dude could get close enough to the Rush Madness to steal a purse. And stealing is wrong. Sometimes girls would leave things at a house during recruitment; it would be returned to her Rho Gam, to be returned to the PNM (or put in a "Rush Lost & Found" box).

It is literal on some campuses (like mine). Our campus rules state that all pictures must be covered (composites, scrapbook, etc.) and recruitment counselors cannot live with or talk to actives (or alums, but everyone ignores that one) from the beginning of school until Bid Day. That includes cell phones, facebook, twitter...anything. Work and class were the only two exceptions. I have heard that the new greek adviser wants to relax the rules a little, which IMO is a good thing but those were the rules when I was a RC. Not that everyone followed them to the letter of the law but in theory, no talking. Because our sororities have dorm halls and because PNMs do visit them during recruitment (and in some cases live on them or next to them when housing needs to fill all their rooms in their dorms) living in sorority housing is a no go.

[KSUViolet06]

If you happened to live with another sister (in an apt or the dorms) you could talk, but you were kind of on the "honor system" not to talk about recruitment with her. Same with projects. You really aren't supposed to be SEEN talking to your sisters, but of course something for a grade is an exception.

If you know what chapter an SRC is in (which happens with sophs and juniors), it's no big deal, you're just expected not to tell any of the girls who don't know.

We had SRCs outside watching the purses (they worked in teams of 2--one in the house and one out) so nobody bothered them.

[angels&angles]

I didn't realize Rho Gam rules at other schools were THAT stringent. I guess things were a tad different since we both had houses and also deferred recruitment. Rho Gams would attend Chapter, but leave before membership. They would eat lunch and sometimes live at the house, although many were RAs anyway. They would attend mixers (but couldn't dress to theme, or had to change into street clothes before mixers opened), and formals. Mostly they would duck out of any pictures.

Since recruitment is in January, it would be too restrictive for a Rho Gam not to be allowed to live or interact with actives. It would be like equating Rho Gams with hermits!

I would assume at ANY time, that class projects are unrestricted. Just like even during "strict silence" PNMs and Actives can work together on a project. Sorority life should never get in the way of academics.

[psusue]

1. In our campus our Pi Chi's both lived on the floor, as did the one recruitment overall. However technically another sorority lives there as well so she could have been from either. They also were not allowed to walk (to lunch or class or anything) with any sister wearing letters, which may have helped. I guess we just rely on the hugeness of our campus to hide the identities of our Pi Chi's.

2. I'm sure that in the case of family they would try to make arrangements but for friends they are just told to keep quiet. A really awkward situation happened this year because the two (obviously independent) girls who were going through recruitment on our floor this year both had IIX's who were also living on the floor! It was awkward for them, but they both got placed so I guess it didn't matter in any event.

3. A Pi Chi/Rho Chi/whatever is always sitting with them and I'm sure she would have something to say if you touched one. Some I saw this year were really nice! I would never bring a nice bag that I'd have to leave 90% of the time which also is likely filled with things like hairspray/makeup/other dirtying elements to potentially get ruined, but that's also just me, haha.

These were fun questions to ask, maybe we could make "things you've always wanted to asked NPC/NIC/NPHC/NALFO/MGC sorority/fraternity members" thread.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by angels&angles

I didn't realize Rho Gam rules at other schools were THAT stringent. I guess things were a tad different since we both had houses and also deferred recruitment. Rho Gams would attend Chapter, but leave before membership. They would eat lunch and sometimes live at the house, although many were RAs anyway. They would attend mixers (but couldn't dress to theme, or had to change into street clothes before mixers opened), and formals. Mostly they would duck out of any pictures.

Since recruitment is in January, it would be too restrictive for a Rho Gam not to be allowed to live or interact with actives. It would be like equating Rho Gams with hermits!

I would assume at ANY time, that class projects are unrestricted. Just like even during "strict silence" PNMs and Actives can work together on a project. Sorority life should never get in the way of academics.

On small campuses if the RCs are to be truly anonymous it really has to be stringent. It's actually very restrictive for RCs on my campus, but it comes with the territory. (And I mean to be honest I never understood the big deal...it's just a couple of weeks.) I always went out as a RC, and had just as much fun with the other RCs as I did with my sisters.

I seriously doubt you'd find a campus Panhellenic anywhere that would encourage Greek life to come before class.

[angels&angles]

On small campuses if the RCs are to be truly anonymous it really has to be stringent. It's actually very restrictive for RCs on my campus, but it comes with the territory. (And I mean to be honest I never understood the big deal...it's just a couple of weeks.) I always went out as a RC, and had just as much fun with the other RCs as I did with my sisters.

W&L is really small, and really insular. I think we mostly get away with it because freshmen are so very clueless. Rho Gams for sophomores basically don't even try (Rho Gam groups are assigned by halls and freshmen and upperclassmen don't mix). Also, as I noted, trying to put too many restrictions on it would make it impossible for Rho Gams to see their friends. I bet if we had a September recruitment the rules would be a lot more strict (since they're unbelievably strict in every other aspect of recruitment... we got in trouble once for putting bows on our trashcans, and hanging sheets to hide our extra tables [ugh]).

I seriously doubt you'd find a campus Panhellenic anywhere that would encourage Greek life to come before class.

I only added that due to excelblue's original query,

What if they're taking a class with a sister and need to work on a group project?

Which seems like a silly question, and no one had really addressed it, but so much of sorority recruitment is baffling to the outsider I thought I'd reply.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by angels&angles

W&L is really small, and really insular. I think we mostly get away with it because freshmen are so very clueless. Rho Gams for sophomores basically don't even try (Rho Gam groups are assigned by halls and freshmen and upperclassmen don't mix). Also, as I noted, trying to put too many restrictions on it would make it impossible for Rho Gams to see their friends. I bet if we had a September recruitment the rules would be a lot more strict (since they're unbelievably strict in every other aspect of recruitment... we got in trouble once for putting bows on our trashcans, and hanging sheets to hide our extra tables [ugh]).



I only added that due to excelblue's original query,

Which seems like a silly question, and no one had really addressed it, but so much of sorority recruitment is baffling to the outsider I thought I'd reply.

I guess what I was saying is that for a couple of weeks, I don't get why it's a big deal to make new friends. My social life never suffered as a RC in the least...I went out more often than I would have if I had been affiliated and had a blast, then enjoyed the big ridiculous girly crying reunion on Bid Day. But then I didn't see any girls who couldn't handle that trying out for the position because our RC applicants were usually sent by the chapters, so girls who wouldn't have been able to survive (and would have broken down and risked getting their chapter in trouble by breaking silence) wouldn't have been sent in the first place.

It actually was addressed, but surely that would be the same campus to campus. ("That" being putting school before sorority). And like I said work was an exception for us too, both between RCs and actives and PNMs and actives. It was just expected that there wouldn't be any discussions about recruitment.

I always thought our rules were too stringent, not because they asked too much of the Greek women but because there were so many of them that actives would get paranoid about breaking them. They would sometimes concentrate more on that than they would on making good impressions on the PNMs. And would sometimes appear rude because they were following the rules. For instance, there is never supposed to be any gift giving between an active and PNM and I heard a story about a PNM who needed a pencil to take a test in class and asked the active next to her...who was so scared of getting her chapter in trouble she refused. Poor PNM thought she'd offended the active and we had to explain to her that the active was just trying to follow the rules to a T. During strict silence I've seen actives ignore PNMs completely when really IMO it's totally appropriate to say "hi" or at least acknowledge the girl with a smile and wave. But again, they were too worried about getting in trouble to risk it. We tried to make sure PNMs understood how seriously most actives took these rules and that the women were by no means purposefully being rude, but even so I'm sure it was unsettling to be ignored no matter what the reason.

[agzg]

1. Depends on the school.
2. Depends on the school.
3. Have you ever seen a PNM just flip her shit? It's not pretty.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by excelblue

Recruitment counselors are separated from their houses during formal recruitment, right? Where do they live? What if they're taking a class with a sister and need to work on a group project?

For a lot of schools, recruitment is happening before classes even start, so this isn't an issue.

[GammaPhi88]

My school has deferred recruitment, and the separation is really just public separation. We ask that the rho gammas remove their affiliation from facebook and go private, and that they don't wear letters in public. While we do ask that they try not to be obviously traveling with a bunch of girls in letters, we don't ask them to drastically alter their social lives. They can still go to mixers and stuff, but usually they are either not in photos, or the photos are put up after recruitment. When it comes to going to bars or out with sisters in general, we figure its fine...PNMs are generally freshman or sophomores who are too young for the bars. In terms of living in the house, often our rho gammas are seniors who live off campus. If they do live in their house, they can go in and use the back door during recruitment...the chances of a PNM catching them are low because they will be in their dorm by the time the rho gammas get home.

EDIT: Our rules may seem lax to some, but Rho Gammas are expressly NOT allowed to discuss PNMs with their chapter. Does it work in practice? I would hope. I'm too stressed to text a RG and ask her about a certain PNM during rush, and I wouldn't do it anyway.

In terms of someone knowing the rho gamma's house beforehand, it has happened, since many sophomores do go through at my school. In those cases, the Rho Gamma just asks the PNM not to tell, and it generally works out, since there are more than one Rho Gammas in a group and the PNM generally has other things on her mind. The year I went through, my rho gammas younger sister was a PNM. The sister was not placed in her rho gammas group, and she protected her sisters affiliation. It generally is not an issue.

For bags and purses, the PNMs take theirs into the house, since they usually contain heavy boots and stuff to keep warm in the snow (they get kicked out of rush if they use their cell phone during a round). Sometimes, the Rho Gammas hold extra ugg boots, but they are generally held in a separate room in the house used for the Rho Gammas to hang during rounds, and boys are not even an issue. Boys are generally not an issue during rush at all...except for throwing snowballs on bid day. Fun stuff!

[ScarletBlueGold]

I've always wondered what sororities do to hide the aspects of their organization that reflected heavily in members who were Pi Chis.

For example, one sorority on-campus allows Grad-students to be members, and a Grad student was a Pi Chi. Won't it be obvious what her affiliation is once people find out she's a Grad student?

Is the sorority not allowed to say they allow Grad students, or is she not allowed to say she's a Grad student?