Moms & Recruitment

[carnation]

There weren't moms at Arkansas, Auburn, or Mississippi State during rush or Bid Day that I remember back in the day. Not sure when Bid Day became a family event there.

One of my daughters went Greek at Jacksonville State and their Bid Day was a family event (for those of you who remember the Baby Berry Rush); I went with Ballerina.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by carnation

There weren't moms at Arkansas, Auburn, or Mississippi State during rush or Bid Day that I remember back in the day. Not sure when Bid Day became a family event there.

One of my daughters went Greek at Jacksonville State and their Bid Day was a family event (for those of you who remember the Baby Berry Rush); I went with Ballerina.

I don't think it's a big parent event at UGA, even now.

I think this is may be a generational change even within the SEC. That probably underscores the point that parents should call Greek Life before they show up on bid day.

I don't like the helicopteriness of parents feeling like they have to be there for recruitment itself, but some aspects of family bid day seem pretty cute.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I don't think it's a big parent event at UGA, even now.

When I was a student at UGA, mothers didn't attend bid day events unless they were members of the same sorority as their daughters. It was more common for parents to send gifts to the house or their daughter's dorm. Then again, I rushed a whole decade ago... you never know if things have changed.

I echo the advice to contact the Greek Life Office if you are not sure whether to be there.

[33girl]

I thought from reading GC that parents at SEC bid days far predated the fwap fwap phenomenon.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I thought from reading GC that parents at SEC bid days far predated the fwap fwap phenomenon.

I don't know anything about the culture at some SEC schools, but I think it's been going on at Alabama for a while and at Auburn a somewhat shorter period than Alabama. But if you look at the experience of the average member in her (mid to late?) 30s or 40s or older from those chapters, I don't think they had non-legacy parents at bid day.

But it pre-dated the rise of helicopter parents somewhat, I think.

(I kind of wonder if it changed about the same time that Auburn switched to semesters. Instead of parents sending their kids off for a week and seeing them at the first home football weekend practically the next weekend, on semesters, classes start a couple of weeks earlier than football. With recruitment being before classes, the first big campus event is probably bid day.)

[arrowlady]

I know that both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State the parents go up for Bid day. (have friends that had girls going thru at both schools last year)
I also have a friend who's DD went thru at Alabama last year and she did not go to bid day and her DD really missed her mom being there.

[Ladybugmom]

Originally Posted by arrowlady

I know that both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State the parents go up for Bid day. (have friends that had girls going thru at both schools last year)
I also have a friend who's DD went thru at Alabama last year and she did not go to bid day and her DD really missed her mom being there.

This is very true.. I has several friends whose girls go to OU and OSU and they all went up for Bid Day. It is much more common there than at Texas, although I think it is becoming more common at UT.
I did go to Bid Day last year because my daughter asked me to come. She was down to one house that she really loved and one that she didn't. I wanted to be there with her in case the news was not great...I am one that believes that you should at least go to the house and give the chapter a try, even if it's not the one you had your heart set on. I felt that I needed to be there to encourage her, just in case.
Luckily, she got the one that she wanted and it was a happy day. There were several mom's there and most of the ones that I spoke with were not legacies..they just wanted to support thier daughters. In fact, I rode down with 2 other mom's and neither were legacies.

One of her OOS friends was not so lucky and was very distressed about the bid she got. She was on the phone with her mom wailing...it was not good and I'm sure her mom felt helpless..we did however encourage her to give them a try.

Basically I would feel out some other moms from that particular school that have been through it before to see what they had done. In our case, I had talked to some that went the year before and they were glad they did.