Recruitment Disasters

[PeppyGPhiB]

My sophomore year, on the afternoon of Preference, two young men from my pretty-small university were in a motorcycle accident on a road close to campus. One of them was killed. He was good friends with many women from two chapters in particular, mine and my roommate's. My roommate was one of his best friends, and I knew that her feelings for him had moved beyond friendship. We all found out about the accident less than an hour before Preference parties were set to start, and several of the women from the two chapters were so upset by it that they couldn't participate in the parties. I was a recruitment counselor that year, and I had to bail on my group so I could take care of my roommate. Naturally, Panhellenic knew the PNMs would know something was up at those two sororities, so they gathered the PNMs before the parties to tell them that there had been an accident off campus that required the attention of several chapter members, and that the parties might be a little smaller than they had earlier in the week. They also gave them the head's up that the mood may be very somber. Still, that was a very rough night for the two chapters, and for the PNMs whose nosiness got the best of them and couldn't resist asking the sorority women what had happened - lots of hysteric crying and pref parties that really didn't revolve around the sorority at all.

[SWTXBelle]

While I would never wish a recruitment disaster on any chapter, and certainly not the kind of tragedy Peppy posted about, I will say that seeing how a chapter handles these sorts of things would give you a real glimpse into their sisterhood. It's just like any other relationship - stress brings out the best and worst in people, and can give you insight into their true natures.

I've written before about the coldness shown me by a legacy chapter during my recruitment when I broke down because I had just been told my aunt had died at the age of 32. I saw a side of those women that no one else did; it wasn't pretty. I knew then that they would never be my sisters because in the face of genuine grief they were unsympathetic. I guess that's my recruitment disaster - but in a way, Bev's death helped me find a true sisterhood.