a reluctant PNM faces the music

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by facethemusic

PREF PARTIES!!!




Piano - Standing outside this house, I looked it up and down. Could I really see this place as my home for the next four years? Despite everything my mom had said, I still wasn't convinced. Lost in thought, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Amy standing behind me in line. We hugged but didn't have time to update each other because it was time to go in.My face lit up when I was greeted at the door in hushed whispers by my musician friend from Philanthropy Day. I was beyond excited to see her again. She quietly led me to my seat and then joined the other sisters at the front of the room where the presentation would take place. While I was waiting for the presentation to start, I remember watching the sisters up at the front of the room and realizing that my mom had been right about them being beautiful. I can't say much about the presentation without giving away the sorority, but it was absolutely beautiful and had me in tears. The further it progressed, the more in love I became with these sweet and beautiful girls. By the time it closed with a heartfelt poem, I was bawling like a baby. The sisters led each of us away to talk one-on-one. My musician friend handed me a tissue and asked how my week had gone and what my thoughts were toward Piano. I said exactly what I was thinking - that I'd felt nothing but comfortable and at home here all week, but I'd set my sights on other "favorite" chapters and not allowed myself to see how right Piano had felt all along. Then she handed me a folded piece of paper, which I unfolded to reveal a handwritten note. As I started reading, it brought fresh tears to my eyes to read my new friend's sweet and encouraging words about what Piano had seen in me this week. But the end of it was the game changer. We weren't allowed to take our notes with us, but it doesn't matter, because I remember the last few lines of mine almost perfectly.

When I met you on Philanthropy Day, you were wearing a cute silver cross necklace, and the more I talked to you, the more I was convinced that it was more than just a fashion statement to you. I know that being a woman of faith going through recruitment can make you feel like a sheep among wolves, but I want you to know that here at Piano we have so many girls that are striving for the same thing you are. My sisters have infinitely bettered my walk with Christ and I know Piano can do the same for you.

WOAH.

Notice the underlined part?

Nuff said.

Needless to say, this had me sobbing all over again. I assured my friend that they were happy tears but didn't have time to explain because it was time to go now. She led me to the door and told me she sincerely hoped to see me tomorrow, and I returned the sentiment, meaning what I said with all my heart.




Violin - I had to hurriedly put my face back together outside this house, frantically dabbing makeup in all the places where my tears had washed it away. I was greeted at the door by a cute short brunette. I smiled calmly on the outside but was in full panic mode on the inside - I could NOT for the life of me remember this girl's name, when I had met her, or what we had talked about. We looked at each other for a few awkward seconds as she looked like she was trying to read my expression. Finally, she stuck her hand out and introduced herself. She introduced herself. I realized there was a reason I couldn't remember her name - we had never met - and that she was caught off guard by my pretending to recognize her. Well, isn't this awkward. I was frustrated because I knew the is wasn't how Pref was supposed to work, but I masked my disappointment. The ceremony was sweet and heartfelt, and I was somewhat appreciating it until a girl stepped up to the microphone and started to read the first few lines of a poem. They sounded vaguely familiar....it was Piano's poem. Stolen property. Claimed dishonestly to be Violin's own. Underneath my perfectly-polite-PNM appearance, I was seething mad. How dare they assign someone I had never met to pref me and then try to pull on my heartstrings with the same poem another house had already used to steal my heart? If I wasn't already sorely disappointed with this Pref party, the very end sealed my decision. Each sister had made the girl she was preffing a small item with an adjective written on it; a trait they had seen in us that week. My hostess handed me mine, and it read outgoing. "Yeah, I just guessed since I don't know you. I hope I guessed right," she shrugged. Um....nope. WRONG. I thanked her and tried to appear appreciative, but I was ready to just get OUT of this house. I felt like a number here, a nameless face, dehumanized by a house that was fighting tooth and nail to make quota not really caring WHO they pledged as long as they pledged SOMEONE. I didn't like the feeling.

You do realize that the same couple of poems get passed around and claimed by everyone, right? I can even guess what it was.

[carnation]

What she said. Piano could have even ganked it from Violin. The songs are the same way; every group out there has a version of "Today". Change the colors and mascots you're singing about and voila!

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by carnation

What she said. Piano could have even ganked it from Violin. The songs are the same way; every group out there has a version of "Today". Change the colors and mascots you're singing about and voila!

Amen, what Carnation said!

[AOII Angel]

But she heard it first at Piano so Violin must have stolen it!

[MysticCat]

Non-NPC/non-female perspective, but I can imagine a PNM thinking that the second sorority "stole" the poem, especially when coupled with the fact that people at Piano seemed to know who she was, while her rusher at Violin didn't. That fosters an insincerity vibe.

My sense was that facethemusic was relaying her impressions at the time. If that's the case, and If there are poems that everyone uses, we'll hope she learned that once she was on the other side of recruitment.

Serious question -- why would a chapter use the same poem they know other groups will use? It would seem to me to make sense for ABC to have apoem (or song or whatever) that is specific to them.

/guyness

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Non-NPC/non-female perspective, but I can imagine a PNM thinking that the second sorority "stole" the poem, especially when coupled with the fact that people at Piano seemed to know who she was, while her rusher at Violin didn't. That fosters an insincerity vibe.

My sense was that facethemusic was relaying her impressions at the time. If that's the case, and If there are poems that everyone uses, we'll hope she learned that once she was on the other side of recruitment.

Serious question -- why would a chapter use the same poem they know other groups will use? It would seem to me to make sense for ABC to have apoem (or song or whatever) that is specific to them.

/guyness

They may not know what the other chapter is using. Even if a significant number of members had previously pref'd at the other chapter, you'd be surprised how few remember the details of the ceremony. It's easy at a campus with three other groups like where I went to school. Our prefs were so different, but in a school with this many chapters, the overlap will be inevitable since we have so many songs, etc in common.

ETA: In the end, saying our prefs are all so different is pretty funny anyway since in the end they all do and say pretty much the same thing. We use the same songs and poems because they convey the same message that we all want to send to the PNMs. You could take the same ceremony and insert new set of letters and give it to every sorority on campus and the PNMs would come out swearing that ABC's was better than XYZ's because of preconceived ideas, bonds formed during the week, conversations during the party, etc.

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

You do realize that the same couple of poems get passed around and claimed by everyone, right? I can even guess what it was.

Right? Absolutely ridiculous.

[Tulip86]

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

Right? Absolutely ridiculous.

I get that it's normal that all groups all use the same poems and songs but I get how an 18 year old girl who loves 1 chapter, and dislikes the other can interpret it differently.

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

I get that it's normal that all groups all use the same poems and songs but I get how an 18 year old girl who loves 1 chapter, and dislikes the other can interpret it differently.

Yeah, but it's still completely ridiculous to be "seething mad" and call it "stolen property."