Rush - What to NOT do or say

[winnie_tuck]

The talk of religion on here is stated as something obscure and weird to bring up. I would make sure any chapter I was considering had some kind of Christian based beliefs.

[Greek_or_Geek?]

Originally Posted by winnie_tuck

The talk of religion on here is stated as something obscure and weird to bring up. I would make sure any chapter I was considering had some kind of Christian based beliefs.

Uh huh.

[jazing]

Originally Posted by winnie_tuck

The talk of religion on here is stated as something obscure and weird to bring up. I would make sure any chapter I was considering had some kind of Christian based beliefs.

I would figure for a group like AEPhi it would be imperative to bring it up, right? I don't know about sorority recruitment so this is my question. Same thing goes for Sigma Delta Tau, another Jewish based organization.

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by jazing

I would figure for a group like AEPhi it would be imperative to bring it up, right? I don't know about sorority recruitment so this is my question. Same thing goes for Sigma Delta Tau, another Jewish based organization.

NO. Not necessarily. Historically Jewish sororities now have members from many religious traditions; historically Christian sororities have the same. Much depends on the individual campus.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by winnie_tuck

I do not agree that religion is not a part of almost all members' lives.

Couldn't you fit one more negative in there somewhere?

Originally Posted by winnie_tuck

The talk of religion on here is stated as something obscure and weird to bring up.

Not appropriate to the time or place =/= obscure and weird to bring up.

[jazing]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

NO. Not necessarily. Historically Jewish sororities now have members from many religious traditions; historically Christian sororities have the same. Much depends on the individual campus.

While I get what you are saying, I find it very hard to believe a group like AEPhi won't question a girl about it. I say this because when we rush we ask about it, being in a similar situation. I just want to know how a sorority deals with it.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by jazing

While I get what you are saying, I find it very hard to believe a group like AEPhi won't question a girl about it. I say this because when we rush we ask about it, being in a similar situation. I just want to know how a sorority deals with it.

Sorority recruitment =\= fraternity recruitment.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by jazing

While I get what you are saying, I find it very hard to believe a group like AEPhi won't question a girl about it. I say this because when we rush we ask about it, being in a similar situation. I just want to know how a sorority deals with it.

I think that it is pretty obvious, on the sorority side, which PNM's are Jewish. Remember that we have their full names, hometowns, high schools, and often parents' names and affiliations as well. We also have lists of activities, like BBYO, USY, NFTY, etc., and "I was a camp counselor this summer" usually means Jewish up here (GC was the first time I'd ever heard of people going to camp that wasn't Jewish summer camp).

In fact, I'm pretty surprised that you say you ask guys if they are Jewish, because I would assume most of the guys you rush are people you already know, and through similar networks.

I think the larger concern, at my school, was the information going in the other direction. AEPhi and SDT were diverse, but still predominantly Jewish, and I think they would typically bring this up with non-Jewish women at 2nd invitational. By then, I think there was enough chatter among PNM's for everyone to know they were the "Jewish houses", but I definitely understand why they would want to be certain the PNM's had that information before deciding with preference parties to attend. At schools where those chapters are not predominantly Jewish, I doubt it would even be a conversation.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by jazing

While I get what you are saying, I find it very hard to believe a group like AEPhi won't question a girl about it. I say this because when we rush we ask about it, being in a similar situation. I just want to know how a sorority deals with it.

1. There are 26 NPC sororities.

2. There are 75 NIC fraternities.

3. One of NPC's functions is to create a "level playing field" for all of its groups, as far as rush and expansion are concerned. This is not true in the NIC.

4. Many NIC fraternities have a narrow focus, such as Beta Sigma Psi (you have to be Lutheran) or Triangle (you can only join if you are pursuing one of several majors).

5. 3 and 4 would by necessity be mutually exclusive.

In other words, there may be chapters of AEPhi and SDT with nary a Jewish woman in them.

[BraveMaroon]

Back about 20 years ago, as rushers during house tour (3rd round), we were told we had to say "We were founded by five Christian women at Colby College in 1874" at some point - just to let people know...

The same "full disclosure" happened at both the two Jewish houses and the two Christian houses I visited as a rushee.

I was raised in a mixed religion household, so either way, I was good to go, but I can see where with some girls it would have been a BIG FREAKING DEAL.

But that was a long time ago - wonder if they still do that?

[sigmagirl2000]

Originally Posted by BraveMaroon

Back about 20 years ago, as rushers during house tour (3rd round), we were told we had to say "We were founded by five Christian women at Colby College in 1874" at some point - just to let people know...

The same "full disclosure" happened at both the two Jewish houses and the two Christian houses I visited as a rushee.

I was raised in a mixed religion household, so either way, I was good to go, but I can see where with some girls it would have been a BIG FREAKING DEAL.

But that was a long time ago - wonder if they still do that?

I am a legacy to Sigma Kappa through my stepsister (2 years older and was at a different school) and I didn't know much about greek life. My stepsister is Jewish and only one other person from my high school who happened to be from my synagogue went to UMass and happened to be in Sigma Kappa. We happened to have AEPhi and SDT on campus. Imagine my surprise during initiation when I found out that not only was my sorority founded on Christian principles, but that there were 2 traditionally Jewish houses on campus though our chapter had a good percentage of Jewish sisters....

I think it would have been nice of someone to mention along the way, not that it would have changed my mind or that I would have known better. I was a COB so it wouldn't have mattered....

[Greek_or_Geek?]

Originally Posted by 33girl

In other words, there may be chapters of AEPhi and SDT with nary a Jewish woman in them.

Yup. There are also chapters of sororities founded by Christians that have almost exclusively Jewish membership. Different schools. Different demographics. One can't make assumptions based on national histories nor the local chapters they are familiar with.

[jazing]

Originally Posted by Greek_or_Geek?

Yup. There are also chapters of sororities founded by Christians that have almost exclusively Jewish membership. Different schools. Different demographics. One can't make assumptions based on national histories nor the local chapters they are familiar with.

I would think the national office wants to keep them at a certain % if it is part of their mission statement like it is for us. A Jewish organization with less than 50% Jewish really isn't maintaining who they are, fraternity or sorority.

That's my opinion at least when it comes to that.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by winnie_tuck

The talk of religion on here is stated as something obscure and weird to bring up. I would make sure any chapter I was considering had some kind of Christian based beliefs.

If a PNM brought this up during recruitment in front of me, I would assume that a person who is looking for "some kind of Christian based beliefs" would be uncomfortable in our chapter because we had sisters of other faiths. It would make me assume that the person was not a good match for our chapter.

PNMs should NOT bring up religion. It's too loaded a topic and they just don't know enough about the people to whom they are talking to raise such a sensitive subject.