"I'm rushing 'for' a certain chapter"

[groovypq]

I'm a little late to this thread (new baby will do that to you...) but I have noticed this trend in the past year or so. The School Class of 2017 Facebook page is rife with posts about "What sorority are you rushing? I'm rushing XYZ!" or "I know which sorority I want!" and they clearly don't have any idea how recruitment works. And since we're a deferred-recruitment school, they will only be MORE sure of they're "rushing XYZ" by the time recruitment rolls around.

We're a small school (4 NPC orgs) and really, most people are XYZ or bust - and they drop out if XYZ cuts them. Either they go through informal the next fall and try to get in that way or they don't go social Greek (a lot join the service org... and I am NOT knocking service orgs, but at my school there are indeed a lot of people who join it just for letters, unfortunately). I really, really wish there were a way to get PNMs to be more open-minded.

Side note: my chapter's province president is constantly telling them to stop using "rush" and "pledge." However, it seems like no one on campus uses the "proper" terminology. She said once she gets the "campus culture," but still every year there's a lonnnng discourse about proper terminology. I'm not sure how to correct it.

[carnation]

Wow, I just saw how many views this thread has.

Anyway, take note, PNMs! You may have favorites but if you're doing an NPC recruitment, pleeease don't publicize your choices. That's likely to end badly.

[Old_Row]

Originally Posted by groovypq

I'm a little late to this thread (new baby will do that to you...) but I have noticed this trend in the past year or so. The School Class of 2017 Facebook page is rife with posts about "What sorority are you rushing? I'm rushing XYZ!" or "I know which sorority I want!" and they clearly don't have any idea how recruitment works. And since we're a deferred-recruitment school, they will only be MORE sure of they're "rushing XYZ" by the time recruitment rolls around.

We're a small school (4 NPC orgs) and really, most people are XYZ or bust - and they drop out if XYZ cuts them. Either they go through informal the next fall and try to get in that way or they don't go social Greek (a lot join the service org... and I am NOT knocking service orgs, but at my school there are indeed a lot of people who join it just for letters, unfortunately). I really, really wish there were a way to get PNMs to be more open-minded.

Side note: my chapter's province president is constantly telling them to stop using "rush" and "pledge." However, it seems like no one on campus uses the "proper" terminology. She said once she gets the "campus culture," but still every year there's a lonnnng discourse about proper terminology. I'm not sure how to correct it.

I think it might be a little more understandable at a smaller school maybe? With only four sororities it seems like maybe they would all have pretty distinct personalities and there would be a bigger difference between them especially if they are smaller too? A big difference from a school that has a bunch of houses and maybe 200 or 300 members where you could probably find a place in almost any of them if you gave them a chance?

[angels&angles]

Originally Posted by Old_Row

I think it might be a little more understandable at a smaller school maybe? With only four sororities it seems like maybe they would all have pretty distinct personalities and there would be a bigger difference between them especially if they are smaller too? A big difference from a school that has a bunch of houses and maybe 200 or 300 members where you could probably find a place in almost any of them if you gave them a chance?

Coming from a smaller school with fewer chapters--

In some ways, yes. BUT I still don't think you could possibly know that before you get to the school. At that point it is 100% tent talk which is still mostly gossip and untrue, even at a small school. Over half the members without bids at my school came from PNMs dropping out when they didn't get "their" chapter, and it was crap. Any of those girls would have done well and had a great time at any of the chapters. Even in a smaller school with smaller chapters, I think you can find your place with any group.

And most of the girls who are doing that sort of thing are going off of "XYZ is the most popular. I belong in XYZ."

/soapbox

[I should note, as stated earlier, that I rushed "for" a group. and it wasn't the "best" group like I just generalized. But I didn't do that until I'd been on campus for a few months, and, in retrospect, I do think I would have enjoyed myself in any of the groups on campus. I wouldn't have thought so at the time, and Pi Phi was 100% the best fit for me, but I would have been a-ok and had a great experience anyway]

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Old_Row

I think it might be a little more understandable at a smaller school maybe? With only four sororities it seems like maybe they would all have pretty distinct personalities and there would be a bigger difference between them especially if they are smaller too? A big difference from a school that has a bunch of houses and maybe 200 or 300 members where you could probably find a place in almost any of them if you gave them a chance?

Interestingly, I think this kind of works against what you're trying to argue. If a PNM could "definitely" fit in with at least a small group of sisters in a chapter of 200-300 girls, then she could hypothetically join any one and it wouldn't matter if she focused on only one group. If, on the other hand, there were only 20 sisters in a chapter, she'd have to truly make sure that she fit in with at least a couple of them, and she'd have less of a chance of that happening than she would in a larger chapter. She'd be better off increasing her chances of meeting people she clicks with by being open to more chapters.

My school had 3 chapters. When I was active, there were between 10 and 30 members in each, and we only held informal recruitment. On numerous occasions, we had PNMs who would go through recruitment set on one chapter. They wouldn't get a bid. We had one girl come out to ONLY our recruitment events for THREE semesters before she finally got the hint, went to recruitment events for a different chapter for one semester, and received a bid. She loved her time with her chapter.

I think it's sometimes misleading to say that "small schools/Greek systems are different" when it comes to having an open mind. And I would say you should definitely keep an open mind if you haven't even arrived at school yet, regardless of which school you attend.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by groovypq

I'm a little late to this thread (new baby will do that to you...) but I have noticed this trend in the past year or so. The School Class of 2017 Facebook page is rife with posts about "What sorority are you rushing? I'm rushing XYZ!" or "I know which sorority I want!" and they clearly don't have any idea how recruitment works. And since we're a deferred-recruitment school, they will only be MORE sure of they're "rushing XYZ" by the time recruitment rolls around.

We're a small school (4 NPC orgs) and really, most people are XYZ or bust - and they drop out if XYZ cuts them. Either they go through informal the next fall and try to get in that way or they don't go social Greek (a lot join the service org... and I am NOT knocking service orgs, but at my school there are indeed a lot of people who join it just for letters, unfortunately). I really, really wish there were a way to get PNMs to be more open-minded.

Side note: my chapter's province president is constantly telling them to stop using "rush" and "pledge." However, it seems like no one on campus uses the "proper" terminology. She said once she gets the "campus culture," but still every year there's a lonnnng discourse about proper terminology. I'm not sure how to correct it.

Ok, here's the question. Are you doing deferred recruitment correctly? You don't have a lot of silly rules about no contact first semester, RAs have to disaffiliate, freshmen can't go to fraternity parties, etc etc, do you?

The more NORMAL contact PNMs have with sorority members, the more open minded they will be, as they will get to know them as normal human people. The more rules and garbage are put in the way, and the harder it is to make a simple person to person connection, the more closed-minded the PNMs will be.

And if the worst thing in the world that's happening at your school is that people are saying "rush" and "pledge" your province president needs a chill pill. They've been trying to eradicate these terms for decades now, and the fact that it hasn't happened just hits home that the "proper" terms are stupid.

[groovypq]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Ok, here's the question. Are you doing deferred recruitment correctly? You don't have a lot of silly rules about no contact first semester, RAs have to disaffiliate, freshmen can't go to fraternity parties, etc etc, do you?

The more NORMAL contact PNMs have with sorority members, the more open minded they will be, as they will get to know them as normal human people. The more rules and garbage are put in the way, and the harder it is to make a simple person to person connection, the more closed-minded the PNMs will be.

And if the worst thing in the world that's happening at your school is that people are saying "rush" and "pledge" your province president needs a chill pill. They've been trying to eradicate these terms for decades now, and the fact that it hasn't happened just hits home that the "proper" terms are stupid.

I'd say it's hit or miss on doing it "correctly." We had four Greek advisers in six years (and are soon to get another new one), and each one did things differently. There are no rules about first-semester contact or fraternity parties, but last year the rho chis were chosen and had to disaffiliate about halfway through the first semester (and were watched like HAWKS).

In the past, freshmen were allowed to attend informal recruitment parties, just not receive bids. I did think that gave them a taste of things and allowed them to get to know sorority women. Now, though, we do dynamic recruitment which is a whole different kettle of fish (I don't even have it all figured out yet).

And yes, I agree on the chill pill needed.

[33girl]

WTF is dynamic recruitment? That sounds like some sort of horrible corporatespeak.

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by 33girl

WTF is dynamic recruitment? That sounds like some sort of horrible corporatespeak.

Yeah. Like when I had one job but 5 bosses that didn't report to one another or even to the same C-Suite.

[groovypq]

Originally Posted by 33girl

WTF is dynamic recruitment? That sounds like some sort of horrible corporatespeak.

Truthfully, I have yet to figure it all out. Last fall for informal recruitment, it meant my chapter and one other, who only had 2-4 openings, recruited by meeting PNMs for lunch, coffee, etc. (hanging out with sisters) and then extending bids to fill the spots. The other two chapters, who had graduated large senior classes and had more spots, held open houses. There was still a bid day.

I didn't like this method because, even though it was only open to sophomores and above, I felt like it put my chapter at a disadvantage because, even if freshmen couldn't attend open houses, they'd at least be seeing the fliers/posters/Facebook invites and it would put a chapter's name in their heads. With my chapter not doing open houses, their name wasn't getting out there as much. Now, they had the rest of the semester to get to know freshman PNMs but still... first impressions.

Also, my chapter lost out on some great PNMs because they wanted the "experience" of going to open houses.

To me, it was too much of a free-for-all. I've been told by my chapter members who are Panhel exec members that it will be more coordinated this year. We'll see.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by groovypq

Truthfully, I have yet to figure it all out. Last fall for informal recruitment, it meant my chapter and one other, who only had 2-4 openings, recruited by meeting PNMs for lunch, coffee, etc. (hanging out with sisters) and then extending bids to fill the spots. The other two chapters, who had graduated large senior classes and had more spots, held open houses. There was still a bid day.

I didn't like this method because, even though it was only open to sophomores and above, I felt like it put my chapter at a disadvantage because, even if freshmen couldn't attend open houses, they'd at least be seeing the fliers/posters/Facebook invites and it would put a chapter's name in their heads. With my chapter not doing open houses, their name wasn't getting out there as much. Now, they had the rest of the semester to get to know freshman PNMs but still... first impressions.

Also, my chapter lost out on some great PNMs because they wanted the "experience" of going to open houses.

To me, it was too much of a free-for-all. I've been told by my chapter members who are Panhel exec members that it will be more coordinated this year. We'll see.

That's wrong to hogtie the chapters by not allowing them all to do the same thing and call it any sort of organized effort. With truly open COB, not coordinated in any way by Panhel, it's up to the chapters how they want to rush. If ABC wants to have huge open houses and skits to fill 3 spots, they can. If XYZ wants to fill the 20 spots they have with the 20 girls on the softball team without throwing a single party, with just walking over to practice and giving the girls the bids, they can.

But if Panhellenic is coordinating an effort, there should be AT LEAST one night where ALL the rushees meet ALL the chapters, regardless of their current size. To do otherwise isn't very Panhellenic.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

WTF is dynamic recruitment? That sounds like some sort of horrible corporatespeak.

Phired Up refers to their style of recruitment as "dynamic." It basically promotes what you've said here regarding the fostering of more "normal" conversations and relationships.

Originally Posted by 33girl

The more NORMAL contact PNMs have with sorority members, the more open minded they will be, as they will get to know them as normal human people. The more rules and garbage are put in the way, and the harder it is to make a simple person to person connection, the more closed-minded the PNMs will be.

I would guess it's not some weird kind of recruitment style that groovypg's campus Panhellenic created.

But I could be wrong...