Indiana University 2014 Recruitment

[Xidelt]

Originally Posted by suzy88

I wouldn't recommend turning Rho Gammas in. They are just trying to help their PNMs, even if in an inappropriate way. A lot of what happens at IU rush is not in the Panhellenic spirit. I think that is why the NPC has chosen IU to feature on their website with a message board for parents to complain about recruitment. No other college in the nation has been chosen for that honor.

http://sororityparents.com/2011/01/s...y_bloomington/

NO! Worst advice in this thread! How is anything in this system supposed to change if no one takes a stand and turns a blind eye to this kind of unfair crap? Report this blatantly ugly behavior from the rho gams. IU may never change the fundamentals of how they do recruitment, but small steps such as stopping the unfair stereotypes promoted by the supposedly unaffiliated panhellenic guides may make it a slightly less painful process and allow the unhoused chapters to compete more fairly.

[Mom64]

Just found out that IU cheerleaders were unable to participate in 12 party because of a basketball game, so they submitted "applications" instead. I am unsure if they attended 3 parties, but rumor is they've already received their bids as there is another basketball game tomorrow. Find this hard to believe, so would love to hear that my daughter and her friends have gotten the wrong information.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Just found out that IU cheerleaders were unable to participate in 12 party because of a basketball game, so they submitted "applications" instead. I am unsure if they attended 3 parties, but rumor is they've already received their bids as there is another basketball game tomorrow. Find this hard to believe, so would love to hear that my daughter and her friends have gotten the wrong information.

What difference does it make to you and your daughter?

[Mom64]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

What difference does it make to you and your daughter?

How do houses judge based on an application? As AXOrushadvisor has pointed out, "A lot of recruitment, whether we want to admit it or not, is how you look and dress and the conversations and connection.

It doesn't make a difference to me or my daughter, unless maybe she would have looked better on paper than in person. She was invited back to 11 houses for 12 party, perhaps one of the houses she really liked would have liked her written application and invited her to 3 party.

If this is true it just seems to be another flaw in this year's IU rush process.

[sigmagirl2000]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Just found out that IU cheerleaders were unable to participate in 12 party because of a basketball game, so they submitted "applications" instead. I am unsure if they attended 3 parties, but rumor is they've already received their bids as there is another basketball game tomorrow. Find this hard to believe, so would love to hear that my daughter and her friends have gotten the wrong information.

Well, there must be something in place for students who must miss a party for classes or athletics. I would question the already having bids.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Mom64

How do houses judge based on an application? Isn't it all about "connecting". Doesn't make a difference to me or my daughter, unless maybe she looks better on paper than in person. She was invited back to 11 houses for 12 party, perhaps one of the houses she really liked would have liked her written application. If this is true it just seems to be another flaw in this year's IU rush process.

This isn't peculiar to IU. Schedules are adjusted at most schools to accommodate women who participate in sports, theater, music and Saturday classes.

How chapters evaluate those women is part of membership selection and it's private.

However, looking at it from the outside I would say this: One of the advantages of winter recruitment is that you have time to get to know people and they will vouch for you. I'm sure that cheerleaders in sororities vouched for the PNM cheerleaders that they like. (This can also work against the PNMs. If they did something stupid during their first semester, everybody hears about that as well.)

[Mom64]

Originally Posted by sigmagirl2000

Well, there must be something in place for students who must miss a party for classes or athletics. I would question the already having bids.

Well there wasn't for IU dance majors who had a performance on Saturday and were told they could not rush.

[Mom64]

Originally Posted by KDCat

This isn't peculiar to IU. Schedules are adjusted at most schools to accommodate women who participate in sports, theater, music and Saturday classes.

How chapters evaluate those women is part of membership selection and it's private.

However, looking at it from the outside I would say this: One of the advantages of winter recruitment is that you have time to get to know people and they will vouch for you. I'm sure that cheerleaders in sororities vouched for the PNM cheerleaders that they like. (This can also work against the PNMs. If they did something stupid during their first semester, everybody hears about that as well.)

Indiana is a HUGE school. As an incoming freshman you spend a good portion of your first semester becoming friends with those living on your floor/quad/neighborhood and classes. These are by majority freshman as well. There were little if no pre-recruitment activities, so little chance to get to know people who will vouch for you.

I believe that everything happens for a reason and that my daughter will be just fine. I also believe that sometimes processes need to be reevaluated for the good of everyone. I think that Indiana's rush process needs to be rethought.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Well there wasn't for IU dance majors who had a performance on Saturday and were told they could not rush.

I am very suspicious of this being the gospel truth. Rumors fly like crazy during recruitment. If you didn't hear this directly from someone in charge, I'd take it with a boatload of salt.

[sigmagirl2000]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Well there wasn't for IU dance majors who had a performance on Saturday and were told they could not rush.

I would look further into that, especially if it affected you or your daughter directly. Obviously the first priority for any academic institution should be academics. If this (being told that they couldn't participate in rectuitment because of a mandatory event for their course of study) is indeed the case, I would grieve that with the school's panhellenic directly.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Mom64

Indiana is a HUGE school. As an incoming freshman you spend a good portion of your first semester becoming friends with those living on your floor/quad/neighborhood and classes. These are by majority freshman as well. There were little if no pre-recruitment activities, so little chance to get to know people who will vouch for you.

I believe that everything happens for a reason and that my daughter will be just fine. I also believe that sometimes processes need to be reevaluated for the good of everyone. I think that Indiana's rush process needs to be rethought.

That's not the kind of networking that is most helpful.

There are tons of campus clubs, activities, honor societies, academic clubs, arts groups, and sports. I would highly recommend that freshmen planning on a winter recruitment do something on campus. It's fun. It gives you an opportunity to network (and make genuine friendships) with sorority women who share your interests. It gives you a fallback position if your recruitment doesn't go as hoped.

Good luck to your daughter.

[pinkmama]

The IU cheerleaders who are on the competitive squad were just in Orlando this weekend for the National Cheer competition. Most have friends on the squad in different houses so they would probably receive the same bids if they were present or not so doesn't really effect anyone else.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by suzy88

2013:

• 1,735 women registered
• 1,025 received bids
• 146 women not matched in process
• 182 women released for grades
• 135 participated in preference round and did not receive bids
• 376 withdrew themselves from recruitment
• Nearly 64% of women registered joined chapters

2012:

• 1,720 women registered
• 890 received bids
• 252 women were not matched throughout the process
• 74 released for grades
• 196 participated in preference round and did not receive bids
• 504 withdrew themselves from recruitment
• Nearly 52% of women registered joined chapters
• Average chapter size is 156

2011:

• 1,511 registered for recruitment
• 908 receieved bids
• 85 were released for grades
• 108 participated in preference round and did not receive bids
• 128 were released total
• 340 withdrew themselves from recruitment
• 60% of women registered joined chapters

Here are the statistics, cut and pasted directly from IU Panhellenic's website. The cuts are NOT due to grades. Bed quota is the issue. I believe many women withdraw themselves from recruitment on this campus because they do not feel they are being matched with chapters that they connect with or they are turned off by the nature of this rush. The point is, there aren't enough places for them all in the first place.

I agree that all of the story is not grades, but if you look at the numbers, it is not ALL bed quota either. An average of 394 women withdraw completely rather than being open minded and taking what their options are and giving it a try. EVERY school cuts and at every school women are faced with not having the options they thought they would or should. That was 21.7% last year, 29.3% in 2012 and 22.5% in 2011. As you can see a lot of the fault for the dismal placement numbers lies in the hands of the PNMs who won't take the invitations offered to them. Not all groups fill their slots, so there is room for improvement, but that has to come from both sides.
Getting rid of bed quota won't magically give all these women their top choices. Doesn't work that way.

[DubaiSis]

Good bad or indifferent, the reality is there is a prestige factor with having cheerleaders in your chapter. The fact that they were competing in the national championships only increases that. They would absolutely already be known by the chapter. Consider it unfair if you want, but now is a good time to start accepting that sometimes you're going to lose out to people who you think cut corners.

[suzy88]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I agree that all of the story is not grades, but if you look at the numbers, it is not ALL bed quota either. An average of 394 women withdraw completely rather than being open minded and taking what their options are and giving it a try. EVERY school cuts and at every school women are faced with not having the options they thought they would or should. That was 21.7% last year, 29.3% in 2012 and 22.5% in 2011. As you can see a lot of the fault for the dismal placement numbers lies in the hands of the PNMs who won't take the invitations offered to them. Not all groups fill their slots, so there is room for improvement, but that has to come from both sides.
Getting rid of bed quota won't magically give all these women their top choices. Doesn't work that way.

My daughter rushed in 2011-12. She didn't get a bid. When she asked about informal recruitment, she was told there would be none, because everyone made their numbers! I saw the email from Panhellenic that stated that. I do not know about the other years, but I've heard that they were the same. I agree that women drop because they didn't get their favorites and that is a problem.
However, even if all women maximized their options on this campus, many women would be left out in the cold. Please don't blame the victims for the current situation at IU. They need a system where the number of bids is based on the number of women participating.