Indiana University 2014 Recruitment

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by silver_blue

Ding ding ding! I wish I would have had the foresight at 19 to tell IU the reason for my transfer.

Future PNMs who might have stumble upon this post in the future: if being greek is 100% something crucial to your future college experience, I beg of you, please do not go to IU, ESPECIALLY if you are out of state! You can get similar experiences at Illinois, Purdue, Kentucky, etc. and they, like 99.9% of other schools, have a "normal" quota based recruitment system where (if you maximize your options) you are very likely to have a successful recruitment.

I don't think you are wrong about considering other schools if you really want to be Greek, but I would advise a woman that, as important as it seems when you are 18, taking on huge debt to go out of state is probably *not* worth it just to be in a sorority. As valuable as my sorority membership is to me, I would hope that parents of Indiana teenagers help them see the long-term big picture of what happens when you go out of state.

ETA: Though obviously Purdue is in-state, and Ball State is also an option with healthy Greek Life, IIRC.

[stbemtpynest]

Originally Posted by Iu mom

My daughters rho gam has called (not texted) to check on her and take her to dinner. She is just as confused she said as my daughter.

What a sweet rho gamma! It certainly takes a special kind of woman to want to be a rho gamma at IU, knowing she will have to deal with the heartbreak of so many bidless women. I sure wouldn't want that job! I can barely stand reading this forum without bursting into tears

[silver_blue]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I don't think you are wrong about considering other schools if you really want to be Greek, but I would advise a woman that, as important as it seems when you are 18, taking on huge debt to go out of state is probably *not* worth it just to be in a sorority. As valuable as my sorority membership is to me, I would hope that parents of Indiana teenagers help them see the long-term big picture of what happens when you go out of state.

ETA: Though obviously Purdue is in-state, and Ball State is also an option with healthy Greek Life, IIRC.

Totally agree. I meant that if you are out of state (ie not an Indiana) resident that it probably not be worth it to attend IU if you are dead-set on being in a sorority. If you are in state, Purdue and Ball State are great options if you want a big public school, and with scholarships, the cost of schools like Butler and Depauw are also options and they both have thriving greek systems too.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by silver_blue

Totally agree. I meant that if you are out of state (ie not an Indiana) resident that it probably not be worth it to attend IU if you are dead-set on being in a sorority. If you are in state, Purdue and Ball State are great options if you want a big public school, and with scholarships, the cost of schools like Butler and Depauw are also options and they both have thriving greek systems too.

Gotcha. I have no idea why so many kids from my (Illinois) high school went to Indiana. I assumed at the time it was easier to get into IU.

[silver_blue]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Gotcha. I have no idea why so many kids from my (Illinois) high school went to Indiana. I assumed at the time it was easier to get into IU.

Illinois is pretty hard to get into as an in-state student (especially from the Chicago suburbs), from what I understand. Plus, Illinois is fairly expensive even in-state, so that's why so many Chicago suburbs kids end up at Purdue, IU, Kentucky, etc.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Gotcha. I have no idea why so many kids from my (Illinois) high school went to Indiana. I assumed at the time it was easier to get into IU.

I think at the time it was easier. My Illinois high school had the same scenario. (Except throw in that like 30% of kids went to Marquette.)

Also, I would question the validity of a new member class having 36 legacies. That would be a huge number at a school where quota is in the 80s. Just remember rumors fly like wildfire in recruitment, and especially one as chaotic as IU's. Take any kind of anecdotal information with skepticism.

[cinder1965]

Originally Posted by silver_blue

Just emailed my mom for her take, as she pledged an IU sorority in 1981. She says that her pledge class was 30 women and house total was 80 then (can't remember if that was set by PHA or her chapter). Her junior year, total was raised to 90 and they allowed senior live outs for the first time, increasing pledge class totals by 10. EDIT: she doesn't remember if PHA set total then, but she does remember that in 1983, they had 10 more girls living in the house because of a campus-wide mandate to increase numbers.

She's been reading this thread too, and says that the quota problem still existed in the early 80s (kind of the hey day of IU greek life, before a lot of crack downs happened) and that there were only 18 chapters on campus then.

In 1983, IU made national news for having the largest rush in the country with 1600 women. My mom was a rush counselor/rho gamma that year and remembered a lot of heartbreak. She says it was even worse then because you only got to attend 2 pref rounds, so a LOT of cross-cutting happened resulting in bidless women.

In re: 33girl's comment about little sis programs, my mom says those were more of a prelude to sorority membership more than anything, that lil sis women had easier times joining sororities because of their lil sis involvement.

Phi Mu came to campus in 1980 and had the entire chapter live in the Poplars building (then apartments, now offices), which she said helped with the stigma of being unhoused.

Basically what I'm getting at here is that these same issues have been around for DECADES at IU and nothing ever changes because the women in the greek system are winners of IU's hunger games-style recruitment, they like being elitists and could care less that they're excluding around 40% of the women who also would like to go greek. Something has to change, but I seriously doubt it ever will. I'm only 25, but a huge IU supporter still, even though I ended up transferring. A daughter of mine will never attend IU because of my experiences there.

I went through rush 84-85 at Purdue when we still had bed quota, like most campuses...let me tell it was brutal. We had some 1500 girls rushing for 500 spots at the max (I think there were 16 houses back then,I may be slightly off on my numbers but not too far off!). Five of us on my dorm floor rushed together and only two got bids (one of us was a legacy and her sister was a senior in the house). All of us were invited to 2 prefs (the max back then). I am quite sure all of us maxed our options. I stayed up till 2 am comforting the three who did not get bids, they were sobbing. I almost did not take my bid because it was so emotionally distressing. In the end, I did take my bid but fully expected to drop out, obviously I didn't . I can remember that awful experience like it was yesterday....

Fast forward, Purdue has added at least three chapters (maybe more) since I was there AND now does campus total. IT WORKS FINE. I have no idea how they transitioned or what prompted or provided the leadership....maybe someone on GC knows this history???? Anyway, Purdue did it and the Greek system seems healthy and vibrant to me.

It continues to be perplexing to me why IU can't do this too.....its just ridiculous.

[AOIILisa]

Originally Posted by Lalucas

Can someone explain how transfer in works?

I know of several girls who did that at IU and became part of a house as sophomores that probably wouldn't have been chosen into as a freshman. are there policies etc? They probably don't have to take you but maybe they usually do....sisterhood and all.

for any future PNM thinking of IU and wanting to increase the odds of getting into an IU sorority... what about going somewhere else and joining a sorority there

Originally Posted by 33girl

No. No. No no no no no. This is awful and terrible and shady and rude and about a zillion other bad things.

I guess I don't understand why this is wrong? Isn't a sister a sister no matter what school she goes to because aren't the ideals for a sorority (and I guess, the selection criteria) the same everywhere?

I know at least one person that did just that - came to my school to become an XYZ then promptly transferred out. And this was 30+ years ago.

[Maman]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I think at the time it was easier. My Illinois high school had the same scenario. (Except throw in that like 30% of kids went to Marquette.)

Also, I would question the validity of a new member class having 36 legacies. That would be a huge number at a school where quota is in the 80s. Just remember rumors fly like wildfire in recruitment, and especially one as chaotic as IU's. Take any kind of anecdotal information with skepticism.

Could you provide the post number for 36 legacies in a bid class?

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by AOIILisa

I guess I don't understand why this is wrong? Isn't a sister a sister no matter what school she goes to because aren't the ideals for a sorority (and I guess, the selection criteria) the same everywhere?

I know at least one person that did just that - came to my school to become an XYZ then promptly transferred out. And this was 30+ years ago.

Most members in competitive greek systems know the score and do not appreciate this kind of scheming to get into a strong chapter. It is gamesmanship. It is one thing to legitimately transfer, but to intentionally rush at a school with an easier path to membership and then transfer to Difficult U is not appreciated. I would add that it shows a lack of respect to the sisters at Easy U.

[Mom64]

I am still so confuse as to why the Greek system which promotes the empowering of women would have such an exclusive selection system at IU. To tell women they are "not good enough" to be in their chapter and for many the entire "Greek system" after meeting most of these women for 45 - 175 minutes is atrocious and reminiscent of middle school attitudes and bullying.

The system at IU probably will not change because those who are accepted into it are made to feel special to be admitted into such an exclusive system. While every PNM may not be a perfect fit for every chapter, with 21 chapters there should be a fit for everyone.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by Iu mom

This is so sad. My daughters rho gam has called (not texted) to check on her and take her to dinner. She is just as confused she said as my daughter. Sadly we love all the other aspects of IU - her major and the campus - it's just this situation. She will keep her chin up and be sure to attend sorority open events- she just found out that a house she loved took 36 legacies which was almost their whole class. My sorority didn't honor her as a legacy...

Here you go - post #568.

[silver_blue]

Originally Posted by Mom64

The system at IU probably will not change because those who are accepted into it are made to feel special to be admitted into such an exclusive system. While every PNM may not be a perfect fit for every chapter, with 21 chapters there should be a fit for everyone.

This sums it up perfectly, I couldn't have said it any better. At virtually every other school, there is usually a fit SOMEWHERE for everyone. Yes, even at Alabama and Ole Miss.

[Katmandu]

To tell women they are "not good enough" to be in their chapter and for many the entire "Greek system" after meeting most of these women for 45 - 175 minutes is atrocious and reminiscent of middle school attitudes and bullying.


And for a potential member to tell the un-housed chapters that they are "not good enough" just because they are un-housed after meeting them for 45-75 minutes is also atrocious and reminiscent of middle school attitudes and bullying. You are angry and hurt, but formal recruitment consists of each side making snap decisions after brief parties. In fact, a 45 minute party is long in comparison to many.

In competitive recruitments, most, if not all of the potential members are pretty, smart, active and accomplished. That makes them average in the pool. We all agree, IU is a difficult situation, but no one is telling the PNMs they are not good enough. In fact many of the girls who went bidless could well have active members who were pulling for them and deeply saddened that they didn't end up high enough on the bid list and come running to the house on Bid Night.

[clemsongirl]

Originally Posted by AOIILisa

I guess I don't understand why this is wrong? Isn't a sister a sister no matter what school she goes to because aren't the ideals for a sorority (and I guess, the selection criteria) the same everywhere?

I know at least one person that did just that - came to my school to become an XYZ then promptly transferred out. And this was 30+ years ago.

Originally Posted by irishpipes

Most members in competitive greek systems know the score and do not appreciate this kind of scheming to get into a strong chapter. It is gamesmanship. It is one thing to legitimately transfer, but to intentionally rush at a school with an easier path to membership and then transfer to Difficult U is not appreciated. I would add that it shows a lack of respect to the sisters at Easy U.

What irishpipes said, plus a move like that completely defeats the purpose of attending a school for an education first and a social life second. It's one thing to join and then decide that you'd like to go to a different school for whatever reason, but deliberately transferring schools solely for the sake of attempting to join a prestigious chapter shows that you have those priorities backwards. Plus it can backfire pretty quickly if a chapter that isn't required to let transfers affiliate with them decides they don't want to take a transfer and leaves the transfer chapter-less.