Indiana University Recruitment 2019

[Sister Havana]

Originally Posted by robinseggblue

To any parents whose daughter may have been released from recruitment or dropped recruitment and still wants to give Greek Life a chance--at least one chapter will be doing informal recruitment. I say this because at least one chapter already has some stuff up related to informal recruitment. If your daughter is serious, she should contact Panhellenic and/or the Greek Life office, and also keep an eye out on social media.

And those chapters that may not be the strongest during formal recruitment may really shine during informal recruitment.

[APhi2KD]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoses

My apologies if I seem short, but every year people complain about how horrible IU recruitment can be. And every year they try and make it better. At this point it seems to me that we are in a situation where there are plenty of available bids- it's just that the bids that are available aren't to the groups the Ds think they "deserve".

I would LOVE to see a large group of amazing women all join one of the "bottom tier" groups en mass and flip the whole thing on it's head. then again, I would love for the women to stand up to the fraternities and refuse to "pair" unless all the fraternities paired with all the sororities. Alas I doubt that will happen as some of the members seems to relish in the tier structure.

SO. MUCH. THIS.

[sigmagirl2000]

I've seen that SEVERAL groups that made quota along with SEVERAL groups that didn't make quota will be doing informal recruitment. Looks like almost half the chapters will be as far as I can tell.....

[SigmaCat]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoses

My apologies if I seem short, but every year people complain about how horrible IU recruitment can be. And every year they try and make it better. At this point it seems to me that we are in a situation where there are plenty of available bids- it's just that the bids that are available aren't to the groups the Ds think they "deserve".

I would LOVE to see a large group of amazing women all join one of the "bottom tier" groups en mass and flip the whole thing on it's head. then again, I would love for the women to stand up to the fraternities and refuse to "pair" unless all the fraternities paired with all the sororities. Alas I doubt that will happen as some of the members seems to relish in the tier structure.

I adore this idea. I didn't join a sorority for validation from "popular" girls and boys, and I know I'm not alone.

[pinkmama]

Originally Posted by sigmagirl2000

I've seen that SEVERAL groups that made quota along with SEVERAL groups that didn't make quota will be doing informal recruitment. Looks like almost half the chapters will be as far as I can tell.....

No way 11 chapters are holding informal? Truely find that hard to believe

[spillthetea]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoses

It is what I was told by the Rho Gammas and the information sent out by Panhellenic prior to recruitment starting. I am a recruitment advisor at IU and was in Bloomington living in the sorority house for the past two weeks. As such, I have access to the raw data within the recruitment system (ICS). I can see the numbers as they change. As previously stated, I don't see a huge number of unmatched women based on the number that signed bid cards Sunday night versus the number of bids handed out.
I will say that there are plenty of Ds and Ds friends that may not want to admit that this is on them and want to "blame the system".

I will also say that having spent plenty of time with Rho Gammas over the past two weeks that if the Rho Gammas are reflecting their chapters then any woman that gets a bid to ANY house is lucky to be a member. I couldn't "guess" what chapter most of the Rho Gammas were members of- I was just as shocked as to whom was a member of a "top tier" as I was "bottom tier".

Just wondering if PNMs get dropped often for being disrespectful at houses? I read somewhere that if a PNM is blatantly disrespectful to a house at pref, they can be dropped from the process. Wondering if you have numbers showing that? Is a girl notified she has been dismissed from recruitment or just told she didn’t get a bid? Some of the parents on the FB were upset that there daughters were “made” to go to a house that she never wanted. Wondering if some of these girls weren’t dismissed for attitude?

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by spillthetea

Just wondering if PNMs get dropped often for being disrespectful at houses? I read somewhere that if a PNM is blatantly disrespectful to a house at pref, they can be dropped from the process. Wondering if you have numbers showing that? Is a girl notified she has been dismissed from recruitment or just told she didn’t get a bid? Some of the parents on the FB were upset that there daughters were “made” to go to a house that she never wanted. Wondering if some of these girls weren’t dismissed for attitude?

If a PNM is "dismissed for attitude", the PNM is contacted by Panhellenic and is told exactly why she is being released. When will parents understand that recruitment is conducted by private organizations, it will not always be fair in their eyes. As an adult, I must to do things daily that I don't want to do. It's part of life. If a young adult cannot do things he or she doesn't want to do, life is going to be very tough for him or her.

[MichiganM]

I don’t understand this tier system. Maybe someone could educate me. Is it simply who the sorority pairs with? So sorority A is top tier an IU, but bottom tier at say....Ohio State?

Forgive my ignorance, just seeking to understand.

[KSUViolet06]

Sorority members also talk to each other. Even women who aren't in same chapter.

If someone is super rude at (example) Kappa, don't think Kappa girls will not tell their Zeta, ADPi, etc. friends.

See also: The Rho Gammas. Do not think for a second that they do not get the tea on who is rude and pass it on to other Rho Gammas, their friends in other chapters, their connections in their own chapter, etc. As they should.

[Rod D]

Originally Posted by MichiganM

I don’t understand this tier system. Maybe someone could educate me. Is it simply who the sorority pairs with? So sorority A is top tier an IU, but bottom tier at say....Ohio State?

Forgive my ignorance, just seeking to understand.

See post 276. I think it is primarily based on party culture. Those who throw the biggest parties every weekend are "top" tier. Grades, philanthropy, etc. aren't really considered.

[PhilTau]

Originally Posted by MichiganM

I don’t understand this tier system. Maybe someone could educate me. Is it simply who the sorority pairs with? So sorority A is top tier an IU, but bottom tier at say....Ohio State?

Forgive my ignorance, just seeking to understand.

A few years back, somebody figured out a way to make money ranking fraternities and sororities at various universities. They created the notorious website called Greek Rank. (I will not provide the link, but you can google it yourself.) Many believe that this single website is responsible for most of the strife regarding "tier" rankings.

Here's what some students at Columbia University say: "Greekrank is a website where people can rank fraternities, sororities, and gossip about Greek life. * * * Most of the comments are by trolls who are using the site as a means of procrastination and/or a cure for boredom. It is seen as a spiritual successor to CollegeACB and its short-lived successor CollegiateACB * * * You can pay $5 to have mean things about your organization removed."

[80sHoosier]

One thing I find interesting, in this artificial ranking of sororities, is that at some other big Greek systems . . . University of Alabama for one . . . the "top tier" sororities seem to have a more well-rounded image. The top sororities there are often also top in GPA and seem to have girls who are described as nice and involved. Of course, they are also attractive, like to party, and being from a wealthy or well-known family does not hurt.

That's not to say there aren't smart, nice girls in the top sororities at IU, but there seems to have become a dichotomy in the rankings with about midway through the list you have some of the higher GPA and more involved sororities.

[GreekOne]

Originally Posted by PhilTau

All the angst over tiers - Why do women do this to themselves?

I was an active at a large state university well before Greek Rank invented the concept of tiers. But even back in the Stone Age we kinda knew what was what. My fraternity was well known, very visible and well regarded, with about 35 actives (low average for the campus). Each school year we tried to have mixers/socials with every sorority - from those generally considered (using today's terminology as a shorthand reference) "top tier" to those considered "lower tier."

Here are my observations. Please note that I do not believe my experiences and opinions are unique and many fraternity members have had similar experiences.

1) The women in the "lower tier" sororities generally shared an important and desirable trait - THEY SHOWED UP. At that time, mixers were funded 100 percent by the fraternity hosting the event. When we held a mixer with a "lower tier" sorority they would show up in numbers and stay for hours. Overall - we thought they were more fun and generally had better social skills than the "top tier" groups. We could always count on them for a fun evening. This was the general opinion and experience of other fraternities as well.

This was not true with some (not all) of the so called "top tier" sororities. It was always hit or miss with them. We never knew how many would be showing up. (Some of these groups had 100+ members.) Sometimes only their pledges/new members would show up. Believe me, we remembered and bore some resentment towards the group because of this. Other fraternities also experienced this and felt the same way.

2) When I became an upperclassman, the upperclasswomen in the upper tier sororities became MIA. Many of them simply stopped going to Greek stuff. (Might have been before the concept of levying fines for non attendance became a thing.) Or they would go for only 10 or 15 minutes, then leave. Not true for the "lower tier" girls. Their upperclasswomen would stay the duration.

I'll leave it to someone else to explain this. All I can say is that, in general, most fraternities like groups that like them. They do not like snobs - even pretty ones. They like women to show up and expect to have fun and do their part, regardless of their "tier." To most of them, the "tier" system is absolutely and solely about looks - and that's as deep as their analysis goes.

Could not agree with you more. I wish more fraternity men understood this. Unfortunately, the fraternities extend the invitations and therefore hold the cards. If the invitation is never extended, the sorority women have no way to help these young men come to realize what you did years ago.

Our social system (in the 80s) was as you and others have described. We mixed with absolutely every single chapter on campus. There were no artificial barriers established that prevented that. I think the kids today are really missing the boat on this. If the social stigma was removed, the issues with all the dropping, SIPs, etc would follow.

At IU, it is just as bad for the fraternity men. The chapters without houses are labeled as "irrelevant". Yet, I am sure they are enjoying themselves just as much as those living it up on N Jordan.

If only these 18/19 yo collegians could see it through our eyes

[33girl]

Originally Posted by 80sHoosier

One thing I find interesting, in this artificial ranking of sororities, is that at some other big Greek systems . . . University of Alabama for one . . . the "top tier" sororities seem to have a more well-rounded image. The top sororities there are often also top in GPA and seem to have girls who are described as nice and involved. Of course, they are also attractive, like to party, and being from a wealthy or well-known family does not hurt.

That's not to say there aren't smart, nice girls in the top sororities at IU, but there seems to have become a dichotomy in the rankings with about midway through the list you have some of the higher GPA and more involved sororities.

That’s what I was going to say. It was either Alabama or Mizzou’s Reek Grank where the main reason for impugning certain chapters was their low GPA and involvement. That was certainly a new one on me.

[shadokat]

I really AM going to step on some toes here, so sorry already.

We talk about that women aren't mature enough to make the decision to join the sorority without letting the tent talk and ranks affect them. Part of that onus has to sit on the parents. As an advisor, I have so many women that don't like a rule or something else that run to their parent and have their parent call me about it. These women are adults, so let them face the consequences of their choices. Sure, you can be there for them for comfort, but it's not your job to make things "right" in their eyes. I get that every parent wants their kid to get all they wish for in life, but in reality, that's not going to happen.

I'm sure there are plenty of open spots in IU sororities, but they just may not be at the house you were dead set to join. The top houses are not doing informal, and that's just more reality. Lots of moms say that their kid has a 4.0, is solving world peace and a supermodel to boot, but trust me, so are most of the women going through recruitment. Whatever the reasoning, these women got what they got, and if they want to be Greek, they can stay in the process and see how it works out, or they can drop and cry in their rooms that they aren't in top tier ABC.

Sorry, that last line was probably mean. I just had a rant