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

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by granipc

And this confuses me... my sorority would not want it submitted through a university panhellenic form, they want it submitted through our national website on our form. Am I misunderstanding what this is saying?

You understand correctly. While most don't have their own form and would never admit to helping in that way, any school will forward mail addressed to a specific group. So they wouldn't know what was in the envelope either. And besides, it is true that no school requires recs...only groups.....

[OldFLDDD]

My daughter went through at South Carolina last year. I totally agree with 33girl in that "those in the know" know to disregard any "recs are not needed" wording from the school's Greek Life page, and also know what to wear, etc. Really does a disservice to those girls coming from non-Greek families or are otherwise clueless about the process. We can keep shouting from the rooftops that RECS MATTER but you'll always have people pointing at the Shiny Brochures that say they do not...lots of debate about this on other forums, as I'm sure many of you know.

[AnchorAlumna]

I'm actually pretty angry at NPC for pretending that recs don't matter and thus handicapping so many PMs out there. Why can't they just at least say they could be helpful? I hear the verbiage, "demanding recs is so elitist" but it's reality.
By telling the truth, they're actually making it more fair for everyone.

[Jen]

I have run into a few ladies who have assumed they didn't need them because of the wording on the Panhellenic page, found out otherwise, and are now panicking to get things together. It does such a huge disservice to them, so I totally agree AnchorAlumna. I go out of my way to help ladies in this situation - almost all are from places where recs wouldn't be common, and it's likely harder to find Greek contacts, so they are already behind the eight ball.

[KSUViolet06]

I think Texas PHC was the only Panhellenic site I've seen that even came close to saying "YOU NEED THESE."

From their FAQs:

Do I need recs to go through recruitment?


Yes, you can still register and participate in recruitment without obtaining references. However, it is HIGHLY encouraged you seek out references for all of the chapters at UT. Try your best to find women willing to submit a reference, they only help the chapter to get to know you better. However, sometimes you won't be able to find a member of one or two chapters. In this case do not stress, chapters will still get to know you through your registration materials and through their conversations with you.

How many references should I try to get? Should I try to get them for every chapter?


We encourage all PNMs to actively seek recommendations for all chapters at UT. On average PNMs at UT submit 1-2 recommendations for each chapter.


Now they do not spell out "IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THESE, THEY WILL DROP YOU" but this is slightly better than "Don't worry! The chapters will get them and they are totally optional."