Question Re: Southern Rush

[33girl]

Some people were saying earlier in this thread that it was horrible to not automatically accept a sister or brother... I think it's more horrible to not consider the feelings of a whole chapter of your sisters or brothers who were used, if that is the case. As clemson girl said, there are good reasons for transferring and bad ones.

[BlueCarnation]

This has been going on for a long time, and not just in the South. I rushed in the 1990s and when I was home after my Freshman year, I was at the gym, wearing a shirt from some sorority event. A guy I went to high school with came up to me and asked if I joined my sorority at my school so I could transfer to his school (another Big Ten school) and be in the "best" sorority. I laughed, as I had never heard of such a thing (and my school was wayyyy better!! ) but after talking to people, apparently a lot of people did that, and from what I've heard, it still happens at that school and another Big Ten school with a very competitive Greek system.

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by BlueCarnation

This has been going on for a long time, and not just in the South. I rushed in the 1990s and when I was home after my Freshman year, I was at the gym, wearing a shirt from some sorority event. A guy I went to high school with came up to me and asked if I joined my sorority at my school so I could transfer to his school (another Big Ten school) and be in the "best" sorority. I laughed, as I had never heard of such a thing (and my school was wayyyy better!! ) but after talking to people, apparently a lot of people did that, and from what I've heard, it still happens at that school and another Big Ten school with a very competitive Greek system.

At my Big Ten school it was hit or miss with affiliation. Some chapters would accept re-affiliates and some would not. Three of the so-called "top" chapters when I was in school had the "bottom" chapter at a nearby school. Girls did transfer for legitimate reasons such as going from a private school in Indy to our public university and those top chapters did NOT allow the girls to re-affiliate. Or the commuter school to the south that was a satellite campus of the main campus which was cheaper and girls would could complete a year there before coming to the big campus. Those chapters put them on "associate" membership and the girls could come to dances and a couple of parties a month, but they could not move in, recruit or attend chapter. I thought it was just plain rude....not exactly the definition of sisterhood.

[BlueCarnation]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

At my Big Ten school it was hit or miss with affiliation. Some chapters would accept re-affiliates and some would not. Three of the so-called "top" chapters when I was in school had the "bottom" chapter at a nearby school. Girls did transfer for legitimate reasons such as going from a private school in Indy to our public university and those top chapters did NOT allow the girls to re-affiliate. Or the commuter school to the south that was a satellite campus of the main campus which was cheaper and girls would could complete a year there before coming to the big campus. Those chapters put them on "associate" membership and the girls could come to dances and a couple of parties a month, but they could not move in, recruit or attend chapter. I thought it was just plain rude....not exactly the definition of sisterhood.

The first school I was referring to is a little west of yours.

[APhiLife]

My chapter had a couple of girls transfer in each year. Our chapter tried to keep a very open mind and get to know the girls.
The only 2 bad experiences I remember were with two girls that transferred in from private colleges and just felt they were so above our public university. But luckily, they both decided to go alum pretty quickly.
I have definitely heard of this being a strategy that was discussed with girls who want to go to UT and SMU. Spend a year at a different state uni to make sure you can into the "right" house, etc.

[jolene]

Originally Posted by APhiLife

My chapter had a couple of girls transfer in each year. Our chapter tried to keep a very open mind and get to know the girls.
The only 2 bad experiences I remember were with two girls that transferred in from private colleges and just felt they were so above our public university. But luckily, they both decided to go alum pretty quickly.

I have definitely heard of this being a strategy that was discussed with girls who want to go to UT and SMU. Spend a year at a different state uni to make sure you can into the "right" house, etc.

Wow. If they were so above a state uni, why did they transfer to one? Not so high and mighty now. lol When I was active, we only had a couple of sisters transfer in and no probs at all--one I was never close to and the other was such a sweetheart. You'd have to have done something truly appalling for us not to accept you or have horns coming out of your head.

[KillarneyRose]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

Those chapters put them on "associate" membership and the girls could come to dances and a couple of parties a month, but they could not move in, recruit or attend chapter. I thought it was just plain rude....not exactly the definition of sisterhood.

Wow. I think Chapter is one of the most important aspects of sisterhood. To not be allowed to attend would be a slap in the face.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by KillarneyRose

Here is a scenario I came up with and I wanted to run it past some of our GC ladies who were are) actives down south.

Say a girl wants to go to one of the schools with cut-throat rush (i.e. 'bama, UGa, LSU, etc) and is familiar enough with the houses there to know which one she would want to join if rush went perfectly. Just to use a random example, I'll use my house, Delta Zeta. So what she does is start her freshman year at XYZ University up north which does not have such a strong Greek system, pledge Delta Zeta, get initiated and then the next semester transfers to the southern school where she affiliates to the chapter she's wanted all along.

Have any of you ever heard of someone doing this? If I'm not mistaken, the new chapter would have to take a member in good standing (I think). I know it sounds like a lot of trouble, but I wondered if, given the level of competition, some women would actually do this?

Oh, it happens. It was a favorite approach of Texas people who knew their daughter would not get into certain GLO's at Texas schools even if they were double or triple legacies, so they literally sent their daughter to an out of state school where perhaps that chapter was not as overwhelmed with legacies or where the chapter was not as strong as it was at say UT or SMU, and the daughter gets pledged, initiated into Mother and Grandmother's sorority, stays a year and transfers back home. Averts social disaster back in the hometown, but sometimes the daughter was more comfortable at her first school and chapter and decided to stay there.

I personally saw this happen more than once.