question for all you southern belles ;)

[GammaPhi88]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

I realize I'm far removed from this part of the sorority world, but I'm surprised it has been put up with as long as it apparently has (from what I read here). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like manipulate the system at lesser school (therefore manipulate the sisters I really don't care about) and then manipulate my way into a place I don't necessarily belong.

Don't the women at the lesser schools start to resent this? Can't they tell they are being manipulated? Does it cause animosity amongst the sisters in the state?

As a member of a northern chapter at a competitive (but not SEC competitive or close) school, I can't give the southern perspective of this, but I can shed light on a similar situation. The year I went through recruitment, there was a girl who had numerous options, but pledged what is considered the "bottom" chapter, because, as she said, "they would take anyone".

She transferred to a southern school (which is competitive, but not Alabama or LSU brutal), and, according to a mutual friend, has affiliated. Is she meshing with her new chapter? Couldn't tell you. But what I can tell you is that her old chapter found out what happened and felt that what she did was unfair and an insult to their sisterhood...they found out she transferred over the summer, while she knew around the time of recruitment. Some sisters from her old chapter have mentioned that they resent her because of that, and they do keep an eye out for girls with a similar agenda; though it is not an common phenomenon at our school.

As I said, I speak from my own northern, mildly competitive point of view...but I can see how the chapter the transferring PNM pledged would feel resentment.

[ChioLu]

I started at a Big 12 school, then transferred to the smallest Div. I-A university in the U.S. and pledged my 1st choice.

Every year, there would always be a few sorority women who transferred over the summer to a large school where they probably wouldn't have gotten a bid to the house they joined.

Wouldn't say we were a feeder school as the top houses at my university were the same top houses at the large nearby schools. But, instead of 1000+ going thru Rush, there was only about 300.

I do know that at some of the big SEC schools, some chapters won't affiliate transfers from small schools (like, non-Division I-A universities).

[FSUZeta]

back home (since it was out of state) she could sport her ABC letters and say she went to TCU and it would be a slim chance that any hometown people would know that she is not a member of the TCU chapter. if it's a sorority that is strong in that region, then she has the prestige of being an ABC, period. it might also be that the hometown folks don't know to be impressed by the TCU chapter.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

back home (since it was out of state) she could sport her ABC letters and say she went to TCU and it would be a slim chance that any hometown people would know that she is not a member of the TCU chapter. if it's a sorority that is strong in that region, then she has the prestige of being an ABC, period. it might also be that the hometown folks don't know to be impressed by the TCU chapter.

This is pretty much what happened with the girl in the situation I described. Everyone knew she pledged ABC, so when she transferred back to her big SEC school, everyone back home assumed she'd affiliated. Only people who knew girls in the chapter in question knew the "whole story," and most of those girls were too ladylike to spread the story around back home.

In answer to tld221's question, I know that the girl still wore letters/shirts on campus (a source of frustration to the girls in the chapter, though they couldn't do anything about it). She wasn't invited to closed chapter events, but could attend anything alumni were invited to since she was technically an alum.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

back home (since it was out of state) she could sport her ABC letters and say she went to TCU and it would be a slim chance that any hometown people would know that she is not a member of the TCU chapter. if it's a sorority that is strong in that region, then she has the prestige of being an ABC, period. it might also be that the hometown folks don't know to be impressed by the TCU chapter.

My son went to TCU, and I know which of the sororities were historically strong there, and believe me 33 is correct in saying that in Texas there are certain towns where your social future is dependent on pledging certain GLO's.

I found it shocking, and yet some of us from Florida had friends who went to out of state schools and were ecstatic to receive bids from the so called top houses there that were not historically strong at FSU or UF.

The things we deem important at the age of 18 such as "getting into the best house" certainly change over the years. We're more likely to wish our friend's daughters a wonderful experience, regardless of her choice, and that's a good thing.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlum

My son went to TCU, and I know which of the sororities were historically strong there, and believe me 33 is correct in saying that in Texas there are certain towns where your social future is dependent on pledging certain GLO's.

non-NPC person swerving/

I can see this if a person is going from TCU to Smalltown, TX, but most of what I've seen has TCU grads staying in the Metroplex or moving to Houston/Austin/SATX. In all of those areas, your alma mater seems to hold more weight than your GLO.

I'm curious to hear where your affiliation can "make or break" you.

/non-NPC person

[tld221]

I'm still blown by the fact that one would do all this transferring back and forth JUST to become an XYZ. Not that this doesnt EVER happen in NPHC, but I'd imagine youre wasting a lot of time and money. I mean, transferring after rush week? You're gonna move into your residence hall, NOT get a bid to the ABC house, transfer to another school to try getting a bid, THEN transfer back? All in a year or less?

The fact that people (PNMs, parents/families, chapters) have this kind of money and time for this crap is nuts. I won't say anymore than that, aside from some people legitimately transfer schools for reasons independent of the choice they made in being greek.

Again, really blown by the lengths some will go for letters from a specific chapter.

[tootiepie2]

I just talked to a friend of mine about a little different situation and wonder what your opinions are.
Friend called me because one of her friends grand daughters is coming to LSU from California. She has been helping find her recs and just wanted some up to date advise about LSU as her daughter has been out of school for awhile.
While we were talking she mentioned that none of the sororities at LSU were real big in Calf. ( don't really think that is true) Anyway I said that if the girl thinks that there is any chance that she might not stay at LSU she might want to think about what chapters are at the schools she would transfer back to.
Not to choose a chapter for that reason but if all things are equal and she likes any chapters that she is invited back tp maybe she ought to use that info to choose.
I know she would not be guaranteed to affiliate but her chances would be better than nothing. Was that bad advice???

[33girl]

She might want to use it as one of the myriad reasons for choosing a chapter, but not to the point where, she chooses ABC over XYZ just because ABC has tons of chapters in Cali, even if she likes the XYZ girls more.

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by tootiepie2

While we were talking she mentioned that none of the sororities at LSU were real big in Calf. ( don't really think that is true)

Um, not true. (??)

I know of at least one that has tons of strong chapters in CA, including all the major schools.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

Um, not true. (??)

I know of at least one that has tons of strong chapters in CA, including all the major schools.

I think I know the ones tootiepie's friend is thinking of and it's more the other way around - i.e. the groups that ARE big in Cali aren't at LSU.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

Um, not true. (??)

I know of at least one that has tons of strong chapters in CA, including all the major schools.

Um, yeah. Not sayin', just sayin'.

[ChioLu]

Originally Posted by tootiepie2

I just talked to a friend of mine about a little different situation and wonder what your opinions are.
Friend called me because one of her friends grand daughters is coming to LSU from California. She has been helping find her recs and just wanted some up to date advise about LSU as her daughter has been out of school for awhile.
While we were talking she mentioned that none of the sororities at LSU were real big in Calf. ( don't really think that is true) Anyway I said that if the girl thinks that there is any chance that she might not stay at LSU she might want to think about what chapters are at the schools she would transfer back to.
Not to choose a chapter for that reason but if all things are equal and she likes any chapters that she is invited back tp maybe she ought to use that info to choose.
I know she would not be guaranteed to affiliate but her chances would be better than nothing. Was that bad advice???

Well, it depends on where (exactly) in California your friend lives. The chapters out here are pretty diverse depending on size of campus.

A top sorority at USC may be a smaller chapter at UCLA (10 miles away). Or the smallest chapter at Stanford may be the biggest chapter at Cal-Berkley, which are both in the San Fran area. (Just examples, I'm not thinking of specific sororities.) There are so many universities/colleges in Cali with GLOs that it's hard to compare to those at LSU. (Though, I'm going to guess that the top houses at LSU are the pretty much the same as the top houses at the big universities in CA ...)

To me, that's not a reason to NOT go thru Recruitment. She should go ahead and join at LSU and have the Greek experience from the start. If the girl feels like she would end up transferring back to California (like, to be close to family), then she can check out the campuses in CA where she could transfer (Greek system, where she could get accepted and where her major is good) and decide then. Or, she could totally love her school & greek life at LSU & decide to stay.

Well, unless she joins a sorority with not many chapters in the California, like Sigma Alpha, Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, or Zeta Tau Alpha. That would limit the choice of where to transfer (to also continue your college experience while being a member of an active Greek chapter).

[tootiepie2]

That is why I said if alll things are equal. I wouldn't want her to join a chapter she didn't like just for that reason but I thought it would be something to think about if she was having trouble choosing.

[FSUZeta]

you weren't off base. she is going to be far from home and in a different cultural environment, so it may be that she does feel homesick, not adjust well and decides to transfer to a school back in california. as 33 said, it could be one of the many tools she uses to help her narrow her choices.