Vanderbilt: Panhell presidents oppose sorority recruitment consultant

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by kdonline
[url]Vanderbilt students reacted to an ad in last Friday’s Hustler for an independent consultant who advises freshman girls preparing for sorority recruitment.

It took me a minute to realize that the "Hustler" is the name of the Vandy newspaper. Until that hit me, I was thinking we had an independent consultant who really didn't know how to reach her target demographic.

[Amydonovan]

Hi all,

Amy Donovan here, the president of Sorority Recruitment Consulting in Nashville. I just stumbled across this forum, and am thrilled to see that it is generating discussion.

I'd love to answer any questions you might have. First though, let me answer some of the questions that I've seen repeated many times in the posts.

Yes, I am a Vandy graduate (magna cum laude, 2004) and yes, I am a member of a sorority. I try to keep my particular sorority affiliation somewhat quiet, as I don't want my PNM clients to develop strong feelings for or against my sorority based on their consultation with me.

I pledged in Spring 2001, and was elected to the Panhellenic Executive Board in Spring 2002 as the Scholarship Chair, then in 2003, I was elected as the President of Panhellenic.

My website is www.sorority-recruitment-consulting.com

Hope this general information helps out a bit, and I'd love to get some feedback and comments from you all. It's great to hear what current and past sorority members are saying about it. Needless to say, it's causing quite a stir at Vanderbilt!

[RUASTgrrl]

the link doesnt seem to be working for me.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by RUASTgrrl
the link doesnt seem to be working for me.

Take out the period at the end and it should work.

[sigmadiva]

Originally posted by Amydonovan
Hi all,

Amy Donovan here, the president of Sorority Recruitment Consulting in Nashville. I just stumbled across this forum, and am thrilled to see that it is generating discussion.

I'd love to answer any questions you might have. First though, let me answer some of the questions that I've seen repeated many times in the posts.

Yes, I am a Vandy graduate (magna cum laude, 2004) and yes, I am a member of a sorority. I try to keep my particular sorority affiliation somewhat quiet, as I don't want my PNM clients to develop strong feelings for or against my sorority based on their consultation with me.

I pledged in Spring 2001, and was elected to the Panhellenic Executive Board in Spring 2002 as the Scholarship Chair, then in 2003, I was elected as the President of Panhellenic.

My website is www.sorority-recruitment-consulting.com

Hope this general information helps out a bit, and I'd love to get some feedback and comments from you all. It's great to hear what current and past sorority members are saying about it. Needless to say, it's causing quite a stir at Vanderbilt!

I can see why the Vanderbilt NPC presidents are upset - you rip into them pretty hard with respect to the GAs. But, I guess you have to give your company some kind of angle to attract customers......

I think your being a Panhell president at one time and using that information to promote what you know about each org is an abuse of power. Yeah, I'm sure you were privvy to what went on in the other orgs, but it seems like you are selling that information. Shouldn't that info that you acquired being the Panhell pres kept confidential?

How do you keep current with what is going on with each chapter? Do you have informants? (Just asking, no need to answer)

So what kind of return rate can a PNM expect from her investment in your services? Can she expect to make it through all of the rounds and get a bid?

Are you a licensed counselor? What do you do if a girl 'wigs out' because things are not happening the way she thought?

I'm asking these questions because: 1. Maybe this is a way for former undergrad chapter members to contribute back to the system, and 2. Since you are doing this for profit, how does an investor, the PNM, ensure some kind of return for her investment?

[FSUZeta]

amy, i think that your service sounds like it could help everyone, but especially those girls who may not have a relative or close friend that is a sorority member. having served as a panhellenic officer will help you look at the potential new member panhellenically. after all, your goal is to help your client discover if greek life is for them, and to help them have the most successful and satisfying experience possible. best wishes for much success to you and your clients.

[tunatartare]

Originally posted by MysticCat81
It took me a minute to realize that the "Hustler" is the name of the Vandy newspaper. Until that hit me, I was thinking we had an independent consultant who really didn't know how to reach her target demographic.

glad to see I'm not the only one who thought that...

[PM_Mama00]

After seeing the website and reading the FAQ and her history, I'm starting to think this is a really good idea. Still not so sure on the price, but I don't know what prices and stuff are like down there and what kind of school Vanderbilt is.

[Amydonovan]

Thanks for taking the time to read through my website and give me feedback/comments. Also, thanks to everyone who sent me individual emails. I hope I replied to everyone, and if not, I'll get to you!

In response to some of the newer posted questions:

I don't see my company as an "abuse of power." FSUZeta's post is in sync with my business aims. I made this company to benefit the girls who feel overwhelmed by recruitment and confused because they don't have a Greek mother/sister/friend who can casually advise them.

When I was a freshman, I would have greatly benefitted from such a service. I was born and raised in Boston, attended public schools, and had never visited the South until I came to Vanderbilt as a prospective student. Vandy is a predominantly Southern, conversative and very wealthy university, and as a Northerner, I knew nothing of sororities. I was shy, and didn't want to let my Southern friends and roommates know how nervous I was about Rush.

We did have GAs/PXs, but there was 1 GA assigned to roughly 15-20 PNMs, and we would meet out once a month or so, and I was certainly not going to stand up in front of 20 people and say, "I know nothing about sororities. Can you fill me in?"

As for confidential information - confidential is confidential. Anything that I learned confidentially through my own chapter or through Panhellenic will be kept that way. However, as the Panhellenic President, you create many relationships with members of all sororities, instead of predominantly making friends within your own, so I know extensive info about each chapter. Also, spending time with sorority presidents gives you tons of sorority-specific, non-confidential knowledge. Most chapter members know a lot about their chapter alone, while my Greek knowledge base is quite broad, sorority-wise.

I am not a licensed therapist/counselor, and for that reason, I spoke with the Director of the Psychological and Counseling Center at Vandy before starting any consultations. We agreed that I would recommend for PNMs to contact them if they were experiencing psychological/emotional distress. I am a consultant and an advisor, not a therapist or psychologist, and the PNMs know that.

There is no guarantee made to the PNMs when they come to see me. I liked the tutor comparison that someone made earlier. You pay the math tutor to sit and explain everything to you in depth. However, that doesn't guarantee you an A on the exam. The only guarantee is access to more direct, individual information than you would get otherwise.

I'm going to take a break, but will reply to more questions later!

[sigmadiva]

Originally posted by Amydonovan
Thanks for taking the time to read through my website and give me feedback/comments. Also, thanks to everyone who sent me individual emails. I hope I replied to everyone, and if not, I'll get to you!

In response to some of the newer posted questions:

I don't see my company as an "abuse of power." FSUZeta's post is in sync with my business aims. I made this company to benefit the girls who feel overwhelmed by recruitment and confused because they don't have a Greek mother/sister/friend who can casually advise them.

When I was a freshman, I would have greatly benefitted from such a service. I was born and raised in Boston, attended public schools, and had never visited the South until I came to Vanderbilt as a prospective student. Vandy is a predominantly Southern, conversative and very wealthy university, and as a Northerner, I knew nothing of sororities. I was shy, and didn't want to let my Southern friends and roommates know how nervous I was about Rush.

We did have GAs/PXs, but there was 1 GA assigned to roughly 15-20 PNMs, and we would meet out once a month or so, and I was certainly not going to stand up in front of 20 people and say, "I know nothing about sororities. Can you fill me in?"

As for confidential information - confidential is confidential. Anything that I learned confidentially through my own chapter or through Panhellenic will be kept that way. However, as the Panhellenic President, you create many relationships with members of all sororities, instead of predominantly making friends within your own, so I know extensive info about each chapter. Also, spending time with sorority presidents gives you tons of sorority-specific, non-confidential knowledge. Most chapter members know a lot about their chapter alone, while my Greek knowledge base is quite broad, sorority-wise.

I am not a licensed therapist/counselor, and for that reason, I spoke with the Director of the Psychological and Counseling Center at Vandy before starting any consultations. We agreed that I would recommend for PNMs to contact them if they were experiencing psychological/emotional distress. I am a consultant and an advisor, not a therapist or psychologist, and the PNMs know that.

There is no guarantee made to the PNMs when they come to see me. I liked the tutor comparison that someone made earlier. You pay the math tutor to sit and explain everything to you in depth. However, that doesn't guarantee you an A on the exam. The only guarantee is access to more direct, individual information than you would get otherwise.

I'm going to take a break, but will reply to more questions later!

Thank you for addressing some of my questions. Still not sure on some points, but thanks.