University of Mississippi - Ole Miss Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment 2013

[33girl]

Originally Posted by MU2Driver

Some moms, although well short of most, will go up and book a room for the entire week. I think the "support" in these cases is more for the moms than the DDs. The girls will get the support that they really need from their floor mates who are going through it with them. At this point, the recs are in, the resume is what it is, and all you can really do is pace the floor, drink heavily, and wait for nightly phone updates (all while projecting confidence without transferring your anxiety to her). Moms who are physically present and actually have the DDs stay with them at the hotel do a disservice for several reasons, including: 1) They inevitably want to rehash the day's events, invitations received (and not received), etc. beyond that point which is helpful (usually zero), and 2) The DD may feel like she's going through this alone, or just with mom, when in reality she can be drawing great strength from sharing the experience with the 1200 girls who will be her PanHellenic sisters for her college life.
Be prepared to address her concerns with facts that I'm sure you've already learned from GC, especially as it relates to the fact that she most likely will be released from one or more sororities in which she expressed an interest. This is the rule rather than the exception and it is in no way a reflection of her. If she goes in with an open mind, maximizes choices and realizes that whichever chapter she joins at Ole Miss is most likely one of the best chapters of that sorority in the country, she will do fine.
Bid day is a slightly different matter, and many parents will show up to watch the bid opening and "the run". Unless you have a well-founded fear that your DD is going to have a seriously adverse result, I would let her enjoy what will be a memory for a lifetime w/o her trying to accommodate your presence.
I would encourage you to go to the Texas A&M game on Oct 12. She will be thrilled to show you around the house, visit her sorority's tent at the grove, and meet her new sisters.
Just my two cents.

You are a total ROCK STAR of a mom.

[ElvisLover]

Ole Miss has taken helicopter parenting to a whole new level.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by ElvisLover

Ole Miss has taken helicopter parenting to a whole new level.

The problem is that your friends who are rushing are worried about their own schedules (or worse, they got the invites you wanted!) and your friends who aren't rushing don't understand how important it is, and so I understand wanting a mother for support. That said, I think I wanted my mom's support via phone, three hours away.

[newbierebmom]

Originally Posted by MU2Driver;

Bid day is a slightly different matter, and many parents will show up to watch the bid opening and "the run". Unless you have a well-founded fear that your DD is going to have a seriously adverse result, I would let her enjoy what will be a memory for a lifetime w/o her trying to accommodate your presence.
I would encourage you to go to the Texas A&M game on Oct 12. She will be thrilled to show you around the house, visit her sorority's tent at the grove, and meet her new sisters.
Just my two cents.

Thanks for your two cents! I do want her to cherish these memories with her new sisters without her having to worry about me! Great point!

And we're from Louisiana, so we didn't plan on the Texas A&M game, but made big plans for the LSU game the following week! I'm really hoping the Rebels have a great season and upset the Tigers! We're starting off on the right foot!

Originally Posted by ElvisLover

Ole Miss has taken helicopter parenting to a whole new level.

[MU2Driver]

Originally Posted by newbierebmom

And we're from Louisiana, so we didn't plan on the Texas A&M game, but made big plans for the LSU game the following week! I'm really hoping the Rebels have a great season and upset the Tigers! We're starting off on the right foot!

We're from LA too! (Baton Rouge). If you change your mind about the A&M game, send me a PM. We might have an extra room or two in Batesville that we can release. I will be cooking LA style at the Kappa tent!

[MU2Driver]

Originally Posted by ElvisLover

Ole Miss has taken helicopter parenting to a whole new level.

Yep. For all the moms of PNMs who insist on going, I will be selling magnolia camo from a push cart on campus. Cha-CHING!

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by MU2Driver

Yep. For all the moms of PNMs who insist on going, I will be selling magnolia camo from a push cart on campus. Cha-CHING!

ROFL (thank heavens I'm in my office and not in public!)

[MaryPoppins]

Actually have heard from some out of town alumnae coming to work Recruitment that they were unable to find hotel reservations past Monday of Recruitment. Since I haven't tried (I live in Oxford) I don't know if she as just being picky or if everything is booked up.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by MU2Driver

Yep. For all the moms of PNMs who insist on going, I will be selling magnolia camo from a push cart on campus. Cha-CHING!

PRICELESS!!!!! You might want to include some carabiners and climbing rope for the moms who prefer to hide in the trees for a bird's eye view!

[Hearttoheart]

Since we are from OOS, and heard that getting a bid was much harder for non-mississippi girls, we booked a room to make sure we were going to be there "just in case" she doesn't receive a bid. We are only going to be there Friday & Saturday night and we will fly home Sunday after bid day activities. If she doesn't need any extra encouragement, dinner at the City Grocery alone will make the trip worth it!

I feel like after all the work I put into the rush packets, the resume, the pictures, the frantic phone calls to my friends for recs, that I should at least get to share in some of the fun! Watching my daughter run to her new home on bid day will totally be worth the trip.

MP - We booked our room three months ago and found one of the last rooms in town at a exaggerated price. Tried last week to book one additional room, Batesville was the closest we could get. Your friend was not being picky, there are literally no rooms available for this weekend!

I guess that gives you a clue about how many parents will be there for bid day!

[OleMissGlitter]

I don't have a problem with parents coming to Bid Day...although it is next level with how many attend compared to 1996 when I pledged and even when I was a chapter advisor in the early 2000s. With that being said, the best thing as a parent you can do is to be supportive. If your daughter ends up at her 2nd or even 3rd choice then please be supportive. If she ends up at her first choice and it wasn't your legacy house be supportive too. Also, let her have her time with her family of sisters. I think it is perfectly appropriate to stick around and attend the small parties that the chapters will have on Bid Day at their house. But if the chapter is going somewhere else for more fun (some do Double Decker tours, some have fun in the Grove with bounce houses, etc) then I suggest you don't attend that. It can make older members and even advisors feel uncomfortable if there are parents lurking. I know my parents did not come up and I don't think I would have wanted them there. This was my experience. I shared with them my journey as a PNM through the phone and they were just fine. Also keep in mind, that with over 300 members after bid day in each chapter things can be tight at the houses. So when you add a pledge class’ moms/dads/aunts/etc it can be very crowded! So, keep that in mind. I know last year of a mom who met her daughter at her new sorority and hugged her, gave her some flowers, and then she left. To me, that is a perfect way to show support! A little hug, a little happy, and then a “sweetie give me a call later tonight” is ideal! Just my two cents.

[thetalady]

Moms of OOS PNMs at Ole Miss... your girls will be fine, even being out of state. Please do read and take every word on this thread as gospel! There are many Ole Miss alumnae here who want to help PNMs get through recruitment at Ole Miss and find a home.

Remember the mantra... KEEP AN OPEN MIND and a CLEAN NOSE! Watch the partying on & off campus that could potentially destroy a girl's rush. Tell her to pretend that her grandmother is right behind her, watching everything she does!

[CMDelta]

I would encourage any interested moms to go for bid WEEKEND (not the whole week) if possible! Even though my Greek and Non-Greek friends thought I was crazy, I had heard it on good authority to come so I convinced a non-Greek mom from my hometown to join me (we live 10 hours away) for the fun of it. We had a ball meeting other moms (some I still keep up with), shopping on the square for Bid Day gifts & trying out several restaurants I had not had the opportunity to try before. Did we see our daughters much? No. Did they stay with us at the hotel? Absolutely Not! Were they excited beyond belief to share their Bid Day with us? Yes. My DD was thrilled that I was able to follow her around and be her personal photographer so she'd have good pictures to post later. Keep in mind though, some sororities don't have anything planned at the house cuz they take the pledges somewhere else. My friend didn't even get to go in her DD's sorority house. Whereas my DD's sorority had food for all of us and gave house tours. I am so glad I was able to be there and am going back this year to be work crew at her sorority house (which is NOT my sorority btw). Lodging is TOUGH (always) but 4 of us moms are renting a house a couple miles away.

[MaryPoppins]

PNMS! Don't forget to register for the C.A.R.E. Walk!
C.A.R.E. Walk Registration Link

And don't forget to go ahead and register for Recruitment!
Ole Miss Fall 2013 Sorority Recruitment Link

[pnm13]

Okay, I have a question, but I'm not sure if it violates what all of you lovely sorority women are allowed to disclose!

Anyways: Does it mean anything (Is it important? Not? Good? Bad?) if the Vice President or President of the sorority personally introduces herself and has small talk with one or two of the PNMs during the water party rounds?

If you can't say, that is fine! I just thought it wouldn't hurt to ask! Thanks.