justamom--how's lsu?? - Page 4

MoxieGrrl · #46 10-30-2001, 03:08 AM

EricaXO: It seems to be that way at Bethany too. Sometimes we have women who would rather not go Greek than join a house that they didn't want. It's kind of sad, actually, because these houses will keep the women hanging on until they can COB.

This might seem really crazy...but there have been a lot of juniors & even seniors getting bids to houses here!

KillarneyRose · #47 10-30-2001, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MoxieGrrl
It seems to be that way at Bethany too. Sometimes we have women who would rather not go Greek than join a house that they didn't want.

This would happen at Pitt, also. Rushees would start rush with their heart set on a certain sorority and if they got cut they would immediately withdraw from rush with the intention of rushing the next fall and getting the bid they wanted (worked maybe once or twice that I saw) or getting COB'd in January after some of the seniors graduated. Keep in mind, though, that I was there in the late '80's so I'm not too sure how things are now!

ErikaXO · #48 10-30-2001, 10:43 PM

Yeah, the whole COB and deferred rush thing is big now. When I was an active we NEVER had to recruit beyond formal Fall rush. Once in a while the weaker chapters would have to do a spring rush to get numbers when they didn't meet quota....I guess basically the same thing you guys have been talking about was happening. A lot of girls if they got cut from the big 3 would drop out altogether. It really sucks for the weaker chapters because how are they ever supposed to get better if no one gives them a chance? It's been said before....it only takes one great pledge class to turn a chapter around. (And one lousy pledge class can do the same thing.) If a bunch of quality girls who got cut from the super-elite chapters banded together and joined one of the not-so-great groups, they could get very involved and really turn things on. But you never see it happen because everyone's ego gets in the way. "Well, I'M XYZ material and there's no way I'm going beneath me to join ABC!!!!" In a way, the rushees are as snobby as the sororities get accused of being.

kimmykimmy · #49 11-01-2001, 06:41 PM

It is really hard to let egos aside during rush. I remember my Rhochi saying that the houses knew where you belonged better than you knew where you belonged.

It hurts so much being cut and my school was pretty competitive so it sucked. That is why I find it so refreshing that some schools it doesn't matter what house you are in. They are all about the same.

I wish that rush was more of a draw thing. Kind of like getting picked form a hat. You are a Theta, you are Zeta, you are a Kappa but I know that would NEVER work.

And I know lowering quota wouldn't help either. So, I think it's getting better. At least where I went to school. When I first went through rush chapters could keep inviting as many girls back for each round of parties as they wished. That made the smaller/weaker houses suffer. And, YES, unfortunately, at my school if you were a small chapter, you were a weak chapter.

But now, the "stronger/better" chapters HAVE to cut a certain number after each round of parties. That way the stronger houses are stringing along those who would never get a bid but the sorority wants to pad the parties.

justamom · #50 11-02-2001, 09:19 AM

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a cocktail party. For the most part, every one there was an alum of a Greek organization at LSU. Several had written a rec for my daughter. A couple of things are interesting to note. Many of the men and ladies were members of groups that during their active years had different reputations than they do today. One of the men I spoke to was a Kappa Sig and they just got back on campus. By this time everyone was pretty well informed how rush went-who was cut and who cut their chapter.Because of the atmosphere and friendships everyone spoke freely. The main point was, if you have a strong Greek system, it's better to participate than to remain independant. The Kappa Sig was saying (and I've heard it a thousand times on GC) they, LSU chapters, need to promote "Go Greek" rather than individual fraternities and sororities. It has to be a "grass root" effort starting with alums and extending to the actives. Everyone was pretty torn with the legacy issue. On one hand, it was great if your child was a legacy of a currently strong house, but on the other, some of the legacies were not the best representatives of our area. The same thing is happening to our Krewes. One Krewe in particular has membership that is basically passed from mother/mother-in-law to daughter/daughter-in-law. At one time, the membership was entirely wives of doctors, lawyers, dentists and high profile ($$$) businessmen. These ladies had the financial freedom to do the "correct" volunteer work, ie; Jr. League, Cancer Society, THE RIGHT CHURCH.
Today, those daughters and granddaughters have married husbands with occupations that would have been shunned. You have parents paying for their kids' membership. Tax fraud, unethical behavior, swindlers just plain a$$es acting like they are important when in essence, they are really weakening the foundation. This is the loose comparison we made. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS AWFUL! The point was, alums need to take a more visible role in the initial recruitment process, (similar to those threads about famous national members) with our own local hall of fame. SEEK OUT INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS and get those recs out for the young men and women who meet a higher standard which we all want for our organization. Instead of a few ladies and men perpetuating the grandness of their own chapters, join in the effort to promote the concept of Greek life on campus. Many, many great girls dropped out because they were told by active members that their own sorority was the best or XYZ was the worst AND in a few sad cases, alums denegrated some of the chapters with "stear clear" statements and such. Once a person becomes involved, in MOST cases the benefits of Greek life completely over-shadows any disappointment that occurred during the rush process. As far as the legacy issue, there was no consensus. We all just hope that parents would raise their kids to exemplify the qualities we value and perhaps, while keeping the point system intact, just de-emphasize it a degree or two to make sure a bid is extended on the basis of the individual, not parents or grandparents.
I've got more to say, but fear I may have said too much already.

KillarneyRose · #51 11-02-2001, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by justamom
As far as the legacy issue, there was no consensus. We all just hope that parents would raise their kids to exemplify the qualities we value and perhaps, while keeping the point system intact, just de-emphasize it a degree or two to make sure a bid is extended on the basis of the individual, not parents or grandparents.

Well said as always, JustaMom! My sorority does hold legacies to a certain degree of esteem and we are expected to treat them with special consideration - up to a point. We are never expected to bid someone we feel would be detrimental to our sisterhood, and we are given plenty of time during rush to make such a decision before it reaches the point where we would have to have her top our bid list.

Speaking of legacies, I mentioned to my husband last night that Katie and CeCe are Delta Zeta legacies and he looked positively stricken. I said, "No, that's a very good thing" and he answered "But what about Flounder?"
"Huh???", I said
"Flounder, you know in Animal House. He was a legacy, right? Isn't that bad?"

Lord save us from the G.D.I.'s

lyrelyre · #52 11-02-2001, 10:33 PM

I was just reading through this thread and I have a question from a long ago post.

justamom said that most of the girls in her daughter's pledge class are private school or NO girls. What is NO?

I was also wondering about how many girls go through rush each year at LSU?

cash78mere · #53 11-02-2001, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lyrelyre

justamom said that most of the girls in her daughter's pledge class are private school or NO girls. What is NO?

i understood it to mean New Orleans, but I could be wrong.

justamom · #54 11-03-2001, 09:10 AM

KillarneyRose if your sweeties are anything like you, they will be the taost of the rush season! Boy is it stomach churning. I don't think I could take it TWICE-then, look at Carnation!!! I honestly think I'd be a wreck.

h2oot-Do you know much about fraternity rush? I was wondering if its similar in procedure to sorority rush. Do they need the letters of rec? I know I'll have a tad harder time ferriting out who was in what fraternity. It's not something that's talked about on the golf course. I can ask some wives, but I think the same situation exists where there are a lot of alums for one fraternity and few for another. We have friends whose son pledged-depledged, pledged the same again and depledged.
Also, another whose son cut one, promised to pledge another changed his mind and pledged one he had cut.(This is scetchy information) My son is a legacy to one you mentioned as strong and has a few contacts in others, but like my daughter, that would not influence his choice. This year was the first time in ages they actually had a decent sized group of young men rush from our area.

ZetaLuvBunny · #55 11-03-2001, 01:08 PM

Hey, we (MTSU Blue Raiders) are playing you guys next week! They have some pretty good bus and hotel deals for that game, but I can't even afford that right now with the rest of my dues I have to pay by next weekend.

justamom · #56 11-03-2001, 02:21 PM

h2oot-Thanks for the info.

ZetaLuvBunny-First let me say your name is darlin'.
That game is Homecoming for LSU! Here's wishing a safe trip to your players, band and supporters!

ZetaLuvBunny · #57 11-03-2001, 06:42 PM

Oh, I wish I could go---I really do! But we have *Neophyte Night* and *Initiation*next weekend.

If we play you next year I will try to come, though.

ThetaLove · #58 11-18-2001, 01:35 AM

About the numbers of girls who went through rush at LSU, this year it was 890!!! Sadly, only 725 girls pledged.

Some were cut from all ten sororites and some dropped out after being cut from their favorites. Both are terrible situations because all sororities at LSU are awesome!! It was hard to see girls that were in my Rho Chi group there one day and not the next. I pledged Theta, and I LOVE it. I would have definately stayed in rush even if they would have cut me because, like I said, all sororities are awesome it's just about finding the one you fit in to.

justamom · #59 11-18-2001, 08:32 AM

ThetaLove, I heard the figure was 987 signed up. Now who showed up may be a different story. They are projecting it to keep increasing. That is so sad. I know some Moms have already started "dropping by" their houses with daughters in tow
to give the actives a heads up so to speak.
With the way many cut their legacies, MORE THAN A FEW are starting their preparations as we speak.

navane · #60 11-18-2001, 04:05 PM

Wow, Justamom, the recruitment at LSU sounds so interesting. It's definately different than what is done in California. I think I'd enjoy seeing how it works if I belonged to a sorority that had a chapter there. Do you know if, in general, members from other chapters are allowed to volunteer to help their sister chapters during recruitment at LSU? I imagine that with so many PNMs that LSU Panhellenic may have strict rules about that.

......Kelly