Ole Miss... Let's discuss!

[azdtaxi]

When was azd at ole miss? I dont think anyone can undersatnd ole miss until they went to ole miss.

[OleMissGlitter]

AXD was at Ole Miss inthe 1970s, they did not have a house, they used Barnard Observatory, near the Union, for meetings. My best friend who was an AOP, her mother was an AXD at Ole Miss back then. I know after they left,KAQ came in 1979. DZ was also here from 1928-1953.

[Blue Violets]

I just found this thread & had to post b/c I am from Mississippi myself!

The majority of my high school classmates/friends have gone on to become Ole Miss Tridelts, Chi-Os, or DGs. One of my tridelt friends told me this year they had more legacies to their house than they could take for quota! I am sure that happens to those 3 houses fairly often.

In the GreekLife board there is a post about the NPHC sororities and frats--about how they are woven into the community fabric so they aren't solely limited to collegiate type activities. This is very common here in Miss for all Greek life--I remember hearing about someone's mother being a "Tridelt" when I was in fifth grade. Sorority affiliations are touted everywhere--bumper stickers, t-shirts, activities--and not by collegiates but by alumnae!

Because so many Mississippians go to Ole Miss and MSU (State) and stay in the area, sororities become a form of networking--they stay friends for life. In high school, two of my best friends' mothers were both Delta Gammas (& best friend's mother and stepmother were both DG too ) at Ole Miss. Social groups are facilitated by sorority affiliations--and if you read the deb profiles every Thanksgiving the girls are proudly and rightly so listed as actives in DG, Tridelt, and Chi-O.

This culture can't be changed overnight--or even in a decade. The Thetas in MS still feel like they're "fighting" for their respect even now. My mother (who is a Theta legacy herself--not from MS, but moved here when I was younger) is a member of the local alumnae group and they are continuously working to help the Ole Miss chapter

Sorority life also relies on the reference system HEAVILY. When I was going through rush at my own school in NC, I found out that various Mississippians--mothers of my friends, associates, etc, had ended up writing a total of about 30 recomendations for me for various chapters. I never asked for any of those recs either! Of course I ended up at the one sorority where I didn't get a single rec--funny story there, I was wearing an ADPi t-shirt around my friend's brother and sister-in-law who both when to Ole Miss (she is a gorgeous blonde typical Tridelt and he was a Phidelt) and they asked me what my t-shirt was for. They had never heard of ADPi and they asked me if it was local...
What this means is that a sorority without a local "image" would have a difficult time.

[thetalady]

Originally posted by Blue Violets
I just found this thread & had to post b/c I am from Mississippi myself!

This culture can't be changed overnight--or even in a decade. The Thetas in MS still feel like they're "fighting" for their respect even now. My mother (who is a Theta legacy herself--not from MS, but moved here when I was younger) is a member of the local alumnae group and they are continuously working to help the Ole Miss chapter

Wow, news to us!! Kappa Alpha Theta is consistently one of the largest houses on campus and takes quota every year. The EZ chapter is active and involved in many aspects of campus life. Of course, the college chapter still needs and welcomes help from the growing numbers of Theta alumnae. We are preparing our 25th anniversary celebration at Ole Miss this year.

[hottytoddy]

Originally posted by thetalady


Wow, news to us!! Kappa Alpha Theta is consistently one of the largest houses on campus and takes quota every year. The EZ chapter is active and involved in many aspects of campus life. Of course, the college chapter still needs and welcomes help from the growing numbers of Theta alumnae. We are preparing our 25th anniversary celebration at Ole Miss this year.

I agree. Thetas have no need to "fight" for respect. I just graduated in December, and I know that they are a strong chapter. They do have a lot of members that are not from Mississippi. Perhaps this is not a chapter with a lot of Mississippi legacies because it has been on campus 25 years compared to others who have been there 75 or 100 years. But Theta has a great group of girls.

[Rudey]

I was just wondering what some of you consider a lot of money in terms of the greek system. I've seen ridiculous numbers from some of our chapters spending 100K on rush every year and I'm amazed I guess. How expensive are the houses at campuses like Miss?

-Rudey
--I was always so curious about these kinds of greek systems.

[hottytoddy]

Originally posted by Rudey
I was just wondering what some of you consider a lot of money in terms of the greek system. I've seen ridiculous numbers from some of our chapters spending 100K on rush every year and I'm amazed I guess. How expensive are the houses at campuses like Miss?

-Rudey
--I was always so curious about these kinds of greek systems.

Truthfully, I don't know how much we spend on Rush, but I know it's a lot. Probably about that much. I know just the fabric to cover the walls one year for skit was something like $25,000. But I don't know how much we spend as a whole. I'm sure all of the Ole Miss sororities spend a lot. Rush down here is pretty extravagant. OleMissGlitter may have a better idea on what is spent.

[TSteven]

I have a question. What about affiliates? What about the girls who "know" or "understand" that they may not make it into one of the "Mississippi" houses. They enroll at another school with one of those chapters, become an active, then transfers to Ole Miss. What usually happens? Does she get to affiliate or is the process just as severe as rush?

By the way, a high school friend of mine went to Ole Miss. She had it going for her. Academics, social, looks, active in church and community. You name it. All around great girl. However, she was from out of state. Now, her mother's family was from Mississippi and she was a chapter legacy to one of the "Mississippi" houses. She had recommendations from many Mississippi alumna of this chapter as well. But she did not get in - I think she was cut right before preference - and was crushed. Not so much because she wanted this house (she did love the house) but more so because so much emphasis had been put on this particular house my her mother's family. They have many generations of this sorority in the family. Turns out that she joined the group that "her heart" preferred.

[hottytoddy]

Originally posted by TSteven
I have a question. What about affiliates? What about the girls who "know" or "understand" that they may not make it into one of the "Mississippi" houses. They enroll at another school with one of those chapters, become an active, then transfers to Ole Miss. What usually happens? Does she get to affiliate or is the process just as severe as rush?

By the way, a high school friend of mine went to Ole Miss. She had it going for her. Academics, social, looks, active in church and community. You name it. All around great girl. However, she was from out of state. Now, her mother's family was from Mississippi and she was a chapter legacy to one of the "Mississippi" houses. She had recommendations from many Mississippi alumna of this chapter as well. But she did not get in - I think she was cut right before preference - and was crushed. Not so much because she wanted this house (she did love the house) but more so because so much emphasis had been put on this particular house my her mother's family. They have many generations of this sorority in the family. Turns out that she joined the group that "her heart" preferred.

I think we only had 1 or 2 affiliates the whole time I was in school. I think we may have had 1 or 2 try to affiliate that really were not like the girls in our chapter. We were nice to them and all but I think they just realized that maybe they didn't fit in with our chapter. We were willing to let them affiliate. I don't think we've ever been put in a bad spot as far as affiliates go.

[hottytoddy]

Originally posted by TSteven
By the way, a high school friend of mine went to Ole Miss. She had it going for her. Academics, social, looks, active in church and community. You name it. All around great girl. However, she was from out of state. Now, her mother's family was from Mississippi and she was a chapter legacy to one of the "Mississippi" houses. She had recommendations from many Mississippi alumna of this chapter as well. But she did not get in - I think she was cut right before preference - and was crushed. Not so much because she wanted this house (she did love the house) but more so because so much emphasis had been put on this particular house my her mother's family. They have many generations of this sorority in the family. Turns out that she joined the group that "her heart" preferred.

This happens a lot. But it's usually for the best. I'm sure your friend is much happier. You always hear rumors too that many of the "Mississippi houses" don't always get to choose the girls they want to be members because their alumna take over. I don't know if this is true though. I know our house isn't that way.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by hottytoddy
This happens a lot. But it's usually for the best. I'm sure your friend is much happier. You always hear rumors too that many of the "Mississippi houses" don't always get to choose the girls they want to be members because their alumna take over. I don't know if this is true though. I know our house isn't that way.

I actually ran into some sisters of my friend (we shall call Scarlett) at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans. They were pledges on their walk-out. I mentioned that I knew Scarlett and grew up next door to her. They started going on and on about how great she was and that they had visited her home and knew where I lived etc... In any case, what really amazed me was that one of them - flat out - said that they knew that Scarlett was a legacy to another house and that she wanted it but didn't get in. They also "understood" the pressure to do so and - for lack of a better way of putting it - did not hold it against her. This was when I realized that Ole Miss greek life was quite different. Even from the other SEC schools.

[preciousjeni]

Originally posted by carnation
What hottytoddy and ZTAngel said!!!!!!!


And that, my friends, is why it is so @#! hard for any new sorority to come on at a strongly Greek Southern campus.

I know THAT'S right!!! The University of Georgia has 22 sororities and 28 fraternities, not including the non-NPC/NPHC/IFC Greeks that the school doesn't recognize as Greek. A friend of mine founded Delta Phi Lambda Asian Interest Sorority at UGA but STILL hasn't gotten in with Greek Life. I know there were talks of a Multicultural Greek Council there, but that kinda fell through (something that isn't supposed to be talked about in public...)

preciousjeni

[TSteven]

Originally posted by hottytoddy
I think we only had 1 or 2 affiliates the whole time I was in school. I think we may have had 1 or 2 try to affiliate that really were not like the girls in our chapter. We were nice to them and all but I think they just realized that maybe they didn't fit in with our chapter. We were willing to let them affiliate. I don't think we've ever been put in a bad spot as far as affiliates go.

So in theory, a girl - knowing that she would not be an ABC if she went through rush at Ole Miss - could go to another school, be initiated as an ABC, transfer back to Ole Miss and affiliate. Given that she had the grades and met any other ABC requirements.

[FSUZeta]

ole miss doesn't have the monopoly on girls trying to affiliate with hard to get in sororities. it is happening in other parts of the south(and maybe other places too) as more legacies "come of age" and the value of being a legacy is lowered. being a legacy doesn't have the clout it once did.

[OleMissGlitter]

Originally posted by TSteven
So in theory, a girl - knowing that she would not be an ABC if she went through rush at Ole Miss - could go to another school, be initiated as an ABC, transfer back to Ole Miss and affiliate. Given that she had the grades and met any other ABC requirements.

I had a friend who went Tri Delta at Miss. State and affliated with the Tri Delta's at Ole Miss. I knew one girl, and I won't say which GLO, who was a member at the Southern Miss chapter of this sorority. Anyway, she was not allowed to affliate with the Ole Miss chapter for whatever reason and she ultimately went early alumna. At Nu Beta chapter of AOII at Ole Miss, we've had two girls affliate with our chapter. I would think anyone transferring to Ole Miss who was a member of chapter of a sorority we have would want to affliate since all of the houses are so strong and so good.

Also, being a legacy means different things when it comes to donations and time and support your mother/sister/grandmother has put into your sorority. I had a friend who was a triple legacy at an Ole Miss sorority and she was released because the sorority really did not know who her relatives were. It's all about being involved and staying involved and money can play a big part.