What Would You Change About Recruitment?

[carnation]

I was thinking about recruitment and things I did and didn't like about it. Now this is going to sound lame, but even as a PNM, I wished that the sororities wouldn't sing songs to all the PNMs as a group about how much they wanted them and of course, it wasn't true. Lines like, "and you're going to wear our (name the shape of the pin)", or "you were meant for ABC", as innocently as they may have been sung, added to the heartbreak of several women when they were cut the next day. As PH advisor, I would see the PNMs' faces when these lines were sung--they would just beam, sure that the line was meant for them.

Does that bother anyone else? Are there other little things that upset you?

[honeychile]

I would think that every school would have some little differences, but what I would change is:

1) I really didn't like sitting on a chair while the sisters looked up at me - I don't see a viable option, but it was just awkward.

2) When you're going from house to house (or suite to suite), there should be some time allowed at a mirror, so at least you can TRY to look your best!

[FSUZeta]

i never took to heart that the sisters were singing the "why don't you join us"or "when you are a ____" to me. i just enjoyed the song, but i can see how others might think that, but i would hope that would not be changed. but then, i also enjoyed the yard songs and dances that we all did for the pnms before we ushered them into our houses at fsu. busby berkeley would've been proud!

i agree with honechile . it was a bit uncomfortable to me when i was a pnm to sit on a chair while the sisters sat on the floor. and balancing those plates and cups on my knee could be an adventure too. i always felt bad that we pnms got to eat and drink and the sisters could not.

[aephi alum]

I would relax the strict-silence rules just a tad. When I was an active, we were not allowed to talk to PNMs AT ALL outside parties - even to explain to them that we weren't allowed to talk to them. The rho chis repeatedly explained the strict-silence rule to the PNMs so they wouldn't misinterpret why Suzy Sister, who was so nice at the party, now literally would not give them the time of day, but I suspect we (the sororities collectively, not just AEPhi) have lost a few PNMs over the years because they ran into sisters outside parties and felt they were being snubbed when the sisters couldn't talk to them.

I would make sure the schedule contained adequate bathroom breaks. It wasn't so much a problem at my school, where rush was held in the student center and there is time between parties to hit the ladies' room (they actually turn one of the men's rooms into a ladies' room during rush, to ensure there are adequate facilities). But from what I've seen on GC, at some schools you could have a situation where there are a lot of sororities on the day's schedule, you accept a drink at each house to be polite, you know it's rude to ask to use the restroom so you don't, and by the time you get to your last house you're doing the potty dance.

And carnation, I couldn't agree more about the songs about how "you're going to wear our pin". To me that sounds a little like promising a bid. A PNM is sure the line is meant for her, then she is devastated when she is cut. Thinking back over the AEPhi rush songs that I remember, I can only think of one that says anything like that, and my chapter only sings that on bid day - when it is appropriate.

[PhoenixAzul]

The real swaying factor for me loving Tau Delta was our novelty party. We actually DID stuff with the sisters. Pinata, limbo, brownie decorating, making leighs, pictionary, eating food. The skit/song wasn't about hwo they're the best or whatever, it was just about their sisterhood and what they do together and individually. At the other novelties I went to, there wasn't really a "theme" and the "Activities" were to get signatures from members and dance..which I hated because I hate forced interaction and I haven't got a rhythm bone in my entire body. I think that should aslo be frowned upon by panhel...more interaction w/ PNMs, less requiring PNMs to make an impression upon the girls in the house.

I think that perhaps condensing recruitment would be better too. As it is, it takes 3 or 4 weeks to get through, and its rough on the girls and rough on the Rho Chis and the RC's.

I also think that legacy information needs to be released and found more efficiently! The sign up sheet only asks if you are a legacy, it doesnt ask WHERE TO, which meant that us PX's had to find out and hunt down girls and recruitment chairs.

There needs to be a rule such as 1) if you do not show up to opening ceremony/first PX meeting, you do not go through recruitment. It takes too much time, legwork, and cell phone time to hunt down girls who don't show up. 2) if you DO NOT COME to OPEN HOUSE, you are no longer in recruitment, again, too much excess time spent on a girl who is irresponsible.

[Rio_Kohitsuji]

I wish Rush here was a bit more structured. Seriously, we are just given a date for a open and the rest is up to us. Also I think it would be nice to have Rho Chi's and to have girls signs up for rush and be able to visit EACH sorority.

[CarolinaDG]

See, I never thought of it that way. I remember the one sorority pointing at the girls and saying, "We want you!" I just brought it up the next year during recruitment practice and telling everyone how nice it made me feel. Then again, I did end up pledging the sorority that didn't do any of that stuff, and that just made me feel comfortable.

[KSUViolet06]

*INFORM girls better about the process itself. Let them know about the rules prior to the start (not always done). Make sure they understand that their sorority affiliation is an important lifetime choice and that choosing to join means alot of responsibilites.

*Leave the songs and chants and stuff for the FINAL round. As many people have said, those songs do make some girls presumptuous about where they'll end up.

[trojangal]

I don't like it when the rush booklet says:

Do not worry about recommendation letters.

That one statement can end up with a lot of great girls having to be dropped during rush.

My experiences with friends who are Greek, my time on this board, and knowing as many people as I do know, when a friend of mine has a daughter or if a former student of mine is going through rush, i make certain to really sit down and talk with them. Most often, they do not have parents who are Greek. I do what I can to help the ladies find letters of recommendation and introduce them to the alumna that I know. I let them know that I am availalbe if they have questions, and always encouraging them to check with the school they are planning to rush at.

[FSUZeta]

yes to eliminating the don't worry about rec. letters!!

yes to calling it rush!!

yes to emphasising that their commitment is for a lifetime!!

[exlurker]

trojangal and FSUZeta, I agree with you about the don't-worry -about-recs statements. Even when a brochure or web site tries to convey the message, "GET RECS," a lot of them end up muddying the waters, as I think the University of Kansas (KU) does:

A letter of recommendation is not needed or required by Panhellenic to participate in recruitment. Each individual chapter has its own requirements for letters of recommendation, some chapters require letters and others do not. A letter of recommendation can only help a prospective member. You can try and find an alumna to write a letter of recommendation for you, but if you can not find one, do not stress. Plenty of women who participate in our recruitment do not have any letters of recommendation and still have a great recruitment process.

Okay, that paragraph is on a web page with lots of info on how to get recs, addresses where they are to be sent, etc. For people who are clued in, or who pick up on clues, the message is there: "try to get recs." But people who are totally new to the idea of NPC, and maybe a little shy about appearing to ask for favors, may miss the clues, not get recs, and . . . well, I hope they have a "great recruitment process," but in general, at a fairly "competitive" large Midwestern school like KU, chances are the "process" will be "greater" for those with recs.

Of course, things are different on some really laid-back campuses,
but for places where recs are a good idea at the very least, or a necessity, I wish the message could be clearer!

[aephi alum]

I so agree about the recommendation letters! I like to tell PNMs that if their recruitment material says "don't worry about recs", cross out the word "don't". Even where recs are not a necessity, it shows that the PNM is proactive and willing to put in an effort.

Another thing I'd change: Make the parties longer, especially where there are fewer sororities. I've seen round 1 parties as short as twenty minutes. That means sororities are making decisions about PNMs based on maybe 10-15 minutes of conversation, maybe a resume, maybe a rec, and maybe the opinions of a sister or two who already know the PNM. And PNMs are making decisions about which sororities to return to based on maybe 10-15 minutes of conversation with maybe 2-3 sisters out of possibly 100+. Longer parties means more exhaustion, but they give the actives and PNMs a better chance to figure out if the match might be there before any cuts are made. (Note that I come from a campus with 5 NPC sororities, so longer parties are not unreasonable.)

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by trojangal
I don't like it when the rush booklet says:

Do not worry about recommendation letters.

Yes, yes, yes! The rush booklet (yes, I called it rush--like it ought to be! ) that I received from UK a month or two before I went through said specifically that recommendations are the responsibility of the individual chapters. So I thought, "Great! I don't need to bother getting recs!" Thus I turned down at the very least 5 recs to different chapters on campus...all because I believed the booklet. Dumb, dumb, dumb. (Note: I did get my first choice, but I would've been really really angry had I not...because I would've wondered whether having recs would've made a difference.)

Also, whoever said PNMs should have time to access a mirror and a potty between rounds is right on the money! We had 10-minute breaks between each round, and many times I needed every last second of that time just to get to the house I was supposed to be at...and it was 90-degree August heat. I'm sure I smelled great and looked even better. Seriously, I would have been so much more comfortable had I been able to blot my oily face and retouch my lipstick before going into the next house...not to mention getting a restroom break, 'cause you can only drink so many icy beverages before you gotta go! That's why I never looked down upon a PNM who asked to use the restroom, because believe me, I could understand.

[trojangal]

[. For people who are clued in, or who pick up on clues, the message is there: "try to get recs." But people who are totally new to the idea of NPC, and maybe a little shy about appearing to ask for favors, may miss the clues, not get recs, and . . . well, I hope they have a "great recruitment process," ,
but for places where recs are a good idea at the very least, or a necessity, I wish the message could be clearer! [/B][/QUOTE]

COSIGN

IMPO, I think that the sororities should tell the interested female students they see during summer registration/orientations to find their NPC alumnae group in their hometown. For women w/o a clue about the Greek system and the need for letters, it is devastating to be told oh, you're great, can't wait to see you back tomorrow, etc, then be dropped like a hot potato or cut hard. It's very difficult for these women with excellent grades, great community service, and good character to understand why they get dropped b/c they don't know about it, they may not have been in a community very long, no Greek family members/friends, etc. And, unfortunately, there are some Ro Chis who just don't know how to deal with that type of situation and don't know what to say or do with that young woman. So then, you have girls, wondering why "Am I not good enough, How come they didn't take me? What did I do wrong? "and nobody to answer them.

[33girl]

I agree with everyone about telling the rushees that recs are their responsibility.

Get rid of the PC terms and go back to rush, rushee, suicide and pledge. Most people still use them, and more to the point, it is still what is actually happening. When we completely get rid of quotas, totals and timed parties, maybe then we'll be able to call it "recruitment"...until then it's just wishful thinking and a complete misnomer.

Freshmen should not be permitted to pledge unless they have gone through at least one round where they are required to meet every sorority - and I don't mean 5 sisters at a table on Activity Day. (That is, there should not be a COB only period in the fall semester unless it is limited to upperclassmen.)

Get rid of silence rules except for the actual time of rush. Same for rush counselor disaffiliation - the bigger of a deal is made of it, the more the rushees want to find out. This all being said, make penalties for dirty rushing (like promising bids or pressuring someone) much worse than they are now - either huge $$ fines or no social activities for a year.