Keeping it in the family - legacies

SBROWN · #1 11-29-1999, 04:59 PM

My little brother will be attending college next Fall and I'm hoping he'll decide to go greek. I can't imagine my college experience without it and I want him to experience it as well. He will not be attending the same college and it isn't important to me that he join the same fraternity - however there is a chapter at the university he will be attending (and it happens to be a great chapter). I would like to know the etiquette or procedures for helping him out in the rush process. I have good friends who are all alumni of different fraternities, would it be a good idea for them to make a call or send a letter to the other houses on campus? Are rec letters even helpful and how do fraternities view legacies of other houses? I have no doubts that he would do just great on his own but if I'd love to give him an advantage if possible.

BSUPhiSig'92 · #2 11-29-1999, 05:49 PM

First of all, I think it is great that you want your little brother to go greek, and if you have been a positive role model and have relayed all of your positive experiences to him I am certain he will want to rush. I don't think letters of recommendation are very common anymore for most chapters, but I definitely think that it would be a good idea for you to contact your chapter on that campus and give them a heads up. Most chapters are always looking for more quality candidates, and I think that since you are also a brother they would take your recommendation seriously. I wouldn't write to other chapters that you are not affiliated with on your brother's behalf though. I tend to doubt that they would take it seriously. However, if friends of yours who are members of those organizations were willing to send a recommendation that may be helpful. My inclination is that a lot of these chapters will actually be surprised to get a recommendation. Good luck!

kegman · #3 12-08-1999, 01:08 AM

I think that you should build up your little bro's tolerence before he gets to college. I know that is what I did and I can't think of a better way to prepare for college. Here is a program that might work.
-Start out easy, five beers in an hour each day for a week.
-Work up to a fith of taquilla in 20 minuets every other hour for one day. I call this day the power binge. This is to break your will.
-once your will is broken, you are now ready to loose your morals. You must get outrageously hammered and cause general chaos.
-Now you are ready for the grand fini!!! Go out with your friends and purchess one keg for each of you and pound it. This is h a got my name and my pride.
This program worked for me and it will probably work for your brother. Good luck and may the booze be with you....

pink bunny · #4 12-08-1999, 08:51 PM

i would encourage you to give your brother
moral support. Other then that i'm not sure
the various chapters would appreciate you
calling on his behalf. He should initiate
all contact and interest own his own. Some
chapters don't like legacies as it is.

r l johnson · #5 12-17-1999, 02:36 AM

well I think it is important that you encourage your brother,but I know what it feels like to be legacy and your sibling trying to make all of the connections for you. My sister is a Delta and when she started pulling strings and stuff I appreciated it, but it doesn't feel like being able to earn it. I didn't even want to be a Delta. I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,Inc.. So basically let your brother go to school and feel the fraternities out because you might be pulling the wrong strings. Make sure you let your brother know you will support him in any fraternity he decides to enter but let him know he'll appreciate it more if he gets it by himself and works for it. This way it will be an experience never forgotten.

Corbin Dallas · #6 06-27-2000, 03:56 PM

One of my brothers was a legacy, but he didn't even know it until he went home for Thanksgiving, and was talking about the fraternity he joined. His grandfather went to the same school, and when he told him what fraternity he was in, the grandad said, "oh yeah? i was in that fraternity too." Nobody in the house knew he was a legacy either. It just happened that way. There's another guy who's dad and older brother were both alumni. He also has another brother coming up in a couple of years that will probably go to the same school.

AXO Alum · #7 06-27-2000, 04:38 PM

As a former rush advisor and other various duties of rush detail, I can say personally that I think a rec letter is very appropriate. We view them as a commitment to the fraternity because a sister has written to let us know that her legacy or close friend is coming to our school. The only way for me to explain it is to say imagine this:

Jane Doe comes through recruitment and marks on the recruitment form that she is a legacy of XYZ (NPC has this on the recruitment info sheet - its not the individual sorority that does this). When we check our information, her sister Susie Doe hasn't sent a letter. That kind of makes us wonder....hmmm...wonder why Susie didn't send us a rec letter?

And maybe Jane didn't want her to, or maybe Susie wanted her to feel independent, whatever, it just kind of makes us wonder what the deal is. I know when I've had close friends going through rush that I've sent rec letters. One girl I did this for said that she was so glad that I talked to her about rush and that even though she was a legacy of another group, her aunt hadn't even mentioned it to her (and the aunt knew she was going). When the AXO chapter there got my rec letter and found out she was another soro's legacy, they called to ask me about why she didn't get a rec from her aunt.

Even though it will not guarantee him a bid, it shows that you are still interested in your fraternity as a whole.