Spring rush

[BabyP]

I hear that a lot of greeks dont do spring rushing. I was wondering why not? I think it is good cuz the students are more established and not so new to the university, they know their surroundings better. but what are your thoughts about this?

[AOIIalum]

BabyP, you'll probably get a wide range of opinions on this. I'm not a big fan of deferred recruitment, but I come from a "formal recruitment the week before classes start" background.

On the one hand, having a semester under your belt can be beneficial from an academic standpoint. It doesn't always mean that a girl will maintain the same grades once she pledges, but it can give chapters a better indicator of academics using a college GPA vs. High School. On the other hand, almost every other campus organization and dorm already have been recruiting new (freshman) students and promoting activities and involvement. Girls may already have a full calendar of extracurriculars by the time recruitment rolls around, and decide not to participate because of that. But even though all those other activities can take new freshman members, the sororities have to wait a semester/quarter to recruit their new (freshman) members. I have a big problem with that happening. Why discriminate against sororities and make them wait, when you don't have to wait to join the drama club or dorm intramurals team?

I also think fall has the potential to promote academics more than deferred, especially when deferred is fit in after classes and over weekends. You've got the entire summer to prep, and can really intensely focus on recruitment those days and not worry about going to class and doing homework. Of course, not having to balance class and recruitment is good for the PNMs, also

Then you have the whole 'campus image' situation. Say you have a sorority or three who may be a bit smaller than the others, very strong and solvent and a great group of girls, but for whatever reason they aren't considered a "name" chapter on that campus. In a fall recruitment situation, the PNMs may be able to judge each chapter more on how they present themselves during the recruitment events (yes, I said may there, because we know plenty of girls come in focused on one or two chapters regardless of when recruitment is held.)

In a deferred recruitment, rumors and reputation can get around, even if they aren't based in any form or fact whatsoever. You also may have more potential for "I only want to be an ABC or nothing!" with deferred, because the girls have seen the sororities on campus for a semester they may think they know what they want. It may be the best fit for them, but it may not.

Again, this is all opinion and one could probably use each of my points against deferred recruitment to argue fall recruitment.

[Xylochick216]

I can see both ways being beneficial-- before school starts so the women won't have stereotypes in their heads about particular organizations, etc. But at my school we have deferred, which I am happy with because I didn't want to be Greek my first semester. I knew virtually nothing about Greek life because no one I knew was Greek and all I had in my head were the stereotypes from TV. Being on campus for a semester helped me see what amazing things these women do together and as a whole Panhellenic community. Both ways have their benefits and risks; I guess it just depends on the school

The big chapters who are strong with great reps do really well with spring recruitment. Smaller chapters who get talked bad about all semester and rumors spread don't do well. Just personal experience..........I HATE spring recruitment. I'ts my mission before I die to make Baylor do fall recruitment.

[GtownGirl98]

Personal experience:
Georgetown College does defered rush and I see the good and the bad.... the freshwomen who "know" which group they will join and end up joining a totally different group. I have seen the girls that know only the bad of greeks and have a semester to see the good parts. I also think that women need to be GDI's before wearing two or three greek letters.

BUT... I have also seen and heard the groups dirty rush the freshwomen and how the frat guys give the ladies their opinions about each group and which ones are the groups to be in. How the reps and images about the groups get passed around. So I see both sides...

Defered rush is good for the independants and First Semester is better for the Sororities.

[astroAPhi]

The faculty and administration keep pushing for deferred recruitment, but somehow we keep them at bay. Deferred Recruitment would totally not work here. Florida Tech is so big on campus involvement that we would never get any members because all the non-Greek organizations would snatch them up first! (This is pretty much what the faculty and admins hope happens, I think.) Luckily, our new President is Greek so he is very pro-Greek.

I think it's just such a pain for all the parties involved. Here, we can't talk to freshmen girls unless a member of another sorority is present until formal recruitment is over. I don't think I could survive a whole semester with that crap. Not to mention our Recruitment Counselors would have to pretty much disaffiliate for a whole semester. What fun is that? It just sounds to me like it's more trouble than it's worth.

[breathesgelatin]

Honestly, I think people tend to prefer whatever they're used to.

[Little E]

I have a question. When groups talk about defered rush. Does that mean women aren't allowed to go to any informal event?
Granted we are w/out panhell, but we rush women their first semester but they can't be bid until second. is this normal?

[33girl]

BabyP - do you mean they don't do rushing in spring because fall was the "big" rush and they don't bother doing it, or they don't rush in spring because of the calendar? (sorry that is confusing, but I don't know how else to put it)

I much prefer deferred rush for the following reasons:

-the girls have had a chance to observe Greek life at a distance and see if it is really something they want to be part of - that is impossible to do if you rush before you've even been to one college class
-Lots of people flunk out/drop out/transfer after their first semester - why waste a bid on them?
-People who don't know anything about Greek life are at a HUGE disadvantage on campuses where you rush before school starts. At these schools you often cannot get a bid if you AREN'T a first semester freshman and even if they decide later that they want to participate, they may be overlooked, which just sours them on the Greek system.
-If you are not one of the "top" groups on campus you know girls are joining because they like you, in spite of whatever they may have heard

May I add that I don't agree with a "semester of silence" - that first semester can and should be a time for PNMs & GLO members to get to know each other in a "normal" atmosphere instead of the stressful and often somewhat fake time of rush.

Little E, that is how we used to do it and how I think it should be done.

[BabyP]

Originally posted by 33girl
BabyP - do you mean they don't do rushing in spring because fall was the "big" rush and they don't bother doing it, or they don't rush in spring because of the calendar? (sorry that is confusing, but I don't know how else to put it)

I much prefer deferred rush for the following reasons:

-the girls have had a chance to observe Greek life at a distance and see if it is really something they want to be part of - that is impossible to do if you rush before you've even been to one college class
-Lots of people flunk out/drop out/transfer after their first semester - why waste a bid on them?
-People who don't know anything about Greek life are at a HUGE disadvantage on campuses where you rush before school starts. At these schools you often cannot get a bid if you AREN'T a first semester freshman and even if they decide later that they want to participate, they may be overlooked, which just sours them on the Greek system.
-If you are not one of the "top" groups on campus you know girls are joining because they like you, in spite of whatever they may have heard

May I add that I don't agree with a "semester of silence" - that first semester can and should be a time for PNMs & GLO members to get to know each other in a "normal" atmosphere instead of the stressful and often somewhat fake time of rush.

Little E, that is how we used to do it and how I think it should be done.

I mean that they dont bother with the spring rush, they only rush in the Fall.

[33girl]

Originally posted by BabyP
I mean that they dont bother with the spring rush, they only rush in the Fall.

Oh OK. My big long post has no point then.

If the group gets quota in the fall and are at or above total, they CAN'T rush per NPC. If they only need one or two girls to get to total it's a pain to put on full-scale rush parties. They might give out those bids but often to girls they already know.

I can understand this if you're at a school with 200 person chapters and getting everyone together for rush is like putting on a broadway show.

However...if your groups are smaller, and not at total, you should be rushing in the spring. NPC is trying to get people to think of rush as year round instead of 2 weeks in the fall, but old habits die hard, and many people think spring rush is a waste or a sign of a weak chapter (both of which are lies).