:confused: :confused: :confused:

Are you talking about the sorority sugar info or this thread? Because Baylor is listed on the very first post here.

Bump for 2016!

"Time to write the recs.." (said like the Dunkin Donuts ad "Time to make the donuts.."

I heard it in that voice!

I am part of the Alumnae Panhellenic in our town and we just had our sorority information session for the high school seniors. A few things that came out of that for any 2016 PNMs or moms who may be reading:

1. When we say "absolutely positively" need recs it is based on what is the campus norm for that particular school. If over 75% of the PNMs are voluntarily submitting their own recs then you are at a disadvantage without one.

2. If over 75% of the PNMs are voluntarily submitting their own recs then the chapters have more than enough PNMs to choose from when selecting their new member class. They will not need to spend time chasing down a rec for you during the busy summer months.

3. For some chapters those without recs become easy cuts (along with GPA) for first round. No rec could very well mean no invite to the next round.

4. Some organizations require a rec in order to receive a bid.

5. If you cast a wide enough net you WILL find the alumnae to write for you. Ask everyone you know, make a Facebook post, and then when you find one writer ask her if she can point you to someone who is in any group that you are missing.

I agree with you on everything, except....in some areas, there are just no alumnae to be found in certain sororities (for instance, a sorority in that state is only a few years old, or there have been no chapters in that section of the country for many years.
If you absolutely, positively have tried your best to find somebody and can't after a couple of months, give it up. Do, however, at least send your info to the sorority's national HQ and ask for help. Sometimes that works.

Is there someone who is familiar with Alabama recruitment who can PM me about rec letters? They are not needed at our school but I'm the president of our alumnae Panhellenic up here and I received a request for help from a young woman. I have a question and don't want to potentially identify anyone. Thank you!!

Messaging you now.

Yes, I agree with with the statement that some sororities are just not present in some areas. However, in our mobile society there are transplants to areas, parents may have attended college elsewhere and have friends from that location, etc. There are friends of friends. My mother-in-law is an alumna to a sorority that is not common in our town (she's a transplant), but she will write for anyone that I vouch for and then indicate my first hand relationship with the PNM. And Facebook posts (especially by the parents) seem to be quite effective in finding those last elusive groups.

My experience is that women who are alumnae of groups with small presences in areas are quieter about their membership because there is not that shared alumna experience with others. They may be harder to find because fewer know of their affiliations.

So, some may be harder to find and require a MUCH larger net, and I guess I will back off from the firm "WILL find a rec" statement I originally gave, but I wouldn't want a PNM to assume that they won't be able to find a rec to XYZ if that is a smaller organization in their state. It just means they need to find women who attended different colleges than State U.

I wish there was some way to share more info among groups. I feel like a certain number of NPC alums endorsing Suzy should be good enough, regardless of what group they are from. This is not to criticize any groups MS policies, only to point out that it's a shame to see women not considered for membership because of a technicality.

Not to reveal too much of my org's policies, but if it gets to the round before pref and there's no rec, the chapter CAN still do what it can to find one, and they're going to be able to find their own sorority's alumnae out there probably a little easier than a PNM, since they can theoretically ask their national/international HQ for a list of alumnae living in that area.

I have no problem with PNMs who have tried and simply cannot an alumna of my sorority in many areas of the country.
What makes me mad is a PNM in, say, Chicago or Indianapolis, where there are thousands of DG alumnae, who claim they can't find one. No. You just didn't want to try.

I'm guessing that the groups who have a "must have a rec before bidding" policy and are in areas where alumnae are scarce, have that item worked out long before rush...or they probably wouldn't have pledge classes.

I've always side-eyed that policy. Chapters would die out if that was the standard. Heck, a sorority would die out. Why on earth would founding 'mothers/sisters' would sanction that? I'm no expert on general Panhellenic affairs and can only speak for my own org, but that policy doesn't make sense. Maybe actives have misinterpreted a bylaw? Maybe I'm biased, but I was the first in my family to go to college much less go Greek. I wound up being very active and working on exec and in the Panhellenic community, but had no connections of which to get a rec. I went through informal. If that is such a rigid thing, you are missing out on amazing women. Don't fault us on being clueless on the Greek system. I'm the gal who had one of the highest GPAs in my chapter and was considered 'hot' by other frats.

Unless you have a rec, all you have is a list of unconfirmed stuff the PNM has given you.

I have collected too many stories about PNMs who gave a great first impression, and then turned out to be suicidal, have emotional problems, lied on their resume about their grades and more, loved to stir up drama, were fond of drinking, had an arrest record and, oh yes, were promiscuous. All that could have been found out pretty quickly by a hometown alumna with a few connections and a lot of tears and time would not have been wasted by the chapter.
Yes, we have chapters who have no idea what a rec is or why you'd want one. Yes, we'e had our share of Miss High School Perfections who transforms into Miss Helen Wheels Colleges.
But it IS a fraternity-wide rule, and a practice followed by the chapters with which I work. At least, if I have anything to say about it.;)

Sure, my point is just that I'd rather have Anna AGD, Donna DG, and Carol ChiO vouch for her than someone in my own org who met her for fifteen minutes because she emailed the local alumnae chapter. I don't think any NPC org is *that* different in its standards for membership.

I'm going through recruitment at Cornell. Are recs needed there? They have deferred recruitment, so, when would I need to have everything in? I have no greek family members, so greek life will be new for me. From the looks of the FB pages, the groups have been on campus a long time, but there is little information on their greek life website about what is required.

I certainly agree with that. My other pet peeve - alumna who take a short meet and write a rec. If you can't do it right...

Have you checked out their Panhellenic site? http://www.cornellphc.org/ The schedule is probably for 2016, but the dates will probably be roughly the same for 2017.

Cornell as a rule isn't one of the places where they are required by all groups. However,some of the groups may have a national policy requiring them. If you can get them it wouldn't hurt.

Some of these things don't show up until students are away at school, particularly mental health issues. Or, the family can keep them hidden due to stigma. Any group of college-aged students needs to be prepared to handle/address these issues in an appropriate manner. 'Cause they will happen.

I really like this idea. Honestly, if one of my friends in another sorority has known someone for years and will vouch for a girl, then I will write a good rec for her even if I don't know her. A standard NPC rec could level the playing field both for sororities and PNMs. Probably never going to happen, but I like it.

It slays me that any of the schools where Recs are "a must" still write/insist in their Recruitment booklets that recs are the direct responsibility of the chapter and not the PNM, and that Recs are not mandatory. It could be detrimental to the women who don't have a lot of help or know any active/alumnae members, she may get lost in the shuffle.

I assure you that if a group really wants a woman, there are ways to get a signature on a rec. and also why we always tell PNMs to ask the rec writers they do find if they know anyone in the other groups they need. I've written many a rec on a friend's recommendation.

That's great to know! The schools listed as must-haves are worlds apart from what it done in my part of the country.

I have a legacy going through recruitment this year at one of the schools listed and I told her to absolutely do everything she can to get at least 1 rec for each chapter, regardless of what they are told. I am happy that she was able to secure recs for every chapter. She has a good head on her shoulders and is going into recruitment with no expectations.

Recs aren't required to go through rush, which is being put on by Panhellenic. Also, Panhel has no idea of each group's individual membership selection policy. For them to act as if they did could open them up to a lot of repercussions - "Panhel said I needed recs and I.got them and still didn't get a bid. I'm suing their butts."

I mean, yes, it does suck for those who come into a very competitive rush clueless, but I understand the rationale behind it. It's kind of like schools not endorsing landlords that aren't affiliated with the school. When you make yourself an authority on.something, you declare yourself responsible.

DING DING DING!

Hello --
I'm a college admissions counselor and I'm confused! I strongly suggest that young women who are interested in Greek Life network to gain recommendation letters for chapters on the campus they will attend.

One of my students at Vandy was told during the recruitment information session early in the fall that recommendations weren't used at Vandy, so she didn't get any. She just (yesterday) received a bid to one of the sororities she was hoping to join. She's thrilled and I'm thrilled for her. As we had discussed, she maximized her options throughout every day of recruitment. Her parents are both immigrants and so she has no family connections with any of the groups.

In the first post on the thread, Vanderbilt is listed as one of the SEC schools where recs were a must. Why would they tell PNM's that they aren't used? Was she just lucky?

TIA.

I know nothing about Vandy rush. I do know Vandy has several sororities that have national rules requiring a recommendation for each new member. Whether the recommendation arrives prior to rush, or an alum is in the back room signing a rec before the girl participates in the pledging ceremony, the girl will have a rec. I would continue to tell young women to get recs.

My daughter and I attended a meet the Greeks info session during her freshman orientation several years ago( not Vandy). The Panhellenic VP of recruitment told the group the recommendations had to come from chapter members/alums of that school only. I wanted to correct her for the sake of those who thought it was true, but did not want to mortify my daughter or ruin her chances in the fall. Even Panhellenic officers can be misinformed.

No Panhellenic is going to tell you that recs are required. That's not their policy. They might say they're "strongly suggested" or "highly recommended," but not "get 'em or else."
Why?
Because it's not Panhellenic's job to do that. It's the sororities' jobs to get recs. And many chapters still do. It's just that recruitment has gotten so big at many places that it would be impossible for the chapters to solicit recs for every girl coming through. If half of them can get recs themselves, they're that much ahead.
But for the number going through recruitment at Vanderbilt - it's entirely possible that the chapters there managed to get recs on PNMs without the PNMs being aware of it. And yes, sometimes chapters do take girls with no recs - somebody just signs for them.

It's kind of like the girls who swear that only A, B or C sorority are worthy of their membership and lo and behold - they get a bid from A sorority. It happens.

Thank you -- that helps. I'll continue to suggest recommendations. :cool:

My daughter went through deferred recruitment 4 years ago at a school on the "good to have" list. From the chit-chat I heard during her time as an active, I do think that members have a lot more to go on when recruitment is held second semester (first semester grades, personality/behavior, friends made, etc.) and the recs may not carry as much weight. However, they can't hurt, and if a national group requires one, it's good to provide it.

And for some of these schools the helpfulness of the rec isn't so much for the week of recruitment. It is for earlier in the first semester so PNMs can get on the radars of the chapters. Some schools are smaller where everyone knows everyone (W&L perhaps?) but as the schools get larger it can be helpful to have that introduction to chapters- especially the ones who have to cut the most early in the week.

FTW :)

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you! (It is very hard when I tell young women one thing and the folks at the college tell them something different. This will likely be the encouragement they need.)

QFP

Buniculus, you should send Longhorn Mom a PM. She is an authority on Cornell recruitment.

Missouri is SEC. Just sayin'.

Not Big 12.

What about Big 10 schools?

Did you read any of this thread? Your answer is on the first page, and also on other pages :rolleyes:

When this thread was first created, Mizzou was indeed Big 12. They made the jump in 2012, as did Texas A&M.
Nebraska is in the Big 10 (B1G) now as well. The OP doesn't always get edited.