Let's bring back "rush"
 

Frankly, I'm tired of the word "recruitment," one of many new terms designated by the National Panhellenic Conference about 10 years ago. "Recruitment" instead of "rush." "Potential new member" instead of "rushee." People are still using the terms "rush" and "rushee." And why not? They're shorter, easier to say and spell and everybody knows what you're talking about. What do you think?

I completely agree!!

I'm glad SAI does use the terms Rush and Rushee. However, a few years ago we had to change "pledge" to "member-in-training". I HATE the new term! I wish they were still called pledges.

I don't give a rat's butt either way. My first semester in AGD was during the transition period from Frat Ed to NM Education, rush was recruitment, rushee was PNM, and pledge was now NM.

The NPC changed it for a reason as part of the anti-hazing movement.

I really don't think it matters to them that "rush" and "pledge" are shorter to write and easier to say. I think that the NPC has other and bigger problems to worry about.

I went through RUSH , then I PLEDGED my sorority. I learned my organization's history from my PLEDGE HANDBOOK and from my PLEDGE MOM.

And somehow, miracuously, I actually lived to tell about it! :rolleyes:

PS I was even expected to wear a PLEDGE PIN!!! How did I EVER survice?!?!?!

amen sisters!
 

sometimes i feel that we are going to politically correct ourselves into oblivion!!

Right, I had a pledge trainer...even more politically incorrect! :eek:

Why did the change it anyway?
I also went through RUSH. I was a RUSHEE. I then PLEDGED my sorority. I had a PLEDGE mom (actually we had two). I, too, had a PLEDGE pin.
How is any of this dergatory or not PC?
And how bad is this- when I was a Rho Chi, we weren't allowed to refer to PNMs as "girls" or "ladies". We had to call them "women".

Ooh, I was hazed because I was expected to wear tiny wine and blue pledge ribbons! All the other Auburn sororities did the same thing!:rolleyes:

It makes me crazy that that's now considered hazing. We were all so proud to wear the colors of our sororities.

Here's my thought.

I sort of object to the term "new member" To me, that signifies someone who has been initiated into the sorority. Okay, don't say nasty things because "once a woman accepts a bid, she is a member of that GLO". To me. a "new member" would be someone who was recently INITIATED!

The term "Potential New Member" is stupid. Nuff said.

Perhaps PenquinTrax could give us more insight.

I think that NPC has to have a unanimous vote to adopt a policy/practice. Was this something that the individual members were allowed to discuss within their GLO before it was brought to a vote or was it something that the NPC delegates thought of and then voted on.

We wore little purple and gold ribbons too carnation :)

I agree with you, 2blue. To us, a new member was one who had just been initiated. 'Potential new member" is a heartbreaker to me because some of those women won't get bids and it seems to be a misnomer--like whoops! You had a chance to be a new member and blew it!

I don't understand NPC policies either. As I understand it, NPC says new members must be initiated within 8 weeks...however, Chi Omega waits a semester for grades. I wish everyone did....but does that mean that the 8 weeks period isn't an NPC policy?

Re: Let's bring back "rush"
 

I agree totally.

I'm sure there was much discussion among each GLO's governing body before the NPC vote.

I don't think that is a fraternity-wide policy for Chi O. Some schools require that new members have so many hours before initiation which translates as having to be a NM for a semester. I'd be very surprised if one chapter on a campus waited a semester while the others initiated. This sounds like a good subject for another thread...

We complained about this before but it doesn't hurt to do it again. :) http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...threadid=29470

I wonder if NPC bothered asking high school seniors (the people who this is supposed to "protect") if they were offended by the words rush or pledge. If you have to indoctrinate someone for them to get offended, duh, it's probably not offensive.

The term "pledge" had to go, in part, because a lot of Universities are starting to NOT recognize any group that has a "pledge process".

NPC Unanimous Agreements are just that.. agreements. They are not laws and NPC doesn't have a way of "punishing" or "enforcing" them. Groups and collegiate Panhellenics are strongly encouraged to follow the Unanimous Agreements in the Panhellenic spirit of keeping things fair and even. Individual GLOs may incorporate these agreements into their policies which they can enforce with their own chapters, but NPC doesn't do that. A good example of this is frills/no frills recruitment. NPC strongly recommends no frills, but can't stop PCs from having frills.

Some Universities are also requiring that New Member periods be shorter and shorter.. some as short as 3 weeks. Other Universities don't govern anything. Trying to draw an organizational chart would be a nightmare!

Think of NPC as a consultant group for GLOs, made up of representatives from each GLO that belongs to it.

As for Rush/Recruitment.. I don't know why those changes were made. I agree that PNM is a mouthful. What if they were Recruitment Guests, or, to make it Greek.. Rho Gammas?
(then the PCs that use Rho Gamma for Recruitment Counselors would have to change)

Dee