Word. Back in the day, your house had a great reputation, and I am sure it still does. Sounds like you have a good rush attitude.

Which reminds me of a rude rushee story...

During my sophomore year, we had a rushee come through that we were on RED ALERT for. Her grandmother sent us a letter of introduction for her last granddaughter going through rush. None of the others had gone to schools with a Sigma Kappa chapter, and this was her final chance to pass on her pin. So this, was of course a VERY BIG DEAL.

So, grandmama sent a letter, a collage of photos of her babygirl, and a two page resume of everything Precious Angel had going for her.

Back in the day, during Polish Week (do they still call it that?), we had copies of recs and such put up on the mirrors in our bathrooms and on the doors of each stall, so that we'd have names and such burned in our brains. Classy, but since eventually, everybody's gotta go, it was effective.

So, the first round arrives, and we find out which party we're going to be at and Precious Angel walks in the door and ends up with a girl from my pledge class. She welcomes the girl and a few minutes into the conversation, mentions that we got the nicest letter from grandmama, and feel like we know so much about her already.

Precious Angel says, "My grandmother is crazy, and I am NOT joining this crappy sorority."

At which point, my sister frantically taps out with someone who was floating and runs off in tears.

Clearly, she wasn't back for Second Round.

poor grandma and poor rusher!

We felt reaaaally bad for the grandmother - I honestly don't remember where Precious Angel ended up, but wherever it was, I hope they taught her some tact.

This is an awesome perspective, one that I've not heard articulated before. Thank you for this!

This totally reminds me of Andrea going through rush on 90210.

I think this happens way way WAY more often than anyone than anyone realizes, and moms/grandmas/sisters sending in recs really need to have an honest discussion with their angels and make sure being in a sorority is really what they want.

It reminds me of MY rush, only it went both ways - the sorority trying to find out shat religion you were, and you being immediately cut from sororities where you weren't the right religion.

Like our nightmare 5-generation legacy!

FTR, you can't discount "she is obviously going to join a Jewish house, let's not invite her back" being as much of a factor as "we don't want a Jewish girl".

I rushed when dinosaurs ruled the earth. The decree of who could join which sorority had been recinded a few years before, but that doesn't mean they weren't followed.

And FWIW, I have no idea what FTR means.

^^ "For The Record"

For the record, maybe?

ETA: Drolefille types way to fast.:p

Thank you both for the definition.

Oh, I know. Both of my parents went through rush around that time. My dad couldn't believe that Jewish men would join a chapter who wouldn't take them a year prior.

The discussion should cover not just being in A sorority, but also being in HER (the sister's/mother's/grandmother's) sorority specifically. Chapters are different, and chapters change over time. And sisters aren't carbon copies of each other, nor are daughters carbon copies of their mothers. So just because Lucy pledged XYZ doesn't mean her sister Ethel will also love XYZ ... Ethel may fall in love with ABC, or she may not want to go greek at all. Lucy may be disappointed, but she will have to deal.

I can't believe Precious Angel couldn't just hold it together for one party. Having to spend 40 minutes with what you think of as a "crappy sorority" (which could just be a negative reaction to your grandma ramming all things Sigma Kappa down your throat for 18 years) is not the worst thing in the world. If you don't like a chapter, just get through the party, be polite, rank the chapter last, hope your higher-ranked choices invite you back, and if you have to go back to the chapter you dislike, then lather rinse repeat - and if you end up at that chapter's pref party, then ISP or don't sign a pref card.

When I was an active in the 1970's, Jewish people were just starting to join non-traditionally Jewish houses. I had mentioned previously, that our sweetheart my last year was a Jewish Kappa. The downside was that we lost about one Jewish house a year. The Sororities seemed to do better. This wasn't at Lafayette, though, it was my previous school where I majored in Fraternity. At Lafayette, I pledged the library.

For a minute, I thought you were from my chapter! I had a similar event happen to me. We had gotten a letter from the grandmother about a legacy. Well, on the Panhel registration paperwork she only listed herself as being a legacy to one chapter, one the of TOP chapters on our campus. We knew she was coming and I rotated in and realized it was her. I am one of those people who can talk to anyone. I mentioned to her that her grandmother had sent in a letter for her but that she hadn't listed us as a legacy chapter. She then proceeded to tell me that she didn't list us because she wanted no part of being a Sigma Kappa. I said to her that I was sorry she wasn't interested because we have a lot to offer and mentioned some of our strengths. She would not talk to me and was extremely rude. I called grandma and told her what happened and grandma said..."Don't invite her back." So we regretted her. She ended up getting cut by all the chapters and then rushed again as a sophomore.

I had graduated and was not aware she was going through recruitment a second time. I was a grad student at the time at my college and went to the house to help out on bid night. To my surprise, there she was in our new pledge class and get this, she had listed being a legacy to Sigma Kappa on her registration that year. I went up to her and asked her if she remembered me and she said that she did. She then told me that her grandmother had called her right after I had gotten off the phone with grandma and she ripped the granddaughter for being rude at her chapter and rude to the nice girl from SK that she had spoken with on the phone. The new member said that she was embarrassed by her actions from last year and that she was glad she got the chance to apologize to me. Go Grandma!