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Originally Posted by UGAalum94
Can I hijack: why don't they do the expansion recruitment during regular recruitment at Alabama? It seems like it'd be a lot better to recruit girls before regular recruitment might have somewhat disappointed them. I know there's a presentation, right? Why not do the whole thing?
I'm just thinking that starting recruitment after the groups have bid 1400 women doesn't leave that many women who are interested in being Greek in the pool.
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Not that I know how other groups execute a colonization recruitment, but I know from my experience at the University of Arkansas, what you are suggesting would have never worked. I would suspect that Bama would have similar issues.
It would be unfair to the colonizing group to "compete" against the existing, established, sororities during FR. In a colony recruitment you don't have cute girls doing door chants and bumping and doing MS. It is a very different approach and would likely not go over well with your average 18 year-old PNM. I know at Arkansas we had another SEC chapter of ours come in and do a cutesy party during the first round of FR, but colony recruitment (which took place after FR) is completely alumnae. It is fun, but definitely more a series of informational events, activities, and interviews. I don't think too many PNMs are brave enough to cut an existing group to take a chance on the new one that isn't presenting itself in the same way. It might work out if PNMs didn't have to make cuts during recruitment, but since they do, I would highly suspect that the colonizing group would meet the chopping block right off the bat with a great many PNMs. You know that most PNMs truly believe that they will be one of the lucky ladies that gets a bid to the absolute top sorority on campus. Until they learn otherwise, they aren't realistic enough to cut that group in favor of a colonizing group. I think this was a HUGE issue at Arkansas which has so much Greek history and PNMs know which chapters they want before they step foot on campus. It creates an immediate disadvantage for a group that obviously doesn't have that recognition on campus. I would think Bama with its Old Row would have similar issues. The colony needs to have its own time to shine and show what it has to offer. That's my opinion.
Additionally, the point that has already been made is very important and that is about getting a mix of classes. You just can't take a bunch of freshmen exclusively. Although Bama has a separate quota for juniors, I would think most PNMs would be freshmen, not leaving enough of a pool of upperclass girls. I know many of the terrific upperclasswomen we took at Arkansas would never have gone out for us if they had to go through FR. They weren't, for the most part, girls who had previously rushed and "failed." Most of them never rushed and didn't want to. (Intimidated by the process, not interested in the chapters on campus, etc.)
Just my oinions after participating in a big SEC colonization. If everyone on campus who is a good fit for Greek Life is already spoken for after FR, the colony isn't necessary.
