[Storytime!]

Epilouge

Rachel boomed after their founding. They took 17 new members in their first FR (quota was 22; Irishpipes’ records don’t go back that far so thank you facebook!) and COB’d some great PNMs that did not bid match because there was no QA then. They initiated 38 members that spring (9 from fall colonization, 17 from FR, and 12 from COB), and I think they took at or near quota the next three years and are doing really well on the campus today.

Ross is still going, and both the national chapter and the one on my campus offer an amazing program and supportive sisterhood, but they have had numbers issues for a while. Two other swimmers who hadn’t rushed joined Ross after FR during COB and loved their time there.

Chandler is doing okay. On my campus there will always be some women for whom Chandler is the perfect place, and because they are a local they have a very involved alumnae network. J went on to be chapter president, and her younger sister joined the family when she came through recruitment two years after us. And her relationship ended with the a%^&*(+ boyfriend who tried to convince her to only go Joey and she was all the better for it. PNM lesson: seriously, do not let a guy’s opinion sway your decision on where you will spend a large part of your college life and group you will be involved with forever.

Phoebe is still doing well, and A, who still lives near our school, is involved as an alum adviser. They are a great group of women and the year I rushed had a great pledge class.

My teammate who pledged Joey dropped after a couple of weeks deciding that sorority life wasn’t for her. They are still strong on campus, though I think they have a smaller nursing contingent now.

Between my friends and my teammates, I went into Monica with four close friends already in my pledge class. I won’t get too mushy here, but Phi Mu was where I found my voice. For the first time in my life, they told me I should be a leader and gave me the opportunities and support to do it. I was on exec, a member of Order of Omega, a greek life orientation guide, a risk management instructor, headed greek week events, and am still involved as an alum in both my chapter and Panhel. I literally do not think I would have been as successful in my career if I hadn’t joined a sorority. PNM lesson: the combination of the independence that comes in college and having strong women as your peers pushing you to try new things is an amazing opportunity, and why I recommend greek life to every collegiate woman.

I learned as a sister that Monica votes on their final bid list before pref (not sure if they still do this) as the list had to be turned in like 2 hours after the final party, so the connection I made to the former swimmer sister, the avid coloring sister, and the west wing fan sister (and the fact that a girl from my high school was in the chapter) made the difference for me. PNM lesson: practice your conversation! A couple of bad or good ones can make the difference!

Finally, when my roommate N SIP’d Monica and didn’t get a bid, and I did, it started the downfall of our relationship (there were some other things that happened later in the semester too). I tried to keep my sorority stuff and joy out of the room as much as possible, but sisters are going to decorate next to your door, and you want to put letters in your window. Even though she didn’t take their snap bid, she did accept a COB bid to Chandler eventually (having J in the pledge class with her helped I think) where she went on to enjoy sorority life. We reconnected later in college, but it was never going to be the same. PNM lesson: I know it’s hard, but try not to talk too much about what houses you get back because you never know who had her heart set on those houses that may (right or wrong) hold it against you. There isn’t anything you can do about it after bid day, and on that note, JUST DON’T SIP. N, who was sure she had a bid to Monica and swore up and down she would rather not be Greek than be anything but a Monica, took a bid to her other pref chapter anyway, missed the fun of bid day and caused So. Much. Drama. Even with QA, she wouldn’t have been a Monica because Chandler offered her a bid. Now, would she have lost Monica earlier under RFM? We’ll never know, but these situations are where RFM helps because the more popular chapters have to break hearts before SIP becomes a possibility.

The campus has added a number of other chapters since I went through and greek life seems to be doing well. I have some reservations about whether they jumped the shark on colonizing a new one recently, but according to Irishpipe's records quota is about where it was in my years even with more chapters, and most hit quota last year.

I hope you all enjoyed my recruitment story as much as I enjoyed digging through facebook, scrapbooks and my notes to remind myself of all of the drama and fun of that year! Greek life is still strong on my campus, and it makes me happy to see my chapter doing well.