Quote:
Originally Posted by LionTamer
Yikes! Being a true blue Yankee, I don't have any connections or reasons to follow the Southern rush threads, but this year, and friend who moved down South asked me to help her find recs for her daughter, who is rushing at Bama - she was able to get all the rest herself, and just needed help on those last two
As someone from a family where no one went to college before my generation, and as someone whose mom's friends hadn't gone to college, much less participated in Greek life, I am firmly opposed to the idea of recs. Rationalize away, but in the end, they are nothing but a way of keeping girls from families that didn't go to college OUT of the system. Yes, an enterprising girl from a non-college family can solicit teachers, etc, to help, but the deck is totally stacked in favor of girls with moms who were Greek know how to work the system (like my friend).
But when asked to help, I bit my tongue, and lined up my girlfriends to write those recs. Her daughter is going where she's going, recs are required, and me being pissy about them won't change the system. When in Rome, I guess.
But the concept is still elitist, and still sucks.
|
As a fellow Yankee... I definitely see where you're coming from, and I agree to some extent.
On the other hand - chapters at my school very, very rarely receive or use recs. For 200+ girls going through last year, I think we only got 3 recs/resumes (and it seems like they're more to indulge Greek friends of the family who want to write them). But I really wish we did get them, because it's so hard to decide whether or not to offer membership based on a few 20-minute conversations alone. More info would so helpful. As weird as it sounds, I wish recs could come from any reputable source, whether or not they're Greek - kind of like college admissions. It would open things up for women with no Greek connections and allow PNMs to get recs from people who really know them, like teachers or religious leaders, as opposed to greek women they have to go hunting for.
