Television Moms at the University of Iowa

[pearlalum]

A Television Mom’s Recruitment Story

Since I am a mom, and writing this story about my daughter’s recruitment experience, it will be coming from a “Mom’s” perspective. Since my husband and I met while working at a local television station, I will be honoring some famous television moms by naming the chapters after them. The TV listing will be:

June Cleaver
Carol Brady
Shirley Partridge
Peggy Bundy
Louise “Weezy” Jefferson
Marion Cunningham
Jill Taylor
Clair Huxtable
Marge Simpson
Lucy Ricardo
Laura Petrie
Debra Barone
Elyse Keaton
Edith Bunker

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to tell this story since I felt I was beginning to smother my daughter with questions, advice, etc. I am a sorority girl (alright middle-aged broad now) and her mother, for Pete’s sake, so why wouldn’t she listen to my sage advice?!

I called her right after her Orientation session and she seemed tired and overwhelmed. She didn’t really want to talk and I thought, “well, this isn’t going to be easy.”

I thought about her all night and decided that I needed to back off. This is HER experience after all. I sent her an email the next day letting her know that I didn’t, in fact, want to smother her and that I just want her to know that I am here for her and to call when she wants advice or just wants to talk. A few hours later I got a reply with “I want you to be there Mom and I can’t wait to share everything with you. Love you XOXO.” What a difference a good night’s sleep can make!

Sure enough, I was a good girl and didn’t call her at all the evening of first rounds. Let me digress. Her recruitment consists of Round 1 on Friday night and Saturday, followed by a killer day (8 am-8pm) on Sunday for Round 2. Then, they have a weeklong break, and resume with Round 3 on the following Friday night and Saturday, with Prefs on Sunday and bid day on Monday. There are 14 chapters in Round 1, with a max of 11 invites back for Round 2, a max of 7 invites back to Round 3, and a max of 3 invites for Pref.

OK – now to the good stuff! My daughter texted me a photo of herself in our her outfit ready for Round 1. Yay – she really is going to share! So far, so good.

At the end of the evening, she called to tell me about her night. She visited 5 houses and they were:

June Cleaver – she said she LOVED this chapter (kind of didn’t want her to start LOVING any chapter so quickly, but it’s HER experience, right?). She said the girls were very nice and were coordinated in their outfits – this impressed her J They also had a house that, as she put it, “looked like a fairy tale house.” She had 2 recs for this house. She obviously wants to be invited back.
Laura Petrie – she liked this house too. She talked with a girl who worked for the same store that my daughter did that summer (different cities), and felt a connection there. She definitely would like to go back to this chapter. No rec letter for this one
Edith Bunker – didn’t connect here at all. This chapter doesn’t have a house, and I’m afraid it puts them at a disadvantage. No recs here either.
Carol Brady – she also LOVED (I put this in caps, as before, because that’s how she texted it to me) this house. She said the girls were great and she also liked their physical structure. She has a rec here, and would love to return.
Lucy Ricardo – she said this was the most beautiful physical structure so far. It’s a newer house and is quite wonderful. She liked the girls and would like to get to know them better as well. She has 2 recs here.

Tomorrow’s episode – Young and beautiful PNM visits the other chapters to conclude Round 1. Will she fall in love again? How will she rank her visits? Stay tuned!

[lovespink88]

I've been on a Simpsons kick lately, watching all my old favorites, so I will obviously be rooting for Marge!

[scrapcat]

As a mom of a past Iowa recruitment kid GOOD LUCK!! Love this story! My vote is for Laura Petrie! tomorrow is the big day!

[Gusteau]

I can think of more than one house at Iowa that looks like it's from a fairy tale! Good luck to your daughter tonight at Pref!

[scrapcat]

I'm trying to figure out which house is which.... hmmmm....

[pearlalum]

Round 1, Day 2
In this episode we follow our lovely PNM to the remaining 9 chapters and gain insight on her thoughts of each.

Marion Cunningham – again she LOVED this chapter. In fact, so much so that she said it is her favorite so far. She has 2 recs here and wants to go back.
Clair Huxtable – she liked these girls very much as well. She wants to return and had 3 recs here.
Jill Taylor – nice girls – she would like to return. No recs.
Elyse Keaton – she like this group too and wants to return.
Debra Barone – there was some tent talk here. She decided to keep am open mind. She liked the girls but says they fall midway on her list. One rec here.
Shirley Patridge – she like this house too and wants to return. She had 1 rec here.
Louise Jefferson – she liked the girls here, but not the physical structure so much. She put them midway on her list, but would like to get to know them better. No recs here.
Marge Simpson – she didn’t connect with these girls so much and felt the conversations was awkward. No recs here.
Peggy Bundy – she didn’t connect here either. No recs.

I was hoping for me detailed info at the end of Round One, but she was tired after a long day, so I apologize for the limited info shared here on GC. At the end of Round One, she listed like this:

Marion Cunningham
Carol Brady
June Cleaver
Clair Huxtable
Elyse Keaton
Shirley Patridge
Louise Jefferson
Laura Petrie
Debra Barone
Lucy Ricardo
Jill Talor

Others: Marge Simpson, Peggy Bundy, Edith Bunker

Stay tuned for our next episode when PNM finds out who she’ll visit for Round 2!

[pearlalum]

OK ladies - why is everything in bold print when it posts, but doesn't show that way when I cut and paste?

[pearlalum]

Round 2

This is a killer day that begins at 7:30 a.m. to find out where you will be visiting that day, and doesn’t end until 8 p.m. when you list for Round 3.

I get a text at 7:42 a.m. that says, “Mom, I got invited back to my top 11!!!” That made this Mom pretty happy. I know this isn’t typical (and so does she), but we are thankful to have a full dance card for Round 2. I wish her good luck and ask her to call when she can. I don’t expect to hear much from her today, but hope to catch up tomorrow (Monday) when she’s rested and back on schedule.

Much to my surprise she calls me when she has a small break to “vent.” This isn’t an unhappy vent, only an “I’m already tired and it’s pouring down rain today” vent. They had beautiful weather Friday and Saturday, but rain ALL DAY today. Not the best situation, but I remind her she’s lucky to have a full schedule today. She says , “I know, I’m not complaining about that . . . just the weather.” She also plans to skip eating on the lunch break in favor of a nap. Now, I know most of you probably don’t think it’s a good idea to skip eating, but I know she’ll grab a snack and, believe me, it’s better for EVERYBODY that she takes a nap J I tell her to call me tomorrow when she’s rested and we’ll catch up.

To my surprise, my daughter called about 9 p.m. to tell me about her day. I was sure that I wouldn't hear from her until Monday. Her voice was rough, and she sounded very tired. Round 2 is a long 12-hour day for the PNMs and for all of the actives as well.

She didn't get into too much detail about each house ("my throat hurts), but she did give me her rankings for going into Round 3 (max of 7 visits):

Marion Cunningham - still her favorite
Carol Brady - very strong
June Cleaver - liked this house very much too
Clair Huxtable - really wants to get to know these girls better
Louise Jefferson - this one moved up from Round 1. She had a better connection in her conversations today
Shirley Partidge - liked this house too
Elyse Keaton - still likes this house

Others: Lucy Ricardo, Debra Barone, Jill Taylor, Laura Petrie

She knows that any or all of houses in her top seven can cut her going into Round 3 and she might go back to any of the bottom four, and that's OK with her. She will get to know those houses better if that happens.

She seems to be navigating this process pretty well. She said she wasn't nervous at all today, and tried to enjoy each house. It rained buckets all day, and she wore white pants (what was she thinking)! But, even that didn't seem to dampen her spirit.

At first, I was not a fan of the 2-weekend recruitment experience. I thought having it one full week before school started would have been better. But, after listening to her voice tonight, I think a weeklong break will be good for everyone. She can rest, regroup, and get excited for Round 3 and Prefs.

So, stay tuned for the next episode . . . .

[GolfersLady]

Having just finished my chapter advising for the day at Iowa (with beautiful weather, thank goodness!), I'm excited to hear the rest of the story!

PS: the rain last Sunday was awful, even for the chapter members. I felt so badly for the PNMs waiting and walking with their umbrellas.

[pearlalum]

Round 3, Day 1

She called me right after opening her invitation list. Can't believe it - again - she got invited back to her top 7!!! She is pumped (and so is Mom)! Round 3 will be divided up into Friday night and Saturday afternoon. In this round, the PNMs will find out more about each sorority's philanthropy and have 45 minutes in each house.

On Friday (tonight), she will visit:

Louise Jefferson
Marion Cunningham
June Cleaver

She gives me a quick call at the end of her night, and her thoughts are:

Louise Jefferson - good
Marion Cunningham - this is still her favorite and really separating from the pack.
June Cleaver - she really likes this group, but afraid that she might not fit in as well as she first thought.

Round 3, Day 2

Her schedule and thoughts are:

Carol Brady - this is still a very strong contender
Shirley Patridge - this one really impressed her today and is battling for a position in her top 3
Elyse Keaton - just OK
Clair Huxtable - really likes this one too.

After some soul searching, she listed choices this way for preference invitations:

Marion Cunningham (her favorite since Round 1)
Carol Brady (loves this one too)
June Cleaver (feels that this she had strong feelings for this one all week, so she shouldn't change her choice now)

Others: Shirley Partridge (regrets this a little), Clair Huxtable, Elyse Keaton, Louise Jefferson

In tomorrow's episode . . . PNM is getting down to the wire, as she finds out her Pref Party List and will attend each pref. Will her heart lead her away from her favorite? Can she see herself in more than one sorority? Will one of her top choices be cut from her list? Stay tuned . . . .

[WCsweet<3]

I suppose you would have mentioned this, but your sorority is not represented on this campus is it?

[pearlalum]

No, it's not. I wish it was though.

[pearlalum]

Pref Parties

Well, here we go! I’m nervous, but excited for her. No matter where she is invited too, all of these organizations are wonderful; and she could be part of an amazing chapter at the University of Iowa. I’m so happy she’ll get to make some wonderful Greek memories during her college days.

She just called – she got her top 3! Now, I’m fully aware that this isn’t the kind of recruitment experience most girls have. She feels very blessed. And, we are having a “blue moon” this weekend, so maybe it’s truly a “once in a blue moon” experience!

Her pref parties are:

June Cleaver – she like this one a lot
Carol Brady – still very strong
Marion Cunningham – still her favorite

So, she texted me right after her last pref party and said, “OMG. I can’t wait to run back and put Marion Cunningham as my first choice!”

So, this is her rank:

Marion Cunningham
Carol Brady
June Cleaver

So that catches us up for the next episode, which will be a “live” episode in real time! Tune in tomorrow!

[honeychile]

Hope all works out well for your daughter! It sounds that she'll be a wonderful sister to any of top three!

[scrapcat]

I can't wait to hear! Good luck tomorrow!