Recs and School Rules/Suggestions

[VandalSquirrel]

So far my rec writing has been limited to my area, meaning I have hand delivered them to the chapter and given them to the sister in charge of them. However I have noticed that some schools put on their informational pages to send them to a person or office, and not the chapter directly.

Personally I don't think the form I write for my sisters should be seen by anyone who is not a sister for various reasons. I consider that form, and the information it contains an extension of Membership Selection, which we all know is private. I am just imagining someone opening the mail (perhaps a student) and private information not staying private.

Has anyone here ever worked with a chapter at a school that suggests or attempts to require this method? If so, did you follow it or ignore it?

[AGDLynn]

Whoah! Red flag!

I definitely would not do this!!

My school's panhellenic won't even tell us who the parents are and the student's address so that we can try to track down alumnae who may know her. So why should we give them what we've got!

Their concern should be that the person made a specific GPA.

I can see the definite possibility of the rec info being given out, verbally or not, to other Panhellenic members.

[FSUZeta]

my daughter rushed last year and her school recommended that all recs. be sent to the panhellenic office. panhellenic would then distribute them. i felt that left too much to chance.

i felt uneasy about this, so all recs. for my daughter were sent to the appropriate person designated in the magazines of the sororities on her campus.

[alum]

I also had my D's sent directly to the respective chapters.

[adpiucf]

Some schools don't have sorority houses and the chapters have their respective mailboxes in the Panhellenic Office. Something to consider if you send something to XYZ Sorority in care of Campus Panhellenic.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Some schools don't have sorority houses and the chapters have their respective mailboxes in the Panhellenic Office. Something to consider if you send something to XYZ Sorority in care of Campus Panhellenic.

That is sending to the chapter directly, though - it's their mailbox. VS's situation sounds like the school is saying "just send the rec to panhel and we'll get it to the chapter eventually."

[ISUKappa]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Some schools don't have sorority houses and the chapters have their respective mailboxes in the Panhellenic Office. Something to consider if you send something to XYZ Sorority in care of Campus Panhellenic.

In that case, some may feel more comfortable sending the form to the Membership Advisor or Advisory Board Chair to give to the Membership chair. I know I received a few each summer when I was ABC.

[honeychile]

All of my recs were sent directly to the individual chapters, and I've always sent them directly to the chapter. I completely agree with V's statement, that they're an extension of Membership Selection.

[srmom]

In my city, when I am writing recs, I send the completed rec packages (recommendation form, 3 pictures - head shot, 3/4, and full, resume, and 3 supporting letters) to the local rush representative of our sorority alumni chapter. A committee then goes through all of them to see if they are complete and correct, so it is sisters (but alumni) who are reading the recs, but recs are not sent directly to the chapter.

All of the girls going through rush go to an informational meeting in the spring where they are told of the process and what they need to provide to the rec writers and when the deadlines are.

I'm not sure why it is done this way, but it has been this way since before me and I went through rush in the early 80's.

[adpiucf]

This is how we do it in Texas--- the women register with their Alum Pan, secure sponsors on their own and get their sponsors to write them recs and letters of support.

The sponsors send their recs and letters to their alumnae association's Recruitment Chair. The Chair bundles the recs for each university and sends them to the chapters there.

I think this is also a way for the Alumnae Pan and Associations to keep tabs on who was going to what schools/where they pledged. They have a master list of the hometown girls and where they joined each year.

[VandalSquirrel]

I can use my school as an example. Mail can be received through the Dean's Office/Greek Life and be forwarded on, but almost of the chapters have a PO Box through the USPS and that information is publicly posted on the Greek Life page. I know for my chapter, we have an alumna or the house director pick up mail from the PO Box. The issue of recs is really only used in regard to sororities, and I think the way it is worded is not for actual members to send recs, but for nonmembers writing letters. Here it is word for word cut and pasted:

Do I need Letters of Reference for Recruitment?
No. Letters of References or Recommendations are not required to participate in recruitment and you do not need a letter for each chapter. Alumni Sorority members often offer to write letters for friends and family memebers. These letters serve as a personal introduction of the young woman to the sorority. The letters are designed to give the sorority added personal information, but does not serve as an advantage when particiapting in recruitment. If family friends, emplyers, or family members offer to write you a letter, please have them mail it to the Office of the Dean of Students. All letters will be passed on to the sorority recruitment chair. Again you do not need to have letters to participate in recruitment.

To contrast, my next nearest school, Wazzu, has a page with a woman's name, sorority, and what I assume is her home mailing address. Wazzu is on the east side of Washington State, so most of these women live on the west side (Seattle area) so I can only imagine that a rec is sitting in Bellevue, and the member is already back in Pullman.

I kind of like the way it is handled by Alumnae Panhellenics. The problem I can see is if we did have one, it would be in Boise for Idaho, and with an Alumnae Panhellenic in Spokane it would be closer in distance, and great for Wazzu, but not so much for us.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

Do I need Letters of Reference for Recruitment?
No. Letters of References or Recommendations are not required to participate in recruitment and you do not need a letter for each chapter. Alumni Sorority members often offer to write letters for friends and family memebers. These letters serve as a personal introduction of the young woman to the sorority. The letters are designed to give the sorority added personal information, but does not serve as an advantage when particiapting in recruitment. If family friends, emplyers, or family members offer to write you a letter, please have them mail it to the Office of the Dean of Students. All letters will be passed on to the sorority recruitment chair. Again you do not need to have letters to participate in recruitment.

After reading that, I would say double hell no. It almost sounds like they're discouraging recs - how do they know what is an advantage in rush? - and they want to keep tabs on who's sending them. That is absolutely none of the school's business.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

After reading that, I would say double hell no. It almost sounds like they're discouraging recs - how do they know what is an advantage in rush? - and they want to keep tabs on who's sending them. That is absolutely none of the school's business.

I am thinking since we are a land grant and agricultural school, that perhaps this is for Frannie FFA who may live in a town with no stop light, doesn't know women in sororities, and her principal or 4-H leader is writing on her behalf. I really don't think this is aimed at the Boise kids, but more for the rural areas and trying to get people who may be the first to go to college, let alone Greek in their family to feel at ease or be interested. To be honest though, I do know women who had no idea about recruitment, have no sorority connections, and did just fine (and by fine I mean they maximized their options, and didn't put on someone's facebook wall "Fabio Fratty told me I need to be an XYZ and so did other people and I will be nothing else!!!").

I am giggling at one school's page with clothing suggestions. Denim shorts and overalls were listed, and the vision I have is probably not the one they are attempting to project. I see the striped Osh Kosh engineer overalls, and long jorts with maybe cargo pockets or a hammer loop. Sadly there are no visual examples.

[33girl]

I understand that they don't want women to feel obligated to get them but that IMO goes too far the other way - like they're a bad thing. I just looked at Penn State's site (speaking of land grant) and they say recs are not a requirement, but are always welcomed. Incidentally, they mentioned denim shorts too

[UGAalum94]

It always astonishes me how much Greek Life offices do that will actually hurt PNMs. The rec thing is one of them.