StrawberryField's Fall 2009 Recruitment Story!

[StrawberryField]

Let me take you down cause I’m going through…

Formal Recruitment!

Hi, GC! My original intent was to wait till recruitment to register on here and post my story, but I just couldn’t resist the “Make a baseless accusation” thread in the Chit Chat forum.

Before I start recruitment; here’s a quick background story. It’s one of the reasons that I wanted to join a sorority.

I grew up in a small town that, for the sake of discretion, I’ll call Liverpool. In Liverpool we didn’t hear much about University and even less about Greek Life, which is why I didn’t even know what a sorority was in my freshman year of high school, when I travelled to a faraway school to attend a festival. This was the University of Jazz. As our bus pulled up to the Student Union, I noticed a building down the street. It was white with blue trim and was adorned with strange letters. I recognized the Greek letters from taking math and science in school, but I couldn’t understand why they were on a building. Was it a Physics building or something?

Later in the festival, I got lost on my way to a workshop and a friendly girl wearing a t-shirt with other Greek letters on it helped me find my classroom. When I mentioned that I had seen similar letters on a building she explained to me that she was in a sorority and the building was a sorority house. I found the idea of sororities interesting but slowly forgot about the building and the helpful girl when I returned home to Liverpool.

By my final year of high school I was focusing on applying to two universities. The University of Rock was located far from home, but it had a special program for the major I wanted to take. The University of Roll was close to home, but didn’t offer the major I wanted. It had a similar program that would lead to the same credentials, but I wouldn’t have the same major. My parents really liked this school and were encouraging/pressuring me to go here. One day I decided to look up student groups on both university campuses. I was shocked to find that both universities had Sororities on campus. After thoroughly examining both the Greek Life and individual Sorority websites for both schools; I decided to go through recruitment. I loved both schools and knew that I’d be happy at either campus, but I wasn’t sure which school would be the best fit for me. I ended up being accepted to my first-choice university and I know now that this is where I was meant to be.

Now that that story’s out of the way, I can talk about Recruitment, which started today with Orientation, where we were be put into groups and learned about the process of Recruitment. My Recruitment Counsellor’s name is Penny Lane and she is very helpful and friendly. The other PNMs in my group all seem to be really quiet, but maybe we’re all just overwhelmed by all the information we were given. Recruitment continues tomorrow with Round One, when we’ll visit all four houses on campus. Because my school seems to have a unique recruitment schedule, I’ll sometimes update my story the same day as the Recruitment Event, sometimes, if I have a lot of homework, I’ll update the next day, but I’ll always write as though it’s the day of the event.

Please stay tuned!

PS, does this show up as a normal thread? The post looks really wide on my computer.

[ComradesTrue]

Looks normal to me.

You are a great writer and quite witty. I have enjoyed your baseless accusations and look forward to this story.

[MerryGPhiB]

I agree Blondie.... very witty. I look forward to hearing more!!

[StrawberryField]

A Shocking, new twist! (and shout)

Hey lads and ladies, unfortunately there has been a problem that was unforeseen. Another club that I joined has just announced that their first meeting of the year is the same night, same time as Round One of Recruitment, and it's mandatory. I've called Penny Lane to explain my situation and she has assured me that Rounds One and Two are interchangable and that there are a lot of PNMs who'll be missing Round One due to classes and other commitments, so my Recruitment won't officially start until Thursday. Please bear with me and stay tuned!

And thank you all for your kind comments, I'm very flattered.

[MerryGPhiB]

I love to twist and shout( as a matter of fact I'm known for it), but you have to have some (rubber)soul to get you though abbey road. It's great that you were able to communicate with Penny Lane, I guess she wont be in your eyes for an additional day.

I look forward to hearing more!

[AOIIalum]

A Beatles themed recruitment story! Thank you for thinking of such a wonderful theme!!!

[honeychile]

I've been loving your screen name, and love your style! Please, please me with more!

And if you're a real Honey Pie, I might tell you my own Beatles story!

[StrawberryField]

Round One (actually Round Two) Meet the Beat….I mean Meet the Greeks

Sorry for the delay GC. So yesterday we met our Recruitment Groups and walked down Abbey Road to the houses. The other PNMs in my group were a lot more talkative yesterday than they were at Orientation. There are some PNMs in my group who’ve been on campus for a year or two already and have friends in most of the sororities. Others, like me, are brand new to the area and to Greek Life.

The four sororities at my school, the University of Rock, are:
Lennon
McCartney
Harrison
Starr

The Meet the Greeks Parties were pretty short. All we had time to do was go on a tour of the houses and then talk to a few sisters. The parties will get longer as the week progresses. Yesterday I went to:

Lennon: Wow! I recognized so many people from class, work and other clubs that it was crazy! I asked a few questions about the sorority, but I was paired with a really talkative PNM named Rita who barely let me get a word in edge-wise! I really look forward to going back to this house and meeting more sisters.


McCartney: This party was so LOUD! I had to yell at the sister I paired with just so she could hear me. The conversations here were good, but the McCartneys seemed like they might be a little too girly for me. I really liked the layout of the house and the girls were sweet and friendly, but I need to visit this house again before I can really form an opinion about it.

Harrison: I didn’t get to ask many questions about this house because we were so busy just talking! The conversation just flowed naturally because the sister and I had a lot in common. We could, and did, talk about anything; even the space between us all and the people who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion, and how they never face the truth. I really like this chapter.

Starr: This is the smallest house on campus. There are some good things about being in a small house, but I didn’t really get to talk to the Starrs much. We were all being shepherded around the house so quickly that we could only say about 3-5 sentences to each sister at most. This was also the first party I went to, so maybe we were all just nervous. I really want to go back to Starr to try to make a stronger connection.

The next event will be tomorrow and I’ll be visiting all four houses again. At U Rock we won’t be making cuts (or getting cut!) until the round before Pref. That being said, I definitely have some favourites at this early stage of Recruitment.

1. Harrison
2. & 3. Lennon and McCartney (these houses are tied. I like them both but need to go back to both of them.)
4. Starr

Alright guys, I’ve got to get to class. Stay tuned for the next installment and thank you once again for your compliments.

[StrawberryField]

Round Two (actually Round Three) Magical Philanthropy Tour

Hey everyone; I just got back from Round Two. What a day it was; how do you PNMs at schools with ten or more chapters do this? I’m already losing my voice.

Anyway, today’s parties went something like this:

Lennon: I had really good conversations here again today. We talked about Lennon’s philanthropy , which is a foundation that works towards world peace and equality. A few Lennons also mentioned that they volunteer for a shelter that helps starving, avant-garde artists. I really like this house. I can easily imagine myself here.

McCartney: The McCartneys had a presentation about their national philanthropy; PETA. After the presentation we had the opportunity to meet and speak with several sisters. The conversations here were just as good as they were yesterday; if not better. I definitely like this house, but I still don’t know if I’d fit in there.

Harrison: The Harrisons also had a video presentation set up and we made little crafts. Harrison’s philanthropy is cancer research although many Harrisons donate to a charity that houses homeless Hare Krishna followers. Although the conversations were only slightly more awkward today; I did find out some unfortunate information regarding the financial aspect of Harrison. If I understood what they were saying correctly, this problem would make it pretty much impossible for me to join Harrison. I’ll have to ask about payment plans next time I visit the house.

Starr: Something must have been wrong with me yesterday, because the conversations here were awesome today! I got along with the girls here as well as the girls at Lennon. The Philanthropy Chair of Starr gave a brief speech about their philanthropy; which gives money to Children’s Hospitals. I left this party feeling like had just made a houseful of friends.

By the end of the day, I had some very mixed feelings about some of the chapters. Thank goodness there’s one more day to visit all four houses. I had to rank the houses today even though there won’t be any cutting until the end of next round. I really do like Harrison, hopefully I’ll get my questions answered in the next round those answers will determine whether I can join this house or not. Since today’s rankings aren't official, I ranked the houses:

1. Lennon
2. Starr
3. McCartney
4. Harrison


Well that’s all for now. The next round will be soon, I promise. Stay tuned!

[KappaKittyCat]

Homeless Hare Krishna followers FTW!

[Psi U MC Vito]

Ironically enough, I just bought the Sgt. Pepper Lonely Heart Club, so I am loving the names.

[honeychile]

I am having much too much fun reading this - StrawberryField, you're quite the Paperback Writer!

Don't know if you know the site Bagism.com, but if you need a break from it all, try the quiz! It's for true Beatles fans.

[CougarGrad]

Originally Posted by KappaKittyCat

Homeless Hare Krishna followers FTW!

That gets the Best Line from A Recruitment Story This Week Award for sure. I laffed mightily.


I'm so glad, SF, you were able to get things cleared up about the conflict that first night. It just goes to show that you'll get by with a little help from your friends.

[nwADPi]

This is possibly the best story I've read in a while. I could be biased due to my over-the-top beatles obsession!
Good luck with recruitment!

[StrawberryField]

Round Three (actually Round Four) Sisterhood Night “We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends”

This is the final round before pref. Remember how I was losing my voice at the end of the Philanthropy Tour? By this round I had to bring throat lozenges and a bottle of water with me from house to house. I still managed to have great conversations the houses, as well as a few moments that could qualify for the “Weird Rush Stories” Thread.

For the final time my Recruitment Group met in front of Abbey Road Studios and set off down the long and winding road that leads to the sororities.

Lennon: The Lennons had a psychedelic theme party tonight. We were split into groups of four and put into little boats on a river. The whole house was decked out with tangerine trees on the walls and marmalade skies on the ceiling. They also had rocking horse people serving us marshmallow pies as treats. After a quick presentation about Lennon and an ice-breaker game we got to talking, my little boat got along very well. One of the sisters must have been my long-lost twin because we had so much in common. This party seemed to fly by, and it was over before we knew it. I really like this house and hope I get invited back for pref.


McCartney: This house was set up to parody the Ed Sullivan Show. The sisters were dressed like Ed Sullivan and were “interviewing” us, we then had a break for a slideshow about McCartney and some snacks, before the interviews resumed. The conversations were pretty good here, there was a moment of epic awkwardness, but given the circumstances, it could have happened to anyone. I’m worried that I didn’t meet enough sisters here to make an impression. I’d be happy to go to the McCartney pref party if I’m invited, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t invite me back.


Harrison: The beautiful Harrison house was decorated to resemble an ashram. There were bold, beautiful patterns adorning the walls and elephant statues everywhere. Two sisters sat cross-legged on the floor, one was playing the tabala, the other rocking out a sitar. We were whisked downstairs to do a little craft and watch a power point presentation about Harrison. I spoke with the VP Finance and got my question from yesterday answered. It turns out that there’s no problem whatsoever with finances, which once again makes Harrison a possibility. The conversations here were great. I met a sister with a similar family background to mine as well as the Chapter President, who was very nice. It seems like a lot of Harrisons belong to the same clubs and organizations I do. I really want to go back to this house for pref. I’m really hoping they invite me back tomorrow.

Starr: This chapter’s theme was “Octopus’ Garden.” The house was decorated as though we were underwater. The effect was very cute. It seemed like the whole chapter remembered my name, which was very flattering. I had great conversations here for the most part, but one sister said some things that sounded a little bit rude and presumptuous when comparing Starr to other chapters on campus. It was a long day so maybe she was just tired and didn’t realise how she sounded to us. Either way, I would like to go to Starr’s pref party. I won’t write off the entire chapter based on one bad conversation.

Back at Abbey Road Studios, we had to officially rank the houses for the first time. I could choose my top two, then a third and a fourth. I already knew who my first and fourth choices were, but I couldn’t decide who to put as my second and third choice. After some deliberation, my official rankings were:

1. Lennon
2. Harrison
3. Starr
4. McCartney

Tomorrow is Pref Night! Stay tuned GC and thank you so much for the compliments, I'm flattered that you like my story!