Rush Hostessing?

[ADPi767]

So I'm a rush hostess for the coming year for a fraternity and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on what I should do/ how I can help to make this an awesome rush for the guys
I love them all so much and want to do everything I can to help
any advice would be awesome

[knight_shadow]

I've never heard of a rush hostess. Is that like a sweetheart-in-training?

[prettyv]

Some campuses the men invite women to their rush events. They just help attract guys to rush events, chat them up and give guys their impression on the rushees.

The best advice I can give you: Remind yourself every single day that you are not in their fraternity. This is not your recruitment. You do not get a vote, and though your opinion may count (depending on the campus), it's not up to you who gets in. It's also not up to you to critique their rush or get overly involved. Just tell the rush chair you're really excited/happy/honored/whatever and let them tell you what to do.

[AGDee]

[33girl]

It's recommendation, not outright barring. If her school's Panhel hasn't outlawed it she can still do it.

I'm more interested in the thing above that. Do they mean Rho Chis shouldn't be in the room or next to the rushees when they're sigining their cards? What if they have questions? I would hope that there are enough advisors there to help them out.

[Amy Kates]

Seems like a good idea to be educated, none the less. Some NPC groups require their members/chapters to follow NPC Resoutions regardless of whether their College Panhellenic has adopted them as policy.

The resolution regarding bid signing means exactly that. It is in reaction to several cases of undue influencing of PNMs. Questions can be asked at any time and should be prior to private time to fill out and sign the MRABA.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

I've never heard of a rush hostess. Is that like a sweetheart-in-training?

"These are our name-tag hostesses, Mandy Pepperidge and Babs Jansen."

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Amy Kates

Seems like a good idea to be educated, none the less. Some NPC groups require their members/chapters to follow NPC Resoutions regardless of whether their College Panhellenic has adopted them as policy.

But the resolution doesn't outright bar anyone from doing anything. It "recommends" and "encourages." If NPC doesn't want women to do it, they need to word it thusly: "Each College Panhellenic shall prohibit its members from participation in men's recruitment events and alter their bylaws to reflect same."

Originally Posted by Amy Kates

The resolution regarding bid signing means exactly that. It is in reaction to several cases of undue influencing of PNMs. Questions can be asked at any time and should be prior to private time to fill out and sign the MRABA.

I would hope that either 1) the PNMs are extremely well educated prior to the day as to EVERYTHING that can come up regarding bid card signing (i.e. suiciding, putting one group down doesn't make the computer toss you out, if you put them down you're bound to them etc) - better yet put it in writing and give them a sheet when they walk in, like many polling places did when they switched from paper ballots or 2) there's a regional Panhel rep or someone extremely well versed in the procedure for them to ask questions of when they come to sign...because you know that sometimes you don't think of something until it's at hand.

Good intentions, and I also don't like the idea of signing a card with your Rho Chi hovering over you, but I have a horrid vision of this going too far and a school with a male GA who doesn't know squat about NPC rush being the only one they can ask and mass mayhem resulting.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by 33girl

It's recommendation, not outright barring. If her school's Panhel hasn't outlawed it she can still do it.

I'm more interested in the thing above that. Do they mean Rho Chis shouldn't be in the room or next to the rushees when they're sigining their cards? What if they have questions? I would hope that there are enough advisors there to help them out.

Yep. I was just sharing because this is fairly recent.

Given how long it has taken to move to completely "no frills" recruitment...we'll see how many campuses adopt it.

I would hope the implementation of the last one would look like this:

PNMs meet with Rho Chis prior to the actual signing but go into a room alone or something to actually fill it out and sign it.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by 33girl

But the resolution doesn't outright bar anyone from doing anything. It "recommends" and "encourages." If NPC doesn't want women to do it, they need to word it thusly: "Each College Panhellenic shall prohibit its members from participation in men's recruitment events and alter their bylaws to reflect same."

I'm fairly certain the NPC cannot prohibit that. A strongly worded recommendation is probably all that is enforceable legally or otherwise.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

I'm fairly certain the NPC cannot prohibit that. A strongly worded recommendation is probably all that is enforceable legally or otherwise.

Because it's interfering with ability of member groups to set their own behavioral standards?

I agree with you, but I think it's just silly to make recommendations and encouragements unless they have teeth in them. It's kind of along the lines of "well, if you want to wear letters before initiation, you CAN, but no other NM class has..." - only in reverse.

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Yep. I was just sharing because this is fairly recent.

Given how long it has taken to move to completely "no frills" recruitment...we'll see how many campuses adopt it.

I would hope the implementation of the last one would look like this:

PNMs meet with Rho Chis prior to the actual signing but go into a room alone or something to actually fill it out and sign it.

My campus at EKU where I advise is putting these new recommendations in their constitution & bylaws next month and will go in to effect this fall. In fact, it's already being observed (at least by Theta) eventhough it isnt formally in rules yet.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Because it's interfering with ability of member groups to set their own behavioral standards?

I agree with you, but I think it's just silly to make recommendations and encouragements unless they have teeth in them. It's kind of along the lines of "well, if you want to wear letters before initiation, you CAN, but no other NM class has..." - only in reverse.

No, because it isn't related to actually being in a sorority or being in the NPC*. They can't forbid you to join the Math club, visit a fraternity house, or be Buddhist. I don't think there's any way they CAN forbid them from being hostesses. I'm not sure any organization could make the same rule except prohibiting members doing it in letters. There's freedom of association issues as well. I will be interesting to see if they can make those rules and keep them to uphold Title IX, or not. I'm skeptical, but would require a MC ruling to know for sure.

They recommend it because it can look bad for sorority members to be little more than boob advertisements for a fraternity (despite the Title IX claims, again I'd like to understand that better). It's not manipulative in the way your letters example is, it's pretty straight forward recommendation.

*It mentions Title IX but I don't see how it actually relates.

[prettyv]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

No, because it isn't related to actually being in a sorority or being in the NPC*. They can't forbid you to join the Math club, visit a fraternity house, or be Buddhist. I don't think there's any way they CAN forbid them from being hostesses. I'm not sure any organization could make the same rule except prohibiting members doing it in letters. There's freedom of association issues as well. I will be interesting to see if they can make those rules and keep them to uphold Title IX, or not. I'm skeptical, but would require a MC ruling to know for sure.

They recommend it because it can look bad for sorority members to be little more than boob advertisements for a fraternity (despite the Title IX claims, again I'd like to understand that better). It's not manipulative in the way your letters example is, it's pretty straight forward recommendation.

*It mentions Title IX but I don't see how it actually relates.

This is exactly why our campus is pushing against it. The girls aren't wearing inappropriate clothing, aren't wearing their own letters to events, all events are dry, there's no unsavory behavior on the part of the women... and it's really nothing to do with Panhellenic. In fact, it's one of the few times that there's some inter-sorority interaction, which would make it a positive thing, if anything.

I can understand how it COULD be used inappropriately, but I think that's why viewing it on a campus-to-campus basis is appropriate.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I really think the issue is that the FRATERNITIES could get in trouble, and possibly lose their single-sex status. I would guess that most NIC fraternities have policies against this, and the NPC put this out there just to support them.