GreekChat.com Forums  

Go Back   GreekChat.com Forums > Recruitment > Recruitment Stories

Recruitment Stories This is the forum where you should place posts about your Recruitment experiences. General questions about Recruitment should be posted in the main Recruitment forum.


Register Now for FREE!
Join GreekChat.com, The Fraternity & Sorority Greek Chat Network. To sign up for your FREE account INSTANTLY fill out the form below!

Username: Password: Confirm Password: E-Mail: Confirm E-Mail:
 
Image Verification
Please enter the six letters or digits that appear in the image opposite.

  I agree to forum rules 

» GC Stats
Members: 325,124
Threads: 115,503
Posts: 2,196,043
Welcome to our newest member, znathanhulzeo24
» Online Users: 1,153
1 members and 1,152 guests
g41965
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 07-10-2007, 11:10 AM
oldrusheenowmom oldrusheenowmom is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 83
A retro midwest recruitment

I have had so much fun reading other retro stories that I decided to post my own- I hope that pnms today can find a little relevant advice and some humor- remember this is 1983, so I am using that vocabulary- I don’t remember much about clothes except espadrilles were mentioned in the rush guide, and one afternoon, I wore a pink, low waist dress with matching pink keds and my sister said I looked like a Blue (see below)- Iowa State had sixteen sororities then. I named them by color because I am not creative-

Yellow
Brown
Orange
Red
Pink
Teal
Seafoam
Taupe
White
Purple
Green
Gray
Fuchsia
Navy
Blue
Burgandy

In the fall of 1983, I headed off to Iowa State with a slightly askew home life. During the summers, I lived with my dad, so didn’t really do much rush preparation with my mom (a Phi Mu) or sister. Mistake number one-- my sister was in a sorority at the University of Iowa and knew things; instead (Mistake number two) I chose to listen to my boyfriend (now husband) who based his thoughts on his view of the sororities from six years before. He didn’t want me to join a sorority, so I had negative thoughts. Add to that intense “home” sickness- my mom took a new job and moved. So I was homesick for a home that no longer existed. However, pre-boyfriend, I had always wanted to be in a big, classy, sorority. Based on knowledge (from I seriously don’t know where), I dreamed of being a Blue. So, my advice on the houses was that Gray and Blue were bad from my boyfriend—and my sister added that Blue were snooty. I had also done a little work and had recs to several houses- In addition, my grandmother had been a Navy, while my sister was a Teal.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 07-10-2007, 11:13 AM
Soliloquy Soliloquy is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: My music room
Posts: 166
Yay for an Iowa State story!

I have a really good friend who goes there and is in a frat!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 07-10-2007, 11:16 AM
maximus406 maximus406 is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 32
Wow, you had several connections to different chapters! Should make for an interesting story!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 07-10-2007, 11:16 AM
howtheSunrose howtheSunrose is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 82
I'm looking forward to this one! Glad I caught a retro thread from the beginning.
__________________
Kappa Delta Sorority
P.C. 2006
Love in AOT
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 07-10-2007, 11:21 AM
oldrusheenowmom oldrusheenowmom is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 83
Day One

Back then, Iowa State housed all of the rushees in Maple because of the air conditioning, and you received a rush roommate. My roommate, Linda, came from Edina, MN, and was awesome. Then, to my surprise, Karen, an old basketball rival from “the town next door,” was housed next door. We dropped the “rival” status and quickly became friends, too. We also suffered from “miss our boyfriends syndrome.” I don’t remember the other girls in my rush group, but do remember my rush counselor was a peppy, brunette. Iowa State had 16 party day, 12 party day, 8 party day, 5 party day and Preference. The first day was 16 house tours and my rush counselor told us to try to write something- such as the color of the carpet- to distinguish the houses.

Day One-- Talk about coincidence or fate. My first party was at Blue. I was absolutely floored when at exactly 9:00, women came pouring out of the house- singing, cheering, smiling. It was truly electrifying and I was got unawares (maybe I should have asked my sister more questions). The house was beautiful and had new blue carpet (I wrote it in my book). My tour guide was nice and as nervous as I was- her first rush on the other side. The rest of the day is a blur of memories: cold air dorms, phone duty, an open courtyard, cramped and hot…until the last house, Purple. Karen and I were exhausted and decided we were tired of playing the game. We walked into the house like we had been there before. We sat and laughed and joked and relaxed with the ladies. The house wasn’t popular and we had little in common except that we had a great time. The ladies let us take charge, and we both would say the party was one of our most refreshing memories.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 07-10-2007, 11:26 AM
ISUKappa ISUKappa is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,464
Yay for an Iowa State story! It'll be interesting to see what rush was like 14 years before I went through at Iowa State.
__________________
It's gonna be a hootenanny.
Or maybe a jamboree.
Or possibly even a shindig or lollapalooza.
Perhaps it'll be a hootshinpaloozaree. I don't know.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 07-10-2007, 11:55 AM
oldrusheenowmom oldrusheenowmom is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 83
Results and Invites

The next morning the rush counselors handed out our computerized invitation list; I was lucky and received invites back to all the houses. I had to cut; The first cut was easy- my boyfriend had warned me about Gray, and the second and third were easy too- I hadn’t been impressed with Seafoam and had felt claustrophobic at Green (ironically my daughter’s house). But the last choice—I have a terrible conscience. I knew it should be Purple, but I felt like I owed them a second visit. So instead, I cut my dream house because of the things my husband and others had said. I hope most of you are saying grow up and think for yourself- don’t worry, I have- but I hope pnms reading this realize the choice is ultimately about you and what you have to live with.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 07-10-2007, 12:14 PM
oldrusheenowmom oldrusheenowmom is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 83
A blur

The next days blend together: We moved into our own dorms- for me out of air-conditioned Maple and into old and hot Oak- One of my new roommates was quite a bit different than me- She had started rush, but had no invites after the first day- We didn't really click- I remember not being able to even take a napkin out of a house; not to ask to use the restroom; our rush counselors sat on blankets in front of each of the houses- guarding purses that you couldn’t take inside. I remember being rushed by a member of the pom squad (Navy) , the golden girl (twirler) (Fuchsia) , a former basketball rival (Red) —all in houses that I really liked. I see girls faces still-- I remember a girl “pardoning” herself from our conversation because the tone sounded and she needed to sing (Pink) Kind of a negative. Two had strong home town ties- one the town my mom had just left and one, the town where I grew up and lived until my parents divorced (Teal and Yellow); it was nice to have people call me by name.That is probably one of the things I most enjoyed- leaving a house and having girls call your name- I'm not sure that is "legal" now--My ranking of houses was Navy, and Red, then Taupe and Fuchsia, ,and the two hometown ties. One of my sister’s classmates was the rush chair for Taupe.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 07-10-2007, 02:41 PM
khlkcca khlkcca is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 104
Keep going. I love the speed. I can follow the story better.

I am so amazed by the people that can remember every detail of rush. My memories are more like yours, scattered random tidbits.

Cold air dorms and phone duty, oh how I miss college.
__________________
ZTA

-

"My Crown is in my heart, not on my head;" ~King HenryVI, Shakespere~
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 07-10-2007, 04:24 PM
oldrusheenowmom oldrusheenowmom is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 83
Closer to the end

My next clear memory is sprinting to houses after lunch one day because the computer had messed up, but we couldn’t be late to a party. For Iowa Staters, I sprinted from the Memorial Union to the Red house- a house on the south side of sorority circle. I remember the cute Pink Panther and trench coat opening at the Navy house—and unfortunately, I remember not clicking with the girl who rushed me at the party—the pom girl came in (probably some kind of signal that I didn't learn about until I was on the other side of rush) but I think it was too late. (A little side bar: I truly enjoyed rush; however, as I said earlier, I was home sick for my boyfriend and not sure that I wanted to join- I probably talked about him too much—in addition, my sister was not only Teal- but during this time she was the rush chair for Teal at the University of Iowa; she tried to support me, but at the same time, she was- shall I say, a little stressed).
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 07-10-2007, 04:59 PM
ISUKappa ISUKappa is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,464
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldrusheenowmom View Post
For Iowa Staters, I sprinted from the Memorial Union to the Red house- a house on the south side of sorority circle.
As much as I love our Greekland, I hated how spread apart everything was during Rush!
__________________
It's gonna be a hootenanny.
Or maybe a jamboree.
Or possibly even a shindig or lollapalooza.
Perhaps it'll be a hootshinpaloozaree. I don't know.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 07-10-2007, 05:19 PM
oldrusheenowmom oldrusheenowmom is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 83
Preference Night

Notice- I'm for speed; otherwise, my old age will kick in again-- (I did wish that I had at least a napkin reminder from all 16 houses)-- And- a late memory- I remember as the parties narrowed, we received themed name tags and each house and could not take them with us- I think one girl accidentally walked out with one and it was a big ta-do--
When we received invites for preferences, I had to cut from four to two. At this point in my “in love eighteen year old mind,” I made my choices based on the fact that I was going to get married and transfer schools, so I would make other people happy. I went to the two home town connection houses. I remember flowers, tears, hugs, and candles—and, of course, home town girls were paired with me. I believe yellow was in long black and Teal was in long matching blue. My friend, Karen, also had the same choices- she went with me to the first preference and then went to Fuchsia (who I cut) for the second. I did not have a “I know the house I want” feeling following preference- I even toyed with not listing a house and seeing if I would receive a snap bid. I was the last one in my rush group to turn in my card.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 07-10-2007, 05:32 PM
susan314 susan314 is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 528
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldrusheenowmom View Post
I did not have a “I know the house I want” feeling following preference

Do you think that might have come from the fact that you were choosing chapters during rush to please other people's preferences rather than going with your own gut instincts all along?

(I know that some PNMs never get that definite "feeling," but I'd imagine that in your circumstance it made it even less likely.)
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 07-10-2007, 05:40 PM
OldAOPi OldAOPi is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Husker Country
Posts: 114
Glad to see a midwestern thread! My sister went to Drake, my dd is at UNL and I was at Kearney State - now University Nebraska Kearney. My mom always wanted someone to go to Iowa State - not sure why she was obsessed about that but no one did. Not even her!
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 07-10-2007, 06:02 PM
oldrusheenowmom oldrusheenowmom is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 83
The Houses

I totally agree that my attitude had much to do with my lack of a connection-

The houses at Iowa State in 1983:
Alpha Phi
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Xi Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Zeta
Delta Delta Delta
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Delta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Kappa
Zeta Tau Alpha
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Retro Recruitment Buttonz Recruitment Stories 46 09-02-2007 07:28 PM
AGDee's Retro aka How NOT to do recruitment AGDee Recruitment Stories 42 07-13-2007 08:51 AM
Faith4Keep's Retro Recruitment! Faith4Keep Recruitment Stories 145 06-22-2007 09:32 PM
Phi Retro Recruitment alphagamphi Recruitment Stories 106 06-19-2007 02:32 PM
Retro Recruitment dgdramadawg Recruitment Stories 102 06-06-2007 02:01 PM



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:49 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.