I agree with much of what has been said on here. I can't tell you how important it is for the campus to have someone available to work with the PNMs who are released. This is why I think it would be helpful for groups to have "Alumnae Ro Chis" to help during recruitment to talk to the young women who are released.
I'll admit that when I went through rush, I was totally ignorant about the whole process. When I rushed, I had been dropped as well another young woman. I never knew how her Ro Chi handled it; mine, unfortunately, was awful. Invites were distributed in the mornings in envelopes under the doors by a certain time, usually before breakfast, so the girls could make their choices. When I was released, my Ro Chi just told me "You've been dropped." That's it. I didn't know I could go home. I didn't know what to do, especially being away from home ever for the first time, and not knowing a soul. It took me two days to call my mom and tell her that I hadn't been picked up. One girl in the group was awesome, and she sat with me while I cried. For the remainder of Rush, we had to stay in the dorms and watch other girls get ready. Of course, we were encouraged to go off campus if it bothered us to be around while others were getting ready--not that anyone ever had an idea where we could go in a small town. Nobody ever mentioned COB either, especially when chapters didn't make quota.
This is one of the reasons that I also believe that schools should be required to put in their Recruitment literature the following two statements:
PNMs who are thinking about Recruitment should contact their Panhellenic chapter in their hometown for assistance with recommendations for the NPC groups. To find out the chapter contact in your town, contact the NPC HQ or go to their website at:
www.npc.org .
It is possible that a woman may be released from recruitment. Going through recruitment does not guarantee a bid to a young woman.
That lets the girls know UP FRONT the importance of recs as well as the possibility of not getting a bid. And the last sentence does not need to be in small print on the last page of the Recruitment literature.
* For those of you who know of girls who are dropped, please be sensitive to them. Let them know that they are still good people. This is a time where their self-esteem has just taken a good whack.
* Don't ignore the women, either. In some places, the girls who are rushing are isolated on campus a week before rush. This makes it tough on dropped PNMs who don't know anything about the town they are in or don't know anyone.
*Please be supportive of any decisions they make about transferring. It is not uncommon for a woman to switch schools in the South b/c of being dropped. This woman doesn't want the tag "she's the one who got dropped" to follow her around on campus immediatley. Allow her the opportunity to have a fresh start if she chooses to transfer.
* Most of all, don't say " But I was sure you were going to get invited back to XYZ " or "But you're a legacy...".
* Think if it were your daughter/niece/cousin/best friend's daughter who was dropped. How would you want her to be treated?
