Should Legacies omit That Fact on Recruitment Applications? - Page 3

AchtungBaby80 · #31 09-06-2005, 07:09 PM

We were always reminded time and time again that just because a rushee is a legacy to a certain sorority does not mean she wants to join it, so I agree with whoever said it's an issue with educating actives about not jumping to conclusions. As a legacy who did not end up joining the house I was a legacy to, I will say that I would've been extremely upset if I'd been cut just because everybody assumed I'd naturally join that particular chapter.

AnonAlumna · #32 09-06-2005, 07:23 PM

My chapter also took it as a challenge. However, if it did come down to a very crucial cut, I will admit that it would sometimes play a part. (also, a small school)

I remember one girl who went through as an in-house legacy. She was torn between us and them. We preffed her, and found out later that 'peer pressure' from her sister forced her to take the legacy house. She was always super cool with us afterwards though.

Also, there are certainly ways to let the legacy chapter know, without letting ALL the chapters now!

AngieWashU · #33 09-06-2005, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
As a legacy who did not end up joining the house I was a legacy to, I will say that I would've been extremely upset if I'd been cut just because everybody assumed I'd naturally join that particular chapter.

I was a double legacy and I am also glad that I got the chance to take my time and make the decision to join another sorority.

crzychx--I think your idea is the best I've heard yet, and I look forward to suggesting it to the Panhellenic at the school where I advise.

ASUADPi · #34 09-06-2005, 09:43 PM

Know I haven't done a formal recruitment in so long but I have heard from greeks (not only my sisters but girls from other chapters) that when they find out a girl is a legacy and she doesn't outright say that she's "going XYZ" that they tend to "rush her harder" in the hopes of "stealing the legacy".

Some legacy's might flat out know they are going a particular house but others (and I think this is more the truth) are just open to the house that makes them the most comfortable. Just b/c your a legacy to one house doesn't mean you will feel the best in it.

kddani · #35 09-06-2005, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by honeychile
Not to be persnickity, but whether or not any of my relatives had gone to X College WAS on at least two of my applications!

I think it was one all of my college apps. And law school I think

33girl · #36 09-06-2005, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SmartBlondeGPhB
Do you mean considered by chapter's she's not a legacy for?

Because don't most GLO's have legacy intro forms that the member sends in for the PNM?

No, I meant by the chapter she is a legacy to.

As I said in the other post, all groups don't necessarily have rec forms, and even if they do, not all the moms know how to get a hold of the form or that they need to fill them out. All they know is that the fact they were in the sorority helps their daughter somehow.

There are lots of chapters where rec forms and legacy forms aren't ever seen at all. If you were in one of these and your daughter ends up going to Cutthroat Rush U, no reason for her to get screwed because your sorority experience didn't include these things.

ADqtPiMel · #37 09-06-2005, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl
No, I meant by the chapter she is a legacy to.

As I said in the other post, all groups don't necessarily have rec forms, and even if they do, not all the moms know how to get a hold of the form or that they need to fill them out. All they know is that the fact they were in the sorority helps their daughter somehow.

There are lots of chapters where rec forms and legacy forms aren't ever seen at all. If you were in one of these and your daughter ends up going to Cutthroat Rush U, no reason for her to get screwed because your sorority experience didn't include these things.

YES.

For example, the postal service at my school is majorly messed up because it's routed through several different offices. Last year we didn't get ANY of the recommendations mailed to us until after first round of recruitment, and I know several other chapters were in the same situation.

There's eleventy billion reasons why legacy intro/recommendation forms may not get into the right hands. Putting the info on the recruitment application is extremely helpful, and without it, we would have ended up accidentally cutting legacies.

adpiucf · #38 09-07-2005, 09:47 AM

honey/dani-- I stand corrected!

I still feel that your legacy is your business only. While some chapters delight in "We got a triple XYZ legacy away from XYZ!" there is a subtle notion that a legacy is going to be partial to her legacy chapter-- regardless of whether that's true or not.

It's easier to change the form than change long-standing mind-sets. Then again, you could leave that section blank and still run the rumor mill. A friend of mine was a chapter legacy (her sister was still active in the chapter) and despite having friends in all the other chapters and coming into recruitment with the notion "I don't want to join my sister's sorority because I want to do something on my own," she was heavily cut in round 1 because of her legacy status and in spite of the protests her friends in other chapters threw up when those chapters moved to cut her. It was a very emotional recruitment for that group. The girl ended up joining ADPi and at prefs told me that even if her sister hadn't been a member, she knew this was home-- so all's well that ends well, I suppose-- but there was such trauma earlier in that week!

wcoast_DG · #39 09-07-2005, 03:06 PM

As an alumna who knows the behind the scenes workings of recruitment here is another reason Panhellenic asks for legacy status- the chapters want it. Plain and simple.

At many Universities, PNMs go through recruitment, even legacies, without a recommendation form. Unless the woman tells us, no one will ever know that she is a legacy. Don't forget that not everyone has moms and grandmothers who talk about their sorority affiliation and who would naturally fill out a recommendation form and/or advise the PNM to talk about this during recuitment.

Most chapters are required to report on how many legacies went thorugh during recuitment and how many joined their chapter. If panhellenic didn't ask for this information, they would be lynched by the chapter alumnae.

Finally - having chapters that cut a woman simply because she is a legacy of another chapter is, in my humble opinion, a campus culture. I would argue that changing the culture is going to do more good than eliminating a single piece of information. But then again, I'm not from the south!

And yes, I think legacy status will be very important with the new release figures, particularly with strong chapters, as most legacies are given at least one invitation to a second round as a courtesy.

adpiucf · #40 09-07-2005, 03:45 PM

First of all, welcome to GC, wcoast_DG !

Second, while I agree that we need to know who legs are for statistics sake, I feel it isn't Pan's responsibility to verify legacies-- it is the chapter's responsibility to confirm who their legacies are. That's why we have the Legacy Introduction Forms for ADPi, and I'm sure the other groups have their own versions of this, as well. Just because I as a PNM checked off a box on my recruitment app that I'm a legacy to ABC and XYZ doesn't mean that I am one until I've been verified by the sorority. Or maybe I think I'm a legacy when really I'm not-- more a courtesy like a stepdaughter, niece, cousin (I realize in some orgs these relationships are considered legs-- just using as an example). Or maybe my legacy sister is no longer a member in good standing with the sorority.

And if I am a legit legacy and I haven't gotten my legacy sister to send the chapter an introduction for me, or my legacy sister won't... there may be a very good reason for that!

I'm not denying the importance of reporting on legacies, and as an alumna who has worked behind the scenes for many chapters' recruitment efforts, I know why its important. But if a woman is coming through as a legacy, her legacy sister (mom, grandmother, sister) needs to confirm this-- not a check box on a recruitment application.

Lindz928 · #41 09-07-2005, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AnonAlumna
My chapter also took it as a challenge. However, if it did come down to a very crucial cut, I will admit that it would sometimes play a part. (also, a small school)

A lot of ya'll are pointing out that this is how it is at your smaller school.

I just thought I would add that we DEFINATELY viewed other houses legacies as a challenge! But we also recognized it when a PNM was "likely" to go XYZ because of her legacy.

Oh, and I went to a medium-sized or large school. 12 NPC sororities, chapter total somewhere around 175. Quota for us was always in the 50s.

AGDLynn · #42 09-07-2005, 04:31 PM

The past 3-4 years, we've only had about 3-4 legacies go through recruitment at my school. There was never a legacy introduction form attached..don't know why..didn't ask.

One of the problems with some pan. forms is that they only list the name of the GLO and the family relationship.

The Chapter Advisor or another advisor is supposed to contact the member if the legacy is released but if there is no actual name or contact info, we can't do it before the pnm knows she's been released.

Again it's mutual selection, we love her, she loves us...or not...

SmartBlondeGPhB · #43 09-07-2005, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by adpiucf
And if I am a legit legacy and I haven't gotten my legacy sister to send the chapter an introduction for me, or my legacy sister won't... there may be a very good reason for that!

I was thinking the same thing. To me it says a lot if a member doesn't turn in a legacy intro form for a PNM. I would wonder if the member doesn't want to claim the woman as a legacy. I mean it's not like the women didn't know she was a legacy. For us, the intro isn't hard to get. And those who really want to complete one are going to take the time and effort to do it.

It's been said on here numerous times that some chapters have more legacies than spots available. So why would you cut a woman who might be a legacy to a different group when that group couldn't take them all in the first place?

I still say it's a stupid reason to cut someone........

ASUADPi · #44 09-07-2005, 06:29 PM

I think it is important for the chapters to know if they have a legacy going through recruitment or not. You definately wouldn't want to cut one by accident then reap the horrors of it later. Plus I'm pretty sure with ADPi we have to get permission to drop a legacy (but don't quote me on this). Other chapters might be the same.

As for dropping the legacy, personally I feel that is a stupid reason to drop a girl because she is a legacy to another house. Just b/c she is one doesn't mean she is automatically going to go that house. Unless she outright says "I'm going XYZ because I'm a legacy" then I would give her chance. If she actually did say the latter, in all honesty, I would say "don't hesitate to cut her".

IMPO

AchtungBaby80 · #45 09-07-2005, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SmartBlondeGPhB
To me it says a lot if a member doesn't turn in a legacy intro form for a PNM. I would wonder if the member doesn't want to claim the woman as a legacy.

See, I've been thinking about that as I've read through this thread. When I rushed, I read on the application that recs were not necessary, so I took that to mean that I shouldn't get any. There were alums of several sororities who volunteered to write recs for me, but I told them not to because the school discouraged them (that's how I took that statement on the application--dumb!

). Anyway, one of them was my sister...she was going to write me a rec since I was a legacy through her. I've always sort of wondered if that chapter thought I must've been undesirable or something because my own sister didn't even write me a rec!