Though most of the Carnegie Mellon community is aware of the existence of Greek life on campus, many questions still surround that population of the campus community. Stereotypes concerning Greek life run wild thanks to selective national media coverage and "reality" shows. The editors of The Pulse have invited Greek Council to oversee a regular editorial written by members of the Greek community, with the goal of answering questions and representing the Greek point of view on campus issues. Greeks from various chapters will write pieces expressing their personal opinions on campus-wide concerns as well as pressing issues concerning Greek life that also pertain to those outside the direct Greek Community.
I hope this column will benefit the entire campus by dispelling false stereotypes and providing explanations for the traditions and culture which maybe be difficult to understand by those who have not had the opportunity to experience them. The Greek Community is excited to take this opportunity to help non-Greeks to better understand how diverse the members of our chapters are, and to encourage a greater number of co-sponsored events and programs between Greeks and non-Greeks.
One confusing Greek tradition is the process of sorority recruitment. The relatively complex rules regulating interaction with potential new members, the times and rotation of visiting each chapter, and the mutual selection process often confuse even those who wear Greek letters. In the editorials below, the President of Panhellenic Council (the organization which unites all sororities) and the Greek Council public relations chair will attempt to explain the importance and reasoning behind the sorority recruitment process.
Erin Weber
Greek Council President
Delta Gamma
"What's up with all those rules sororities have for rush?"
This is a question we sorority women know and love, but first of all, it's "FMR" - Formal Membership Recruitment - not rush. Our nitpicky rules come from the National Panhellenic Conference, which governs the 26 national sororities. In order to move away from stereotypes portraying sorority members as only being interested in social connections, and to organize recruitment practices under consistent, national rules, we use terms like "PNM" (Potential New Member) for the women going through recruitment and "Rho Sigma" (Recruitment Sister) for the sisters who agree to be disaffiliated for the weeks leading up to recruitment. A Rho Sigma's purpose is to be a mentor and guide PNMs through the recruitment process without showing bias toward any particular house.
There are four days of non-alcoholic, female-only events at each chapter house, and PNMs are required to visit each sorority to get a fair perspective on all of the chapters. PNMs are not allowed to talk to sisters outside of FMR events during the week of recruitment to ensure PNMs don't feel unfair pressure to join a specific house, such as where they might already have a close friend. Call us finicky, but rest assured, these precautions and other rules are to ensure that the sororities are all on an equal playing field and that the PNMs have an unbiased experience. In this way,they can make an independent decision to join the chapter that best fits their personality.
Anne DiGiovanni
Panhellenic Council President
Zeta Psi Sigma
From the standpoint of an avid member of the Greek Community, recruitment isthe most vital activity of the entire year. It is a time when each of our houses extends our love and support to new girls who are now sisters with whom we share valued successes and intimate moments. It is the time I personally feel to be more important than Booth, Buggy, or Greek Sing, for without recruitment, the Greek system would become extinct, and all the traditions and events we hold dear would be lost in the sands of time.
As you may or may not know, there are a lot of rules and regulations surrounding FMR, all of which are enforced in order to protect the girls who aregoing through the process, as well as each of the sororities.
Since the decision to join a sorority is one that will affect a girl's remaining years at Carnegie Mellon, it is an important one that should be made only by her. To preserve that sentiment, sorority sisters are not allowed to promote their houses over any others or give gifts to potential members, nor are recruitment sisters allowed to announce affiliation with a specific fraternity. These restrictions ensure that a potential member's decision is one that is made with her own best interests in mind, free of outside pressures.
Each of the five sororities on campus has exceptional qualities, and no one is superior to the others. The rules mentioned above guarantee an objective evaluation by the girls participating in FMR; stereotypes and misconceptions of each chapter can be dispelled by girls going through FMR as they meet sisters from each house, giving each house the equal opportunity to recruit as many potential new members as they deserve.
Although the rules governing FMR are strict and somewhat nitpicky, they were created for the sake of everyone involved and to keep the process fair and objective. By allowing each girl to join a house based on the ideals and morals of that organization, sisters can be confident the future of their chapter rests in the hands of people they can depend on and share common goals with.
Jenny Chan
Greek Council, Public Relations
Kappa Alpha Theta
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