Will virtual recruitment hurt top houses?

I think it will stay the same. Kappa, chi o, zeta, pi phi and tri delt will be required to cut heavier than other houses and therefore will appear more exclusive. Just because it’s virtual doesn’t mean girls won’t be comparing who got invited back to which houses.

I have a very good friend who is an active member at Alabama right now in a “mid house” & just finished day 3 of Sisterhood. Hasn’t really affected top houses but she has some great stories about PNM’s Zooming from their beds (with bed head & PJs on), PNM’s eating while at a party or purposely turning off their video feeds from houses they “didn’t like”. LADIES PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!!

I think it will be interesting especially with all the technology we have to use this year. It’s just not the same. Like you said, the energy is different. I can only imagine what it’s like to be a pnm this year. You don’t really get to “feel the energy” of the house or see all the members when you walk through. I do think chi o and kappa will get the girls they want, but it could be a toss up for the others. I think it’s just how they handle the switch from face to face to online this year.

An alum of my chapter shared this. It’s a good point.

We are constantly focused on how to modernize the recruitment process and overall access to chapters. This year could be the greatest blessing we never saw coming.

The virtual aspect of this rush is going to be strange but also pivotal for the future of Greek life. This temporary recruitment style will almost certainly change at least a small portion of which girls get into which houses. Maybe girls that are shy will feel more at ease talking to a monitor and do better. Maybe a girl lacking confidence in big groups, that would have been overlooked in a typical recruitment, will have a shot in this setting.

It could level the playing field just enough to bring about necessary change. Next year when the current PNMs are running the show, they’ll bring in the girls that are like them, diversifying the pledge classes over time.

I look forward to seeing how these girls who graduated in a pandemic and started college in a mask will have changed things for all the girls coming behind them.