<p>Sorority Rush finished up this weekend and I think it is a worthwhile issue for young women to consider about IU. The freshman class has about 3600 women and maybe as many 1800 go through rush. The number of available beds at the 19 sororites is maybe 600. Do the math. Joining a sorority is very important to some, and the process can be extremely emotional.</p>
<p>While sorority rush at IU is certainly unique and extremely competitive, girls should also consider that many of those 1200 girls that start rush in December and don’t get bids in January didn’t get them because of grades/suicide. Having said that, many girls that got through preference round didn’t end up with bids, which I believe is rather unique to IU. IU PHC gets a lot of criticism for the process; I don’t see why they don’t release more statistics so that girls can see exactly how competitive the process is.</p>
<p>Please read…it tells the real story of sorority recruitment at IU. Hopefully this gives readers the ability to make an informed decision about whether to rush or not and outlines the truth about one’s odds of getting a bid.</p>
<p>[Sorority</a> Recruitment at Indiana University ? Bloomington | Sorority Parents](<a href=“HugeDomains.com”>HugeDomains.com)</p>
<p>This should be a must read for any young woman interested in going Greek at IU.</p>
<p>Wow, that made me feel sick to read some of those comments.</p>
<p>I was really surprised to read about the sororities decorating the insides of their choice’s dorm room, even when a roommate who also went through rush and wasn’t chosen was actually inside the room. I can’t imagine how they wouldn’t realize how cruel and insensitive that is.</p>
<p>I propose the following idea that I found on the forum link in this thread. Each sorority could take an additional 30 or more women in this semester. I do not believe, however, that the women should be put through another recruitment ordeal. The houses know who they discarded. The Rho Gamma’s know who was doing well throughout the week. The houses could get together, decide who will get a “late bid”; that way no women are getting more than one “late bid” per house. These women would live outside the house, since there is no room and they have most likely found alternative housing at this point. They would be eligible for all activities and philanthropies. Has the IU sorority system ever thought of the positive outcome of expanding the number of recruits they have? They would have more outreach opportunities for their philanthropies and could do more good for their communities and the women who were rejected. Here is a chance to make a change that would benefit many people quickly…even the women who received a bid, as many of them feel tormented that they took a spot in a sorority that was earned by their friend, but denied.</p>
<p>The sororities should be challenged to do this. The first ones to do it would receive very positive press…to local and national media. They would show that they are not afraid of change, that they are the true pioneers at IU. Which sorority will be first? They have the power to do so much good!</p>
<p>If you care about being involved in the Greek system now or in the future please write to the Indiana University Panhellenic at iupharec@**********. They need to hear from you!</p>
<p>The IU Panhellenic has a gmail address.</p>
<p>My daughter went through rush as a freshman, again as a sophomore, and just finished her first rush on the “other side”. If any parents of prospective freshman girls want some advice on the process feel free to pm me. It’s brutal from every angle and I wish we knew more ahead of time.</p>
<p>My d didn’t go through rush so I don’t know a lot about the sororities at IU but why don’t the sororities hand out their bids at the union or in the auditorium? Going into the dorms and handing them out right in front of girls who didn’t get a bid is just plain cruel.</p>
<p>This whole greek thing is so alien to me you can’t imagine but in the interest of intellectual curiosity what is so wrong about the basic complaint that was posted:</p>
<p>“The number of bids that chapters issue matches the number of actual bed spaces they project will be available for the following year. This is the only campus in the United States that operates on this system.”</p>
<p>That seems to make perfect sense to a layman like me - admit as many people as one has room for.</p>
<p>The big difference in the system at IU versus virtually ever other campus is that IU matches the number of beds in the house to the number of girls they accept, which limits how many bids can be given. At other campuses a large number of girls (including most if not all seniors) live outside the house. My daughter would actually prefer to live out her senior year, but most are required to live in. It’s a strange philosophical thing at IU that must go back years and years, but perhaps it’s time to make a change. Too many young women are needlessly being shut out.</p>
<p>^^mark: what you don’t realize is that at most other colleges, girls are not mandated to live in the sorority house; so bed count is irrelevant…all IU would have to do to alleviate this issue would be to allow numbers to increase irrespective of bed openings…</p>
<p>iU has a long standing reputation for a hellish process; those of us who have been around here for awhile are well aware of this; add Penn State to that list…PM me for others; I don’t wanna hijack this thread…</p>
<p>Cross posted with Tulare…</p>
<p>As an alum I am horrified after reading that. The Greek houses at IU are all mansions, there has to be a fix. I cannot imagine that most seniors want to remain in the houses, letting them live off campus seems like an fix. Being more honest in the actual chance of getting in a sorority would be a start.</p>
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<p>Ah, got it. Thanks.</p>
<p>Are Fraternities this hard to get into also?</p>
<p>No, fraternities are not this hard to get into. Follow the good advice given in the other thread that you posted in.</p>
<p>And rodney, I question why you name Penn State as a school with a “hellish” process??? Recruitment itself is a tiring chore simply because there are 19 sororities to visit, but other than that, girls who keep an open mind to ALL the sororities usually get bids. That includes sophomores and juniors. Not only that, the lack of houses (the sororities are housed on dorm floors) cuts costs considerably and widens the financial demographic of women who become members. Those aren’t things you can say for many Big 10 schools.</p>
<p>It is pretty emotional to rush, but it’s one of those experiences that you can only have once (or twice if you rush as a sophomore)! However, IU does want to get all 26 sororities in Panhellenic since so many girls are interested in rushing.</p>
<p>My daughter was recently accepted direct admit to Kelly. She has some interest in being in a sorority. Are all the sororities tough to get a bid or just some?</p>
<p>The link to Soriority Parents was very interesting and informative. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>All of the sororities at IU Bloomington are difficult to get a bid from because they use the bed quota system. If joining a sorority is very important to your daughter she needs to understand that it is very selective at IU and chances are she may not get a bid. If she is prepared for that she may not be as shocked and disappointed as hundreds of young women are each year. It is puzzling and quite concerning that IU does not publish and/or make clear to prospective students the actual statistics of getting a bid.</p>