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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Aug 18, 2015 14:09:59 GMT
I watched a few of the other recruitment videos from Alabama. While some show more diversity and most aren't quite as racy, they really are mostly videos of sorority members having fun together. My sorority's video included bathing suit pictures, the all-white clothing shots, and lots of cute girls laughing and having fun. Ours did show a little more diversity, and they included some other activities like group Bible study and studying.
For some perspective - these videos are probably played in the background at their first party. They are meant to give the girls warm and fuzzy feelings about sisterhood and to see how much fun they have together. They are used to get potential members into checking out the Greek system and participating in recruitment. There may even be guidelines about how much they can push the individual strengths of their own chapters in pre-recruitment videos. This one looks like it was shot over a few days, probably with members hand-selected by the recruitment chair.
Recruitment week gets more serious and more formal as the week goes on. Videos showing girls having fun would be played near the beginning of the week at something like a sisterhood party. There is likely another video for another day of recruitment that focuses on their philanthropy. Another day, the chapters will do skits about all of the ways to get involved, and another will be a formal party where they get all mushy about how the sorority becomes their family during college.
Diversity in traditionally white sororities is tough because we have really great traditionally black sororities to compete with for those members. Recruitment is conducted very differently between the two systems (National Panhellenic Conference and National Pan-Hellenic Council). In my experience, the NPC groups primarily work through an organized recruitment process led by the Panhellenic Council at the school while NPHC groups recruit at different times during the year, not even simultaneously with one another. NPHC recruitment is often alumnae driven, from what I hear. This creates an environment where you don't always have the diversity you would like going into formal recruitment and many chapters can not recruit outside of formal recruitment (if numbers are low, there is opportunity to recruit outside of the formal process). There are some stats out there on Alabama's recruitment process last year - they had 21 African American women enter the NPC recruitment process, and they had 27 sororities. While all 21 pledged a sorority, it is hard to build diversity when you don't start with a diverse pool of candidates.
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Post by annabella on Aug 18, 2015 14:23:43 GMT
As to the diversity...my sorority was all white, too. Not for lack of trying or not trying. It was the nature of the beast. We had SELF segregated fraternities/sororities. I chalked that up to people want to see people like themselves in their social circles. That is not racist. It is just fact. It can be uncomfortable (real or imagined) to be the only white/black face in a crowd, no matter how enlightened you may be. I wouldn't call it self-segregated frats, but rather they were created back in 1904 when there was a need for it because their members could not join the segregated white frats. Today those 100 year old frats have history and family linage and put together people of a similar background and cultural experience. My college had a small Greek life so we had 4 white sororities and the black sorority was founded my freshman year, thus very small, so it didn't seem like it would be a fun to join so I joined a white sorority. I thought the video did a good job of showing diversity, they let the brunettes be on camera occasionally and threw in a black football player for good measure. lol If you go to Alpha Phi's website, under the scholarship section they have a picture of a black woman. lol No but seriously the Univ of AL has 36,155 undergraduates and of that 12% are black and 32% belong to sororities or fraternities. If you do the math, there's a very small pool of black students who want to be in a sorority. My college had 4000 undergraduates and of that 100 black students per class. So I knew all the black students by face at least, we had a table in the cafeteria we all sat at and monthly parties hosted by the black student org. I would imagine if I went to such a huge school as UGA, I don't know how i would find the other black students? So I think sororities create a way for them to meet. I think all the hoopla over the video will force the sorority in question to now have affirmative action for their next class, meaning accepting a girl ONLY because she is black and needs to fill their diversity quota, not because her personality fit in with their house. I also don't understand the need for the video, it is very vain. But I also thought the sorority looked like a blast, although I'm curious how they picked which girls out of the house got to be in the video?
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Post by annabella on Aug 18, 2015 14:25:53 GMT
Diversity in traditionally white sororities is tough because we have really great traditionally black sororities to compete with for those members. Recruitment is conducted very differently between the two systems (National Panhellenic Conference and National Pan-Hellenic Council). In my experience, the NPC groups primarily work through an organized recruitment process led by the Panhellenic Council at the school while NPHC groups recruit at different times during the year, not even simultaneously with one another. NPHC recruitment is often alumnae driven, from what I hear. This creates an environment where you don't always have the diversity you would like going into formal recruitment and many chapters can not recruit outside of formal recruitment (if numbers are low, there is opportunity to recruit outside of the formal process). There are some stats out there on Alabama's recruitment process last year - they had 21 African American women enter the NPC recruitment process, and they had 27 sororities. While all 21 pledged a sorority, it is hard to build diversity when you don't start with a diverse pool of candidates. Thanks for explaining that. I also didn't realize how popular these recruitment videos are.
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Post by maryland on Aug 18, 2015 14:35:14 GMT
I'll jump in here although you will have to bear with me as I haven't had my coffee yet this morning. I just watched the whole video (not just the bikini clips shown on the news), and I thought it was a well done video. The bits of the video that showed the young women in their bathing suits wasn't over the top at all. Most of the women were wearing shorts or coverups and the video showed young women having fun and goofing off just like most people their age. i also don't get the butt hurt about the lack of diversity. It is a sorority for shit's sake. Every sorority on every campus has their own personality. Apparently, the personality of this sorority is that of young, hot, mostly blonde cheerleader types. If that isn't your style, find another sorority to join. just my my thoughts this morning before the caffeine kicks in. I'm sure I will be back later. I agree! I thought the same thing! I watched it, and my teen kids did too, and none of us saw anything wrong with it. Very well done, looks like an American Eagle ad. We like to be critical (my kids and I) but we liked the video. I wasn't going to come here and say it was a good video because I thought I would come back with a lot of notifications tearing me apart for liking it. So happy to see I am not the only one that thought it was fine.
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scorpeao
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Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Aug 18, 2015 14:41:05 GMT
I saw nothing wrong with the video except that it didn't make me want to join a sorority...in fact, it pretty much solidified my opinion of sororities. As for the diversity, if you are anything other than a hot, size 2, blonde would you really want to join that group? I would stand out like a sore thumb among those girls. How is it really any different from an African-American, Asian, or Jewish sorority/fraternity? I'm sure these girls aren't blackballing diverse individuals; it's probably more likely that those people who would lend diversity to their organization look at them and say "no thanks."
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Post by marmargirl on Aug 18, 2015 14:55:22 GMT
I thought the video was absolutely bizarre. It looked like an SNL skit doing a parody of a sorority. The fact that it's not a parody blows my mind. That video made my head hurt. It just made me think of how shallow and uninteresting sororities must be because all of the girls could easily be mistaken for one another. I'm not saying that's true, just that that is what this video portrays. There is nothing appealing about joining, based on this, and to me everything looked forced and "acted", not like they really were spontaneously having fun.
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 14:55:32 GMT
Every time there's a death due to alcohol or hazing in the Greek system, the frats and sororities are quick to talk about how they are about so much more than partying.
This video does exactly nothing to illustrate that this sorority does any of the good the Greek system likes to say they do.
I guess for me it's one of those, "if someone shows you who they are, believe them" situations.
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 15:03:20 GMT
So glad my DDs chose schools with no Greek systems. But they did find their own groups within their schools that do service and fun without the high price tag of the frat/sorority system. Honestly I've always felt like it is an "upper class" world and I think there are just a lot of students who can't afford it. I know I couldn't as I was paying my own way through college and I definitely don't have the extra to pay for either DD to join.
eta: this video does nothing to change my opinion on it -- if anything it reinforces the opinion I already had
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 15:04:59 GMT
For me, the only thing the sorority is guilty of is a momentary lapse in judgement in posting that particular video. But there's nothing momentary about it. Clearly this was planned, shot, and produced over time. It's not like this is snippets of personal videos they stitched together on a whim and posted. They decided this was how they wanted to present themselves and went to no small bit of trouble and expense to have this created.
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Post by auntkelly on Aug 18, 2015 15:19:26 GMT
I agree w/ JustCallMeMommy that the video is probably played in the background of what is called "open house" at my alma mater. It's a day when the rushees visit every house on campus and there isn't any time to talk about anything of substance. It's over the course of a few days that the parties get longer and the sororities have an opportunity to talk about academics, philanthropy, etc.
My mom was in a sorority, I was in a sorority and my daughter is in a sorority. I obviously think there are a lot of social and academic benefits from being in a sorority. However, I totally understand why some people choose not to join a sorority. I let my daughter make her own choice about going through rush and would have been fine with her choice if she opted not to pledge a sorority. We're all different and enjoy different things and that is what makes life interesting.
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 15:20:57 GMT
I'm the biggest prude I know and I did not find that video to look like "Girls Gone Wild."
I still don't think it provides a favorable image. I would not help pay for my daughter to participate in what looks to be one giant party all the time. I think a more well-rounded content would have presented them in a better light.
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Gravity
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Jun 27, 2014 0:29:55 GMT
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Post by Gravity on Aug 18, 2015 15:30:18 GMT
I don't see a thing wrong with it. I feel like the video is being criticized because the girls are white, thin, attractive, and mostly blonde.
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Post by Kymberlee on Aug 18, 2015 15:30:49 GMT
I'm really surprised at those hat think the bikini shots are racy. They are young women having fun and goofing off with their sorority sisters. Would you guys have the same thought if these girls were average looking? Would that have been less "girls gone wild" and more typical behavior of 18-20 year olds?
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 15:43:17 GMT
I wouldn't describe them as "racy" but I do wonder why so much T&A is necessary to recruit pledges. It all seems very self-absorbed.
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 18, 2015 15:57:02 GMT
So I watched the recruitment video from dd's sorority, and then fell into the YouTube vortex and watched a bunch more. Some are very similar to the one we're discussing, others not. And now I AM GOING to the grocery store. oy... the YouTube time suck.
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 16:01:08 GMT
But there's nothing momentary about it. Clearly this was planned, shot, and produced over time. It's not like this is snippets of personal videos they stitched together on a whim and posted. They decided this was how they wanted to present themselves and went to no small bit of trouble and expense to have this created. I'm coming at this from the perspective that it most likely was a Open House type video. If that is how they want to portray themselves on campus and during rush, more power to them. Where I felt the lapse of judgement came in was posting it on the internet. I guess I think they shouldn't portray themselves on campus and during rush in a way that would invite this level of criticism when viewed by a larger audience.
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Post by 2peaornot2pea on Aug 18, 2015 16:06:54 GMT
I was expecting to feel shock while watching it, but didn't. It did look like the group has lots of fun together but I also thought the girls looked like clones of each other. The video would have been better if it showed them also studying together, doing philanthropic activities together, etc.
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tincin
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Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Aug 18, 2015 16:25:25 GMT
Gee, other than the sexualization and objectification of women, the lack of diversity, both in size and ethnicity, and all the T & A shots, what's wrong with it?
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Post by mikewozowski on Aug 18, 2015 16:28:21 GMT
i am sure many, many sororities across the country have a similar video. the reason this one came to light was because the football player was in it.
my daughter went to alabama and was in a sorority. she isn't a "girls gone wild" kind of girl. didn't even go to most of the mixers or parties. too busy with her chemical engineering degree.
each sorority there has a distinct personality. i don't know what they all are, but this might fit Alpha Phi at UA. i don't know.
my daughter gained lots of good things from her sorority. she had oodles of service and leadership on her resume and now works at one of the toughest places to get a job in the country.
this video may mot have been the best idea, but it is not as bad as the media is making it out to be.
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Post by momstime on Aug 18, 2015 16:41:20 GMT
While I see nothing wrong with there video, this is one of my sorority recruitment videos. We are more than a bunch of pretty faces. I love my sorority and the friends I made there.
Chi Omega
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 16:52:23 GMT
While I see nothing wrong with there video, this is one of my sorority recruitment videos. We are more than a bunch of pretty faces. I love my sorority and the friends I made there.
Chi OmegaIMO, this is 100x better. It emphasizes character, not appearance.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 18, 2015 17:02:28 GMT
I saw nothing wrong with the video except that it didn't make me want to join a sorority...in fact, it pretty much solidified my opinion of sororities. As for the diversity, if you are anything other than a hot, size 2, blonde would you really want to join that group? I would stand out like a sore thumb among those girls. How is it really any different from an African-American, Asian, or Jewish sorority/fraternity? I'm sure these girls aren't blackballing diverse individuals; it's probably more likely that those people who would lend diversity to their organization look at them and say "no thanks." How are you sure of this? I agree that I would watch that video and cross it off my list, but I see that video and would not come to the same conclusion. Honestly I don't know how they feel about diversity, and who they are blackballing or for what reason, but you are giving them a benefit of the doubt that I would not.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 18, 2015 17:04:14 GMT
While I see nothing wrong with there video, this is one of my sorority recruitment videos. We are more than a bunch of pretty faces. I love my sorority and the friends I made there.
Chi OmegaIMO, this is 100x better. It emphasizes character, not appearance. yes! this is much more in line with the one I posted.. I think more in line with what most National Sororities are aiming for.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Aug 18, 2015 17:11:47 GMT
I tried, I really did, to watch the entire thing-- I had to stop about 3 minutes in. If I watched that video, I would assume everyone in that sorority sat around in matching white dresses, brushing each other's hair, before putting on their bathing suits and heading to the lake. Honestly, you could put a voice-over on that and use it as recruitment for a cult, or tons of other things, but if they want to use that as a recruitment video? What the heck does their sorority STAND for, besides tanned, busty girls bouncing around on the football field and giving tantalizing beckoning gestures??
(or perhaps that is all they stand for-- some audio would have been good, though.)
ETA: I was never in a sorority, so I had no idea to expect... but I watched a bit of the Alpha Chi Omega video someone else posted, and that one made a lot more sense to me-- shows what the girls who join can expect to do, be involved in, and why you would want to join a sorority at all. The Alabama one looked more like the intro to a homemade porn movie to me, to be honest.
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Julie W
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Post by Julie W on Aug 18, 2015 17:13:18 GMT
My response to the UA video is - it's fine - if that's what you want to be known for. The UA sorority is the one that put the video out there, that is what they are representing themselves as - people have a right to judge what was put out online.
The Chi Omega video - very fun but with substance. Clearly that is what they are about and want to be known for. I wouldn't throw a fit if DD wanted to join that sorority.
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pudgygroundhog
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Aug 18, 2015 17:13:50 GMT
While I see nothing wrong with there video, this is one of my sorority recruitment videos. We are more than a bunch of pretty faces. I love my sorority and the friends I made there.
Chi OmegaIMO, this is 100x better. It emphasizes character, not appearance. I agree - I thought that was cute.
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scorpeao
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Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Aug 18, 2015 17:27:42 GMT
I saw nothing wrong with the video except that it didn't make me want to join a sorority...in fact, it pretty much solidified my opinion of sororities. As for the diversity, if you are anything other than a hot, size 2, blonde would you really want to join that group? I would stand out like a sore thumb among those girls. How is it really any different from an African-American, Asian, or Jewish sorority/fraternity? I'm sure these girls aren't blackballing diverse individuals; it's probably more likely that those people who would lend diversity to their organization look at them and say "no thanks." How are you sure of this? I agree that I would watch that video and cross it off my list, but I see that video and would not come to the same conclusion. Honestly I don't know how they feel about diversity, and who they are blackballing or for what reason, but you are giving them a benefit of the doubt that I would not. I guess I just like to give people the benefit of the doubt. They could very well be a bunch of racists.
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georgiapea
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Post by georgiapea on Aug 18, 2015 17:48:51 GMT
Momstime, your school's video was so great. Everyone looked like a 'real person'. The Alabama video would have left me feeling I couldn't possibly qualify for membership in a sorority of beautiful blond cheerleader types. So they will continue to be made up of beautiful blond girls with long hair because nobody without those attributes will risk being denied membership.
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Post by annabella on Aug 18, 2015 17:56:41 GMT
While I see nothing wrong with there video, this is one of my sorority recruitment videos. We are more than a bunch of pretty faces. I love my sorority and the friends I made there.
Chi OmegaI missed this the first time around, wow what a big difference!
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 18:26:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2015 17:57:17 GMT
Momstime, your school's video was so great. Everyone looked like a 'real person'. The Alabama video would have left me feeling I couldn't possibly qualify for membership in a sorority of beautiful blond cheerleader types. So they will continue to be made up of beautiful blond girls with long hair because nobody without those attributes will risk being denied membership. All those girls are so pretty....but you could easily tell many were not naturally blonde and some probably were not naturally long haired either. I hope they understand they are special and valuable no matter their looks and I hope the come together to make a follow up video showing their other qualities.
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