Thanks for your kind words, andthen
Spoiler alert: she was initiated into her NPC group yesterday, so keep reading - still more to come
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Update:
Whitehalls are hosting COB events for a second fall membership class!
Rosebud’s dad is thrilled, and he urged her to go. This is such a surprise to me. I had assumed that all COB events would take place immediately after formal recruitment at the beginning of the semester, so that the women who received COB invitations could be added to the fall membership class right away, and then the next recruitment class would be in the spring. But this is happening AFTER fall initiation. I have never heard of 2 separate pledge classes in the same semester. Shows how much I know, lol. Maybe that’s a benefit of shorter new member periods?
Whitehalls have a house. In fact, it is the largest sorority structure on campus with the most beds to fill. However, Rosebud remembered that one of her high school classmates who she clashed with a bit had just joined Whitehalls at another university. She hesitated at the idea of being sisters with that classmate. I reminded Rosebud that she might never see that girl again. Also: Chapters are different at different campuses, so just because Whitehalls was a good fit for that girl at THAT college doesn’t mean the Whitehalls at THIS school would have a matching vibe. Whitehalls has an interesting badge style, pretty colors, and a mascot that matches Rosebud’s elementary school mascot. Their philanthropy is well-known, and Rosebud’s second cousin was a beneficiary of their services.
Rosebud said that this chapter includes funds for CPC violations in their fee structure (don’t know how she found that out), and she didn’t like that they PLANNED to break rules and then just pay the fines. I said that’s probably not the mindset. I bet they just don’t want to be surprised by fines and then have to take the funds for them out of another line item in the budget, which would affect the quality of that other event. She’s not convinced. But she did fill out the interest form online, and she does plan to attend the first event.
Fingers crossed AGAIN.
Rosebud was 10 minutes early to the COB event at the
Whitehalls house, along with about 14 other women. She said they had a nice chat together outside the house and she enjoyed meeting new people. The invite for the event said it was “casual, just be comfortable” and Rosebud ended up wearing a Gillyhicks skirt – sporty material, almost like a tennis skirt – and a midriff top. Her dad grumbled about that a bit, but honestly it was an outfit that perfectly matched some of the social media photos the chapter has posted within the past year, so I think her instincts were right-on. She would have liked to wear her hi-tops, but the colors clashed, so she wore neutral tone heeled sandals, which ended up making her a tad bit dressier than some of the other participants. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Plus, she is fun-sized, so wearing a heel helps her be more on the same eye level as everyone else. Sometimes she appears to be younger than she really is just because of her height.
No surprise at all: the first
Whitehalls member Rosebud spoke with had the same major that she has. And the second one, too. She said she spent a lot of time throughout the party on career talk, and courses and professors. She said her hosts commented more than once on how smart she must be since she completed many of the prerequisites for her program while still in high school. (Hearing that my brain sparked – Uh oh! What if they think she will be graduating early, and won’t be a 4-year participant!?! But she told me afterwards that she emphasized how she plans to be on campus all 4 years and told her hosts that she likes having a less-packed class schedule so she’s available to really get involved in all aspects of campus culture. Whew. Good girl.)
Rosebud enjoyed the house tour and the snacks. She exchanged contact information with the girl who toured her around. She called me right after her 90-minute experience and said how much fun she had and how nice everyone was. There were some other guests who were staying longer, but Rosebud was escorted out. Maybe the others arrived later than she did? Not sure. And now I guess she just waits. Not sure what the timeline is, or what the next steps are. I guess one big benefit of more structured formal rush is you know the plan and what to expect.
Reflecting at the end of the day, I realized she was wearing one of the
Whitehalls colors to the event. I hope that didn’t make it seem like she was trying too hard. It was not planned – just one of her favorite colors. Social media shows the active sisters were much more casual than Rosebud – all in black workout clothes, midriff tops, tennies – just like their invitation said. Unfortunately, based on our Facetime, her nails were all jacked up. Ugh! I wish she had taken the time to find a manicure place near campus instead of scheduling it on her next trip home!
So she waited. Rosebud exchanged career-related texts with her main hostess from the event for a day or two, and then asked if there were any other upcoming COB events she could add to her calendar. The girl’s response was very vague: “Oh I don’t know if we’re doing any more. This is the first time we’ve done something like this, so I’m just not sure.” Darn. Sounds like no bid to
Whitehalls.
Three days later she got an email full of regrets to confirm that indeed there was no bid available from
Whitehalls. At least she didn’t have to wait long.
Rosebud saw her
Ca’ d’Zan spin class buddy in the student union the next week and they waved to each other happily. She’s settling in on campus, and I’m getting fewer and fewer phone calls and details as the weeks go by. I remind myself that this is a GOOD part of the process, but I miss her.
