To the Editor:
In Michael Kreicher '08's article "Fixing the Rush Process" (Oct. 12), I agree with him on a few points: The fraternity recruitment process does exist "in stark contrast" to its female counterpart, the sorority recruitment process is "grueling," and, yes, there is reasoning behind the more formal sorority process, namely that women need a chance to familiarize themselves with houses they typically have not been given the opportunity to visit before. I will not claim the sorority recruitment process is perfect, nor will I attest to loving the logistics of the "mysterious computer program" whose intricacies I have come to learn in the past week.
I will, however, make one main point: Sorority recruitment is a mutual selection process by its very nature, and this is what allows women to eventually join a house that they want to join -- a house that also wants them. Kreicher refers to a situation in which a potential new member can preference a certain house that also wants this woman, who then ends up at an entirely different house in the end. If the house is responsible in its use of the system, this should not and would not happen, as this is a mutual selection process. Secondly, I would like to refer to the "horror stories" which Kreicher has "heard" regarding the recruitment process. First of all, he may want to review his sources -- were they not other men who have "heard" these stories which have potentially been passed around from year to year? In any case, I will admit that before participating in sorority deliberations for the first time last year, I was skeptical about the nature of the process -- women sitting for hours on end, discussing other women with one another -- it sounded like a recipe for disaster. That said, I choose to defend such women (based solely on experience in my own sorority, naturally) with utmost confidence. As one of my house's chairs for this year's recruitment process, I have the responsibility of moderating deliberations and the voting process. The deliberations I witness each night are essentially the opposite of my original suspicions; there are zero stories of "girls getting blacklisted...for stealing a sister's elliptical machine" or others for having "hooked up with a sister's freshman-year boyfriend."
Kreicher's claims completely ignore the potential that intelligent women can make intelligent judgements about other women; he underestimates our own ability to similarly see the catty and ridiculous nature of such comments. I am constantly amazed by the thoughtful and respectful comments expressed by my sisters during voting -- respectful not only of the potential new members, but respectful of one another and their varying opinions regarding such women. Voting reflects the constructive commentary provided during such sessions, and the new member class will do so as well. No, I do not find it ideal that I have to sit at the computer all night, dealing with numbers and release rates and statistical decision-making; no, I do not find it fair that fraternities have a seemingly easy and informal recruitment process. However, I do consider the sorority process far from "divisive," and the vast majority of women I know are happy with its results in the end. Let me ask -- is there anything more important than that?
