Rush Questions

1) First round cuts are mostly done on GPA. We do not automatically cut for not having a rec, and most sororities haven't done that in awhile because of new national sororities' policies dropping rec requirements for the sake of DEI. Recs NEVER, EVER, get you a bid at any house, or make you safe from being cut, so yes you can still be cut if you have recs.
2) Only a few recruitment team members look at recs, never the chapter as a whole, but even they don't read every word, they mostly are logging in that we got one, but if it's from someone we actually know like a recent alum or very involved alum we pay more attention.
3) Yes, a PNM can be rushed hard without a rec.
4) No, local alumnae do not have a say in cuts. Membership selection is by the chapter actives only and how you present yourself in person is most important.

With all that said, it is better to have a rec, maybe two, because it shows interest and that you are serious about our chapter, and it may be a tie breaker if it comes down to the line. Most PNM's get in their recs, so not having one is not as competitive, but if a house wants you they won't let not having a rec stop them. But inundating us with a ton of recs is way too much and won't help one little bit because we only care what we think about a PNM, not what recs say about her. Occasionally someone sends in a rec with the "do not recommend" box checked, and if we like that PNM we would have to talk to that rec writer to see what the deal is before making any decision.

If you are cut from a highly sought after chapter then it is more than likely simply a question of numbers. Each house is given a number they can invite back each round, and not a single PNM over that. They may have liked you just fine and had no problem with you whatsoever, but in order to hit their number they could only invite back so many. It's not so much a focus on cutting but with how many we are allowed to keep. So please don't take cuts personally.