Much ink and hot air has been expended by the punditocracy bloviating about the "baby bust", the decline beginning as the crest of baby boomers' children begins to subside. College admissions are set to decline, and spots therefore should become less competitive. That the nation is presently sliding ever deeper into recession should be familiar to anyone equipped with rudimentary sensory organs. Now the confluence of these two trends is brought into vivid focus in the petri dish that is sorority recruitment at the University of Virginia.
The iconoclastically-named Inter-Sorority Council (most such umbrella organizations denominate themselves Panhellenic Councils) has announced that the number of women registered for formal recruitment, participating, and receiving bids from sororities is markedly down from last year. Only 540 women were extended bids this year, on 603 last year—and this year's total includes so-called "snap bids" extended by houses whose first-round process did not yield the desired numbers. ISC Vice President for Recruitment Ashleigh Carson noted that "last year it seemed to reach its peak."
In addition to the demographic explanation, ISC President Stuart Berkeley cited the recession, explaining that "sorority expenses can be tough—especially new member fees—and that is why the ISC is hoping to expand our offerings." A study is being planned to further probe the reasons for the decline, though the explanations proffered seem sufficient on their faces. Berkeley speaks hopefully of upcoming scholarship programs, perhaps intentionally aping the federal government's response to the crisis: when in doubt, hand out money to get the market started again.
And no, we don't know whether the head of the Inter-Sorority Council is either (a) a woman named "Stuart", or (b) a man. Speculation is welcomed in the comments.
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Stuart Berkeley is a female.
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