Originally Posted by carnation (Post 1947408)

However, some have multiple family members in the groups that cut them and neither they nor their families are expecting the cuts. Back when their mom/grandmom/whoever was rushing, there were fewer legacies and it was no doubt easier for a girl to pledge her legacy group.

Originally Posted by carnation (Post 1947408)

There's also this situation that I see a lot: a big group of girls--outstanding but not feeling 'entitled' in any way--will rush together at a school and say, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could be ABs or CDs or (some group) together?" And they go through rush and suddenly 2 or 3 out of the 10 girls don't have the option of any of the maybe 8 out of 16 groups they liked and all they can see is their friendships coming to an end and here they're having to make a snap decision. Sometimes these girls drop and sometimes they re-rush the next year. Sometimes they transfer because all they've heard is how great is is to be an AB and they want to be one too, not understanding that sisterhood is everywhere. Sometimes they pledge one of their remaining groups and have a great 4 years and sometimes they pledge and then depledge because they keep seeing their friends having a wonderful time in the groups they wanted.

Originally Posted by Splash (Post 1947446)

qualified PNM's

Originally Posted by Splash (Post 1947446)

The chapter will only be able to take quote either way. This applies to every group of girls who goes to every round. I am speaking about qualified PNM's who get cut due to high release figures that having been given another chance could have won the sorority over. You say they'll be cut anyway. If they're qualified, giving them an extra chance to win the sorority over could only help their chances.

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush (Post 1947522)

I just don't think RFM does that much for struggling chapters, at least at campuses where someone would rather not be Greek at all than wear the letters ABC. I can't even dream of how demoralizing it would be to not have a large portion of your new members show up for bid day and to watch your new member class progressively dwindle through the weeks leading up to initiation.

Originally Posted by violetpretty (Post 1947700)

The purpose of RFM is not to help PNMs' chances at top chapters. The purpose of RFM is to maximize Panhellenic membership. Panhellenic membership is maximized when ALL chapters are making quota or coming close. If "top" chapters DON'T make those heavy cuts after round 1, PNMs choose to cut the "bottom" chapters, and then there is a huge disparity in the available PNM pool for "top" and "bottom" chapters. Additionally, there will be more women bidless because chapters can only take quota (plus maybe a few QAs). So, small chapters not making quota plus lots of unmatched women, all so PNMs can "have another chance" at a "top" chapter.

Kind of. Every campus has "top", "middle", and "bottom" chapters. I think it's more a matter of how awful a "bottom" chapter is perceived to be. It's not like all "bottom tier" chapters (even at competitive schools) are experiencing poor retention/not making quota. They might be in danger if it were not for RFM. I guess my point is that RFM alone won't save a chapter that has reached the point of no return, but it can help a chapter from getting there in the first place.

Originally Posted by carnation (Post 1947723)

I can still understand the frustration of women who are heavily cut right off because they were cut after only 1 brief party (sometimes just 20 minutes) in which hardly anyone got to know them. I don't know what the answer is for that.

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 1947732)

Deferred rush without ridiculous restrictions - where women interested in sororities and women already in sororities get to know each other as humans, rather than as pursuer and pursued. That is the answer for that.

Originally Posted by carnation (Post 1947723)

Both paragraphs: very, very true. I would love to see some kind of research that explores the number of women getting bids now vs. the numbers in past years. I would expect the numbers took a dip before someone came up with quota plus but by this time, they should have gone up again.

For sure, this part of the country isn't seeing all the chapters dying that we used to or even the number of very tiny "bottom" tier chapters on their way out. I think that RFM is finally doing its job.

Originally Posted by violetpretty (Post 1947770)

I do have to wonder how Maryland had the same 18 chapters from 1962 to 1989, and without any membership-number-related closures since the first sororities came to campus in 1920 until 1990. That is especially impressive they made it through the 60s and 70s, times when Greek Life was not very popular! All that without RFM! Maybe as long as your chapter wasn't in debt and spiraling out of control with smaller and smaller numbers, your HQ didn't care?

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp (Post 1947345)

Did it work for any of them?

Originally Posted by violetpretty (Post 1947770)

Whenever I read LeslieAnne's recruitment story at UMD in the mid 80s, I think, wow, if RFM were implemented, Maryland might still have Pi Beta Phi (closed 1990), Alpha Gamma Delta (closed 1992), Alpha Xi Delta (closed 1993), and Gamma Phi Beta (closed 2000). Instead, top tier chapters didn't make very many cuts after the first round, so of course, most PNMs cut the "bottom" chapters.

Originally Posted by Drolefille (Post 1947457)

But it's the sorority that decided that 100 other PNMs were more qualified. It's the same with a job interview or a college application.

Originally Posted by Drolefille (Post 1947457)

If a campus decides to add an extra non-cutting round to recruitment so everyone gets to meet at least twice before the cutting starts, that's one thing. But there's nothing more special or qualified about any one girl who gets cut from ABC than another girl. Barring being dropped for grade reasons, shouldn't you argue that every girl should get to meet again? Because every girl will think she deserves another shot.

Originally Posted by Drolefille (Post 1947457)

And isn't that why RFM was introduced? To help curb any unrealistic expectations that ABC really wants YOU when they just kind of like you and really want 50 other girls instead. And to make sure that "YOU" get to look at as many other sororities as possible instead of listing going back to ABC every round when you're not going to be bid.

/General "yous" all around.