In the South, it's not just the one-minute videos. Members have been looking at the girls' applications and trying to learn more about them for months! No one wants to drop an outstanding woman.

I think those Pnm informational videos can really help or hurt the pnm. My daughter has been watching many because they begin virtual recruitment next week. Some Pnms have very polished videos with great information about themselves. Others look like they just rolled out of bed, have weird lighting, weird camera angles. Some did not put their best foot forward.

The videos were *optional* at dd’s school. She chose not to do one and still got a bid to her favorite. It’s probably different from school to school. Their video was only supposed to be from 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Not everyone directs like a Jane Campion or preens like a famous entertainer. Having videos as an OPTION seems more fair to those who may not be up to the task [for whatever reason].

Making videos optional - would that just give the chapters another arbitrary reason to cut a PNM when they are grasping for reasons to cut after first round?

Yes. Makes sense to make them requisite - that way you won't have girls and their mamas crying foul when the PNM didn't submit one and then they say "well, we didn't know it was THAT important!"

Someone earlier wrote about seeing them on YouTube so I looked - it was a cute way to see a girl, get a sense of her personality and for some, really get a great sense of who they are; one gal from Texas going to Univ of Arkansas did a fantastic video that went beyond the normal A, B, C - she totally sparkled.

Yes. "Videos are optional" - that sure sounds a lot like when Panhellenic says "recs aren't required".

I would think that they're both for the same reason :that a Panhellenic council can't actually tell its chapters how to recruit.

Apparently most PNM's didn't want to drop outstanding chapters either.
Daughter just finished virtual recruitment as a PNM at Arkansas. They had 1533 girls go through recruitment 1440(ish) got bids today - something like 94% placement rate. Daughter is over the moon happy with where she ended up. That was the end goal and it was accomplished.

That is fabulous! Congratulations to her!!!

Congrats to your daughter! A 94% placement rate does sound great! I wonder how many of those dropped out because they didn't like their invites,and how many were dropped by all of the chapters?

Do any colleges or Panhellenics ever list how many new members actually made it to initiation or even how many accepted their bids? I think that retention should be a big part of studying RFM.

Yes, I agree. It's all well and good to ensure that more women get bids. But if they drop at higher rates than before RFM, then chapters may need to look at what can be done differently to KEEP members once they get them!

Hoping to hear how things went at Florida State; I think this is their Bid Day.

Hearing that UF is having major equipment failure right now. The members and PNMs must be going nuts.