It's an important hair to split.

I meant membership selection.

Regardless of the terms various governing bodies and individual organizations may use to describe their process (including - but certainly not limited to - recruitment, intake and even rush), the terms used all deal with the same concept. The selection of members. Ergo, my choice to use membership selection. :)

When you say membership selection, to us that means you think that NPC tells us how we have to select our members, which is far from the truth. Every NPC has different membership selection criteria. We, as NPC organiztions, simply agree to abide by the same rules with regard to recruiting women into the NPC system. As for how we decide to whom we will or will not extend a bid is completely up to each organization...aka membership selection.

I agree that membership selection more often than not referrers to how a particular fraternity or sorority (or chapter) selects their members. However, membership selection is also governed, to a certain extent, by an organization's umbrella group. Or in some cases, the lack of it.

As I understand it, the NPC was initially formed because of a perceived need in "rushing and pledging agreements" or "compacts" among the member organizations. And as noted, while each particular NPC organization or chapter selects their members as they see fit, there are Unanimous Agreements that cover membership selection for and within the NPC as well. It is these Unanimous Agreements that I was addressing.

As noted, there are NPC rules that each NPC organization is obligated to follow. These rules cover formal recruitment, COR, colonization and any other way a person may be invited to join an NPC organization. The same may be said for for those organizations that belong in or under other inter/national umbrella groups. These would include, but certainly not limited to, NAPAPA, NALFO, NMGC, and NPHC.

A rough example if I may. During formal recruitment, an NPC chapter selects from a pool of qualified applicants. What the criteria is for selection (membership) depends on the particular chapter. But the selection process is first governed by the Campus Panhellenic by virtue of the Campus Panhellenic (as representative of the NPC) determining which women are eligible to participate in formal recruitment. The Campus Panhellenic also sets the number of new members each chapter may bid during formal recruitment.

Other umbrella groups may have different and or additional selection processes in place that apply to membership selection for their organizations as well.

As such, I stated (please see below) that because of the differences in how the umbrella groups cover membership selection within their umbrella group, it is unlikely that the various umbrella inter/national groups will form a "Super" umbrella group for sororities.

The NPC agreements simply outline who is eligible to apply for membership, and some basic rules as to how to conduct the process of recruitment. Membership selection, and the criteria used, is entirely up to the individual members. When discussing the NPC it is important to differentiate between the very distinct functions of NPC agreements and individual GLO's membership autonomy. That's all we're saying, TSteven. When we say "membership selection" we mean something more specific than the term might mean in common usage. I just don't want any pnms to become confused as to the role of the NPC vs. individual sororities.

I think it is harder for fraternities to understand because their membership selection process, from what I've gathered from guy friends, much simpler and much looser (in terms of the fact that there are few strict guidelines from their nationals...some chapters seem to just make up their own ways of voting).

For sororities it is extremely complicated. I mean, and I hope this doesn't give away anything, if it does let me know and I'll delete this post, I know for a fact our recruitment book outlining our HQ's guidelines is something like 150 pages. Plus one of my acquaintances quit her sorority and committed a huge "no-no" and told me the basic way they select members...it was a complete 180 from anything we do.

So essentially, due to how insanely complicated sorority recruitment can get, NPC may dictate certain rules for recruitment, but individual sororities have developed extremely complex and intricate membership selection processes that seem to differ widely.

While there is some truth to that, I don't think that's what's going on here. I think that here, TSteven simply used "membership selection" in the broadest possible sense so as to include anything that in any organization and any umbrella groups might be related to the recruitment and selection of new members. Others read "membership selection" in a narrower sense based on the practices of their own organizations and umbrella group. That's all.

Thank you MysticCat. My discussion of membership selection is in the broadest sense and how it (i.e. any part of it) might apply to oldu's speculation of various sororities coming under a common jurisdiction (umbrella group).