GreekChat.com Forums - Upperclassman Quota (for PNMs and parents to read.)

GreekChat.com Forums (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/index.php)

- Sorority Recruitment (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/forumdisplay.php?f=217)

- - Upperclassman Quota (for PNMs and parents to read.) (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=121221)

I keep hearing people say it is "easier to get in as a sophomore than a freshman when the school has an upperclass quota." That does not make sense to me.

I would think that at best an upperclass quote allows sophomores to have roughly the same chance as a regular freshman. All the upperclass quota does is create spaces for upperclassmen - when some sororities traditionally took few or no new members that were not freshmen. But the number of spaces is based on the number of upperclassmen participating, right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2468082)

I’ve never heard that- from what I see on here it usually seems like an arbitrary number (like 5 or 10) or a percentage of quota.

It's based on the number of upperclassman just like the regular quota. It's just that there are so fewer upperclassmen going thru as a rule. At least that's my experience in the SEC - but you aren't really familiar with that...

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby (Post 2087933)

So, I had previously assumed that UC quota was determined like regular quota: number of UC PNM's signing bid cards/number of chapters. I found out this year that is far from true. So, not only does a chapter not have to use its UC quota, but even if every chapter does, there are very often fewer spots than UC PNM's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby (Post 2088914)

As far as I know, upperclassman quota is mentioned nowhere in the MOI. Therefore, campuses are free to set it as they wish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneHeartOneWay (Post 2088959)

This is my understanding as well (although I am certainly open to being proven wrong, as I've never actually looked for it myself!). I do know of at least one school that arbitrarily (for lack of a better word) selects upperclassmen quota- it has no bearing on the number of UC PNMs, as it is voted on with the recruitment rules the semester prior to FR.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titchou (Post 2152876)

This is the only reference to upperclass quota I find in the current edition of the MOI in the section on Membership:

"If a campus utilizes an upperclass quota during formal recruitment, they may pledge up to quota with candidates from this classification only."

From the 2019 MOI:

"Some campuses find the use of an upperclass quota valuable in situations when there is a significant number of upperclassmen who are interested in recruitment, and/or the campus historically matches a low percentage of upperclass potential new members in the recruitment process. The determination to implement an upperclass quota must be made by the College Panhellenic, before recruitment begins and in consultation with the RFM specialist and the NPC area advisor.

Upperclass quota is not the answer for every campus but rather in circumstances that will help place upperclass women who have traditionally not been placed.

Once a Panhellenic votes to establish an upperclass quota, individual chapters may not opt out of accepting those women without consulting their inter/national organization, the fraternity/sorority advisor and the RFM specialist before recruitment begins."

So a group may opt out if they've consulted the appropriate people, so it's possible that not every group on a campus with upperclass quota will participate in using it.

+1 to everything Jen wrote and quoted from the MOI.

Bottom line: don't count on upperclass quota for any reasons. The End.