![]() |
^^^ what is flexing?
|
From the chapter perspective at least, it is basically the "what if the release numbers are off" list of who the chapter would either next be willing to release or would have next choosen to keep from their relase lists. Our chapter usually got flexed either on or off by 6-10 PNMs per day.
|
Education is..still...the key
I completely agree with Priority vs. Accept/Regret - although some still believe in AR.
I also think that Clustering is the way to go - as it was explained if you can go back to 8 chapters the next day out of 12 you give 8 a #1 and the rest a #2. This way the PNM's doesn't see each chapter with a rank but rather they see that group as the one they prefer. If one of those chapters with a #2 cluster appears on their schedule the next day it is not so bad because PNM's are clustering and not cutting certain chapters. Flex lists work as follows: Minus Flex Lists - Minus Flex List are required for every chapter on a campus where RFM is used. If asked for a minus flex list, your chapter must rank a number of women that you would be willing to release in addition to your carry figure. The RFM Specialist working with your campus will determine when Minus Flex List will be used and how many women must be on your chapter's Minus Flex List. The Minus Flex Lists are used by the RFM Specialists to make adjustments during recruitment as campus patterns change from year to year. Plus Flex Lists - Most NPC groups highly recommend that all of our chapters use Plus Flex Lists, but they would never tell a chapter to take someone who did not meet their membership criteria. Plus Flex Lists allow our chapter to invite additional women to the next round of events if necessary. From time to time, one day or one party does not have the same spark as the others, Plus Flex Lists provides the chapter with protection so that the chapter has the best opportunity for a successful recruitment. Chapters that do not use the Plus Flex List greatly increase the chance that they will not make quota during recruitment. |
I totally agree with you on the importance of educating chapters fuly about how the system works. I think 99% of the issues we had in the first year of using them resulted from the chapters not understanding how it worked and not having it explained to them well enough.
|
(More on Flexing)
Using Flex Lists allow for adjustments to the return rates in real time - as gatordeltapgh mentioned to take into account the cyclical nature of recruiting strength seen on campuses. Especially now - as RFM is allowing more chapters the chance to pledge Quota, these chapters are becoming stronger recruiters. So they might not need all of the PNMs that have accepted their invitations. And having PNMs flexed on or off does NOT necessarily indicate a change in your chapter's performance. It is always done by looking at retention and other considerations as a whole. Flexing on and off affects everyone, and it's always done in a way to give PNMs and chapters the best options possible. |
Quote:
Quote:
I absolutely agree that PNMs who withdraw are not necessarily undesirable members. That is the answer I have gotten when I voiced my concerns about decreasing placement rates to various college Panhellenics. I overall like the new release figures, but if there are ways to increase PNMs placement I think they should be explored. Does anyone know if retention rates have increased with the new release figures? Quote:
I wholeheartedly agree that Flexing is fantastic. In my opinion, it’s one of the best parts of the new release figures. I’m not sure even the most positive description of ranking by a Recruitment Counselor could get through to an excited 18 or 19 year old. In my experience, once a PNM knows the maximum number of chapters she can visit next round, she tends to think of chapters she ranked lower than that as “cut” by her. As far as way more PNMs dropping out under A/R, I can only speak for the campuses (campi?) where I have advised, when I say that the number of PNMs withdrawing from recruitment increased. If that’s not true across the board, then it is even more reason for me to endorse the new release figures. |
Quote:
This was different from the years before the new RFM where we didn't make any cuts until Day 3 (of 4). We would have hardly any drop-outs for the first 2 days, then there were MASSIVE drop-outs after that first cut which was halfway through recruitment. Then more would drop by Pref and we ended up with fewer than half of the girls we started with. |
Quote:
Day 1: 10 Houses Day 2: 6 Houses Day 3: 4 Houses Day 4 (Pref): 3 House Day 5: Bid Day "Turnaround," as it was called, was at 7 or 8 each morning. We got our invites printed out from a computer. We then circled the ones that we wanted to return to (maybe a scantron was involved?? I can't really remember). Parties for Day 2 started around 1pm. Day 3 started around 3, and pref started around 6. (IIRC) em_adpi might be able to shed light on current practices there. I know there are now 11 chapters and even more going through recruitment. |
Quote:
And we used scantron to pick our groups. |
Quote:
I think the new release figures are hard on the PNM's. I think a lot of great girls are cut because of first impressions. I think that there are a lot of girls who fall under the radar because they were not able to light up the room and impress a Chapter member in 20 to 30 minutes. I also know that we look at recs now with a different approach. If your a strong Chapter you can NOT invite back all your recs because then you would be releasing women you really want. As far as new members dropping, we have not experienced that, but I do think there are women who find themselves in houses were they feel like they don't belong. I think the shortened educational programs also are to blame along with this generation just not being able to stick with what they start. Lastly, to comment on the legacies. I think we do a good job at looking at them and keeping them as long as we can. Our Chapter may get 10 legacies going through, but some Chapters could have 50 or more depending on where you are. I would imagine this Chapters are letting go of legacies earlier than some other ones might. I think a legacy makes a great new member and we should try to take as many as we can, however, at my school it can be the kiss of death. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
About JWright's great post about what to tell PNMs to "educate" them: I think you tell them at the very first meeting with the Recruitment Counselors that some chapter are required to cut a large number of PNMs after the first day and without naming any chapters, then actually give the percentages for some of the top chapters from recruitment the year before. Sure, if you get cut by a chapter you like it hurts your feelings, but if you knew that it might be one of the chapters that had to cut 50% or more, you would know you were among the majority of PNMS when you didn't get asked back to popular houses A and B. And at the very same time that you tell the PNMS about the percentages the chapters release, you remind them that they system still works and that the groups that released that hard all made quota (or whatever) and XX% of PNMS who stayed in recruitment got bids over the last X number of years. One of the things I've noticed is that PNMS always seem to believe there's something exceptionally hard about recruitment their year and will repeat complete myths about the number of girls dropping or being cut out or whatever being totally unprecedented. So it also might help for Recruitment Counselors to give little updates when the results are positive and maybe even to have statistics about what's normal for recruitment over the last five years, so that girls would know the system is working, rather than the PNMs telling each other, "Did you know this is the worst recruitment in the history of the SEC? The computer must be messed up. Half the PNMS have dropped out and none of the chapters are going to make quota." The data about how things are going system wide exists, why not let PNMS in on it? "No, actually 80% of PNMs were invited to at least half the number of parties for third round, which is exactly where we were at this point last year when 90% of chapters made quota and 84% *of PNMS got the first group they listed on their bid card and another 12% got the second group. Only 2% didn't get bids, and half of them were SIPs. So RELAX, you freaks." *I have no idea what number is realistic and this doesn't even seem mathematically possible, but you can understand my point, which is to reassure the PNMS that things are going normally. |
Quote:
Quote:
|
Quote:
It almost always inolves a "computer glitch." It's usually some outlandish statement like: "Well I dropped out because I got cut by ABC and DEF. But Amy from my group told me that there was a computer glitch and ABC & DEF could only invite back girls with last names that start with vowels. So I got cut because my last name starts with M." Either that, or they always think that they were "this close" to getting a bid to a sorority, but didn't because some crazy thing happened: "I got cut by ABC after 2nd party, but this girl in my group said that there was a computer glitch and ABC's list erased my name!" If girls KNEW a little about how the RFM worked, maybe girls would be less likely to think that something crazy happened and they got cut by certain chapters or didn't get a bid at all. They're also less likely to think "I was thisclose to getting a bid to ABC but _______." I think that even just telling them that the heaviest cuts will occur earlier on would be beneficial. At least they're prepared. |
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:27 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.