Snap Bid Question
 

Anywhere University has a chapter total of 80. Prior to recruitment, Alpha Alpha Alpha (the smallest chapter on campus) had 50 chapter members. Quota during Formal Recruitment was 25, but AAA only matched 22, putting them at 72. All other chapters on campus matched quota and are over total after FR. A new chapter is colonizing, so informal recruitment is not allowed for the next semester for the whole campus until after the new chapter has some time to get new members and establish itself. A lot of PNM's dropped out of FR, mostly thinking about joining the new chapter.

My question is this: would AAA be allowed to snap bid up to total or can they only snap bid to quota? Is there anything in the MOI on this?

Thanks!

I could be wrong, but I believe snap bidding is just COB on Bid Day. If you (or whoever your asking for) don't have one yet, that train has probably already left the station.

Not a complete answer, but if they only matched 22 in formal recruitment, they are allowed to snap bid up to quota (25) - not sure if they can snap bid up to total (I'm sure someone will come answer that soon) -- but even if they are allowed to, I'm guessing it wouldn't happen if they didn't make quota to begin with.

Usually (not always), campuses are only open for expansion if all groups are consistently making quota and total is pretty large (in comparison to past years at the school...not in comparison to other schools) and met by all chapters. I know that's not always the case (I joined a colony at my school the same year another chapter closed due to numbers).

Snap bids only happen between bid matching and handing out bids and only with women who have participated in formal recruitment. A chapter may only offer snap bids up to quota. If a chapter is under total they may then offer COB bids at any time school is in session. If a new chapter is colonizing, there is usually a moratorium on COB, but usually only for a period of a few weeks not the entire semester.

How has FR gone in the past two years for this chapter? Did they meet quota in the past?

Snap bidding only happens before bids are distributed for chapters who did not match to quota. Total has nothing to do with it. If a new group is colonizing there can be pause on all other recruitment activities for no more than three weeks. I have seen two weeks most often but the time is decided as part of the agreement when the new group is invited.

Sorry AZ-Alpha xi I think we were writing at the same time

Here's what the MOI (aka green book) says about snap bids

8. Snap bidding is allowed only for those chapters that did not match to quota in the bid-matching process. Women who participated in at least the first round of recruitment are eligible for snap bidding. Snap bids can be extended,
coordinated through the Panhellenic, prior to the start of Bid Day activities or when bids are distributed.
9. If the preferential bidding system is used, women who indicate an intentional single preference and do not receive an invitation to membership are eligible for snap bidding and COB, but they are not eligible to be a quota addition.

The chapter has matched quota for the past 3+ years. However, there is always at least one girl who leaves the bid day party early and drops that night, and at least one who drops within the first 3 days after bid day. This chapter has lost A LOT of chapter members within the last year. After last formal recruitment, they were 3 above total. Ended that semester with 5 open spots (so they lost 8 girls due to dropping, transferring and early graduation). Panhellenic voted to expand, the chapter cob'd and filled 4 of the 5 spots, and then a lot of girls dropped the sorority or dropped out of school. Ended that semester about 10-13 under total (all other chapters were above or at total), but graduated a large class of seniors, thus keeping them the smallest. There definitalty is a need for a new sorority, but this chapter has had a rough time filling spots and keeping girls. Just some background knowledge.

(I can't figure out how to quote and save what I have already written, sorry!):
gatordeltapgh: You said that the pause on recruitment during a colonization is decided on as part of the agreement. Who decided that? Is that something the chapter's should have voted on or would this be a decree by Panhellenic/Greek advisor?

Also, where is the information on a pause of only 3 weeks? We have been told different things, from Panhellenic and the Greek advisor. First it was that any chapter under total would not be allowed to COR/COB for the entire year. Then it was just the semester of the colonization. Then it was not until the new chapter had their initiation and instillation ceremony. Knowing that it is only allowed to be for 3 weeks is quite a bit different then anything that has been communicated with the chapter.

Thanks for all of the replies about snap bidding to quota! I was like 80% positive that snap bids could only be used to achieve quota, but I wanted to be 100%.


And now for another maybe off-topic question: If a girl joins a colony, does she sign an MRBA? I know that they don't if they COB, but I don't have a ton of experience/knowledge on the logistics of colony recruitments.

This chapter needs to get their NPC Delegate involved ASAP to get this issue straightened out. The info is in the MOI. I'm not at my desk so I can't send it to you and the higher powers via the NPC Area Advisor and Delegate need to solve this and do some education.

Yes, women who accept a bid from a colony do sign a MRABA but in the off chance that the colony would not progress, the women would be released. I only know of this happening once in the last several years.

from page 33 of the 2013 MOI

B. Each NPC fraternity chapter has the right to COB to reach quota or its total allowable chapter size during the regular school year as defined by the school calendar. To accommodate a chapter colonization or to allow a chapter to build its membership, the College Panhellenic Council may vote to suspend COB for a period not to exceed three weeks.

as was said above, the chapter needs to get their NPC delegate involved immediately.

and to the question of the MRBA as was said colony members sign one, but women accepting COB bids should also sign one. This is the binding agreement that a women is bound to her chapter until the next formal recruitment.

Don't delay on getting someone in authority from your organization involved immediately. I hate it when the people running the Greek Life office don't know the rules and think its ok to make them up as they go.

I swear I read a thread on Greek Chat in the past few weeks about some chapters waiting several days or even a week for their pledge pinning or what ever your group calls it so that snap bidding could happen over the course of several days. After the pledging ceremony it would be COB? I skimmed the content of the thread...does anyone else remember this and what the conclusion was of the discussion?

I can't find the thread, but the conclusion was that - as defined in the MOI - a snap bid is any bid given out BEFORE bids are released on bid day. A bid after bids go out is still a COB, it just might be that the recipient would then be added to the same pledge class.

The fine point was that if a chapter was over total, but had not made quota, that they could still bid to quota as long as they had not as yet had the formal pledging.

No it was so they could do COB - not snap bid. And then also extend their new member period by a week or two since so many are at 6-8 weeks now.

HQ- we were posting at the same time!

I posted that comment about vaccines in quota. This is important only when a group is over total but has a vacancy in quota, not an unfilled quota.
Here is an easy test to tell the difference - Have bid day activities taken place?
No - A chapter can fill an unfilled quota with snap bids.
Yes - Any bids to fill to quota before the formal pledging ceremony even if a chapter is already over total OR any bids to fill to total are allowed and considered COB bids.

p.s. most NPC orgs provide access to the MOI via the members only section of their website if you want to get into some heavy reading.

Vacancies in Quota
A vacancy in quota occurs in one of the following:
• When a woman negates her signed membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement,
• When a woman refuses to accept her matched bid at the conclusion of membership recruitment
• When a woman does not participate in a ribbon or formal new member pledging ceremony and/or does not sign
documentation or agreements with the member organization indicating her intent to pledge the group
A chapter may immediately bid and pledge another woman, even if the chapter is over total. If a chapter has received quota additions, the chapter may only bid and pledge additional women to the established quota. They cannot bid or pledge additional women to fill open spaces received as quota additions. For example, if quota were 25 and a chapter matches to quota (25) plus received 2 quota additions (total of 27 new members), the chapter may not fill any openings from declined bids until they drop below 25.
However, if a chapter matches to quota and is above total, and all potential new members go through the formal pledging ceremony (quota), the chapter is unable to fill any vacancies until the chapter drops below total should a new member break her pledge.

Just a note - if you are a member of an NPC group, then the NPC MOI (aka Green Book) is most likely available on the private side of your web site. Or, you could contact your NPC delegate for a copy.


It's free and very informative.

Back to the question about a chapter being below or even well below total and expansion happening. Sometimes there is a chapter that continues to struggle but is able to hang on without having to close. Adding a chapter isn't going to hurt them, as you think it might, because they'd probably still be attracting the same group of girls year after year no matter the number of other chapters on campus. And if expansion goes as expected, chapter total and quota should go DOWN, which could in fact help the smaller chapter.

Ideally everyone is doing great when a school expands, but it doesn't have to be a death-blow to the smaller/struggling chapter. And hopefully this is the motivation your headquarters needs to get involved in this chapter's revitalization.

I hope this chapter can work around it's unhappy sister problems. That sucks. But it can be fixed! It just takes time and patience. And a lot of work :)

At my school, there is a one chapter that is notorious for giving out 70% of their new pledge class snap bids. Why don't they just initially keep these girls during the week rather than just snapping them up at the very end? Is this some kind of strategy or something?