This Bites!!
 

so you went through the pledge program? or did i misinterpret that? i mean if you pledged and just didn't get initiated i wouldn't think you'd have to go through formal, hmm very weird to me. did you ask any of your ZTAs?

Did you ever talk to any of the ZTAs in your chapter about this issue? That would be where I'd have started first.

That is evil. I remember how excited you were about joining ZTA, and this must be quite a slap in the face for you. :(

Who told you you had to go through FR - the Greek Life office or ZTA?

It seems to me that if you completed your new member program, including making grades and being once again enrolled full-time, there's no reason you shouldn't be initiated.

Hope everything works out :)

I dunno, if ZTA is like us, if you are not initiated one year after the date you were pledged you have to be re-bid. And if campus rules then come into play, ZTA might not be allowed to just bid you until they are allowed to give bids again, ie formal rush. Someone correct me if this isn't true.
Good Luck!
Lil E

Does ZTA usually get quota, or are under total? If not, then you could probably not do formal recruitment and accept a COB. I'm assuming that since you didn't go through Formal Recruitment, you were COBed.

I know they have "no talking" rules, but I think this is a special case that warrants you notifying ZTA that you're not going through Formal Recruitment to "check out other chapters". Someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, but I would hate to see Nichole get screwed because of a misunderstanding.

Good luck hon.

Did you sign a bid card?? If you did, you are bound to ZTA for the year. You should sign bid cards whether joining through formal or informal recruitment. If you signed that card, the bid is usually good for a year I think...it could differ by chapter. I would find this out, because if this is the case, you needn't do anything.

It's been over a year, though. I suspect she'd have to be re-bid, but I don't understand what's stopping her chapter from doing so before FR (unless they're over total?) My feeling is that she should be welcomed back with open arms, without having to go through FR again.

I PMed you!

My guess is that they're not allowed to hand out bids over the summer (if that was allowed, plenty of sororities would summer-rush and bid girls way before formal rush, so they could be at total or close before rush starts). She'll either have to go through formal rush or hope that ZTA doesn't make quota, in which they can COB her after recruitment.

If ZTA usually makes quota, she'd be best off going through formal rush. If ZTA doesn't usually make quota, it might be okay for her to just wait until COB.

I'd suggest talking with the Membership or Recruitment Advisor. She is supposed to be current on all the rules for ZTA and the school.

Good luck!

LaRue

Thanks for your support everyone! According to the greek life office it is too close to Formal Rush for them to give me a bid now. even though I was trying to do it since the beginning of JUNE!! grr anyways Im going to try to talk to the president of ZTA to see if there is anyway that I could do it w/o going thru formal rush. I would hate to do that knowing that my heart is in ZTA and wouldnt want them to think that I am looking anywhere else. Hopefully this works but if not I'll just have to go thru that whole grueling process. BLAH!! anyways i'll update on the situation later.

Nichole

I believe May 10 was the last date sororities could offer open bids at MTSU. You might meet some new friends during formal recruitment but still go ZTA. If you know for a fact that you only want ZTA an ZTA will offer a bid, you could bypass the other parties, though I know that's not a great suggestion! You might make some friends in recruitment with the other sororities and it might just be a fun process to see what everyone is doing!

Hmmm... just out of curiosity, could you drop all the other houses after the first day?

Im not sure if I could drop the other houses but I know that I hate having to pay another 30 something dollars to go thru this process again. GRRR!! I still cant get ahold of anyone in the sorority that can help me out or give me any useful info. but hopefully I will VERY soon!

Nichole

ZTA Bid
 

Nichole,

I know how frustrated you must be. Here's what you need to do.

Techincally, a bid is good for one calendar year. As of Spring 2003, as you were not initiated, your bid has expired.

I recommend you immediately send a professional, courteous and concise email to your ZTA President, Chapter Adviser and Area Director (the national officer who oversees chapter operations for chapters in a certain area; not sure what ZTA calls these women) explaining your situation. They may decide to offer a bid to you prior to the start of Fall Recruitment, or they may not.

If you do not receive an invitation to join ZTA through these means, you will have to go through formal/informal recruitment at your school again.

Good luck and please let me know how everything works out.

Nichole,

This is a dumb question, but did anyone in the chapter keep in touch with you to see what you were doing? Especially if they were at total...they would have wanted to see the semester following if you were planning to depledge, as someone else could have filled the spot.

Oh, and for that lady in Greek Life to tell you to explore other options was downright rude IMO - especially if you told her you still definitely wanted to be part of ZTA.

I'm sorry but this just kind of boggles my mind...how big are the groups there? Similar stuff like this occurred in my chapter, with girls taking off school and such, and we never let the girls fall so out of touch that they didn't know 100% that expired bid or no expired bid we still wanted them to be part of us. We would never have thought of not rebidding them...it would be a slap in the face. And I can't believe that anyone thinks this is OK or right in this situation.

Nobody really kept in touch with me but I cant blame that all on myself as I did not keep in touch with everyone either..a few girls yes but I was in Michigan for months with my family, I do however run into everyone all the time now that I have been back and talk to them when i do...Im just so nervous since they have grown so much since I was pledging that they may not want me back. I know it sounds dumb but it just worries me. Anyways I have emailed a few of the girls that I do talk to and even a couple that I rarely do. I emailed my old New member director and the old president to see if they could help me out in anyway. hopefully I'll get some response back and hopefully its good :) Im keeping my fingers crossed. If things dont work out that way for me I guess its the way its going to be but I should be alright!

Nichole

My understanding is that we have to attend all parties that we are invited to unless we are invited to more than the max that we can attend.

yep thats right we do. we cant drop houses, if we are invited back we have to attend to continue going through recruitment. kinda stinks but in a way in makes sense too.



Nichole