Npc Green Book New New New
 

As Chapter Advisor, I got a brand new copy directly from my IHQ:D Although the enclosed bill was for $40.84, that's still cheaper than the NPC website price of $45.00;)

Guess I'm expected to take it out of the shrink wrap and read it, ugh?;) :D Glad to know there's sisters I can call to explain what I don't understand!! :D

YEAHHH - the long awaited new addition. I'll have to make sure I get the new one so that I can start pouring over it before recruitment!!

yep...gotta break off that shrink wrap. be sure to read the recruitment section...lots of great new information there!

I like the fact that it's now available in CD format.

Quota Range is giving me fits. Can someone explain please!

Ok here is what helped me understand Quota Range. If anyone thinks this is inaccurate, let me know- I hate to pass on misinformation, but this is the way that it was explained to me.

Quota Range is only used BEFORE and DURING Bid Matching. You use the statistical history of your campus to determine the weighted average of signed bid cards over the last 3 years. Then you calculate Quota Range with a positive or negative 8%. 8% is just some math number they made up, but it works.

So if the weighted avg. is 40, you've got a range of 37-43.

Here is where I was confused. I thought that then ABC sorority could match to quota with 37, and XYZ could match to quota with 42. This is not the case.

The Panhellenic bid matchers (hopefully using the computer system, although I'm sure it's doable by hand) would do bid matching SEVEN TIMES, once with quota as 37, once with quota as 38, once with quota as 39, etc. all the way to 43. Then they look at all seven lists to see which quota matched the most girls and was the best for all the chapters. That BECOMES your quota. So if 40 is statistically best after running all of the quotas in the range, quota WILL BE 40 on Bid Day.

Does that help?

PS. I love my new NPC Manual of Information ;)

Glad I'm not a recruitment advisor..........:D

I actually am a Recruitment Advisor (I actually love it though).

CarolinaCutie did a great job of explaining quota range. That is exactly how I understand it as well. Unfortunately my school will be one of those that will move to this system at the last possible minute- Fall of 2006.

I am dizzy just reading the EXPLANATION!
 

:)

Here's the "Official" Explanation
 

My two cents: Quota Range is wonderful, even if it's confusing at first. This is what is sent to chapter advisors of campuses moving to QR by the NPC team:

Dear Recruitment Advisors,

The implementation of the NPC Release Figure Method
involves the use of a process called Quota-Range.
With this process, we provide an estimate of Quota,
but we do not commit to an exact number for Quota
until we conduct bid matching on the computer. Quota
may end up being higher or lower, depending upon a
number of factors, including the prospective new
member retention rate from preference until bid
matching. Whatever it's set at, though, it will be
the same for all chapters.

All numbers in the Quota Range are run through the bid
matching program to determine which level for Quota is
in the best interests of the system. We attempt to
balance the goal of achieving parity among the
chapters with the goal of maximizing the placement of
as many prospective new members as possible. We avoid
setting Quota too high in order to keep chapter new
member class sizes in balance. We avoid setting Quota
too low in order to avoid leaving too many women
completing the formal recruitment process in good
faith without bids.

At present, this year's Quota Estimate for [campus] is __, and Quota Range is [low end] to [high end]. These numbers assume that the withdrawals immediately before and after Preference are consistent with historical
withdrawal rates; if withdrawals are heavier than in
previous years, these numbers may shift down, in which
case Panhellenic would notify you before your lists
needed to be input.

If the numbers remain as stated above, you would need
to place [low end number] names on your first bid list (i.e., the lowest number in the Quota Range), arranged in
whatever manner you choose. You would then place the
remaining women attending your preferential events on
your second bid list, in preferential order.

This should essentially end quota additions right?

Not end, but significantly reduce, especially when QR is used in conjunction with the new release figures method.

my advisor got the book and told me about it...but she hasn't caught me long enough to read recruitment stuff

hi advisor!!! i know who you are on greekchat. :D

You mean like snap bids?

A snap bid is completely different than a quota addition.

At Cal we have been using the quota range system for a while (our Greek advisors were sort of renegade and decided to do what was best for our system even if it was against NPC's recommendations). Anyway, I'm not sure if we also use the new release procedures (I haven't gotten my new green book yet, so I don't know what they are). We definitely have not, however, gotten rid of quota additions.

In fact, I think we now have more because letting one or two houses get quota +1 or +3 allows us to keep our overall quota number lower and thus more chapters achieve "quota". Plus, I believe Cal guarantees a bid to a PNM who sticks with the process and, since the other purpose of the quota range is to give PNM's their best options, this usually results in quota additions.

Maybe other schools are thinking of using the quota range differently or maybe the new release system affects quota additions?

I think the idea is to eliminate the need for quota additions by placing as many women as possible through quota range.

Instead of there being so many that do not get bids through regular bid match, one or two groups that don't make quota and then all the chapters that did make quota getting a couple "extra" through quota addition, they would place those women within the regular bid matching process.

My chapter changed to the new release figure method (RFM) last year and where we normally have anywhere from 10-20 no bids after quota addition, we only had 2. Those women could not be placed because they had intentional single preferenced (only put one chapter down on their card) and therefore were not eligible for quota addition.

:( Sad thing was, they would have gotten their first choice that way, but because the did not list two chapters, they got no bid and the chapter they listed first was not able to COB them b/c they were already at quota and chapter total.

Yeah, I don't think that using quota range will eliminate quota additions all together, because it's a system that works. But I agree with TxGirl, I'm hoping it will limit the need to use them by helping more girls actually match within quota.

As far as I can tell, the new release figures system is not directly correlated with the new system of quota range, other than the fact that they are both designed to help PNMs get their first choices through bid matching. This year's Recruitment should definitely be an interesting experiment in the new procedures, but I'm hoping it will go really well.

Hmpf! Bunch of damn Berkeley hippies! :D

Re: Npc Green Book New New New
 

What she said! I ordered one a few weeks ago and it came in today.

That's for damn sure. Coming from a Greek system at Duke to be an adviser at Berkeley was such a shock. They definitely do things their own way! Still, I do think the quota range system has increased the number of chapters at Berkeley making quota and, in that respect, strengthened the Greek system.

We may be crazy, but occasionally we get it right!!

I am skeptical about quota additions as it is now. I always wondered that if we would have "run the program" with a higher quota-how the results would be different. That is why I thought it would eliminate the need. Maybe that is just for our system though. We usually match all but 2 girls after the Quota Additions (which only the PA advisors know). 5 sororities with a quota of usually about 25. Only one chapter consistently misses quota.

How would that chapter if the purpose of this is to match the most girls? It could end up that they get like 8 with everyone else at 28--am I getting this right?

Hmm, the way it has worked at Berkeley since I've been here is best explained through an example.

We have 12 sororities. Let's say on pref night if we chose to set quota at 26 only 4 chapters would make quota, if we set it at 24, 8 chapters would make quota, if we set it at 22 then 10 would make quota. We then have to decide what is in the best interest of the chapters and the PNMs. To be honest, we usually end up with quota at either the middle or lowest option (22 or 24). Of course, this means that some of the chapters with better recruitment results have quota additions. That is the only way we can make sure we give a bid to everyone who stuck with the process.

This just means that the "stronger" (you know what I mean) houses have +2 and so they can end up with the quota of 26 anyway. That is because a lot of women cross rush at the chapters that can already achieve quota at the lower numbers. Still, more chapters can go back to their headquarters and say they made quota. I don't mean to be down on the system, because I think it's perfectly fine, it just seems more a semantics issue than a process that really levels the field (i.e., defining quota so more chapters make it).

I agree that there are some chapters that are not going to make quota even under this system. If you don't have enough PNMs come to your pref night or don't have enough people who will except a bid from you then we can't lower quota to 15 just so those other chapters make quota too.

The idea with the whole new process or RFM - Release Figure Method, is to help more chapters make quota while also placing more women in their chapter of preference.

They are hoping that chapters that have not been making quota, but that are close (say within 5) will now make quota and chapters that are no where near will do better.

Of course the entire thing will not work by only using part of the system. By only using the quota range, you are not necessarily going to help more PNM's be placed. Maybe more of those left in recuitment, but not more overall. Which of course is ultimately the goal, for more women that start the process to receive and accept a bid from a chapter.

Roqueemae asked if it is possible for all to make quota but one who way below. Yes, this is possible and exactly what happened at my school last year.

Of six groups, four have made quota consistanly for the last 4 years, one has been within 5-8 and the other has gotten only about 25% of whatever quota was that year.

Last year we used RFM, we raised our return rates (even though our recruitment numbers were down) and five of the six made quota and quota additions during bid match - the sixth chapter got their 25%.

This may not sound like a big difference until you hear that in the last four years there have typically been 20-25 women that drop out of recruitment just prior to pref - which in the old method 2 version of setting quota means that they are included in quota. One year this was an entire new member class. Additionally, we have had anywhere from 10-20 no bids. With approximately 300 women going through recruitment, this was a big number for both things. There was no way everyone could make quota because the women just weren't there. The no bids were after quota additions.

Using the RFM, we had only a handful drop out prior to pref and had only 2 no bids. Those women weren't eligible for quota addition b/c of intentional single preference on their cards. If I recall correctly, we only had about 19 that didn't get their first pref. Quota was 34.

Overall the system worked. Mainly, it worked for the PNM's because more of them stayed in recruitment and became sorority women.

So, I don't know that we will be saying goodbye to quota additions anytime soon. But, by continuly using the new RFM to the letter, it should cut down on the number of women that are no bids and therefore in the quota addition pool.
:D

I got my new Green Book yesterday! Woohoo! I was excited :)

Sorry to bump... but I am confused and this came up in another forum.
So say from the example the range is between 38 and 42 or whatever...
So, it the quota that matches the largest number of PNM's to their #1 choice is 38, and there are five sororities, and quota the other way would be 40 (meaning there are 200 PNM's), Then wouldn't there be 10 girls left without a bid because quota is lower. I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, I just don't get it.

I would think though that if 10 women were left with only 5 chapters that they would probably up quota 1 to 39 if it would place three or four more women.

Quota additons would take care of a certain amount - if not all of the 10 (in theory). You also have to take into account that if a women intentional single prefs then she has less chance of being placed and she isn't eligible for quota additions. If 8 of the 10 were ISP that would skew your number of no bids a little b/c the women could have been placed if the had maximized their options.

OK, I understand that running the bid lists 7 times is fine when using a computer, but we do ours by hand. And it sometimes takes 2 hours. Does this mean that we would have to (potentially) do it 7 times by hand, at 2 hours per run-through? I can't picture myself doing that for 14 hours straight!!!!


How would Quota Range work with small quotas (5-12) and hand-matching?

I'm not 100% sure... but remember, a lot of what takes time is the end, figuring out the right match for those girls who don't place easily. All of the #1/#1 matches should be pretty much the same, so hopefully you wouldn't have to spend a lot of precious time redoing those.

2005 NPC Resolutions
 

Okay, there are updates so contact your appropriate NPC person, lol. ;)

My email was 10 pages so I'm not posting, lol.;)

Summary of 2005 NPC Resolutions
1) Vision Statement: “The National Panhellenic Conference will be the premier advocacy and support
organization for its members, member groups, College and Alumnae Panhellenics and a proponent of
women’s fraternity membership.”

2) Mission Statement: “The National Panhellenic Conference exists to promote the values of and to serve as
an advocate for its member groups in collaboration with those members, campuses and communities.”

3) Adoption of the NPC strategic plan, which encompasses the years 2005-2010.

4) Amendment to UA VII on judicial procedures allowing a decision by the College Panhellenic judicial
board to be appealed within one week of the decision. Previously the time limit for appeals was 48 hours.

5) In an effort to encourage potential new members to complete all rounds of recruitment, the guideline has
been changed and excludes women from the quota additions process who have failed to accept or attend any
recruitment event for which there was room in her membership recruitment schedule or who has failed to
list on her MRABA (bid card) all fraternity chapters at which she attended the Preference event.

6) As a result of the 2003 Recruitment Resolutions, Quota Range has proven to be effective. This resolutionstates that where Quota Range is used Quota will be determined mutually by the Panhellenic Advisor and the
Release Figures Specialist or NPC Area Advisor. This eliminates a Panhellenic “vote” to determine quota.

7) Reaffirmation by NPC that a fraternity should be willing to offer a membership invitation to any potential
new member who is invited to and attends its Preference event and that any Preference attendee should
appear on the fraternity’s bid list.

In addition to the resolutions that were passed, several topics were discussed among the NPC
delegates and alternate delegates. While resolutions were not brought to the floor regarding these
topics, there was agreement on the understanding of existing guidelines that affect recruitment.

Below are these topics.
�� Donated goods as part of recruitment expenses
All goods that are donated by alumnae, chapter members, parents, etc., and used during
recruitment should be reported and should count as a chapter’s expenses during recruitment,
even if these same donated goods are used year after year.

�� Men wearing t-shirts advertising a particular sorority
There should not be any organized effort to have men wear a t-shirt that advertises a
particular sorority, even if the t-shirt event is from a previous year.

�� Pledging sophomores or juniors
Many women have a curriculum that requires more than four years to graduate. Many more
women arrive at college with little or no information about sororities and decide to wait until
they are established in their studies before joining a sorority. Few Panhellenics actually
encourage upper-class women to participate in recruitment and join. Further, few are ever
asked to join. Some Panhellenics or chapters impose restrictions that actually discourage
these women from joining. The Conference urges each Panhelllenic to re-evaluate
regulations that discourage women from joining, no matter what their class in school.

�� Recruitment styles need to be more widely used
Few Panhellenics have actually investigated the four styles of recruitment and determined
which style best fits their particular Panhellenic. Low PNM participation and low quota
indicate a need to re-evaluate the use of fully structured recruitment. Please work with your
Panhellenic and NPC Area Advisor to determine if a change in recruitment style would
improve your Panhellenic’s performance in attracting more PNMs for recruitment on your
campus.

�� Signing bid cards
For the past several years, Panhellenics have felt that they should discourage all PNMs from
selecting only one sorority when signing the Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding
Agreement (MRABA). Although the intent of this idea is wise, the problem has surfaced
repeatedly when a young woman has either actually been instructed that she must list more
than one choice. This results in women being matched to groups that they had no intention
of joining, and in some cases, another woman was denied membership in a group where she
would have been happy. Please be sure that your Panhellenic is in agreement on how tocounsel PNMs on MRABA signing.

�� Judicial procedures
One of the noticeable problems associated with the judicial procedure is that few
Panhellenics actually follow proper procedure during mediation. The purpose of mediation
is to come to a mutual agreement. It is not the same structure as a judicial appeal. Please
Inspire the Woman. Impact the World.
review the Manual of Information regarding the proper method of utilizing mediation in the
course of dealing with recruitment infractions.

Cut and paste is a good thing :)

Thumbs up on both of these resolutions!

I concur, and also #5 from above, re: encouraging PNMs to complete all rounds or no quota plus for them.

What if you have a minimally structured rush where there is quota, but it's stated that women do not have to attend any events they don't want to?

I think this is a good idea, but it kind of contradicts the "signing bid cards" part.

Just a note - these were not resolutions but "discussion topics" - meaning they are not a rule, but could maybe be the basis for one soon.

Also, in response to 33,
My campus had (and still has) a pretty decent size traditional greek system for the midwest. We did a normal formal rush with skits/parties/etc in the fall. Generally the spring was basic COB. However, the year I pledged (a spring rush) all the houses had quite a few girls graduating in December so they did "Structured Informal Rush" and it was great! I think it would work especially well for smaller schools/systems that have a lot of upper class pledges.
They had 3 days of parties. Each was 30 minutes, and they were for a set time period - so all ther houses had them at the same time and you could only stay at a house for those 30 minutes on each party day. You got to the houses on your own, though panhel would arrange transportation if you needed it. So you picked who you went to for those three days. Then after the last day's parties you went to panhel and ranked the houses just like you would after 3rd round in formal. From there on, prefs, bid matching, quota, etc was all done just like formal.

It was really a low stress but effective way to do it I think. I have to say, most women did not visit EVERY house, but they certainly went to more than just the "best" houses. Mostly they just didn't go to houses where they had a beef with the girls or had depeldged or whatever.

thumbs up to the junior/senior PNM thing! I did not join till I was a junior and I feel I was a huge asset to my chapter. I brought in half of our new members one semester during informal recruitment and held positions on all the greek governing boards.

My words of wisdom: Take those juniors and seniors!!!! Because:
1. They usually know alot more people on campus-PNMs
2. They tend to have already figured out how to do well in college and get good grades
3. They tend to already be involved on campus (ie. recruiting leaders!)

I joined this year a a junior as well, although I wish I had done so as a sophmore when I began to understand what a sorority really was. We have plenty of older members this year and I'm proud of them all. Our school is very non-traditional so no one is a guaranteed to graduate based on a standard 4 year program anyways.

Another reason to get a mixture of the classes is because if a group keeps pledging primarily freshwomen and sophomores, there will be lots of members leaving at the same time...if they don't leave early. We're seeing an increase in transfers.

I agree to the thumbs up on reevaluating older PNMs. It is not uncommon here to accept Juniors or even Seniors as pledges, and they become wonderful NMs and alumnae...they tend to give the alumn organization a shot in the arm due to youth/energy :)

they also tend not to be too burnt out because of greek life when they graduate so they are still excited and get involved with alumni groups.

it is sad tho that i only had a year and a half as an active collegiate sister. i had always wanted to be chapter pres or recruitment chair but only was able to be on exec for 1 term (year). I definately ahve considered trying to go active at my grad school, and still kind of am. Its just this chapter is way different than mine, party alot more, are much bigger (9 vs. 65) and dues are much more. I'd still do it just to help that chapter change a bit, as i tried to be an alumni advisor and they 'didn't have a need' for me. someone definately has some blinders on. i was here a month and already saw the problems.