Offered a bid but told I won't be pledging?!?
 

Hello everyone.. I'm a new guy here in case you have not noticed :) So I was offered a bid last night but they disguised it as being something else we had to sign as part of their scheme... I knew what it was because I read a portion of the letter as I signed my signature. Anyway, so they called us out one by one and left me and a friend till last only to tell us that we won't be pledging this semester. I was so pissed and confused (I still am actually). I just got out the hospital yesterday afternoon from a lower back problem and they said that I'm a liability so I can't pledge. As for my friend they said he handed his transcripts and stuff too late. 5 minutes later my friend who got the same news called me asking to give him a ride back to school... he came into my car with a smile like he knew what was going on. I didn't ask him anything and just played along. So now I'm confused... why would they offer me a bid only to later on tell me "sorry you will not be pledging?"

It could mean either one of two things.

1. that they probably do some hazing activities that you will not be allowed to partake in because they dont want to risk the liability of a lawsuit from you getting injured, but you will still be a brother you just dont go through everything your pledge class does.

or

2. they are extending you a bid for next semester in which you will pledge and hopefully your back will be better.

Either way they are saying they want you, but they are trying to take precautions because they dont want to get a lawsuit if you get injured.

I don't think it would be option number one. If they were going to haze like that I don't think they would be so concerned with risk management. The pledge process is traditionally meant to help the pledge class bond before initiation so I doubt they would let him half-pledge, which would certainly cause a lot of resentment from his pledge brothers.

Is there a rule on your campus about when bids can be extended? Perhaps the brothers wanted to get to know you better before extending a bid but this rule prevented them from waiting a week or so. (We don't have a rule like this, we can't extend bids from the start of the semester to the Friday of rush week but we could do it every day after that if we wanted to.)

Can you explain more about what you actually signed? I really don't think his back is an actual issue and it all seems really sketchy.

The letter said something along the lines of congratulations blah blah we would like to cordially invite you to become a member of *****. And the brothers have known me for a year and a half now so I know it has nothing to do with them wanting to get to know me more. I agree with this being very sketchy...

What kind of a fraternity are you referring to? IFC, Local, etc. ????

This is sketchy as all hell. Run fast, run far.

My guess? They want you but there is maybe something you don't know about...a capped pledge class, for example, and they are trying to keep you around even though they can't pledge you this semester due to a numbers restriction on behalf of nationals, IFC or maybe even their chapter (if they have something in their bylaws about maximum pledge class).

Something about this sounds really sketchy to me. If you are still interested in being a part of this group, I would talk to an advisor.

If they do have such a cap, I'd think they would tell him that straight up rather than saying he's a "liability" because of his current physical condition.

Agreed!!!! Run very very far away.....

I'd say go to the adviser, because they'll hide their hazing from an adviser, so if it's a legit reason, the adviser will know, if it's a sketchy reasons, the adviser will most likely be confused too.

Sketchy, If they were extending your bid to the spring or the next fall, for whatever reason, they would have let you know. But if they're going to treat you like that I would suggest rushing another fraternity.