Serious Recruitment Question
 

Ok, I have asked people in my chapter and on Panhellenic and no one seems to know for sure, so let me know what you guys think...

3 of my friends and I went through rush this past fall, and we all went DZ, with the exception of one of us, my closet friend, went Sorority X, which is just a colony here, and won't charter until this next fall. Well she recently quit.. Sorority X is so not her character at all, in fact they are pretty slutty and of bad character here, but you dont tend to learn that until AFTER rush...well all my sisters love her to death, and she won't to go through again the next fall and suicide DZ, she's either going DZ or giving up on the sorority experience. She's never been through Sorority X rituals of any kind, since they are only a colony, and while it will be a full calender year plus 2 weeks since she last signed her bid card, i think she can rush again...well some of Sorority X told her she has to wait a year until she disaffilated...what's the deal here?? Any insight??

i am no expert, but since she didnt go through any rituals, then she must not be initiated right? so how can she disaffiliate if she didnt become a full member? is it different for a colony?

I'm not sure of what the rules are, they're kinda vague. I do know there is a period of a year you have to wait, I just don't know between what. All I do know is that it applies to NPC sororities, and since sorority X isn't NPC she shouldn't have a problem.

Where are the Colony People?
 

At the schools where I've been active or an alum, when you sign a bid card and then depledge, you must wait a year (or until the appropriate rush season, fall or spring) before you can sign another bid card.

But I don't think you sign a bid card for colonies, do you?

ooh! ooh! I know this one!
 

One of my friends joined a group that was recolonizing in the spring. She didn't like it and quit. She rushed again in the fall (as in the next semester) w/ no problem. So i would say your friend can go for it. :)

I was a colony member of my AXiD chapter...as I understand it, your friend isn't an initiated member of Sorority X, since they're not chartered yet. So basically what she's in could be considered a very long pledge period. Now does the rule about the calendar year say that the year starts from the day she signed her bid card, or the day she depledged?
Another thing, no matter what the rule says, you should think about how well the rule is enforced. On my campus, girls have gone through rush one year, pledged a group, then depledged. The next year, they went through rush again and pledged another group. It couldn't have been a full calendar year for them since they depledged, since rush is at the same time each year...so obviously the rule must not be very well enforced. Maybe it'll be similar on your campus. Good luck to your friend!!!
PS to answer honeychile's question -- I'm pretty sure you do sign a bid card and fill out all the other paperwork when you pledge into a colony, same as if you were pledging into an established chapter. That's what happened in my case, at least.

I'm almost positive that the one-year rule refers to the day you sign your bid card, not the day you depledge. I've seen women go through fall rush, pledge, depledge, then rush again the next fall.

This rule applies to colonies too - if you join a colony and then depledge, you have to wait a year from the day you pledged.

DeltaZeta2003, if it's been a year (sounds like it has), your friend should be ok. :)

It's a year from the date of signing the bid card. This happened a few times when I was in school (not with a colony)...anyway, one chapter on our campus had a girl pledge them during formal, depledge at the end of the fall semester, and then go through formal and pledge another group the following year...there was definitely NOT a calendar year from the date of depledging....

Your friend should be fine going through this fall.

Re: Serious Recruitment Question
 

Just one comment: why the slutty reference?

You could have left it at "she didn't fit in"...

Please promote NPC unity. This bashing may start, and as a result perpetuate, an unearned image of a chapter that hasn't even had a chance to thrive on your campus yet.

That's all...

You do have to sign bid cards for colonies (at least for ones that fall under the Panhellenic umbrella).

But it sounds to me like she should be able to rush again...I think it's kinda mean to tell her to suicide though. I'd tell her to have fun in Rush...keep an open mind and try to find a better fit this time...I mean, what happens if she falls in love with XYZ but feels so pressured to go DZ and ends up unhappy...

Just be careful when you give advice.

I joined a colony and I signed a bid card.

I never signed a bid card for AEPhi. Maybe that's because we had been a local sorority? I did sign a bid card for my local.

Someone who signs a bid card is bound to that organization for a year, whether it be a colony or chapter. If she signed her bid card during fall recruitment last year, she should be eligible to go through the process during this year's fall recruitment.

Re: Where are the Colony People?
 

We did

No, it may not be a full calendar year to the day, but I think the spirit of the rule is that you can rush during the next formal recruitment held on your campus.