Your thoughts on an odd event
 

We are currently in the midst of formal recruitment, and have had an occurence which I feel is odd, and wanted to run past other GC members to get a feel for the situation.

Seven freshman members of the swim team signed up (filled out and turned in forms and pictures) for formal recruitment. Later, their coach gave them their practice schedule and told them they couldn't participate in formal recruitment because of it. The girls spoke with the dean (apparently) but still attended swim practice instead of formal recruitment events. Most of us have not met them - it is as if they filled out forms and decided not to go through.

However, the dean of women (who acts basically as head of the women's end of the greek system) has decided that these girls WILL be included in quota - we should just put them in the list with the girls going through formal and act as if they are participating in formal recruitment when making our bid list, etc. All three NPC chapters will be doing this.

My question is: is this normal? It seems completely odd to me. I mean, I am sorry that these girls' coach will not allow them to go through formal, but they would be eligible for COB as well as informal recruitment next semester. I could see being asked to consider them COB girls, but not including them in quota. I'm having a difficult time because I've only met one of these seven swimmers. Clearly, the situation is unchangable and has already been dealt with, but I'm just wondering what everyone here thinks.

Your thoughts and opinions? Sorry that was so long!

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do you mean you are being told that these girls must appear on your bid list, or that they are being counted by panhellenic as having participated in all rounds of recruitment so that while quota would have been x for each sorority and these girls would have been seen as dropping out of recruitment, quota is now x +7, because panhellenic doesn't consider that they have withdrawn?

If they did not participate in recruitment, they should not be counted in quota. Quota should not be set until the round leading up to Preference so that only those women invited to Pref are counted and thereby should guarantee everyone a spot if the chapters invite the max allowed back.

For example, if there are 600 women going into preference round and there are 10 chapters, quota is 60. If there are three parties for pref, then each chapter can invite 180 women to pref (max) - 60 per party.

Check you Green Book - the Dean is wrong.

Yes, this is odd. Why is she kissing the swim team's butt?

As long as she's not making sororities bid them, just let it go. I would simply explain the situation to your national rush chair if she questions why you didn't make quota. That way it won't be a black mark on your record.

How can they participate in rush without participating? :confused:

We had a similar situation with a soccer player. She wanted to be in a sorority badly. She came to every pre- recruitment event. Her practice schedule forced her to miss most of the events. She would come at the end of practice and we would send her to as many houses as possible. The dean gave "free invites" to the chapters for each round. They were not required to use them-but why wouldn't they use a free invite. The chapters did all have a chance to meet her, but just not alot of time to spend. She ended up with a bid to her top choice. (Phi Mu thanks)

WOW!!!! First of all, I must say that if that is the reason the dean is including them in quota, what a wonderful example of "thinking outside the box" to allow them the chance for snap bid/COB/whatever!!!!

Now, it doesn't seem legit...goes against the Green Book...probably not cool with the sororities and their HQ, but I have to say kudos to the creative thinking.

PsychTau

Definitely creative thinking on the part of our dean, who really does have her heart in the right place. She just wants every freshman to be able to find the right house.

We didn't have to place them on our lists, but FSUzeta, you're basically right - Quota was number of girls going into pref + 7.

I think we handled the situation as best we could. Pick-up was this evening, and no chapters made quota. I think this had something to do with quota being large due to the swimmer thing.

Regardless, we picked up amazing girls. :) It was just a funny situation and I wanted to hear what everyone thought. We do things a bit oddly here sometimes, I think.