quota question
 

I may be mathematically challenged because I have trouble figuring this out. If quota = number of members going to preference parties divided by number of chapters, then the only way you could get everyone at quota would be to have no one drop out after preference. (Otherwise you end up with one person short.) It also assumes no one manages to get cross cut and all ISPs get the chapter they suicided.

And then I fail to see how some chapters could exceed quota when every chapter makes quota. Where do the extra members come from? Is it all snap bidding of people who did not attend preference parties?

It must be foggy here....

One of your problems is that you are assuming that the same number of PNMs attend each group for preference.

three to 4 times quota might be invited to prefs. girls are not attending the same pref parties-providing there are more than three chapters on campus. susie might be attending prefs. at abc, def, and ghi while sally is attending parties at ghi, jkl and mno, and someone else is attending prefs at two other chapters, because she only had invitations to two.

The RFM invitation/quota formula isn't as simple as the OP suggests. That's merely an easy nutshell used to explain how it works. In reality it includes many variables, including the historical average of PNMs that voluntarily withdraw after Pref.

Plus when determining the number each chapter can invite to Pref, Panhellenics are still working with a quota range and not a set in stone quota number yet. When bid matching occurs different possible quota numbers within that range are plugged into the formula. The final number is selected when as many PNMs as possible are placed with as many chapters as possible achieve quota.

Thanks - I thought it couldnt be as easy as number of pnms attending preference divided by number of chapters. Yet I did not think it could be number of invitations issued to preference either because if each pnm went to three parties no chapter (or almost no one) would would be able to achieve quota. The variable approach, while less predictable to an outsider than a simple division problem, makes more sense.

If you attend two pref parties is it possible to be matched to your second choice if your first choice hasn't reached quota?

If the matching is done correctly .. no .. you will be continued to be checked against your first choice until there is no possibility (ie they reach quota) that you can match to your first choice.

Or if the chapter decided to drop you

I've seen chapters who made waaay past quota, yet they still do COB in the spring. I thought COB was for chapters who didn't make quota. Am I misunderstanding something?

COB is for chapters who are not at Chapter Total. Chapter Total is a maximum number of members that a chapter can have. The only exception to Total is if taking Quota puts a chapter over Total. All chapters are allowed to take at least Quota and up to Total.

Is every chapter required to be at chapter total (thus do COB to meet that total), or is this a decision made by the chapter?

average chapter size
 

Where does average chapter size fit in? There have been some comments on the threads regarding new colonies that allow bids up to average chapter size even if over total. Does that apply for existing chapters that might be at total if they are significantly below average chapter size?

I guess I'm curious how often that happens- that so many of the chapters are so far over total, except for one or two, and that this continues for YEARS. (I'll be honest, Alabama comes to mind).
Is total not changed in a situation like that because College Panhellenics has not voted for it to be different? It just seems silly to me, for total to be so much lower than average chapter size (when chapters can go over total when getting quota anyway), why is quota not lowered (and, for instance, expansion looked into)? Do you understand what I'm asking? The big chapters will still get to be big, since they can go over total when getting quota, and the smaller chapters will not be as much below total- which I think would be particularly helpful for any new colonization(s).