Quote:
Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby
HOWEVER, I am very wary of the new RFM. NPC will not publish how this is calculated, and makes vague references to a 'release figures specialist'. I put very little stock in the idea that the NPC release figure specialist can be totally unbiased and has the special expertise to pick numbers that will maximize the number of bids on bid day.
So what do we do? We should improve our forecasting methods using proven mathmatical forecasting strategies. Rather than some 'specialist' who allegedly has knowledge of recruitment, this is a mathmatical problem that should be solved by people like, well, me (of course with the aid of software designed for this and used widely in industries like mine).
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The "release figures specialist" is a mathematician, and there is a software program that now calculates release percentages and quota ranges for you. The specialists are trained so that you have someone to call when you don't understand what the heck the numbers are saying, or something like that. DeltaBetaBaby, I'm sure you could volunteer your services or asked to be trained since you have the math background. You'd then be able to help advise a campus near you if they needed it (I'm assuming you're an alum and not undergraduate).
While I'm not totally defending NPC (I think some of the rules are wacko too), I do think that they have given campuses tools to make recruitment unique to them. The new recruitment styles are PERFECT to customize recruitment to a particular campus. NPC has also stated that total should be evaluated yearly in order to better monitor what's going on with the groups. The problem is that people are scared to death to change. If you start evaluating total, you have sorority alums and advisors freaking out because OMG!!!! a stinkin' number might change!! Numbers don't tell the whole story, and it's OK to lower total if a campus enrollment has lowered significantly.
When my campus did Partially Structured this past Spring (as "Formal" recruitment...deferred for Freshmen), the only invite party we had was Pref night...we had no quota...heck, we didn't have Pref cards or Bid Matching!!!! That wasn't working on my campus, so the groups voted to change. The PNMs came into my office one by one on Bid Day, and were presented with the bids they had received and we're asked to choose which one they wanted to accept. Once the recruitment week started, most of the sorority women flipped out when they realized there wasn't going to be a quota, but change is uncomfortable. The end result...in the past using quota, only 15-20 women were placed between 3 chapters on Bid Day (this is the first opportunity that freshman can join, remember). This year, we placed 34....AND colonized a new group the week after that. I only had 2 girls torn as to which group to join when they got their bids. How did my smallest chapter do? They took the most girls, and wound up within 4 of total (the other groups were 1 and 2 away from total).
Looking back, if we would have had any more PNMs during recruitment, someone would have gone over total, and we may have had to look at a quota. Don't know. Maybe last semester was a fluke...maybe the recruitment style actually helped. But we weren't afraid to try, and that's the point. Heck, if that hadn't worked, I was about to suggest a "fraternity style" recruitment for the girls (which here amounts to nothing more than a week of COR style events)!!
Now, do I suggest that the huge schools immediately go to Partially Structured? No...formal structured works (for the most part).
Bottom line...if it's not working for you, try something different. I think most NPC groups and most campuses are simply afraid to try something different. That goes for expansion as well...if you've got only one group struggling, go ahead and make plans for expansion for a year or two out. Tell that chapter they've got everyone on their side to help them grow (and MEAN IT!) during that time so the system can be as strong as possible in order to support the new colony. Then, it's up to them to take action and figure out what they need to do differently. **The total abolishment of any sort of dirty rushing techniques MUST go along with this. You can't be talking out of both sides of your mouth.
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PsychTau