[violetpretty]

luvedward, you are only bound for a year if you sign an MRABA (membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement) or "pref card" and are matched to a chapter you listed on it. Being bound for a year to a chapter you list on your MRABA is to ensure that PNMs think long and hard about what they put on that card. Many schools have a guaranteed match policy, that if you rank all of your preference round chapters, you'll get a bid somewhere. Being bound is a check to that policy so PNMs only put down chapters they would accept a bid from. Otherwise, some chapters might match quota and have lots of no-shows on bid day.

It sounds like the chapter who offered you a bid did not make quota and they offered you a snap bid to try to make quota. You are not bound by a chapter offering you a snap bid.