[Hollie4]

Not to be rude, but aren't membership selection procedures intended to be private?? I wouldn't want to know whether I was cut for having the "wrong" hair, being a bore, being too old, because the house simply has many more girls interested in it than it could possibly take in 1 recruitment period, or any other reason that is just as subjective as my opinions of the chapters. All I would need to know is that it simply wasn't meant to be, whether I wanted it more than anything or not.

Quota is designed for good reasons - to avoid huuuuuuuge pledge classes, help equalize membership in chapters across campus, & ensure that enough spots are open for the number of girls going through recruitment (though spots might not be left at a more popular house, but rather at a "less desirable" house). I'm sure many of us can think of a few chapters who could very easily take 100+ girls each year. Whether a massive new member class is desirable is another matter, & somewhere along the line, cuts have to be made. It could be painful for both the members and the potential members, but frankly, there are reasons 1 girl is cut & another is not, just like there are reasons a girl chooses to return to 1 house but not another. The chapter's basis for decisions, however, is not intended to be known. [I apologize if there are national organizations who have an open Membership Selection procedure, but I don't know of any].

I'll admit it...I may be a little biased. My chapter is one of the smaller houses on campus, since it was recolonized a few years ago. In my opinion, the size turns away some of the girls, which doesn't help the chapter grow (ah, a vicious cycle). If chapter XYZ was able to take 100 new members, rather then the cap of 41, our own new member class could be affected. I'd love to say each & every one of a chapter's new members is at the house, because she ranked it 1st, but that may not be the case.

In an ideal world, every girl would get her first choice. However, as with every other part of life, there are rules that need to be followed in order to prevent chaos and to be fair to as many people as possible.

I am not against mandated early cuts. I see the purposes of it, and I don't think they are malicious. I think I'd rather find out early on that I was cut, rather than having my heart set on a house, going to pick up a bid, and being heartbroken.

As far as invitations after cuts, I'm not sure what I think of that. I guess if I was a potential new member, I wouldn't count on going back. I'd have to see what I felt about it if I was invited back & go from there. It would seem, however, that if an invitation was extended, it would seem to be an administrative cut rather than something else.