First Time Through Formal

[AOEforme]

Tips?

[gee_ess]

I would recommend reading the stickied threads at the top of the Recruitment Forums. They are filled with info for pnm's as well as actives. It is a good place to start.

[knight_shadow]

Pardon my ignorance:

From what I've read on here, membership in campus Panhellenic was only extended to NPC organizations. Based on the OP's post, my understanding is wrong. Do non-NPC chapters get "associate" status or are they full members?

[AlwaysSAI]

Hey AOE! I've got question. I googled your sorority and it appears that you all are professional. My understanding is that organizations labeled as "professional" must also admit men per Title IX. Does AOE admit men to membership? And, if so, how does your chapter handle that as member of campus PC--which only allows women to participate in recruitment?

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by AOEforme

Two ways....

1) We're a professional and social sorority. We've really concentrate on both of those equally. The international office is putting out a new website soon and that will reflect the social portion as well.

2) Title IX allows for equal opportunity... so, we always have a brother fraternity (i.e. Sig Delt Pi or Triangle) on campus....

But, because of your status as a professional organization, if a man was to pursue membership and was denied because of his sex, that would be against title IX. Title IX is only exempt to organizations with a strictly social purpose. For instance, Sigma Alpha Agriculture Sorority accepts men as does Gamma Sigma Sigma Service Sorority.

I'm just trying to understand how you all can join your campus CPC, when all other professional orgs (whether they have a social side or not) are required to admit men per Title IX. For example, my sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota began as a professional sorority, but expanded our membership when Title IX happened so that we could remain women-only. On the flip side, my fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi, decided to go co-ed at Title IX rather than be strictly social, though the social aspect is our most cherished one.

Does anyone else get what I'm trying to say?? If you understand it better chime in!

[AZ-AlphaXi]

Also, I am having a hard time understanding how release figures will be used with your chapter participating in formal recruitment. If you are restricting your membership to women in engineering only then you will be releasing many (most?) women who go thru formal recruitment .. thus skewing the statistics for using RFM which are predicated on chapters willing to pledge any woman who signs up ( subject of course to mutual selection and meeting membership criteria such as GPA).

[AZ-AlphaXi]

re: Title IX - so was poking about on their web site and in under the bylaws the criteria for membership besides using the female pronoun never says you have to be female.

[FSUZeta]

i think this is political correctness run amok. only organizations that are the same(similar purpose, same membership criteria) should be under the same umbrella organization. as someone pointed out, if a sorority has limited their membership to certain majors, their membership selection will differ from that of an npc sorority, so the greek life office has no business placing them under the college panhellenic umbrella. perhaps a new greek council should be formed to better accomodate this type of organization.

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by AZ-AlphaXi

re: Title IX - so was poking about on their web site and in under the bylaws the criteria for membership will using the female pronoun never says you have to be female.

Yeah, I looked at that too.....

[ree-Xi]

Is this something new - rushing or pledging (sorry I am old school) professional/honor fraternities/sororities?

Would it be similar to rushing/pledging a service org (such as Gamma Sigma Sigma)? We had informal rush and a formal pledge period, which included service projects, learning history and rituals. These days, it's called the Member in Training Program.

My chapter had a few socials: one semiformal dance co-sponsored by APO (but we brought our own dates), and regular sister dinners at an apartment I shared with two other sisters. We did wear letters and Greek stores stocked GSS stuff, and we had some similar Greek traditions (big/little sister), but our primary focus was service. FWIW, there were no social Greek orgs on campus at the time with the exception of an IFC colony.

I know that some of our chapters at HBCUs employ practices similar to those of the D9 oranizations (such as lines, probate, etc.), but I don't have much information about that. Perhaps another GSS sister can share.

[breathesgelatin]

This reminds me of the thread where a female APO was the president of IFC...

To get back to the original question, if you're now participating in formal recruitment, and your school is requiring you to or whatever, you're correct to start preparing early. What kinds of events will you have to hold? Do you have a sense of how "frilly" this recruitment will be?

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

Is this something new - rushing or pledging (sorry I am old school) professional/honor fraternities/sororities?

It is common now--I think, probably much like was GSS did/does. In Phi Sig, we'll have a week or two of recruitment which includes info nights, games nights, pizza nights, and then will end with interview night. The brotherhood makes the decision as to who to offer a bid to following interview night. The pledging ceremony is held usually....not long after bids are given out. Pledge period is 6-8 weeks ending, of course, with INITIATION!

Per SAI national bylaws, if more than one music GLO exists at a campus a music greek council must be formed to work together for the progress of all groups. We have a joint recruitment week with the other music orgs (run much like FMR, but not as formal) with bids going out at the end of the week. We have formal rush (much like a pref ceremony) after we have distributed bids, but before they are due back signed. Big weeks follows once bids have been turned in and then pledging ceremony is usually the Sunday of Big week. Pledging period is 6-8 weeks ending, of course, with INITIATION.

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

It is common now--I think, probably much like was GSS did/does.

As a service organization, we did not have formal rush, no bid cards, no voting, etc. We had info nights, and those who wanted to pledge Gamma Sig were invited to the closed pinning ceremony. Membership is open to anyone who fulfills the training program. That entailed learning history, passing a final test, performing service hours, etc. Dues were $20, covering a pledge pin and pledge book. We had a formal intiation ceremony. Meetings and service hours were mandatory for members as well. Not everyone who started out became members.

A lot of us were close, and even roommates, and I still keep in touch with some of my sisters. But our main focus was service. To this day, Gamma Sig remains an important and special place in my life, and I am active in my alumnae chapter. It's a sisterhood, but we operated with the purpose of service first.

I agree that groups of differing agendas should hold their own recruitment events. Otherwise it's like going into a department store when all you really need is a pair of socks. You have to wade through all the other aisles just to get to your own department.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by AOEforme

I'll try and answer these the best I can....

1) We've never had a problem with Title IX before, because of the social nature of our sorority.

2) We also accept women in the technical sciences.... which is any science major. So, especially on the campuses where our chapters exist, we can accept well over 50% of the women who rush. The girls who aren't science majors are simply let go after first rounds.

3) We have first rounds, which are introductions. Second rounds are skits. Third rounds is philanthropy. And then pref party. Our particular Panhellenic does no frills recruitment: no food is allowed and decorations are supposed to be minimal.

OK, so two of the first things you need to do are:

-Decide a theme for the skit and start writing it.
-Decide on a philanthropy craft project...

It's good it's no frills because that will make things a lot easier on you the first time through.

Do you have specific questions about recruitment events and that kind of thing that we could help with?