Release Figure Management System

ErinBee · #1 10-03-2009, 12:52 AM

I was a part of my chapter's recruitment committee and eventually VP Recruitment a year or so after our campus switched to the new RFM. I was curious how the pervious system worked?

lyrelyre · #2 10-03-2009, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinBee

I was a part of my chapter's recruitment committee and eventually VP Recruitment a year or so after our campus switched to the new RFM. I was curious how the pervious system worked?

Do you want a general overview or do you have a specific question?

ErinBee · #3 10-03-2009, 02:37 AM

Just a general overview and how the two systems differ.

Titchou · #4 10-03-2009, 09:10 AM

The main difference is that the old method set a cap of 5% of quota for quota additions and RFM sets no limit. So, under the old method, if quota was 40 then a chapter could take a maximum of 42 (quota of 40 plus 2 additions - 5% of 40).
On a campus with several chapters, women could get left out if, say, 2 groups were very popular and filled quota and additions yet there were still women who had listed these 2 as their choices. They would not be allowed to take them and the women would not be pledged.

With RFM, there is no maximum number of quota additions. All eligible women can be placed.

There are also some differences in the way release percentages are computed but that's rather subtle. Also, quota can slide depending on what number places the most women.

But the main thing is the quota additions and how that is handled. Hope this helps.

DubaiSis · #5 10-03-2009, 09:40 AM

to go a little further into it, chapters invited as many girls back to each round of parties as they wanted. What I think was typical for a lot of houses at my campus was they'd make cuts the first round for grades and (I can't find a good word for it so I'm going to call them bad girls... the ones you KNOW your not taking) bad girls. The more competitive chapters would make a bit deeper cuts, but kept a lot of girls in who they knew more than likely wouldn't make the cut by the end of the week.

The affect this had on recruitment in general is that the smaller houses would have massive loss in returns after the first round of parties and end up having to invite back most of their remaining list for the rest of the week, while the biggest houses made incremental cuts every day. This left the biggest houses with great flexibility to give girls another chance but was deadly for the smaller houses.

RFM appears to be much more fair to the PNM's, since the girls don't get their hearts set on a house that really didn't intend to pledge them from day one, but wanted to have nice full parties every day. I'm sure it helps the smaller houses because it gives them a chance to change a girl's mind, and I'd think it helps the bigger houses by being able to focus on the girls they really want.

Zillini · #6 10-03-2009, 10:29 AM

Tying in with DubaiSis' post, the old system caused a lot more PNMs to be cross cut. In a nutshell, every Chapter wanted to invite the max for full parties so "popular" Chapters knowingly invited back PNMs they had no intention of pledging. PNMs would accept the invites from the popular Chapters and regret those from the less popular without giving them a legit chance. These were not only great Chapters, but they were also where the PNMs had a real shot at getting a bid. Then in the next round(s) the popular Chapters started dropping the PNMs they didn't want. Since those PNMs had already declined the less popular Chapters, they were left with nothing.

RFM forces the popular Chapters to make bigger cuts earlier in the process. The logic is to not have PNMs get their heart set on one or more Chapters by getting invited back to multiple rounds when in reality they have no chance of getting a bid there. PNMs may suffer some disappointment at the beginning of the process, yet (hopefully) they have still have options/invites available to them.

KDMafia · #7 10-03-2009, 12:42 PM

My opinion comes from seeing both sides on a smaller campus (6 sororities, total being 52).

I felt it also caused a lot more animosity within our greek life. 1. It drove quota way down, so chapters that were struggling would have to work extra hard for COB to build up their classes. 2. My campus was small and greek members often lived together (no houses) and some of the smaller chapters knew the top two were just keeping people to have full parties and in effect their/our parties would be smaller and great girls wouldn't get a bid and possibly be turned off of greek life forever.

It really only helped whichever chapters were perceived as the "best" at the expense of the entirety of greek life.
The new release figures prevent party stacking and helps both the sororities and the girls truly get to know each other. Much less people drop out or suicide because they don't go 3 rounds and then get cut before pref from the two/three houses they wanted and feel like they have no options left.

Titchou · #8 10-03-2009, 06:17 PM

And I just love that it makes it possible to place everyone.

AXOrushadvisor · #9 10-03-2009, 08:26 PM

I like RFM. The only thing I have noticed is that it is very difficult on girls who tend to be reserved especially with the heavy cuts "popular" houses do after first and second round. It makes the first round a first impression type thing and the Chapters don't get to know these girls at a second party because they get released with the masses after round one and two.

I think that may be the root of all the threads on here about women dropping out instead of sticking with recruitment. They get released from houses they think are the "best" and where they "belong" and don't want to give the other Chapters a chance. They drop out of recruitment because they don't like the 2 or 3 choices they have left.

I also think RFM keeps most of the Chapters on campus around the same size which is good. The old quota method allowed the larger houses to get bigger and stunted the growth of the smaller houses.

KSUViolet06 · #10 10-03-2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AXOrushadvisor

I like RFM. The only thing I have noticed is that it is very difficult on girls who tend to be reserved especially with the heavy cuts "popular" houses do after first and second round. It makes the first round a first impression type thing and the Chapters don't get to know these girls at a second party because they get released with the masses after round one and two.

Very true. Before the RFM, chapters here didn't make cuts until after the 2nd round. So if a girl was really quiet, she had a 2nd day to come out of her shell and show interest before cuts were made. When we moved to the RFM, those same girls were released from chapters after the first day, because there simply is no room (in most of the chapters) to bring them back a 2nd day if they aren't showing interest. Overall, I do like the system though.

See also, this thread about the RFM: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...hlight=release

ErinBee · #11 10-03-2009, 08:33 PM

Thank you for all the info! I'm so glad campuses are switching over. I know our chapter, minus myself and our president have no idea how it actually works so they never understood why we only made small cuts after the first day. It was frustrating hearing "we look dumb and desperate" from our members when the system works to our benefit and the PNM's. I'm such a recruitment nerd and loving learning how everything works.

I have one more question. One of the chapters on our campus usually doesn't make quota during formal, yet this year they took the least amount of quota additions. Also, the largest chapter took the most. Is this because the first priority is to match the PNM's with their first choice?

AXOrushadvisor · #12 10-04-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinBee

Thank you for all the info! I'm so glad campuses are switching over. I know our chapter, minus myself and our president have no idea how it actually works so they never understood why we only made small cuts after the first day. It was frustrating hearing "we look dumb and desperate" from our members when the system works to our benefit and the PNM's. I'm such a recruitment nerd and loving learning how everything works.

I have one more question. One of the chapters on our campus usually doesn't make quota during formal, yet this year they took the least amount of quota additions. Also, the largest chapter took the most. Is this because the first priority is to match the PNM's with their first choice?

Erin,
I have learned on here that it depends on the school. If your bid list is full and there are still girls to be placed there are some schools that will place them in the smallest Chapter of all they preffed (I actually like this method). Some schools will place the women with their first choice. That may be what happened at your school. The PNM was placed as a quota addition at her first choice.

DubaiSis · #13 10-04-2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinBee

I have one more question. One of the chapters on our campus usually doesn't make quota during formal, yet this year they took the least amount of quota additions. Also, the largest chapter took the most. Is this because the first priority is to match the PNM's with their first choice?

Yes, that's exactly it, but chapter total also figures into it. If the smallest chapter also took quota additions, then RFM is working very well on your campus. Did many girls get cut completely?

ErinBee · #14 10-04-2009, 10:06 PM

I know this year only 5 girls didn't get matched with their top choice. We also had about 15-20 drop out of 120 PNM's. I'm not sure if that is high, it was tremendously lower than last year. In my opinion, the drop out are mostly due to issues we have had the past two years with Panhellenic and dirty rushing.