Should the system of Quota be changed? A look at the Nebraska system

[dakareng]

As I read the explanation here, it sounds like quota is set independant of the number of women going through recruitment because it is based upon equalizing Total. That could lead to an extremely competitive recruitment as the women know that there are (hypotheticallY) 500 new member slots with 700 women competing for them. How is that better? Sure, total can be increased but not in the middle of recruitment. In the meantime, some quality women would be totally shut out. I don't agree with the assertion that taking a woman at the "bottom of the list" is "settling". Someone who is the bottom of the list for ABC might be top of the list for XYZ, That is mutual selection.

The current quota/total system is set up to make sure there IS an opportunity for every woman who goes through the entire recruitment process. It might not be her top choice, and that is an issue that the new release figure programs are intended to address.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but I see this system punishing the groups who have good retention. If you have a large number of broken pledges or resignations, you then get a bigger new member class the next year. I don't see that having a new member class of 28 when others have 50 is an advantage. The idea that they have "better sisterhood" is not a function of chapter size but rather how the chapter is organized. The group with good retention doesn't have good retention because they have a smaller new member class... they'd have good retention regardless.

[CarolinaCutie]

Wouldn't that just result in lots and lots of PNMs dropping out of Recruitment because they couldn't get into their "elite" choices?

ETA: And I agree, Karen. I don't see how having a small new member class is rewarding.

[alum]

The Nebraska way of setting quota numbers and the new way of NPC way of doing the numbers is going to set an artificial level of supply and demand. Shallow as they may be, some girls simply have their hearts set on certain houses for a variety of reasons. Having a smaller supply of openings at XYZ is just going to result in a higher demand for each spot and doesn't necessarily result in the girls that were denied by XYZ wanting to go to ABC.

[TSteven]

(I'm a statistics/numbers geek so this whole quota and total thing fascinates me.)

If the idea behind quota and total is to "even" the chapters number wise, then why not use something similar to the Nebraska model presented by BigRedBeta? Maybe at least every five years or so would help even things out.

Some times it helps to visualize these things. So for the sake of simplicity, lets say there are five sororities with total for each at 100. Each chapter is considered excellent and any girl would consider her self lucky to be a member of any of the five. (Just go with it, ok.)

Following is the number of members at the start of recruitment.

ABC: 80 returning members
DEF: 70 returning members
GHI: 60 returning members
JKL: 50 returning members
MNO: 40 returning members

In the "usual" quota system, if 200 PNMs make it to preference night, then quota would be set at 40. (200/5=40) All chapters make quota. Thus after recruitment the membership would be as follows.

ABC: 80 returning members + 40 new members = 120 total members
DEF: 70 returning members + 40 new members = 110 total members
GHI: 60 returning members + 40 new members = 100 total members
JKL: 50 returning members + 40 new members = 90 total members
MNO: 40 returning members + 40 new members = 80 total members

In the "traditional" quota system, all chapters get the same number of new members as each other and MNO will be 40 members less than ABC. Even if MNO and JKL COB up to total, they will still be 20 less than ABC.

Now, using "total as part of quota" might work something like this. (Total = 100)

ABC: 80 returning members with 20 open spots/quota = 100 total members
DEF: 70 returning members with 30 open spots/quota = 100 total members
GHI: 60 returning members with 40 open spots/quota = 100 total members
JKL: 50 returning members with 50 open spots/quota = 100 total members
MNO: 40 returning members with 60 open spots/quota = 100 total members

As before, 200 women go through recruitment. So the breakout in this scenario would be 20+30+40+50+60=200. Each chapter would meet quota and be at total.

Let's say it is a big year at State U. and twice as many women (400) go through formal. 200 is the number needed to get each chapter at total. The remaining 200 PNMs would be divided by the number of chapters. 200/5=20 This number would be considered "quota additions" and would be the same for each chapter.

Thus each chapter's quota/result would be as follows.

ABC: 80 returning members. 20 open spots + 20 quota addition = 40 new members. New chapter total = 120
DEF: 70 returning members. 30 open spots + 20 quota addition = 50 new members. New chapter total = 120
GHI: 60 returning members. 40 open spots + 20 quota addition = 60 new members. New chapter total = 120
JKL: 50 returning members. 50 open spots + 20 quota addition = 70 new members. New chapter total = 120
MNO: 40 returning members. 60 open spots + 20 quota addition = 80 new members. New chapter total = 120

Of course, something could be worked out so that if a chapter doesn't make quota or total, they can COB and snap away up to the new total.

Frankly, if all chapters are *equal* - and that is what the NPC preaches - then why not set up a system that has a better chance of reflecting it number wise?

Once the chapters are "equal" (say within a certain preordained number or within a certain percentage of each other) then the campus can go back to the "standard" system of quota.

[ADPi Conniebama]

Originally Posted by TSteven

Let's say it is a big year at State U. and twice as many women (400) go through formal. 200 is the number needed to get each chapter at total. The remaining 200 PNMs would be divided by the number of chapters. 200/5=20 This number would be considered "quota additions" and would be the same for each chapter.

Thus each chapter's quota/result would be as follows.

ABC: 80 returning members. 20 open spots + 20 quota addition = 40 new members. New chapter total = 120
DEF: 70 returning members. 30 open spots + 20 quota addition = 50 new members. New chapter total = 120
GHI: 60 returning members. 40 open spots + 20 quota addition = 60 new members. New chapter total = 120
JKL: 50 returning members. 50 open spots + 20 quota addition = 70 new members. New chapter total = 120
MNO: 40 returning members. 60 open spots + 20 quota addition = 80 new members. New chapter total = 120

Of course, something could be worked out so that if a chapter doesn't make quota or total, they can COB and snap away up to the new total.

Frankly, if all chapters are *equal* - and that is what the NPC preaches - then why not set up a system that has a better chance of reflecting it number wise?

Once the chapters are "equal" (say within a certain preordained number or within a certain percentage of each other) then the campus can go back to the "standard" system of quota.

I like it - lets do it

[33girl]

The big problem I can see with this is getting screwed if you don't have an equal distribution among classes - i.e. all of a sudden one year half the sorority graduates. But I guess that happens sometimes anyway even w/ a regular quota system.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by TSteven

Thus each chapter's quota/result would be as follows.

ABC: 80 returning members. 20 open spots + 20 quota addition = 40 new members. New chapter total = 120
DEF: 70 returning members. 30 open spots + 20 quota addition = 50 new members. New chapter total = 120
GHI: 60 returning members. 40 open spots + 20 quota addition = 60 new members. New chapter total = 120
JKL: 50 returning members. 50 open spots + 20 quota addition = 70 new members. New chapter total = 120
MNO: 40 returning members. 60 open spots + 20 quota addition = 80 new members. New chapter total = 120

I think this sounds good in theory, but two things stand out to me here.

One, I can't imagine how a chapter would operate with twice as many new members as returning members (as would be the case with MNO). Seriously, can you really fathom what a chapter of 40 would do with 80 new members?

Two, if MNO has only 40 returning members, while ABC has twice that, I would be surprised if PNMs would view MNO as ABCs equal. While it would be nice for PNMs to have an open mind, not all of them do. And, it's likely that many would see MNO as inferior, simply because there aren't as many of them as there are ABC. Thus, it would be unlikely that MNO could even get 80 new members from formal recruitment alone.

[carnation]

I still don't understand why some people are wondering why we should be concerned about brokenhearted PNMs! These women are our friends, our daughters, our sisters! And sure, some people wouldn't make good Greeks but they may not know that yet and all they can concentrate on at age 18 or so is the rejection.

If you or someone close to you has been hurt in recruitment, you understand what I mean.

[NUBlue&Blue]

That's interesting, and I think that they've always done it that way. I was a bit "distracted" in college, always had big boyfriend drama going, so I really don't remember a lot of the details, but I do remember that some houses would have pretty small pledge classes (about 10 or so less than the average).

Also, I don't know if it's still the case, but because we had relatively large houses, you HAD to live in the house, but the numbers were also flexible because it also depended on how many Lincoln girls you had in each pledge class. So it also depended on the size of the sorority house, and how many you could house there. I really don't remember anybody who lived out of the house after freshman year, and if you were an upperclassman pledge, you had to move in at the semester if there was room (from graduation in December, usually).

This is all a dim memory, but I've finally figured out why I really never could understand all the talk on here about total....but I figured I just wasn't paying attention. Sounds like a little of both!

[carnation]

Originally Posted by alum

The Nebraska way of setting quota numbers and the new way of NPC way of doing the numbers is going to set an artificial level of supply and demand. Shallow as they may be, some girls simply have their hearts set on certain houses for a variety of reasons. Having a smaller supply of openings at XYZ is just going to result in a higher demand for each spot and doesn't necessarily result in the girls that were denied by XYZ wanting to go to ABC.

Well see, that's one thing I was talking about. The year I rushed, one of the "Top 4" had far fewer vacancies than the rest because they'd hardly lost any over the summer. That sorority made sure that the PNMs knew they only had 25 openings and suddenly, girls would've killed to get in. Worse yet, they had several "must take" in-house legacies. Then after recruitment in addition to the agony of the girls who didn't get any bid, there were dozens of girls torn up because they didn't make that one group.

[shinerbock]

It is somewhat annoying when colleges attempt to make the systems "fair." Large fraternities and large sororities are generally that way because they are better than the others. Despite what people say on here, all groups and all people aren't equally as worthwhile.

[preciousjeni]

I have a question that is not intended, in the least, to be offensive. I've been wondering for a long time. Why would sororities want to "err" in favor of the PNMs and not themselves? These are businesses regardless of any consideration of status. You'll want to take the best you can get to ensure the vitality of the organization in its future.

And in this business world, your concern is yourself, not the other businesses in your same market. Why should stronger businesses be restrained in favor of struggling businesses? Well, I guess that's two questions.

And a third, what is the purpose of leveling the field? I'm asking because competition has always been a significant part of the social Greek system, as well it should be. Otherwise, why have sororities at all? Why not have open membership social clubs?

I suppose all my questions are basically the same!

ETA: At the risk of sounding insensitive, why is there so much concern over unhappy PNMs?

[shinerbock]

Holy crap, I actually agree with you on something^

[carnation]

[ETA: At the risk of sounding insensitive, why is there so much concern over unhappy PNMs?[/QUOTE]

Nobody likes to see people be torn up, especially good people who deserve better. I've spoken before of how horrible it was when I had to sit in the room at Mississippi State where the girls got their returns and so many were cut by groups they wanted or groups that their older friends were in or their fellow PNMs were still being invited back to.

Rejection of any kind is devastating.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

I have a question that is not intended, in the least, to be offensive. I've been wondering for a long time. Why would sororities want to "err" in favor of the PNMs and not themselves? These are businesses regardless of any consideration of status. You'll want to take the best you can get to ensure the vitality of the organization in its future.

And in this business world, your concern is yourself, not the other businesses in your same market. Why should stronger businesses be restrained in favor of struggling businesses? Well, I guess that's two questions.

And a third, what is the purpose of leveling the field? I'm asking because competition has always been a significant part of the social Greek system, as well it should be. Otherwise, why have sororities at all? Why not have open membership social clubs?

I suppose all my questions are basically the same!

ETA: At the risk of sounding insensitive, why is there so much concern over unhappy PNMs?

Erring in favor of the PNMs doesn't lower the quality of women you accept. If you don't want to accept women, you can cut them. Your bid list is made up of ONLY women that you want. Sororities are businesses but we made an agreement w/in the NPC to work together. Some people may see these as restrictions, but I think they're benefits.

In a large Greek system, there will always be the stronger and weaker chapters. Heck even in a small Greek system this is the case. My chapter was seen as "weaker" because we COB'd every year. We made quota through COBs though and some of our strongest leaders came from the "didn't want to rush" crowd. If there isn't a limit of some sort (quota) then 2 chapters could but the weakest 2 out of business. But it's in the NPCs best interest to have an overall strong Greek system. Too few chapters means more women without bids, means more anti-Greek feeling, etc.

It's a great big balancing act that I think generally the NPC succeeds at. Expansion is controlled so that chapters have a chance to settle in, and then if there are a large number of PNMs another chapter can be added.

If the chapters were all local, there wouldn't be the same amount of cooperation (likely). But because one campus' has a struggling XYZ doesn't mean that on another campus XYZ isn't the "top" chapter. So we chose cooperation.

Finally, no NPC sorority thinks that it is right for every woman out there. We're not like Microsoft thinking that EVERYONE should use a PC. Some women feel more at home in Tri Delta, some feel more at home in ASA, some feel more at home in Theta Nu Xi and some feel at home in DST.

We feel that encouraging Greek Life in general helps each of our sororities in particular.