Quote:
Originally Posted by dukedg
Okay, so I didn't know what to title this thread...
I was reading the DePauw thread and thinking about some of the comments there about total, quota, etc. I believe most schools determine a quota each year based on the number of PNMs at some point during recruitment. I know some schools do a "hard total" for lack of a better term and will only allow each chapter to take new members up to that total.
Are there any schools that do a "floating total"? (These are obviously terms I'm making up as I go!) Basically, they would look at the number of PNMs still in recruitment going into pref night and then figure out a total for all the chapters. Then each chapter would have their own quota that allows them to get to the new total established based on the number of PNMs. This seems like a way to keep the bigger chapters from getting bigger and the smaller ones from getting smaller. After formal recruitment, any chapters below the new total could COB to total (or to their quota, which would be the same thing).
I'd love to hear about any schools doing this or that have tried this and how it works.
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At most schools, total doesn't matter during formal recruitment. Quota is set the same for every chapter to allow for even growth across the board to reflect the number of PNMs participating in recruitment. At almost every campus, chapters may take quota even if it puts them over total.
Many large campuses use the release figure method (RFM) to allow for maximum placement; "popular" chapters will have fewer women on their bid list because past data indicates that more women chose their chapter. round than "less popular" chapters. Proper use of the RFM helps prevent the "big from getting bigger".
Total matters after formal recruitment. If a chapter is under total after formal recruitment, they are allowed to bid up to total. This is where smaller chapters "catch up".
Campus total is not forever and ever set in stone. It can be changed to reflect membership trends in the Panhellenic Community. For example, if every chapter is above total from taking quota during formal recruitment, then the campus Panhellenic can raise total (or perhaps look into extension). If there seems to be a decreasing trend in membership, the campus Panhellenic can lower total to level the playing field.
Ideally, total should be about 4x quota for schools that do a fall formal recruitment and about 3x quota for schools that do a spring formal recruitment. This would be a "perfect" situation, where chapters take only freshmen, retain all members, and all members graduate in exactly four years, so actual total should be slightly less than 4x or 3x quota to allow for some variation. Total should be set such that only chapters who didn't make quota or chapters who are still under total after making quota will participate in informal recruitment.
There are some exceptions. Ohio State essentially disregards quota. Campus total is 100 (Buckeyes correct me if I am wrong) and a chapter may not take quota if it puts them over total. I personally think it's silly, because if there happens to be a much larger than usual group of women going through, too bad, your chapter can only take this fixed number of women, and there will be a lot of women unmatched for no good reason. I also dislike the "bed rush" (chapters can bid as many women as there are available beds in their chapter house) used by Indiana and other schools for the same reason.
The way I like to think of different methods of recruitment is equality and equity. Equality is important during formal to reflect the size of the PNM pool. Equity is important during informal to allow smaller chapters a chance to catch up with the larger ones.
I'm not sure if this answered your question, or if I am interpreting what you were trying to say accurately, but campus Panhellenics already use methods to address the problem of "the big getting bigger".
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