Indiana University Recruitment - Page 7

Drolefille · #1 10-01-2010, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladybug12

I believe that is incorrect. Tradition on IU campus has been to pledge bed total, but chapters can pledge over that number...has been going on for at least 4 years that I am aware.

There is no set "quota" number as on other campuses...so I am not sure how release figures are handled.

I think you have to have some sort of target number for formal recruitment...

DeltaBetaBaby · #2 10-01-2010, 09:03 PM

I think part of the live-in deal is that the Greek area isn't really near much else. I don't know what housing is like for upperclassmen at IU, but perhaps it is difficult to live outside of the house and feel connected?

I dunno, I remember a visit to IU had my pledge sisters saying they really wished our house was as nice as the one there, and I reminded them how we'd all be horrified to live in a chapter house our senior year.

DubaiSis · #3 10-02-2010, 06:26 AM

This is one of those philosophical arguments where I could pick either side and fight for it. I lived in 3 years and wouldn't have it any other way, but I know a lot of women drop out if their choice is live in or deactivate.

But the part that I would find a little frustrating is the inability to take all the members you'd like, within some sort of competitive framework of course. But if Ladybug is right, then that's cool. It just might not be TRADITION to exceed bed total. But I could see getting around that (a senior annex of some sort in a different part of campus or town?) to accommodate more PNMs without having to build 19 airport hangers on campus. At least when I visited IU, the houses did seem very remote, but that was a long time ago. Maybe it doesn't seem like it's out in a corn field any more.

GEEK ALERT Sorry, one more question. If a campus doesn't function under quota (Nebraska being another one) do they use RFM? Both of these colleges have successful Greek systems, so whatever they do seems to work; I just don't understand the process.

AGDee · #4 10-02-2010, 07:56 AM

This is my understanding of how our chapter at IU does it. The chapter sets a quota prior the beginning of recruitment and turns that number in to Panhellenic. It is generally set by how many open beds there will be in the house. We do not require seniors to live in. Sophs and Juniors live in (because recruitment is deferred, all freshman are initiated toward the end of the Freshman year). In the years IU has reported to me, our quota has been somewhere between 50 and 55.

I don't have a clear understanding of how RFM or bid matching are done within their system. I'm guessing one of the existed programs is doctored to accomodate the varying quotas and chapter totals.

DubaiSis · #5 10-02-2010, 09:51 AM

I guess if you predetermine your quota, it would work the same. If 1000 girls are going through, you need to get to 500 for day 2, 250 for day 3 and 150 for pref so that you can have 55 on bid day. Yes, these numbers are random. I don't have any idea what the actual numbers would be.

And I'm glad to have a clearer explanation of housing at IU. A bed quota makes sense if you're talking space for sophomores and juniors. A quota of 50 or so makes sense to me for a school the size of IU. Then also if you have some sort of member crisis and lose several in one year, you can "invite" some seniors to live in so that the house continues to be full. Otherwise, one bad recruitment could be deadly.

Low C Sharp · #6 10-02-2010, 10:19 PM

Quote:

the Greek area isn't really near much else.

That's true of the houses on North Jordan, but the ones on Third Street are very well located.
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IUGreekGirl · #7 10-04-2010, 05:04 PM

A couple things--

Recruitment stye: 1st round is the first weekend in December and the rest of recruitment takes place the 2nd week of January before spring semester begins. A lot of this has to do with the fact that grades are a huge factor in many chapter's decisions on who should be on their bid list. New members will be initiated around early March usually depending on their national's regulations. The new pledge class does not move into the chapter house until the next school year.

Housing: Each house has its own rules for who lives in and who doesn't. In my chapter- Freshman still live in their dorms, sophomores and juniors live in and seniors write a letter to housing corp. to request to live out. Senior year is spent living in an off-campus house, usually with other sisters but occasionally with non-Greek friends. Some girls will live-in senior year out of convenience though. But there are chapters that make all seniors live in (Tri-Delta being one).

Bed Quota: The chapter takes the number of juniors who plan to live out next year and that determines the size of the pledge class. We do not give out bids to more girls than we have beds for. However there are girls that receive bids who decide that Greek isn't for them and they drop out. They cannot accept a bid to any other house. If a girl drops, the chapter will issue a bid to the next girl on their bidlist who did not receive a bid from another house. Another route is for a recruitment director to invite girls that did not get a bid over for events and they choose which girls they issue bids to. This way, all 19 chapters will end up making quota.

Location of Greek Houses: They aren't that far removed from campus and they're mostly concentrated on one street on the north side. There is a bus that runs about every 5 minutes. It's actually nice to live on North Jordan- there's a lot of camaraderie between Greek members since we all live so close together.

It is painfully obvious that IU needs (at least) two more sororities. However there isn't any land to build a new chapter house. The other problem is that the social atmosphere of all living together is a big part of the Greek experience at IU. A lot of women wouldn't be interested in rushing if they didn't get the housing option.

Any more thoughts?

ASUADPi · #8 10-04-2010, 05:34 PM

Couple of questions?

1. How do the houses vary in chapter size?
2. Has IU thought of having a set total and quota and not doing a bed quota? Or would that really make the chapters with smaller houses struggle compared to the chapters with larger houses?

Titchou · #9 10-04-2010, 09:48 PM

The people there that I had contact with maintained that there is inadequate supply of other housing on or near campus and that this is the reason why it has become the situation it has.

Barbie's_Rush · #10 10-05-2010, 11:40 PM

The whole idea of bed rush and the strong desire to live in the house for three years is fascinating to me. hat happens if a girl is local and plans on living at home for all of her college years? Is there a live-in requirement for all members even if they are local? Would such a pnm be at a disadvantage during recruitment?

AOEforme · #11 10-06-2010, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

The whole idea of bed rush and the strong desire to live in the house for three years is fascinating to me. hat happens if a girl is local and plans on living at home for all of her college years? Is there a live-in requirement for all members even if they are local? Would such a pnm be at a disadvantage during recruitment?

From what I understood from my friends at IU, yes, the live-in requirement is absolute. I know a few senior girls are allowed to live off-campus, but (from what I understood) most do not.

IUGreekGirl · #12 10-07-2010, 11:41 AM

The live-in requirement is different for every chapter. In my chapter, all the seniors live out, and we have one junior who lives out because of special circumstances.
I can't stress enough through that each house has its own living requirements and that it isn't a focus for potential new members.

IUGreekGirl · #13 10-07-2010, 11:51 AM

As a University whose 19 sororities all have chapter houses, everyone wants to live-in. You get to live with your sisters for all of college essentially. Therefore, the girls that are from Bloomington and live at home are not going to go through recruitment if they have to live at home. There are several girls in my chapter who are from the town and all of them live in the house.

That's just the way it goes here. With about half of girls actually getting a bid, every spot in a house is competitive so it would be a huge disadvantage for a pnm who wanted to live at home.

DubaiSis · #14 10-06-2010, 08:30 AM

At my school, if the house wasn't full (it wasn't ever full) you were required to live in. The fact that your parents were 1 mile away (I don't recall this ever happening) wouldn't have played into that fact at all. There's a mortgage to pay, sister!

hoosiergirl · #15 10-11-2010, 11:54 PM

hi there!

I was just curious if you had any tips for going through recruitment as a sohpmomore.

My freshmen year some things were going on, and I wasnt able to make it to 19 party. I just registered and am super excited but at the same time super nervous that the girls are going to be a bit skeptical becuase I am not a freshman.

I understand that recruitment is very competetive, but I really feel like greek life is for me

please let me know if you have any tips!

thanks <3