After Several Years: What Do You Think of the New Release Figures?

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by carnation

Both paragraphs: very, very true. I would love to see some kind of research that explores the number of women getting bids now vs. the numbers in past years. I would expect the numbers took a dip before someone came up with quota plus but by this time, they should have gone up again.

For sure, this part of the country isn't seeing all the chapters dying that we used to or even the number of very tiny "bottom" tier chapters on their way out. I think that RFM is finally doing its job.

Whenever I read LeslieAnne's recruitment story at UMD in the mid 80s, I think, wow, if RFM were implemented, Maryland might still have Pi Beta Phi (closed 1990), Alpha Gamma Delta (closed 1992), Alpha Xi Delta (closed 1993), and Gamma Phi Beta (closed 2000). Instead, top tier chapters didn't make very many cuts after the first round, so of course, most PNMs cut the "bottom" chapters. I do have to wonder how Maryland had the same 18 chapters from 1962 to 1989, and without any membership-number-related closures since the first sororities came to campus in 1920 until 1990. That is especially impressive they made it through the 60s and 70s, times when Greek Life was not very popular! All that without RFM! Maybe as long as your chapter wasn't in debt and spiraling out of control with smaller and smaller numbers, your HQ didn't care?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

I do have to wonder how Maryland had the same 18 chapters from 1962 to 1989, and without any membership-number-related closures since the first sororities came to campus in 1920 until 1990. That is especially impressive they made it through the 60s and 70s, times when Greek Life was not very popular! All that without RFM! Maybe as long as your chapter wasn't in debt and spiraling out of control with smaller and smaller numbers, your HQ didn't care?

Yeah, pretty much. I don't think they cared if you had 5 members, as long as you were paid up. IMO the Internet has been part of what's changed all that. It's a lot harder now to hide that OMG XYZ's chapter at Goren U only has 16 people and the rest have 50, therefore XYZ must suck. When there was limited contact between universities, it didn't really matter. I mean, when I pledged I assumed that AST must have been one of the biggest sororities in the entire nation because it was one of the biggest chapters at my college.

Not only that, late 80s/early 90s is when insurance started going through the roof. Chapters who cost more to run than they brought in through membership fees were discarded. By this I don't mean that they were doing anything that was RM-bad, but that eliminating chapters probably cut the rate you had to pay on insurance.

[carnation]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Whenever I read LeslieAnne's recruitment story at UMD in the mid 80s, I think, wow, if RFM were implemented, Maryland might still have Pi Beta Phi (closed 1990), Alpha Gamma Delta (closed 1992), Alpha Xi Delta (closed 1993), and Gamma Phi Beta (closed 2000). Instead, top tier chapters didn't make very many cuts after the first round, so of course, most PNMs cut the "bottom" chapters.

I so remember those days. I can think of many chapters that would probably still be at various SEC schools had we had RFM and I don't know if they'll ever return because when the schools have opened up for expansion, those chapters haven't bothered to reapply.