question

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by pinksequins

ASTAlumna -- excellent suggestions.

Thanks

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I think the answers to that will be different depending on the type of school. At a very large recruitment, I think bringing in another chapter to help is necessary just due to numbers. Also, at many large recruitments, the chapter needs to pick up as many new members as possible during formal because COB is stigmatized and unlikely to pick up enough new members.

To me, this is the perfect reason to COB. And you know who these chapters should be targeting? The girls who don't know that COB is stigmatized. In other words, the girls who don't even know yet that they want to be Greek. Smaller chapters have to take advantage of the fact that no other chapters are recruiting and befriend any girl they can that isn't already Greek. COB doesnt have to come in the form of recruitment parties; it can just be asking a classmate to grab coffee. Active "recruitment" (i.e. making friends) should be a full-time job for all of the members of that chapter. That may sound exhausting, but I've known chapters that have turned things around over the course of a year by kicking it into high gear and actively getting to know as many people as possible.

I hope that the RFM requirement that adjusts total to average chapter size will reduce/eliminate the COB stigma since so many chapters will have open spots. But, WRCs at large schools aren't talking about filling 10-20 spots - they might be 50-100 members smaller than the other chapters. I don't think COB is conducive to picking up those kinds of numbers.

It is if you're doing it right.

[33girl]

Better to have a springtime pledge class of 40 carefully chosen (I.e. you've been getting to know them over a semester) girls who can be showered with attention and feel special, rather than have a formal rush class that is too large for the chapter to the handle, to the point where members have to take 2 and 3 littles at once and new members feel lost in the shuffle.

And re COB stigma, if NPC really wants chapters to grow and achieve parity, they need to not make stupid rules that effectively say "all bids are not created equal. "

[DubaiSis]

Originally Posted by 33girl

And re COB stigma, if NPC really wants chapters to grow and achieve parity, they need to not make stupid rules that effectively say "all bids are not created equal. "

Which rules are those?

[33girl]

That whole if you sign a bid, you are only bound until the next formal rush period bs. A bid should bind you for a year, no matter when it is issued.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by 33girl

That whole if you sign a bid, you are only bound until the next formal rush period bs. A bid should bind you for a year, no matter when it is issued.

Formal recruitments are normally about a year apart. The only time a bid would expire before a year is up is a COB one that was issued a good time after FR. And since bids can't be issued in the summer, you aren't talking about that many instances. Say FR is in Aug/Sept. Those bids don't expire till the next Aug/Sept. If a chapter does COB in November or January, those people could drop out and then do FR again in Aug/Sept.

What's wrong with that? Do you want someone to be eligible to accept a bid elsewhere at any time? Like if FR is over today and tomorrow I decide to drop my group, I could accept a bid from another one on Tuesday? Is that what you are advocating? Even the NCAA doesn't allow that with athletic scholarship recipients. You ahve to sit out a year at the new school. At least with NPC, if you transfer, you are good to go with another group.

[maconmagnolia]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Formal recruitments are normally about a year apart. The only time a bid would expire before a year is up is a COB one that was issued a good time after FR. And since bids can't be issued in the summer, you aren't talking about that many instances. Say FR is in Aug/Sept. Those bids don't expire till the next Aug/Sept. If a chapter does COB in November or January, those people could drop out and then do FR again in Aug/Sept.

What's wrong with that? Do you want someone to be eligible to accept a bid elsewhere at any time? Like if FR is over today and tomorrow I decide to drop my group, I could accept a bid from another one on Tuesday? Is that what you are advocating? Even the NCAA doesn't allow that with athletic scholarship recipients. You ahve to sit out a year at the new school. At least with NPC, if you transfer, you are good to go with another group.

I think she is saying that if you sign a bid during COB in the spring, you shouldn't be allowed to participate in formal recruitment that fall, meaning that the COB bid is bound for a year just like a bid received during FR would be? (correct me if I'm wrong)

[33girl]

Originally Posted by maconmagnolia

I think she is saying that if you sign a bid during COB in the spring, you shouldn't be allowed to participate in formal recruitment that fall, meaning that the COB bid is bound for a year just like a bid received during FR would be? (correct me if I'm wrong)

Exactly. You made a promise to a group. You signed a bid. You are bound. It makes ZERO difference that you didn't go through formal rush to get that bid. A promise is a promise, and saying "well, since this wasn't a bid given in formal rush, we can just flush it so you can go through formal rush again. " That ramps up the stigma that is already there.

FWIW, I do NOT think it's a good idea to give women who are complete virgins to the Greek system (first semester freshmen, women who know no one in the group) open bids without their having been through a formal rush. That pledge class of 40 I was talking about upthread shouldn't be strangers, it should be women you know who for whatever reason didn't join during formal.

How are smaller groups supposed to be able to grow if they can't be assured that the bids they give during that "catch-up" time will be respected? I can just hear it - "hey, let's pledge ABC. If it turns out we hate it, it's no big deal. We can quit and go through formal next semester." If anything is "cruel" it's having to fear that with every bid you give.

Chapters that are appreciably smaller than the others (with a few exceptions) simmply CAN NOT make it all up during formal. They must hit the ground running. The best way to do that is with a second pledge class that brings their numbers closer to that of other groups.

And yes to everything luv n tpa said. To me, a once a year pledge class is still just odd. It's like shoving all 3 meals for the day into your mouth at breakfast.