NPC Quota, Release Figures and Quota Additions

[Angels&Arrows]

I think that the Greek Community should pull together and help the smaller chapters. However, (only speaking for southern Greek Systems)... I have noticed that once a chapter has a stigma of being small or the fall back chapter it is hard to pull out of that...

Yes, if the system pulled together and the PNMs would join those chapters, than everyone would be equally strong. However, that does not happen, many PNMs would rather be GDI than join the marked group(s).

Does that mean a school should not bring in a new group that has the potential to succeed? Look at Delta Zeta at UF... There are a few chapters at UF that are under total. Delta Zeta brought out 500 PNMs?... That says something... Why aren't those 500 PNMs trying to fill up the chapters that have room?

I understand that the Greek Community opened their arms to DZ... Maybe chapters feel they have opened their arms to the other chapters and no longer have the interest in helping them? If this goes on at UF.. then I am sure it is an issue on other campuses.

Should PNMs go without a home? Or current chapters become as large as 250-300 members just because you can not bring an additional chapter in until all chapters are at total?

I hope what I am saying makes some kind of sense... I am in a rush to get my daughter to school and then I have class...

Discuss...

[honeychile]

Originally posted by Angels&Arrows
I think that the Greek Community should pull together and help the smaller chapters. However, (only speaking for southern Greek Systems)... I have noticed that once a chapter has a stigma of being small or the fall back chapter it is hard to pull out of that...

IMHO, Angels&Arrows has summed up the entire Greek system in this paragraph. I was also (over-)involved with Panhel, and it's darn near impossible for a small group to go big, unless they recolonize or (and this has happened!) pledge a field hockey team or the sort!

No matter how hard Panhel tries to help the smaller chapters, it can't be done at the expense of your own - and once the pnm gets the idea that ABC is desirable and XYZ isn't, it's awfully hard to change her mind.

The only way I've seen it work is when, after formal rush, a member of ABC (who is at quota/total) has a friend who didn't rush and is panhellencally minded enough to say to her non-Greek friend, "You know, we're not taking anyone else this year - but why don't you check out XYZ or PQR? The important thing is being a Greek, especially with Greek Week around the corner!" This is how TRUE Panhellenic Recruitment is supposed to work, isn't it?

honeychile

[honeychile]

Question: Hypothetically, then, if 200 women go through recruitment, and quota is 20, you can list the top 20 in your A list (alphabetically), then list the other 180 if you'd like?

This caused a bit of a donnybrook at one bid matching I attended.

[FuzzieAlum]

The only way to go over total is by taking quota in formal rush. Usually groups don't get too far over total that way. They aren't eligible to COB then, so they can't get any new members until the next formal rush.

Groups can of course get far under total by any system! I'm sure you know fraternities that are much smaller than the others on campus. Of course a group can go UNDER quota if people don't want to join them! It's not like fraternities always get as many pledges as they want with their system either!

[FuzzieAlum]

Yes, having Panhellenic say to PNMs, "You should consider this other chapter you weren't considering," is like having a teacher say, "You have to be friends with Johnny because no one else is." It probably just means another person is going to beat up on poor Johnny.

[FuzzieAlum]

OK, here's a question for those of you who really know their green books. If chapters close or are added to a campus, how does that affect release numbers for the remaining groups?

[chantillylace55]

i remember after rush this year when everyone was talking about who made quota etc. we were told we made quota and had the biggest pledge class (42 girls). my roommate was telling me that her sorority (kkg) had also made quota and they took in 38 new members, while alpha phi had also "made quota" with 40 new pledges - is this REALLY confusing to anyone else?! is it possible for every chapter to have a differnt quota? i remember hearing that gamma phi was allowed to take in the most new members because we are the biggest sorority on campus - but this just DOES NOT make sense to me?! that would make it seem like they are trying to keep the chapters at certain sizes and potentially inhibiting their ability to grow? if you can offer any kind of explaination i would b ever so grateful!
xoxo
chantillylace

[hannahgirl]

Originally posted by BrownEyedGirl
To my knowledge, if you make quota through traditional bid matching, you may not snap bid above quota. However, if you are not at chapter total this may be a separate issue.

I believe that you are right. Even if the chapter is under total, if they meet quota, they cannot snap bid. That is what COB is for.

[RockChalk]

Originally posted by madmax
I still dont get it. On the KU outcome therad one sorority got qouta plus 10. Quota was 52 and they got 62. I thought you could only excede quota by 5% max. Whats the deal?

The deal is that the sorority that exceeded quota by so much was the second smallest sorority on our campus. Last fall, they had 108 members. Assuming 20 of them graduated in May, that left them with 88 going into formal rush. I believe total is 170 (but please don't take my word for it; all of my friends in sororities have graduated, so I'm kinda out of the loop). So, even with the 62 NMs, this sorority still has ~150 members - well below total.

IMHO, this worked out really well for everybody - 10 women got bids that might not have otherwise and this sorority is the largest it has been in years.

[Glitter650]

I agree the whole quota thing doesn't really help to equalize the sororities on campus.... I mean think about it... at my school which has a small greek system quota this year was 18.. (HUGE FOR MY SCHOOL) My chapter got 7 women, AND since total at my school is 45 the other two sorors that DID reach quota STILL get to COB until they reach 45 girls AND even though if they reach that number they won't be allowed to rush in spring if they are still at 45 next fall they can go OVER house total and still take whatever quota is next fall...(as far as I understand, if I am wrong please explain) so the biggest chapters on campus can STILL grow... I don't see how it helps AT ALL !!!

[RACooper]

I have to disagree.... if you have 11 houses with membership totals that high you could easily support another house....

For perspective, your pledge class is roughly the size of the all the girls that got bid on my campus.

[RACooper]

Originally posted by Lindz928
That's not exactly true.... This is one of the ways that our system is screwed up. If we add another chapter, it diesn't mean that every house will become smaller in numbers. It means that the biggest houses, the ones that are considered "the best" will keep pulling in the bigger numbers, and the smaller chapters will suffer even more. The big chapters at my school are more concerned with themselves than they are will the greek system as a whole sometimes.

There may have only been 40 or 50 girls who got bids on your campus, but I would be willing to bet that you have a smaller greek system and a smaller school. I go to a school that has 45,000 students, and we are trying to make the greek system bigger, which is why rrecruitment numbers are so important. My only issue is that I think we should make sure that all of the chapters we have now are strong enough and on the same level as the other chapters before we worry about inviting another chapter to colonize.

It is just very frustrating when you think that the greek system that is supposed to be supporting the chapters is more worried about expanding and getting bigger than they are about the chapters they have now.

Well for one our school is a lot larger than yours.... grads/under-grads = 73,000 ish. If you have 11 chapters and each pulls in roughly 40-50 girls (if thats quota), then with 12 chapters quota would be around 35-45... I don't see that as a significant impact. Finally, if your chapter is strong in sisterhood and has those numbers, who cares what the other houses do? Just don't get caught in the numbers game.... quality before quantity.... if you think of a PNM in terms of how many girls that would give you before what you think the PNM will give to the chapter you got the wrong focus.

[XOMichelle]

Although I believe that quota and cealing should be enforced (no hand matching bids to sororities when there are groups under total!), I think the best thing for greek offices to do is help the chapters that are not getting as many girls. Maybe give them a heads-up on fund raising opportunities, maybe ask them what their office could do to helpo the chapter, or help inspire greek unity. Personally, I thing a lot of times it's a group's reputation that can get them in trouble with the PNM's, and fostering a unified greek spirit, instead of letting the chapters compete against eachother would help everyone involved.
-M

[newsun]

Originally posted by madmax


The whole thing doesn't make sense. If you can go over or under quota then what's the point? Just have total and take as many or as few pledges as you want up to total. The other thing that doesn't make sense is allowing sororities to go over total. Doesn't that defeate the purpose? You end up with some groups over total, some at total, some just under and some way under. Isn't that what you are trying to prevent?

I totally agree that just having a total size (max size) would make a lot more sense. Straight forward, easy to understand, and even easier to follow.

[newsun]

Originally posted by PnguinTrax


But the problem is that it leaves too many Potential Members unmatched. If you enforce a chapter size across the board, it could be that only 150 PNMs could find homes during recruitment, leaving another 1000 girls unmatched. Not fair to the girls or the system.

In this example, forcing a chapter size across the board is exactly why it would be fair to the unmatched women and the system. If a chapter size is enforced, it becomes very clear when there is real need to add another sorority on the campus!

Thus, the bigger chapters would NOT get bigger because they could only go to a max size. There would be simple rules, less dirty rushing, and all groups would TRULY be on the same playing field! Plus, when there is a lot of women unmatched, then it is clear that another sorority needs to be added.