Automatic Total readjustment

[33girl]

In that case, it sounds like it definitely should be done. The smallest chapter needs the wiggle room to recruit more members and possibly take a second pledge class.

[AGDee]

I'm concerned it will increase dirty rushing. A chapter tells a woman to drop from formal recruitment because they know they'll have more spots in a few days and can offer a bid through COR.

[Titchou]

You are all missing the point that average chapter size is not the only acceptable formula. Alabama is adjusting to average chapter size minus 5%. There are various methods and if one favors all the most, then that's the one that should be used. And if the College PH doesn't see it that way, the NPC Area Adviser should be contacted along with the NPC delegates for each chapter on that campus.

[Griffins&Quills]

So, I was thinking about this and I'm confused about one thing...

So, a campus finishes up with formal recruitment and is excited about their new pledge class. Total is readjusted. ABC is now under total and has to COB...

Does ABC COB during the fall semester, to get to total? In which case are they taking a two-tier pledge class? In the sense that 50 new members pledged on bid day (in August), they're PC14, then 12 more new members were pledged via COB on October 30th, now they're a part of PC14, or they're PC14.5?

Logistically, how does it work? If you're forced to COB in the same semester that FR happens, are they tiered pledge classes (as described above PC14 and PC14.5)? How does initiation work? Does everyone get initiated at the same time because it would be a logistical nightmare for a chapter to plan two different initiations in the same semester (especially for larger chapters, thinking of my own as a frame of reference, total somewhere between 150-200)? If they all get initiated at the same time how can it be justified to the girls who pledged during formal recruitment that the COB pledge class has a new member period 1/2 of theirs, and that the same expectations are not placed on those girls? Does than cause resentment and add to COB stigma?

Or, does ABC have to COB during the off semester? Where everything is normal, you just have a new pledge class during the non-formal recruitment semester. In which case, what was the purpose of NPC changing the rule that total MUST be adjusted 72 hours after bid day? Shouldn't it be instead at the end of the semester (December, after finals and winter graduation, for example)?

[gatordeltapgh]

Originally Posted by Griffins&Quills

So, I was thinking about this and I'm confused about one thing...

Does ABC COB during the fall semester, to get to total? In which case are they taking a two-tier pledge class?

....I which case, what was the purpose of NPC changing the rule that total MUST be adjusted 72 hours after bid day? Shouldn't it be instead at the end of the semester (December, after finals and winter graduation, for example)?

The auto reset was designed so chapters and NPC member groups can make it work however it works best for them. We know that in general (of course not always) on many campuses the best chance of successful COB is right away following FR. The excitement of bid day, new members talking with other non greek friends, etc. As the semester goes on it can be more difficult for some chapters on some campuses to gain parity. Again, not alway and not on every campus.

In the old resolution, the Panhellenic was to reset as soon as possible BUT since the CPH checked in w their Area Advisor and the chapters checked in with their folks (HQ, Volunteers, however they do it in XYZ), the actual vote may not have happened until 2+++++ weeks after bid day. By then you just lose momentum.

With the auto reset, if a chapter wants to wait until next semester, fine. If they want to add in new members and initiate all together or even twice in the fall because it works with their new member process, great! Whatever works for the chapter and the HQ.

Don't forget some chapters may not participate in COB/may not be required to pledge to total. That's up to each chapter and HQ to determine.

[Titchou]

And don't forget, it doesn't have to be average chapter size. There are options so that each campus can do what suits them best. And it's up tp the individual chapter and their national organization whether they COB then or later.

[AGDee]

They can do it whenever works out for them. If they only need to pick up a few women, they can do that in a week or two and catch them up to the existing class easily. If they need a large number of women, they can wait until January and then pick up enough women to cover December graduations also. I think my earlier post probably made it sound like I'm not for it- I actually am. I just tend to think about all the pros and cons and that was a con that hadn't been mentioned yet. I have several chapters that regularly do three new member classes a year, staggered with some overlap.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Yeah, picking up a handful of members is often a matter of telling your NM's to invite their roommates and stuff over to lunch.

[SoCalGirl]

Ideal situation is that any COB happens ASAP and the newer NMs are only 7-10 days behind the others. The newer NMs can have a makeup meeting if they missed any required NM meetings. There may be a need for a second pledge pinning but everyone initiates at the same time.

[QueenD]

The chapter I advise has done it a couple of ways. When I first started with them, they were COB-ing ALL.THE.TIME. and running 2 new member classes and 2 initiations per semester for most semesters. This was because they thought this was the best way to meet national expectations, but it got in the way of other sorority objectives. We now are taking a different approach, which works something like this:

We will start COB as soon as total is reset after formal recruitment. (We are experiencing a delay on this due to the holiday weekend and a couple other things, but will have our new total soon and are holding recruitment events in preparation of the ability to issue bids)

We have specific date after which the opportunity to add to to the current new member class will close. It's fairly short - about 2 weeks. Once this window closes, the chapter will still do some recruitment activities but will downshift for a while. Our efforts will kick up again later in the fall semester and then the chapter will do a big push very early in the semester to get more women. Then we will run a spring new member class.

This approach worked fairly well last year and we hope it will this year as well.

[AGDee]

I think one of the common mistakes chapters make is to try to repeats of formal recruitment for COR. Having a sisterhood? Have sisters invite their friends to it. Game night? Invite a few friends. Philanthropy event? Invite a few friends. Like DBB, invite women over for meals. When chapters try to do big formal recruitment events over and over, month after month, they totally burn out.

[Griffins&Quills]

Like I said, I had just thought about it and was confused as to how it would all work. I was primarily thinking of a semi-substantial amount of COBs (greater than 10 or so) I suppose and/or a substantial gap between the new members received during FR and then if COB had to happen in the same semester.

As someone mentioned in a different thread, one campus adjusted total following bid day and supposedly 5 of the 7 chapters on that campus need to COB to reach total, and a new group is in the process of colonizing. I don't see how that's the right decision in that instance...?

[Griffins&Quills]

Also, I feel like regularly having 3 new member classes or running 2 new members classes at the same time would be exhausting!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I think one of the common mistakes chapters make is to try to repeats of formal recruitment for COR. Having a sisterhood? Have sisters invite their friends to it. Game night? Invite a few friends. Philanthropy event? Invite a few friends. Like DBB, invite women over for meals. When chapters try to do big formal recruitment events over and over, month after month, they totally burn out.

Yes, for the love of all that's holy. Some women are attracted to COB BECAUSE it's not theme parties and such. Don't disappoint them by having them walk into name tag and balloon land. The more relaxed the sisterhood is, the more receptive to the idea of membership PNMs will be.

G & Q - it's all in what you're used to and like I said in the other thread, some of the pledge programs are set up with movable modules to give wiggle room.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Yes, for the love of all that's holy. Some women are attracted to COB BECAUSE it's not theme parties and such. Don't disappoint them by having them walk into name tag and balloon land. The more relaxed the sisterhood is, the more receptive to the idea of membership PNMs will be.

I had a dinner with my alumnae chapter a couple weeks ago. We started talking about the different types of recruitment systems we each went through at our respective schools, and we discussed why we decided to go Greek. At one point I said, "If I went to one of these huge schools with intense/competitive recruitments, I probably never would have joined any sorority," and a few others piped up (our national president included) and agreed, saying they never would have either.

Even at schools with huge recruitment systems, there are girls on campus who don't even know they want to be in a sorority. Or perhaps they do, but they don't thrive in the type of environment that formal recruitment creates, so they shy away from Greek life altogether. Those are the women that COB was built for. There are great potential members walking all over campuses across the country, but they never attempt to join because the chants, hair-flipping, and skits freak them out. And hey, let's be honest: sometimes those things even freak out the girls going through formal who have been prepping for it their whole lives.