Retro Recruitment.....with a different ending

[OtterXO]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

Continuing the guaranteed placement discussion:

I think mutual selection is probably best: however, it had occurred to me, particularly when I was reading about say Sig Ep's new(ish) membership program, if maybe groups shouldn't approach the process believing that the strengths of their organization could turn anyone into a good member?

I wouldn't want the whole new member class to be randomly matched or anything like that, but really if you got 5 to 10% new members that picked you instead of your picking them (which let's face it: we can describe traditional matching as mutual selection, but the groups hold most of the cards. The PNM may not even get to cut a group if she's not invited back to the max. parties. Sure she can decline her bid in the end, but is that really mutual selection in anything other than a technical sense?)

If you got to choose 90% of your nm class, and got a few strays, couldn't your org. handle it?

(I'll confess that I'm thinking more girls who might be cut for superficial reasons rather than girls who are released because they were morals or risk management problems.)

I actually disagree with both of those ideas. First, a PNM can always cut a chapter. There is no rule that you have to rank all the chapters you visit or that you have to visit all the houses you're invited to. If a PNM is upset with receiving a bid from a chapter, she should not have ranked the chapter on her bid card.

Second, I've seen chapters at my alma mater take "strays" for the purpose of meeting quota or being at total. I don't think it's good for a chapter to be forced to take members they don't want...whether it's by the policies at the school or advisors/national HQ. I don't think it's good for the chapter OR the new member who will probably subconsciously know she wasn't at the top of the bid list. On the flip side I don't think a PNM should be forced to accept a bid to a chapter she doesn't want either.....I think mutual selection is the only way both the chapters and PNMs are happy (hopefully!).