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

[honeychile]

^^(quoting 33girl's post) I have to admit, I don't like the new 6-8 week new member period. I've talked to new members and new initiates and am amazed at the "trivia" that they don't know yet. I don't care if Phi Mu is on your campus or not - if you're an ADPi, you should know a bit of the Phi Mu history! And don't get me started about campus history!

In the all and all, I do like the release figures, with a condition: I do think they should be explained better to the PNMs, the Legacies, and the Alumnae. It's a bit like AI - not enough people know enough about it for it to be very effective. Once it's properly explained ("All sororities must cut deeply at X point, and further before each other party. They will try to give Legacies the courtesy of a second chance, but depending on how many PNMs there are, that can't always happen." etc), I think more people will be accepting and act accordingly.

Maybe this is something that Alumnae Panhellenics can do. Yes, send in the recs, send in the Legacy Profiles - but please be aware that Release Figures will change the dynamics of the Legacy system. I'd like to hear that repeated ad nauseum, rather than console one more deservedly heartbroken mom!

PS: I've heard this generation as always expecting microwave solutions to crockpot problems!

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by honeychile

^^(quoting 33girl's post) I have to admit, I don't like the new 6-8 week new member period. I've talked to new members and new initiates and am amazed at the "trivia" that they don't know yet. I don't care if Phi Mu is on your campus or not - if you're an ADPi, you should know a bit of the Phi Mu history! And don't get me started about campus history!

Not to deviate from Carni's question, but I hate the reduced new member period as well. If your school participates in fall recruitment, you are initiating girls who may never make grades. You are banking scholarship entirely on what they did in high school, and Lordy, I've seen it backfire.

[gatordeltapgh]

I agree that additional education needs to be done to help PNM's, current active and alumnae members better understand RFM. What we do know from the data is that overall RFM is working. They system is not perfect but more PNM's are being matched and more chapters are making quota and are close to or at total than under the previous system. RFM will not save a struggling chapter or community, nor will it change the perceptions of PNM's of which group they want to join but it does even the playing field.

In the next breath I will say that I also think that it is helpful for Chapter Advisors, Regional Volunteers, Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, and the like to give feedback to their NPC Delegates. This information can be passed on to help with internal communication or to help the RFM Leadership Team continue to improve RFM.

The RFM Leadership Team is continually looking a ways to improve how the system works and while not all concerns can be addressed right away, communication and patience is important.

Feedback to your NPC Delegate and others in your organization that work with Panhellenic issues can help address communication and education internally. It may feel like the broken record approach but we just have to keep at it as each new class arrives on campus.

[UGAalum94]

I think that generally the release figures seem to be doing really good things at the chapters that I know about.

I think the one thing that needs to be emphasized more is that the releases are working at the top chapters too. It may mean that they have to release girls they would have been happy to have as members earlier, but if the group is still making quota or quota plus from the pool that they identified early in recruitment the releases are working for them too.

My knowledge is really limited, I admit it, but I think that alumnae and PNMs think that if the girls were invited back more places their chances of pledging those groups would go up, but in reality they really wouldn't have. Highly selective chapters with really high returns rates know who they want early in the process, for the most part. They could string you along and make you REALLY want them, but it's hard to see how that'd be good if they have no intention of offering a bid.

No doubt it does hurt to get cut hard after first or second round but it's not really better than getting cut hard before prefs.

Similarly, more girls may drop out as new members because they were encouraged to maximize options and then weren't really happy with their final results.Considering, however, that these girls didn't get different final results, what harm has it really done them? Is the group harmed by the PNMs having giving them every opportunity to win her over? I wouldn't think so. Sure, they may have gotten a NM who was more enthusiastic about actual membership, but if that's the case, it seems more like the group's error than anything the system can be blamed for.

I'd really love to see data about how the shorter new member periods are affecting retention. I have the impression that what I've seen is positive, but I can't remember where I read it.