Quota Additions at Super Competitive Schools

[AXOrushadvisor]

I work with a really strong recruiting Chapter. For us quota additions are usually not a blessing. 9 times out of 10 QA's come from way down under and are used to maximize the placement of women into Chapters.

As for the struggling Chapters, I also agree that RFM typically gives them a lot of NM's who don't want to be there. I don't know how you fix that unless you let the PNM's not go to pref - which I think would be a better option for struggling chapters then to have them go to pref and not put them on their bid card. I would think you would want to have PNM's at your pref party who wanted to be there.

Finally, my advise to PNM's is always if you don't see yourself in that Chapter don't put them on your bid card no matter what Panhellenic says. Although, Panhellenic on many campuses instructs their counselors to tell the PNM's they HAVE to list them. I find this dishonesty to be the root of a lot of the problems with retention.

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by AXOrushadvisor

I work with a really strong recruiting Chapter. For us quota additions are usually not a blessing. 9 times out of 10 QA's come from way down under and are used to maximize the placement of women into Chapters.

I do too. Why are you inviting women to your pref parties who you don't want, then? The blessing of being a strong recruiting chapter is that you don't have to invite that many women to pref round.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

I do too. Why are you inviting women to your pref parties who you don't want, then? The blessing of being a strong recruiting chapter is that you don't have to invite that many women to pref round.

It may be the idea that they are QAs. I've worked with chapters that feel like it makes them less exclusive. A QA is someone who didn't make the cut, so why would they want them.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

I do too. Why are you inviting women to your pref parties who you don't want, then? The blessing of being a strong recruiting chapter is that you don't have to invite that many women to pref round.

This. The rule of pref is you don't invite people you don't want on your bidlist to pref.

And, if your recruitment chair and advisors are doing their job, no one else should know WHERE on a bidlist specific people are, or who was a QA. Snap bids are the only type of bids given in formal recruitment where the NM might stand out simply because she arrived later or wasn't at bid day festivities. (And then only in cases where snap bids aren't all handled earlier, although sometimes people are harder to get a hold of for snap bids.)

But QAs should show up with the rest of the class and no one should know whether Suzy or Annie or Becca was on the first bidlist or was the last QA.

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

And, if your recruitment chair and advisors are doing their job, no one else should know WHERE on a bidlist specific people are, or who was a QA.

Right. As soon as we get our list of new members, the bid list goes to me (recruitment advisor) and I keep it for posterity -- but no one else gets a copy, and the recruitment chairs know not to reveal where anyone was on the bid list. It would be horrible if the chapter knew who the QAs were!

[AXOrushadvisor]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

This. The rule of pref is you don't invite people you don't want on your bidlist to pref.

And, if your recruitment chair and advisors are doing their job, no one else should know WHERE on a bidlist specific people are, or who was a QA. Snap bids are the only type of bids given in formal recruitment where the NM might stand out simply because she arrived later or wasn't at bid day festivities. (And then only in cases where snap bids aren't all handled earlier, although sometimes people are harder to get a hold of for snap bids.)

But QAs should show up with the rest of the class and no one should know whether Suzy or Annie or Becca was on the first bidlist or was the last QA.

Our women have no idea who falls where just that there might be 1 or 2 women who they are not overly fond of. I know that if QA was not done they would not be in the Chapter, but they only have an idea that they were the QA's. The QA's come on the bid list with no special recognition just listed with all the other women.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by AXOrushadvisor

Our women have no idea who falls where just that there might be 1 or 2 women who they are not overly fond of. I know that if QA was not done they would not be in the Chapter, but they only have an idea that they were the QA's. The QA's come on the bid list with no special recognition just listed with all the other women.

Right but that's different than looking down on QAs for being QAs which is what you said. "They're not a blessing"

Hell yes they are. They're on your bid list so you wanted them AND you got them.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by AXOrushadvisor

Our women have no idea who falls where just that there might be 1 or 2 women who they are not overly fond of. I know that if QA was not done they would not be in the Chapter, but they only have an idea that they were the QA's. The QA's come on the bid list with no special recognition just listed with all the other women.

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around a high recruiting strength chapter not loving everyone on their bid list, and most likely plenty more that they had to cut due to RFM. Unless there's drama on an individual level. Even then, usually the problems high recruiting strength chapters have is separating good from great, especially after just one round, so I'd think that even if there was drama between a member and a PNM, she'd be axed ASAP. You can to search for reasons to cut women. High recruiting strength chapters have to make the biggest cuts, and are drawing from the top of the pile.

[Barbie's_Rush]

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

Why are you inviting women to your pref parties who you don't want, then?

This. Even "top tier" chapters who pride themselves on their exclusivity must be prepared to welcome every single PNM they invite to Pref as their new sister. This really needs to be emphasized to all members, no matter where their chapter happens to be in the pecking order on their campus.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

This. Even "top tier" chapters who pride themselves on their exclusivity must be prepared to welcome every single PNM they invite to Pref as their new sister. This really needs to be emphasized to all members, no matter where their chapter happens to be in the pecking order on their campus.

I've seen this come in more often when "Flex" lists are used. I think it's stupid to be this picky, but I've seen it happen.

[AXOrushadvisor]

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

I do too. Why are you inviting women to your pref parties who you don't want, then? The blessing of being a strong recruiting chapter is that you don't have to invite that many women to pref round.

Because with RFM you have to invite a certain number whether you love them or not no choice. Most of the women they do want, but there are always 1 or 2 that do the slide on in.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by AXOrushadvisor

Because with RFM you have to invite a certain number whether you love them or not no choice. Most of the women they do want, but there are always 1 or 2 that do the slide on in.

No you don't. You're recommended not to cut past a certain number, or at all, but you can always cut more than that.

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

No you don't. You're recommended not to cut past a certain number, or at all, but you can always cut more than that.

Agreed. You don't HAVE to comply exactly with the Panhellenic-supplied carry figure. If I had to choose between inviting a woman to pref who we wouldn't be thrilled to offer a bid and following the carry figures to a T, I'd choose dropping an extra woman.

[AXOrushadvisor]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

No you don't. You're recommended not to cut past a certain number, or at all, but you can always cut more than that.

At our school there is no deviation. If Panhel tells you to invite back 250 you invite back 250 not one over and not one under. Prior to RFM there used to be a little play in the numbers, but not any more. They will not even take your list, in fact, the computer will not accept it if the correct amount of invites are not on it.

[angels&angles]

As a "less strong recruiting chapter," (LSRC) I've seen members get upset over QAs, thinking it meant that they had to go all the way to the bottom of the bid list. As a LSRC, actives often have to make choices about "lesser of two evil" PNMs. If you've never made quota, and suddenly you make quota plus, but you see some of your lesser-loved PNMs at bid night (and not some of the ones you've loved), and no one ever explained QAs to you (your rush crush who swore up and down that she wanted to join your chapter, may have been in the MIDDLE of your bid list), it seems like the system is working against you. BECAUSE you can't make many cuts, QAs seem like a punishment.

I will add that many of these NMs have become valued actives, but several were nothing but trouble as long as they were around. Like any NM class, I guess.