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

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

There's your answer DeltaBetaBaby.
Members of successful chapters often have no idea how discouraging, demoralizing and depressing it can be when you work really hard to pledge even close to quota. You finally do it, and then the NMs insult you by refusing to even show up. AND you're back to desperate COBing. Not to mention the entire campus decides you're the one they like to kick.

Um, I don't think you know who you are talking to on this one. My point is that getting a list with only half of quota on it is not somehow worse than getting a list with quota and having only half the women show up. Both are horrible, but I think that there are, in most cases, at least a *few* women who show up because they are bound for a year.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Um, I don't think you know who you are talking to on this one. My point is that getting a list with only half of quota on it is not somehow worse than getting a list with quota and having only half the women show up. Both are horrible, but I think that there are, in most cases, at least a *few* women who show up because they are bound for a year.

Yeah, but then you are on pins and needles hoping they won't drop (because you often know EXACTLY who they are because they returned the shirt you lent them with tears from mascara stains all over it). I'd rather get half of quota and then move on - to, for example, the women who would be great members but just didn't want to go through formal rush - than spend all year babysitting.

Plus, getting half of quota you can explain away ("our nationals really cracking down on grades and we had to cut more heavily," "we are restructuring," "quality not quantity" etc etc) and kind of BS to maybe make it seem like your idea. If you get quota of 50 on paper but only 25 of them show up, there's no way to get around it. Half the women you asked to join your sorority want nothing to do with you - even at the price of spending a year of their college career not participating in Greek life.

As far as the smaller chapters having too many to handle in parties - couldn't you accomodate that (without adding pointless rounds for the "everyone we invite will want us" chapters) by just adding a few more rounds and giving some chapters more breaks? Of course, there's the danger of PNMs figuring out that the more popular chapters are the ones with less parties (i.e. self fulfilling prophecies).

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by 33girl

If you get quota of 50 on paper but only 25 of them show up, there's no way to get around it. Half the women you asked to join your sorority want nothing to do with you - even at the price of spending a year of their college career not participating in Greek life.

That's exactly what I meant.

Originally Posted by 33girl

As far as the smaller chapters having too many to handle in parties - couldn't you accomodate that (without adding pointless rounds for the "everyone we invite will want us" chapters) by just adding a few more rounds and giving some chapters more breaks? Of course, there's the danger of PNMs figuring out that the more popular chapters are the ones with less parties (i.e. self fulfilling prophecies).

right - add more parties...that way the smaller chapters won't have to double/triple rush, and the bigger chaptes can change out rushers. If certain sororities have more parties, everybody immediately knows why.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Yeah, but then you are on pins and needles hoping they won't drop (because you often know EXACTLY who they are because they returned the shirt you lent them with tears from mascara stains all over it). I'd rather get half of quota and then move on - to, for example, the women who would be great members but just didn't want to go through formal rush - than spend all year babysitting.

Plus, getting half of quota you can explain away ("our nationals really cracking down on grades and we had to cut more heavily," "we are restructuring," "quality not quantity" etc etc) and kind of BS to maybe make it seem like your idea. If you get quota of 50 on paper but only 25 of them show up, there's no way to get around it. Half the women you asked to join your sorority want nothing to do with you - even at the price of spending a year of their college career not participating in Greek life.

As far as the smaller chapters having too many to handle in parties - couldn't you accomodate that (without adding pointless rounds for the "everyone we invite will want us" chapters) by just adding a few more rounds and giving some chapters more breaks? Of course, there's the danger of PNMs figuring out that the more popular chapters are the ones with less parties (i.e. self fulfilling prophecies).

My point is that BOTH are heartbreaking. It has been my experience that at least a few girls who are unsure will give it a shot and end up being great members. I agree, you should not beg women to stay if they don't want to be there, but there will be at least a few who expected XYZdreamchapter, don't get it, and suck it up and move on.

It depends, obviously, on how big your chapters are, how large quota is, how your campus does the reveal, etc., but we've had plenty of stories on here about women who came to love their second choice.

Again, I'm not saying that women should be pressured into putting down a chapter they DO NOT WANT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, but I think that there are a good many women filling out bid cards who are just so SURE that they are going to get a bid from XYZ that they haven't really thought through what would happen if they didn't.

I can think of several threads about women who got their second/third choice, cried and went home immediately, and then came here looking for advice because they realize now they should have stuck it out.