Is rushing necessary to earn a bid?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by tomjennings

I found this information online that might answer my question:

"The NIC recommends, and all NIC member fraternities support open recruitment. This is a process through which admitted students of an undergraduate institution may join an organization when there is mutual agreement that the time is right. This is also known as values-based recruitment as men make decisions about their membership based on the level of congruence with their own personal values and the values of their fraternity. In these cases there is little need of a "bid", rather a mutual decision is reached between the man and the organization that he would like to join the fraternity and the new member education period begins. The NIC supports this method in all cases . . . the NIC supports the right of chapters to extend invitations to membership AT ANY TIME [emphasis not added]."

(http://www.fraternityinfo.com/faqs/#faq653)


So there are 15 IFC chapters at my school. Greek life is kind of going through a rough patch right now with the administration seemingly trying to stifle greek life because it does not like our party school image. Surely at least one of these would like me enough or have enough space to at least consider my interest in joining this semester, right? And formal recruitment ended only two weeks ago, so it's not like I would miss out on pledging that much.

What you quoted above says the NIC "recommends" this and "supports" that. Nowhere does it say anything about REQUIRING chapters to extend bids all year long. As to whether any chapters would find you to be a valuable member, we can't say. And nothing that the NIC says will determine that either. Just meet fraternity members!

Also, can the school set limits to when and how recruiting, bidding, and pledging occurs. Greek life is kind of going through a rough patch right now with the administration seemingly trying to stifle greek life because it does not like our party school image. Can they say, "This is how you must offer memberships and here is the only time when you can do it."

The school cannot require Greek organizations to give bids to anyone, and they can not force them to distribute them at a certain time. The campus IFC determines when formal recruitment will be held, and each chapter determines when/if they will give out additional bids.