Question About Old NPC Rules

[Sororitysock]

Originally Posted by sororitygirll

Thank you for your responses! I know right when NPC was founded many sororities had religious restrictions, but Theta Phi Alpha didn't join NPC until the 50s and the restriction wasn't raised until the 60s. I was more wondering when NPC installed the double discrimination rule and where it is stated to fact-check our procedure. I expect the information we were told is correct, so I'm not really trying to change anything, but I do want to make sure this is the case. You're all right, in the case of major restriction (and religious, although that's less of an divisive factor at some schools) going through formal recruitment where many girls would be automatically cut doesn't really make sense. I was just surprised when I heard this about Theta Phi Alpha in relatively recent history.

Thank you!

Historically, recruitment was not always run the way it is today, with everyone attending the first round then the pool for each chapter getting narrowed in each invitation round after that. At many schools, parties were invitation-only from the start, with the rushee sending regrets if she had more invites than she could accept. Those who did not 'qualify' for membership due to a religious restriction would generally not receive an invitation at all to those sororities from the very start.

There are still campuses where the historically Jewish sororities maintain that identity with their membership even though at the national level they maintain open membership policies. In the situations I am aware of where this is the case, those chapters either participate in all rounds but winnow their invite list down dramatically by the first invitational round, or do not participate in recruitment at all (except possibly an infomational session during the first round or pre-recruitment tabling) then do informal after recruitment has ended. I also believe there might be some alternative membership sororities that are not religiously-based who participate at a similar level in formal recruitments. Perhaps the 4H sorority at Illinois?

As others have mentioned, it's a waste of time for both your members and the PNMs at your school for your organization to fully participate in recruitment. Perhaps your Greek Life office would be amenable to an information session or adding a page about you in the recruitment guide if they publish one?