Guaranteed bidding

[KappaKittyCat]

Illinois "does not use a traditional quota/total system." What does that mean? What do they use instead?

[Glitter650]

Originally posted by JocelynC
While there is no guaranteed bidding policy, it is pretty much understood that if you rush, are polite, properly dressed, interested, and don't suicide- you WILL get a bid. There are maybe 140 rushees and MAYBE 2 or 3 go bidless.

That's how it's been at my school as well ... we've been having about 100 start out and maybe 85 or so attend pref... and those that we lose drop themselves (I think only 2 or three people weren't on a pref list and I know one of the girls that was cut from all three chapters with DAMN good reason) most people get bids.. even if it's not first choice.

[bruinaphi]

Originally posted by 33girl
From what I heard Creighton is bagging their guaranteed placement...too late, unfortunately for the chapter who got screwed by it.

It's my understanding that they've said that before, but it hasn't happened.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally posted by KappaKittyCat
Illinois "does not use a traditional quota/total system." What does that mean? What do they use instead?

Not Illinois, Indiana. Not my school, and I am sure someone else can explain it better, but different chapters are meant to be different sizes based on housing.

[dakareng]

Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby
Not Illinois, Indiana. Not my school, and I am sure someone else can explain it better, but different chapters are meant to be different sizes based on housing.

Chapters at IU self-limit based upon the size of their houses. If they have 20 seniors graduate, they they will take 20 new members the next year (I'm making up the numbers but the gist of it is that each chapter votes on the number of bids they will give). They do not use quota/total-- if they simply used the standard quota methods, chapters would easily be twice the size they are now because so many women go through recruitment. So yes, women going through recruitment at IU know there are far more participants than there are bids that will be available. As to why there are not more groups on campus, I would guess that it has to do with housing availability/ costs-- I don't know if there has been expansion discussion, I've only been privy to discussions about the concept of self-limited recruitment (and IU is not the only campus that does it.... unless something has changed recently, Ohio State does as well)

[IvySpice]

Wow -- I've never heard about that. Do you know why they choose to operate that way? I'm wondering why at some campuses (like Ole Miss), the chapters just get gigantic if the system can't expand, while IU would choose to instead limit the number of women who can be Greek.

That's pretty awful...seems like there ought to be room for these women somehow.

[valkyrie]

That seems odd to me as well. Aren't there almost always many women who don't want to live in the house?

[33girl]

Originally posted by valkyrie
That seems odd to me as well. Aren't there almost always many women who don't want to live in the house?

ASA was there for a while in the 1990's (91-97 or somewhere along those lines) and part of the reason the chapter flopped is because we didn't have a house. Apparently there living in the house = being Greek. I know that at some schools going Greek is looked on as a good option primarily for the housing factor. Whether that's true at IU, I don't know.

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by 33girl
ASA was there for a while in the 1990's (91-97 or somewhere along those lines) and part of the reason the chapter flopped is because we didn't have a house. Apparently there living in the house = being Greek. I know that at some schools going Greek is looked on as a good option primarily for the housing factor. Whether that's true at IU, I don't know.

I agree that living in the house is really important to some people -- but then on the other hand, sometimes it's a huge battle to keep a house filled. It seems like a difficult balance.

[Sister Havana]

dakareng is correct, the reason there aren't more chapters at IU has everything to do with housing or lack thereof. I think the IU PHC has a rule that a chapter can only expand if they will be able to build a house within a certain amount of time. (Maybe someone who was actually in a house at IU can verify this!) There doesn't seem to be any such rule that applies to fraternities, so that explains why several have colonized or recolonized in the last five or so years, while the only successful recolonization of a sorority in that time was AOPi, and they bought the old KDRho property and built their new house there. All the houses are ginormous and it probably takes quite a bit of money to keep them up. Thus, every sorority at IU has a residency requirement of 2-3 years, depending on the chapter...at least they did when I rushed. (It's not a question of if you want to live in the house, you're going to live there...and all PNMs know this going through.)

When I rushed in the early 90s, four sororities were housed in one of the dorms: ADPi, AXiD, ASA, and Tri-Sigma. The first two had land and were able to build houses in that time...therefore they're still around. The second two did not and I think that was a big part of the reason they folded. After all, the point of going Greek for many people was to get out of a dorm, not to stay in. Several fraternities have been closed down by the university since then but I think their nationals still own the houses. The old AOPi house was sold to IU, as were some other former Greek houses, and the old Sigma Kappa house was sold to Pi Kappa Phi.