Release figures pilot project

seraphimsprite · #1 09-01-2004, 11:57 PM

So the campus I work with is using the new NPC release figures pilot project where the release figures are determined using some computer algorithm based on three years of historical return data and recruitment strength. The way its been explained to me is that the chapters that are better at recruitment cut even more heavily at the beginning (and therefore have smaller parties) to try to "maximize the expectations" of the PNMs and help more chapters reach quota. Some of the girls are pretty worried about it since they've been told their parties are going to be smaller and they're going to have to "rush harder." So I was hoping that I could hear from people who have already been through recruitment using this system, particularly chapters that are "historically stronger" on your campus.

I have a couple of questions:
1) Did it work well on your campus as a whole?
2) Did it work well for your chapter?
3) Did the size of your parties change dramatically?
4) Did quota change from previous years?
5) Did it affect the "quality" of women you got?
6) Anything else you can tell me?

Thanks!

ZTAngel · #2 09-02-2004, 09:33 AM

Since I'm an alum, I didn't see this first hand but this what I've been told. My chapter is considered a "historically stronger" chapter on my campus.

1) Did it work well on your campus as a whole?
It didn't. Quota was a lot lower than it has been in years. This could be because we didn't have as many PNMs this year due to pushing back recruitment because of the hurricane. Still, I'm guessing that cutting PNMs early hurt them.

2) Did it work well for your chapter?
My chapter seemed to be unaffected but there are two historically stronger houses on my campus that have never missed quota and are always above total that I know for sure did not make quota this year.

3) Did the size of your parties change dramatically?
Parties were a lot smaller. My collegiate sisters told me that it was easier to rush girls because they were keeping the ones that they really wanted as opposed to keeping girls just to have full parties.

4) Did quota change from previous years?
Yes, it's a lot lower this year which I don't think was supposed to be the outcome of this system. Quota should've been higher.

5)Did it affect the "quality" of women you got?
I couldn't go to bid day this year because I had to prepare my house for the new hurricane.

My little told me that our new members are awesome and that we got a really great group of girls. This new system didn't affect the "quality" one bit. I'm unsure of how the other houses did.

6)Anything else you can tell me?
We're adding another sorority this fall and possibly another in the spring. It will definitely be an interesting year for the UCF greeks.

PenguinTrax · #3 09-02-2004, 10:28 AM

OK, the release figures being piloted this year are slightly different than the original pilot program.

The new calcs were used at FSU this year. According to the Asst. Director of Greek Life:

The new release figures were successful resulting in less quota additions and less bid regrets.

aabby757 · #4 09-02-2004, 11:14 AM

My post is based more on my opinion than hard card facts but in theory I feel the release figures are a good thing. I graduated from the University of Maryland and front a "strong" chapter way before they implemented the release figure type of rush. My biological sister on the other hand also went to the University and is in what is perceived as a "weak" chapter and she is/was part of the release figures. What she has said is that it hasn't helped their numbers really at all.

However, I think it helps the rushee in that doesn't give them false hope. What the typically stronger houses would have way more than 3x quota attend their preference parties. (You can go to three max preference parties). That way they would have quota pretty much guaranteed but minimized the rushees chances of being matched.

I think it depends on how the university looks at rush. Do they want to put the rushee as their first priority or the sororities? I LOVE the idea of allowing juniors to bid without it counting toward quota (an not sure if UMD does that) and I love the idea in theory of cutting girls earlier hoping they will give the "less desirable" chapters a chance they normally would not.

I think rush is an imperfect process and there is always room for improvement. But I think the release figures is a good move for now at my alma mater.

aopirose · #5 09-02-2004, 11:57 AM

UGA has NOT been a part of the official NPC program. They are doing their own version. Although, it doesn't negate the fact that people are unhappy.

jharb · #6 09-02-2004, 01:40 PM

Butler has been selected as an official pilot campus for the new release figures method. I am eager to see this put into action as it is supposed to keep PNMs more realistic and also more excited about joining different houses.

SoProud2BeAnAlphaXi · #7 09-02-2004, 04:51 PM

My understanding has been that, overall, the new release figures have worked very well in terms of decreasing withdrawals, increasing number of chapters making quota and increasing size of classes of those chapters not making quota. I know we're very very happy (and not alone!) with the results at Auburn, UT and UTK. I'll be interested to see what the scoop is on Central Florida, and why it didn't work so well there...

Oh, and I had heard that Maryland did a sort of "partial" implementation of the program last year that didn't work and NPC wasn't wanting to continue/resume it at that campus until some more fundamental changes were made (changing Total? I'm guessing) to help things get on a more even keel.

suwhitestl · #8 09-04-2004, 10:45 AM

We have been using similar release figures for years and are looking forward to the NPC guidelines taking effect. Our current process works well although we are still not matching all sororities to quota which IS the goal in a Quota/Total system. Along with maximizing the amount of women matched overall.

ZT ANGEL wrote:

4) Did quota change from previous years?
Yes, it's a lot lower this year which I don't think was supposed to be the outcome of this system. Quota should've been higher.

I believe you are mistaken. Lowering quota is part of the goal of the new guidelines as it encourages stronger chapters to release more women early giving them opportunities with other chapters. AND if that happens correctly quota is lowered and more chapters match to quota since women are looking at all their options earlier.

Current Quota/Total campuses have a tendency to have most chapters make quota while 1 or 2 chapters always fall short. Hopefully the new system will improve this trend as it is bad for the entire Greek community.

33girl · #9 09-04-2004, 11:34 AM

I think what ZTAngel meant is that quota went down because girls dropped out of rush, period. If everyone was truly looking at the choices they got and giving them a fair shake, they should have stayed in rush till the end, thus resulting in a higher quota. But it seems that instead of doing that the PNMs quit.

Without divulging too much, I think there needs to be education for the PNMs - to tell them that with this new system, if a chapter asks them back, they REALLY want them back, they're not just asking to have a body in the room. They probably have heard from their bio sisters and people at other schools how they got asked back to so many parties and figure they suck if they don't. I don't know how to put that across though.

ZTAngel · #10 09-04-2004, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl
I think what ZTAngel meant is that quota went down because girls dropped out of rush, period. If everyone was truly looking at the choices they got and giving them a fair shake, they should have stayed in rush till the end, thus resulting in a higher quota. But it seems that instead of doing that the PNMs quit.

Yes, thank you Sheila, that's what I meant. PNMs just dropped out of recruitment after being dropped from certain houses on the first day. They didn't bother to give other houses a chance which was not the intent of this new system.

gogoaphi · #11 09-04-2004, 01:47 PM

I'm interested in how it's working on any campuses with only 3 chapters but still doing formal recruitment because quotas are so large. I think it is a bit trickier in those situations.

suwhitestl · #12 09-05-2004, 10:13 AM

ZTAngel -- sorry about that.

Don't you all think that quota is generally set too high? It is an unrealistic goal to use the NPC guidelines and divide the remaining women by the sororities and expect everyone to match perfectly. Recruitment is certainly not perfect!

Some schools do use a formula to account for withdraws before they divide the total PNM's to set quota. This does set more realistic goals for chapters.

33girl · #13 09-05-2004, 06:56 PM

Well, it depends when quota is set - I think before the Pref round is generally the optimum time to do it.

The whole point of quota is that (theoretically) each woman getting to that point in the rush process should be getting a bid. I mean, are you talking about schools that set quota on the first day or solely from the amount of signups? I guess I'm confused as to where you're going...

seraphimsprite · #14 09-05-2004, 11:10 PM

At the presentation I attended on the pilot project we were told that quota should be higher with the new system because retention will be higher. We'll have a "quota range" on the first day but the actual number won't be set until later (right before pref, I think.)

One of my concerns is that the pnms who are at least somewhat familiar with the traditional rush process are going to be pretty surprised by the heavy cutting early on.

bekibug · #15 09-09-2004, 11:39 PM

IMO, it works very well. We had girls come to our IWT's that told sisters "I want XYZ, I know a lot of people in it, so that's where I'm going." They came back to the next round after getting cut by XYZ and were in shock.

I think it works better because girls don't make it all the way to skit (or even pref!) and then not get a bid to the chapter they wanted, so they have to decline bids or accept bids they didn't totally want. I can say from this year that it really does help pnm's find a place that fits them better than where they thought they would.