Ways to take attendance at chapter?

[PBP23]

How does everyone take attendance at chapter meetings? Our chapter is about 300 girls and it takes FOREVER. Hopefully someone has an idea or already does something that can make taking attendance more efficient! Thanks y'all!

[Titchou]

the largest chapter meeting I ever attended had about 210 and they actually called roll! I was surprised that it didn't take any longer than it did,

[celebcj]

We have one representative from each pledge class take attendance while we're lined up outside (we file in by pledge class in alphabetical order), then the executive assistant calls the names of the girls that weren't there before during unfinished business after the officer reports.

[whiteviolet]

My chapter has taken roll three different ways:
1) Every girl had to check in with the secretary or one of her assistants before or after chapter.
2) The secretary wrote everyone's name on a sticky note and stuck it to a posterboard. Everyone had to remove the sticky note with their name in order to be counted as present.
3) Every girl had to write their name on a dollar (!!) and turn it in. All money went to our philanthropy.

[shirley1929]

We had the assistant Secretary (this was in the stone ages) sit up a little higher than the rest of the chapter (on a countertop on the side of the chapter room) and she checked off people as she saw them. THEN...at the end...she called names of the people she didn't see there. Less names to call out! Chapter size about 200.

[IUHoosiergirl88]

We had someone standing at the door to get into chapter as we filed individually in alphabetical order. If she got overwhelmed, we paused until she was finished...but by a few weeks of the new person doing it, you'd be set to go

[Sen's Revenge]

I am sure there is a scanner/barcode system out there set up for attendance for large orgs. Either one could swipe a card or have the person in charge of role use a hand-held scanner. Not a terrible one-time investment.

[Xidelt]

What if each sister had a card with their name on it and someone collected it at the door as each sister
entered? Then you could later match this against the roster. Of course, the person collecting the cards would need to make sure each sister only turned in one card. Or could you have a seating chart and visually match that at chapter to see what seats were empty and who was absent?

[clemsongirl]

We have all the sisters line up in relatively alphabetical order as the EVP reads off names one at a time. You say "here" if you're here then go into the chapter room. Works for a chapter of about 230, but we don't usually have everyone in attendance at chapter.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by Sen's Revenge

I am sure there is a scanner/barcode system out there set up for attendance for large orgs. Either one could swipe a card or have the person in charge of role use a hand-held scanner. Not a terrible one-time investment.

The Grand Lodge of Idaho has barcodes on our dues cards, and if you don't have a good bar code, you can't get into Grand Lodge. If a bunch of old men can figure it out, it should be workable for a group of college women.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

There are attendance apps out there that people are always trying to sell me (I teach a large lecture section). I don't know all the details, but it's something to do with students checking in on their smartphones/laptops.

[ElieM]

I was going to suggest something with checking in with phones or QR scanners or something

[bevinpiphi]

If you are a Pi Beta Phi (which I guess I assume from your username being PBP), you have to take roll at chapter...mind you, ours topped out at about 90, and it was still a ridiculously long roll. I shortened it by just using last names, but I still had to go through them all. Your regional team might have some suggestions specific to your chapter...I suggest reaching out to your AAC counterpart for any ideas, then to the region team through them.

[sigmagirl10]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

What if each sister had a card with their name on it and someone collected it at the door as each sister
entered? Then you could later match this against the roster. Of course, the person collecting the cards would need to make sure each sister only turned in one card. Or could you have a seating chart and visually match that at chapter to see what seats were empty and who was absent?

This is actually how my college panhellenic checked party attendance during formal recruitment--for each party, you had to give a card with your name on it into a basket at the door, and that was how they ensured you attended all of your parties

[clemsongirl]

Originally Posted by sigmagirl10

This is actually how my college panhellenic checked party attendance during formal recruitment--for each party, you had to give a card with your name on it into a basket at the door, and that was how they ensured you attended all of your parties

This was something like what we did at Clemson-you got a bunch of pieces of paper, then wrote your name and recruitment number on them. I imagine it also helped the actives remember who they had talked to at the end of the night.