Sorority Recruitment

 

What is Informal Recruitment?

Informal Recruitment, also known as Continuous Open Bidding(COB), is a process that sororities engage in outside of the primary (formal) recruitment period in the Fall semester. A sorority will offer bids to women in order to reach chapter total (the largest size a sorority can become through recruitment). It tends to be more casual and unstructured than primary recruitment and it can be difficult to identify which sororities are participating, since not all can participate. Each sorority operates on their own COB schedule, so there is no standardized time frame when all sororities are recruiting new members during informal recruitment. However, each spring there is a week where there will be more events geared towards recruitment. The best way to find out if a chapter is participating is by checking our website, sorority chapter social media, or by emailing the chapter president. If you are interested in sorority membership and a chapter invites you to a COB event, you should consider attending. If you missed out on formal recruitment, this is a great way to try and find a sorority at St. Norbert College.

 Eligibility
Each organization has eligibility requirements for membership. While some specific organizations may have higher standards, the minimum standard requirement at SNC is a cumulative 2.25 GPA for current SNC students and a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher for new students.

How Recruitment Works
Recruitment is the mutual selection process by which the prospective member (you) and the sororities determine the best fit for membership. It is a mutual process where you have the opportunity to decide which chapter(s) would be a good fit for you and where each chapter determines whom they would like invite to be a member.

During recruitment, you meet many members from each chapter and have the opportunity to gauge whether or not a particular chapter is a good place for you. While all chapters strive to create better men and women, each chapter is different and has a different personality. The goal of recruitment is to determine if Greek life is for you and where you find the best fit.

Total - Total is the average number of members per sorority after formal recruitment. Sororities may not exceed total, with the exception of during formal recruitment, which determines the new Total.

Sorority Formal Recruitment
Formal recruitment takes place during the fall semester and is open to any woman who is eligible to join a sorority (must have at least a 3.0 high school GPA, or a 2.25 cumulative GPA if you have already completed at least one semester at St. Norbert). You must register to participate in formal recruitment, but there is no fee to participate. 

Recruitment is a mutual selection process, so while you are determining where you would feel most comfortable, the sororities are also determining the best fit for their organizations. You will be able to rank the sororities and they will have a certain number of invitations to hand out for the following day’s events. Sometimes, you don’t end up with your first choice! We encourage everyone to keep an open mind and stick with the process. There are plenty of women who end up in a different sorority than they initially would have chosen and now feel they are where they belong. 

Day 1 - Attend four events, meet each sorority

Day 2- Attend up to three events

• Organize your daily schedule - Plan enough time for schoolwork, meals, personal time and anything else you need to do. Also, allow yourself enough time for recruitment events – you don't want to miss any of them!
• Don’t adopt a new personality - Sororities want to meet and get to know the real you. Sometimes problems can occur when a potential member pretends to be someone he or she is not, so the best bet is to just be yourself.
• Don’t listen to rumors! - If you really want to know something about a particular fraternity or sorority, just ask one of the members of that chapter. Information that you get from any other source can be inaccurate and not helpful to you at all.
• Choose which chapter is right for you - Just because a lot of people from your hometown are in a certain sorority or you think your friends are going to pledge a certain chapter, it doesn’t mean that chapter is right for you. Think about all the options you have, and join the sorority with which you fit in the best and feel the most comfortable.
• Learn as much about the sorority as you possibly can - By doing this, you can make a better decision on which fraternity/sorority you would like to join. Ask a lot of questions, and meet as many people as you can. After all, that is what recruitment is for – you need to keep in mind that these are the people with whom you will be spending the next few years and with whom you will share friendships for a lifetime.
• Ask the right questions - You should try to learn the following things about each chapter:
  • How much emphasis does your chapter place on scholarship, and are there scholarship programs offered by your chapter?
  • How involved is your chapter with Panhellenic Council, student government and other campus organizations?         
  • What community service programs does your chapter participate in?
  • How much does it cost to be involved with the fraternity/sorority?
  • What kind of time commitment is required in the new member education program of the sorority?

[Adapted from Greek Life at Western Illinois University]

What About Hazing?
Hazing is illegal in the State of Wisconsin. In addition to this, St. Norbert College stands firm in their conviction and refusal to tolerate hazing in any form.

Hazing is a recurrent blight that can attack any organization whenever a few persons attempt to substitute force for reason and expediency for understanding. Such persons seem to believe that subjecting members to a series of ordeals will make them fit in and that fear will somehow make them more disciplined and mature. Even though such methods may seem efficient in the short run, there can be no justification whatsoever for hazing. The principles and values of St. Norbert College as well as each and every fraternity and sorority at SNC are in stark contrast to any act of hazing and these values must be evident in the words and actions of all members. Therefore, the college retains the right to sanction organizations as well as individuals who are involved in or permit hazing.

Each fraternity and sorority and the governing councils at St. Norbert College (IFC, Panhellenic) join the college in their refusal to accept or tolerate hazing activities in any form, included practices by new members, active members, alumni or any recognized college organization. Whatever form it takes, hazing subverts and corrupts the true fraternal experience.

Each organization is required to have at a minimum the following hazing policy in their binding constitution: “As members of a recognized student organization at St. Norbert College, we unconditionally oppose placing any or all members of our organization or those of the general student population in situations which produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule. Freedom from the humility and danger of hazing is guaranteed to every member of the college community. We realize that any form of hazing violates college policy and Wisconsin State Statute 948.51.” 

For more information, please contact the Office of Leadership, Student Engagement and First-Year Experience at 920-403-4023 or lse@snc.edu.