Sorority membership selection is a private matter amongst members of each National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sorority. Each of the twenty-six sororities has its own set of procedures, standards, and methods for determining who should become a member. Very little is left to chance and there is much that happens that is carefully thought out and deliberate. Despite the secrecy, there are some general policies and procedures that apply to most, if not all, of the sororities.
Determining Recruitment Objectives
All groups will determine their objectives for recruitment. This can vary widely depending on the sorority, the chapter, the relative strength or weakness of the chapter, and the overall membership makeup of the current chapter. But each group discusses and determines long before the first recruitment party exactly what they hope to accomplish during rush.
A chapter might be looking for leaders. Another chapter might be looking for more athletes. Diversifying hometowns or home states might be a goal. On the other end of the spectrum, the sorority might want to only extended bids to women they already know. Some groups might choose to adjust grade expectations down in order to get a larger new member class. Another group might raise their grade requirements in order to weed out more girls early on since there are so many women from which to choose. The objectives are going to be as varied as the number of groups. But every sorority chapter will go into recruitment with particular objectives in mind.
Recruitment Notetaking and Membership Selection
Every group has a way of remembering who they met during each recruitment party. This information is important for membership selection and deciding who to invite back to each round of parties. The women will have a form, notebook or some other method of keeping track of who they met, their impressions of her, and whether or not she would potentially be a good member.
These notes are used in discussions after each round of recruitment. Each group must determine who to invite back and this is decided in confidential ways. Each sorority will have a procedure for discussion and voting. From this will come the invite lists for each round and, ultimately, the bid list that is submitted to the panhellenic office for bid matching.
Myths and Rumors Surrounding Membership Selection
There are as many myths about membership selection as there are university campuses. The myths and rumors include everything from only selecting girls with certain kinds of cars to only offering bids to women who went to school, church or camp with a current members. Other rumors include knowing if you will be invited back or not based on where you are seated during the skit and whether or not you meet an officer, especially the president or membership chair.
The reality is that no one can say for sure what ultimately influences membership selection. It is a confidential process and a closely guarded secret. In the end, all a rushee can do is put her best foot forward, do her very best during each recruitment party by preparing well for the various conversations she will have, and be sure to avoid making any big mistakes. Ultimately, the sisters will decide if the woman is a good fit for their group and whether or not to offer her a bid.
Sorority membership selection is a sometimes mysterious process when looked at from the outside. It is, in fact, a well-organized and regulated process that adheres to national sorority procedures and policies. While the process may seem at times to be unfair, it does generally work well and produce a positive outcome for the vast majority of women who go through sorority membership recruitment.
Sallie Schaaf Borrink - Sallie Borrink is a professional writer with extensive experience with business clients, the consumer market, and online destinations.
