Texas State University Panhellenic 2020 Recruitment Rules

Texas State University Panhellenic Association Standing Membership Recruitment Rules and Guidelines Voted on 07/13/2020 I Intention and Scope of Recruitment Rules A The following rules and guidelines are intended to help the community of fraternity women at Texas State University (Texas State) to recruit high-quality women to join the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) organizations on our campus These guidelines are based on recommendations from the NPC Manual of Information, which shall be referred to with any arising conflicts pertaining to Recruitment VP Recruitment is responsible for the annual review of the Standing Membership Recruitment Rules and Guidelines and shall submit any new proposal to the Panhellenic Council, Chapter Delegates, and Advisor for discussion and approval by each chapter (one vote per chapter) II General Guidelines A All NPC UNANIMOUS AGREEMENTS (UA) pertaining to Membership Recruitment contained in the NPC Manual of Information shall be upheld B Virtual Formal Recruitment (Recruitment) shall follow the guidelines for Fully Structured Virtual Recruitment (FSVR) in accordance with the NPC Manual of Information C Recruitment contracts, affirming the entire chapter knows and understands the Recruitment Rules, shall be signed by the Recruitment Chair, Chapter President, Chapter/Recruitment Advisor, and submitted to the Panhellenic Executive Board immediately following the Recruitment Rules Reading D With probable cause, the Panhellenic Executive Board may send no more than one executive members to a chapter’s virtual breakout room any given time These members will be of different affiliations of the chapter visited E With infractions given, consequences are up to the judicial board and are not limited to monetary fines F All advertisements pertaining to recruitment between July 30th and midnight of bid day should have a Go Greek attitude a Personal profile pictures and cover photos are not considered advertisements b A Go Greek attitude is a positive Panhellenic reinforcement that does not put down other chapters i Examples of things you can’t say are “Alpha is top house”, “We’re better than everyone else”, etc G All those involved with recruitment must display their correct name on the virtual platform as well as having their camera and audio enabled at all times H Total will be calculated each academic term (fall and spring semesters) a All College Panhellenics must use the fall 2019 total for the fall 2020 total: unless evaluation of total in fall 2020 results in a higher total than in fall 2019 I All recruitment events, regardless of location, are required to follow all Texas State University policies and procedures III Recruitment Dates and Locations A Recruitment dates shall be set by VP Recruitment no later than February 1st of each calendar year and approved by the Panhellenic Council B No more than three (3) chapter members may greet members before breakout rooms begin C Embassy a Staring the Friday before recruitment, chapters will have a room that will act as their “back office” i Chapters must follow all university and state laws ii Absolutely no 1:1 recruiting in the form of conversations should happen in this room b Each chapter will have their own Wi-Fi channel and additional outlets in their rooms D Back office teams must be at embassy E Bids will be distributed on September 8th and chapter bid celebration will be the 12th and/or the 13th of September IV Potential New Member Guidelines A Eligibility guidelines: a A woman must be a full time undergraduate student at Texas State to be eligible for Recruitment i According to Texas State, undergraduate full time student is enrolled in 12 hours ii Pathways students are eligible to participate in Recruitment (6 hours must be taken at Texas State University) b A woman hoping to join a chapter in the fall semester shall have registered for Recruitment through the Texas State Panhellenic website and shall have paid the registration fee in full c An application shall be determined as complete when all the eligibility requirements have been met and verified by the Panhellenic Executive Board Any PNM that is not completely registered shall be withdrawn from Recruitment The registration fee is to be determined by Texas State Panhellenic Executive Board no later than April 1st d PNMs must attend PNM Orientation and visit every round that invites her for each Recruitment Round Failure to attend an event for which she is eligible shall result in the PNM being withdrawn from Recruitment In the event of an emergency, illness, or class that hinders attendance at a required event, a PNM may be excused, but must notify her Panhellenic Recruitment Counselor and the Panhellenic VP Recruitment with appropriate documentation e In the event of an excused absence granted to the PNM, the chapter(s) shall be notified, and given the option to invite her to the next Recruitment Round B Recruitment: a A PNM must consult with her Recruitment Counselor before withdrawing from Recruitment and shall submit an official withdrawal form to the Panhellenic email C No PNM shall accept personal invitations to Recruitment functions or nonRecruitment functions from a Texas State Panhellenic collegian or alumna PNMs are required to report such illegal invitations (i.e fraternity parties, any kind of social event or related with alcohol, etc.) D A PNM shall not purchase anything (i.e gifts, meals, etc.) for a chapter member(s) E PNMs will be sorted into primary and secondary pools based on their total credit hours on file with the university a Primary- students less than or equal to 29 credit hours b Secondary – students with 30 or more credit hours V Chapter Member Guidelines A All members and alumnae are responsible for knowing and observing the Recruitment Rules and Guidelines B No chapter members shall buy or make anything for a PNM a This includes gifts, favors, letters and/or notes C Only national fraternity representatives, house directors, alumnae, non-Texas State -initiated collegiate of the chapter may assist with the administrative duties during Recruitment, but they may not speak with any PNM, and they must be identified by nametag Fraternity representatives and alumnae will be granted permission to participate with recruitment when a new chapter is establishing a chapter D All chapters must host a Recruitment Rules Reading prior to the Friday before PNM Orientation and submit their proof of completion to the Vice President of Recruitment a All members are required to attend the Recruitment Rules Reading b The chapter is responsible for their membership to know and understand all Recruitment Rules Failure to attend or participate in the Recruitment Rules Reading does not excuse any violations E Hazing is prohibited at all times Texas State defines hazing as follows: “Hazing means any intentional, or reckless act, occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization whose members are, or include students at an educational institution.” (Texas State Student Handbook, Appendix A) F No chapter is allowed to discriminate against a PNM on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation/identification, or student classification G Chapter members may reference the affiliation of a recruitment counselor as long as it is for the purpose of conveying sisterhood or Panhellenic unity H AT NO TIME shall there be the promising of bids, directly or indirectly, by a member or alumnae of a chapter to any PNM a Oral bids are prohibited year round i i.e “I want you for my little sister; you belong here; see you on Bid Day; I will save this for you until bid day; we love you You should wear _ to bid day.” ii These are NOT considered oral bids: “I’m glad you are back; it’s nice to see you again; I’m glad you are here b The Panhellenic Advisor, VP Recruitment, and VP Membership Development shall inform PNMs as to the severity of oral bidding, and inform them that chapters giving oral bids are breaking rules I No PNM(s) shall be isolated during a Recruitment event a i.e Leaving a PNM alone during an event for more than 30 seconds J All Recruitment efforts must be held in a location where the Panhellenic Executive Board and the Panhellenic Advisor are welcome K When recruitment registration opens, if any non- positive Panhellenic contact related interaction between active members and PNMs is verified by evidence (i.e photos, electronic communication via e-mail, social media, phone calls and text messages, testimony of PNM, or witness by a Panhellenic Executive Officer, Recruitment Counselor, or Fraternity and Sorority Life staff) an infraction report will be generated L All chapters will share detailed financial information (member dues, chapter fees and assessments, etc.) on day with potential new members prior to extending a bid M All chapters are responsible for abiding by all state and university guidelines regarding capacity, i.e social distancing, wearing face masks, etc N A recruitment counselors or Panhellenic officer will be assigned to each chapter to create events/breakout rooms throughout recruitment a Recruitment counselors should be made co-hosts of the event so they can take attendance and move freely throughout breakout rooms ONLY to verify any technical difficulties, to determine eligibility for speed rounds, and to verify start/end of party times VI Alumnae Guidelines A Alumnae may help during recruitment but must be identified by their nametag and are prohibited from interacting with PNMs, unless they are establishing a chapter on the Texas State campus VII Recruitment Counselor Guidelines A Recruitment Counselors shall be a committee of active Panhellenic collegians who apply and are appointed by the Panhellenic Executive Board Recruitment Counselors shall assist in the facilitation of Recruitment under the direction of the VP Recruitment and VP Membership Development They shall abide by all NPC rules and standards as unbiased counselors B Each chapter shall nominate no less than of the active and eligible women from that chapter to apply as Recruitment Counselors (i.e women not associated with chapter recruitment processes or events) Nomination is contingent upon Chapter Advisor approval There is no maximum number of nominees per chapter a A chapter executive board shall not stand in the way of a chapter woman applying to be a recruitment counselor b Panhellenic shall not accept more than 10 members from a chapter to be a Recruitment Counselor c Eligibility is defined as being in good standing with your chapter as well as having recruitment for your chapter during a formal recruitment d If a chapter’s total is under 100 then the chapter is eligible to ask for Panhellenic permission, days before applications close, to only nominate chapter women for the recruitment counselor position i Chapter President must email the VP Recruitment on Panhellenic Council stating their chapter total and reason for requesting the exemption ii C D E F G H Chapter VP Recruitment, Panhellenic President, Panhellenic VP Judicial Affairs, and Panhellenic Advisor must be carbon copied on the email, in addition to any other persons the chapter deems necessary Recruitment Counselors may appear in the chapters recruitment video but may not give testimonial or have speaking parts Recruitment Counselors may only wear the attire approved by the VP Membership Development during formal recruitment While Recruitment Counselors will be fully affiliated, they will still adhere to the following guidelines a Communication with her own chapter pertaining to recruitment is not permitted after registration opens b No communication with chapters from the day of Potential New Member Orientation until bids are opened on bid day outside of official recruitment counselor duties is permitted at all c Must maintain a "Go Greek" attitude throughout her term as a Recruitment Counselor d No participation in any chapter Formal Recruitment events including but not limited to, i workshops, ii Membership selection meetings e No attendance to any chapter events taking place between PNM Orientation and Bid Day unless approved by the Panhellenic Council Executive Board prior to the event f Recruitment Counselors will not discuss PNMs with any chapter member, regardless of topic or member position i Questions about potential new members or information Recruitment Counselors feel should be shared with chapters must be communicated through the Panhellenic Executive Board When interacting with potential new members in any medium at any time Recruitment Counselors will not go out of their way to discuss their specific chapter, unless discussing chapters in general a If a PNM asks her recruitment counselor about her chapter then the RC will provide the answer regarding her chapter and provide the answer for other chapters Failure to comply to any of these rules can result in possible dismissal and subsequent violations shall result in mediation Recruitment Counselors and Social Media: a If profiles of any social media accounts of the Recruitment Counselor are not private, the Recruitment Counselor is only allowed to post positive Panhellenic contact and a “Go Greek” attitude when posting about Greek life including but not limited to pictures, status updates, and comments b Profiles that are private still must maintain a “Go Greek” and Positive Panhellenic attitude c She will need to remove any captions that are along the lines of "Go Chapter Name" or anything insinuating that her chapter is superior to another d Recruitment Counselors social media accounts will not highlight only their individual chapter/members If you choose to “favorite, like, retweet, share, regram, etc.” your chapters/chapter members post, you must within 72 hours the same for all other chapters/chapter members in the same medium I Recruitment counselors are required to be on site in the ball room during all day of recruitment VIII Panhellenic Officer Guidelines A Panhellenic Executive Officers shall not display any insignia or symbol associated with their affiliation on personal networking websites (i.e Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and cars beginning July 1st until recruitment silence is over Should information such as this be found after July 1st, Panhellenic Executive Officer will have 24 hours after notification to remove any affiliation B Panhellenic Executive Officers shall not wear, carry, or display any insignia or symbol associated with their affiliation August 1st until recruitment silence is over (i.e t-shirts, shoes, jewelry, and accessories) C Panhellenic Executive Officers shall not participate in their respective chapters’ Recruitment efforts D Panhellenic Executive Officers shall not have their pictures or names displayed on their local chapter website starting on when recruitment registration opens E shall attend all mandatory educational and preparatory Recruitment events in the spring and fall (to be determined by the VP Recruitment and VP Membership Development), unless exemption has been granted F Panhellenic Executive Officers shall sign a contract with the Panhellenic Advisor requiring their full understanding and compliance with the Standing Membership Recruitment Rules and Guidelines Any violation of this contract shall result in the Judicial Process as outlined by NPC (Manual J-2) G If a Panhellenic Officer will be absent for any event pertaining to Recruitment, she shall notify the VP Membership Development H Failure to comply to any of these rules can result in possible dismissal and subsequent violations shall result in mediation IX Contact Rules and Silence Statements A Silence is defined as: a The physical presence or the communication with men is strictly prohibited i if a chapter requires assistance moving heavy objects, they may have male volunteers help them as long as it is approved by Panhellenic Council before the start of recruitment, the volunteers not have on any garments or accessories related to any specific Greek affiliation, and there is a member of the Panhellenic Council present b The physical presence or consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited c There shall be no verbal, written, or electronic contact between a PNM and chapters outside of Recruitment events except for Positive Panhellenic Contact (PPC) from the day of PNM orientation at 9:00 am until midnight of Bid Day d University Mentors in sororities not need to observe the silence period with their mentees, but they shall not recruit for their chapters outside of Recruitment events B Positive Panhellenic Contact (PPC) a PPC, as stated in the NPC Manual of Information, shall be followed at all times b No disparaging remarks may be made by a sorority member about another sorority or its members Attempts may not be made to evaluate or rank another society This includes any discussion of sorority invitations No sorority member is qualified to tell a potential member about a sorority other than her own c All sorority women including collegians, alumnae, College Panhellenics, Alumnae Panhellenics, inter/national organizations and the National Panhellenic Conference should actively promote the overall sorority experience and membership opportunities in organizations This should be done through all forms of communication (e.g., print, digital, in person) in the spirit of Panhellenic unity and desire to reach out to all women to share the opportunity for sorority membership College and Alumnae Panhellenic rules should not infringe on the rights of individuals, chapters and/or organizations in the content or forms of communication to promote the sorority experience C Silence Period a Silence for PNMs, chapters, Recruitment Counselors, and Panhellenic Executive Officers is from the beginning of PNM orientation to the end of the Bid Day Ceremony D Strict Silence a During the period of time after the signing of the MRABA and prior to the distribution of bids, there shall be no communication between PNMs and chapter members, with the exception of Panhellenic Executive Officers and Recruitment Counselors X Recruitment Schedules A All chapter Recruitment Chairs shall adhere to and carry out the master Recruitment schedule and invitation procedure as presented by the VP Recruitment and Panhellenic Advisor a If a chapter ends a Recruitment Round later than allotted time, infractions will be given b For tardiness of the invitation list and the Bid-Match list infractions will be given c Bid-Match lists and invitation lists shall not be changed by the chapter once they have been turned in to Campus Director B Chapters must start each round by the time indicated on the Recruitment Schedule XI Technology A Chapters must use the provided virtual platform provided by the university B Panhellenic will organize a technology committee consisted of one Panhellenic member and one chapter woman from each chapter C Panhellenic will set a deadline for when each round link is due D Name displays a PNMs will display their first name, last name, and their PNM number b Chapter members will display their first name, last initial, and their chapter title spelled out c Recruitment counselors will display “RC” with their first name following right after d Panhellenic council members will display their first name with “PHC” following right after XII Decorations/Attire A Keep approved backgrounds on at all times B Determine recruitment event attire for chapter members that reduces individual financial burden and eliminates costuming a Costuming can be described as any outfit or clothing item that the chapter requires all of its members to purchase for the purpose of matching This includes but not limited to a certain or particular designers or styles, color, or any article that can only be purchased from one particular store b The Panhellenic Day One and each chapter’s bid day shirt are not classified as “costuming” due to the Go-Greek nature and individual themes of the Bid Day parties C Panhellenic will pay for one 8x10 pipe and drape for each chapter D Day one shirts will not be required E Recruiters will not be able to use their sorority décor as talking point (ex Paddles, letters) F Virtual backgrounds should be in the spirit of chapter theme and informational a If for whatever reason a woman cannot use a virtual background, she must recruit in front of a blank wall but may have up to one piece of “sorority décor” to fill in for a background XIII Entertainment/Chapter Public Relations A Recruitment slideshows and videos must be approved by the VP Recruitment Each chapter must send their presentations by the Friday before PNM Orientation There should be no: a Alcohol/drugs b Men by themselves unless they are participating in a philanthropy event c Fraternity letters B Recruitment Public Relations media (including Summer PR videos) a Should focus on chapter sisterhood b Can be either a video or slideshow c Must include a confessional about the chapter’s values d Philanthropy should be featured and explained e Must showcase at least 25% of the chapter women C Recruitment videos can show recruitment counselors as long as they are not giving testimonial or have a speaking part D Panhellenic Council members are not allowed to be in the recruitment video or showcased on chapter social media or public relations in any way XIV Potential New Member Orientation A The Orientation will be designed by VP Membership Development, VP Recruitment and Panhellenic Advisor The program will cover all relevant information B Before Friday, PNMs will have a meeting with their RCs to go over logistics and general information regarding the rest of recruitment XV Recruitment Expenses A There will be a $16,792.66 cap on Recruitment expenses a The budget will be calculated by using the average recruitment budget from all chapters excluding the highest and lowest budgets b No sorority may exceed this cost for any reason without extraordinary reason and prior knowledge/approval from the Panhellenic association c Budget categories include decorations, supplies, donations, A/V, etc i PNM Orientation decorations and supplies are a part of the recruitment budget ii Bid Day and Bid Day expenses are not a part of the recruitment budget d All donations must be considered in the budget regardless of the donation ie flowers for preference night e Final budgets are due three weeks after bid day i Budgets turned in after the stated deadline will incur a fine stating in the “Recruitment Infractions” section of these rules XVI Recruitment Events Guidelines A Day I – Open House/Sisterhood (30 minute parties, 10 minute breaks) a Purpose: To familiarize PNMs with each sorority’s values in Greek Life b Decoration: Approved day one virtual backgrounds B Day II – First Invitational Event: Philanthropy Day (40 minute parties, 15 minute breaks) a Purpose: Chapter philanthropy and service projects b Decoration: Approved day two virtual backgrounds C Day III – Preference Event (55 minute parties, 15 minute breaks) a Purpose: Final presentation of chapter in a serious format to aid the PNM’s final decision b Decoration: Approved day three virtual backgrounds D Speed rounds a Panhellenic will leave time at the end of the day for “speed rounds’ where women can have a make-up conversations with no more than members of the chapter for 10-20 minutes (depending on the day) in case they have technical difficulties with an event b Speed rounds are not an alternative for regular recruitment and eligibility will be determined on a case to case basis XVII Bid Matching A Release Figure Method a The Panhellenic Executive Board uses the Release Figure Methodology (RFM) throughout the Recruitment Process i For more information about the Release Figure Method, refer to NPC Manual of Information B The Two - Quota system will be set by the Panhellenic Advisor and RFM specialist The Two- Quota system includes an Upperclassmen Quota and a Freshmen Quota a Having two quotas allows upperclassmen to have to a better chance of get invited back/placed high on each chapters bid list C Preferential Bidding System a PNMs shall sign a formal Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA) in the assigned area after the last preference event The signing of the MRABA shall be overseen by the Panhellenic Advisor and Fraternity and Sorority Life Staff D After PNM’s final round, PNMs are to select their preference using Campus Director PNMs are not allowed to speak with other PNMs until all formal MRABAs have been turned in E Bid-Matching a Bid-Matching shall be conducted using Campus Director Software BidMatch lists shall be presented to respective chapters’ regional or national chapter appointees prior to bid distribution No-Bid lists shall be presented to chapters that did not fill Quota through Bid-Matching for the purposes of Snap Bidding and Continuous Open Recruitment (COR) Designated alumnae shall come to the Bid-Match meeting prepared with a Snap Bid List in the event Snap Bidding is necessary b PNMs who are juniors or seniors (56+ hours) shall be Bid-Matched together with the underclassmen F Each PNM not receiving a formal bid will be personally notified by any Panhellenic Executive Officer or Head Recruitment Counselor at least an hour before invitations are distributed G Bid Acceptance a Chapter Recruitment Chairs and Chapter Presidents shall be the only collegians to know which names appear on the chapter’s acceptance list until Bid Day H VP Recruitment will designate a specific roundtable to be used for “Hot Topic” to provide constructive feedback, discuss the events of recruitment, and determine the need for rule changes a Hot Topic will be announced before the start of formal recruitment XVIII Continuous Open Recruitment A Chapters with Quota vacancies at the conclusion of Recruitment may take additional new members through COR according to the guidelines stated in the NPC Manual of Information COR shall begin as soon as the bid distribution has concluded Any matriculated, unaffiliated, female student is eligible for COR unless restricted by the MRABA B Chapters will be able to distribute bids after they have submitted an official roster to VP Recruitment C Recruitment Chairs must notify VP Recruitment if their chapter will participate in Spring Recruitment by their first chapter meeting of Spring Semester D Chapters that participate in COR must have their bid list turned into the NPC advisor at least 72 hours prior to their new members signing their COR documents in the Fraternity and Sorority Life office XIX Recruitment Infractions 10 A B C Any repercussions due to infractions will be set through the mediation or judicial process Panhellenic will make every attempt to use education rather than fines in response to infractions; however, if fines are necessary, they will be as follows: a Exceeding time limits given will result in $25 for each minute over time b Oral bids/bid promising will result in a $250 fine per offense c Dirty rushing via electronic communication will result in a $250 fine per offense d Dirty rushing in person will result in a $150 fine per offense e Silencing violations will result in a $50 fine per offense f Glitter, feather, and confetti violations will result in a $1300 fine per offense g For each member that does not attend the Rules Reading, a $50 fine will be given to the chapter until their new member percentage is met h If a chapter exceeds the allotted recruitment budget cap they will be called in to a judicial hearing The money that exceeds the recruitment budget will also be docked from the offending chapter’s budget the following year i Chapters who submit late invitation lists are subject to the following fines: i minutes late $100 ii Every minute after the first five minutes is an additional $75 j Chapters who begin tear down of their room that can be seen or heard in the hallway before PNMs have left the building or without Panhellenic Council approval will be fined $250 k Chapter members who reveal the affiliation of a disaffiliated person will be fined $75 per offense l Late final budgets will be fined $25 each day it is late Recruitment Infractions shall be reported and signed by either: i Chapter President ii VP Recruitment iii Recruitment Counselor iv PNM v Panhellenic Advisor All Recruitment Infractions will be handled per the judicial process stated in Unanimous Agreement VII -In any situation where a Panhellenic officer witnesses an infraction to these rules, their eyewitness will be considered as evidence 11 ... (6 hours must be taken at Texas State University) b A woman hoping to join a chapter in the fall semester shall have registered for Recruitment through the Texas State Panhellenic website and shall... student at Texas State to be eligible for Recruitment i According to Texas State, undergraduate full time student is enrolled in 12 hours ii Pathways students are eligible to participate in Recruitment. .. verified by the Panhellenic Executive Board Any PNM that is not completely registered shall be withdrawn from Recruitment The registration fee is to be determined by Texas State Panhellenic Executive