Texas-Tech-College-Panhellenic-Recruitment-Rules

Texas Tech College Panhellenic Recruitment Rules Revised March 5, 2019 Certain rules governing membership recruitment are necessary to ensure orderly procedures Recruitment rules should be simple, fair, and few Long lists of specific rules are not necessary and sometimes create distrust among chapters and members The spirit of Panhellenic unity is so important, especially during the membership recruitment process Section – Potential New Members A A Potential New Member (Hereinafter Referred to as PNM) shall be defined as any female second semester high school senior B A woman wishing to participate in fall membership recruitment must be a regularly matriculated student at Texas Tech University C Freshmen will be defined as students who have graduated high school in May or June prior to Fall Primary Recruitment, regardless of completed college credit hours D Sophomores will be defined as students who have completed thirty (30) hours, or have completed one (1) year of college E Juniors will be defined as students who have completed fifty-eight (58) hours, or have completed two (2) years of college F PNMs must complete the registration process with Texas Tech University Panhellenic on or before the specified deadline prior to the start of fall membership recruitment events with the option of making an extenuating circumstance, special request to register after the deadline G Mandatory transportation will be provided for all PNMs to and from the individual events Members, alumnae, patronesses, or new members are not permitted to transport PNMs If an emergency arises, the Panhellenic Executive Council must be notified H PNM nametags are distributed by the Panhellenic Executive Council during Recruitment Kick-Off and are to be worn at all times during the week I PNMs unable to attend all of the scheduled events during Recruitment (due to participation in a University sponsored activity or due to a personal emergency) will be allowed to rank the sororities they are invited to attend Panhellenic will then attempt to allow them to attend the events of the sororities they most want to attend However, if a PNM purposely decides to not attend an event for reasons other than illness, a personal emergency, or another conflicting University activity, then she will be removed from Primary Recruitment and not be permitted to accept a bid during Primary Recruitment J PNMs will abide by the Texas Tech Code of Student Conduct at all times during Primary Recruitment week K If a PNM is found in violation of the Texas Tech Code of Student Conduct at any point during Recruitment week, she may be removed from the primary Recruitment process Section – Pre Recruitment A Chapter Education Chapters are responsible for educating their members on the membership recruitment rules If desired, a member of the Panhellenic Executive Council and/or advisor can be asked to assist in this education B Communication with PNMs a Resolved (2003), That all College Panhellenics and Alumnae Panhellenics promote and encourage personal and informative Panhellenic-spirited contact with potential members at all times, year round b Members and alumnae should refer to the Panhellenic Code Ethics and the PNM Bill of Rights for guidance on the nature of all communication i Normal, social contacts should not be disrupted in the case of long standing friendships by prohibiting contact between sorority women and potential members Normal contact implies relatives, long standing friendships (i.e someone you would vacation with, remain close to after she is no longer a PNM), neighbors, co-workers This contact should still be Panhellenic Recruitment, not focused on a particular sorority However, each sorority is charged with the responsibility of seeing that an unfair advantage is not taken of such contacts and reporting if there is a concern ii Eliminate all gifts, favors, preference letters or notes for potential new members until they have accepted bids c Strict silence will be observed only between the start of the Recruitment Kick-Off Event (Sunday, August 19, 2018) and end after the bid presentation (Saturday, August 25, 2018), as stated in the NPC Manual of Information, and that normal friendly contact be advocated at all other times Strict Silence is defined as no communication, including: written, verbal, or electronic other than during specified Recruitment Events, between actives and PNMs, actives and PNMs’ family, actives and PNMs’ boyfriends/friends, actives and Rho Gammas C Recruitment Marketing a Members of the Panhellenic Executive Council will be responsible for all recruitment marketing efforts throughout the year and will provide consistent information for each sorority as agreed upon by the chapters and Panhellenic b In accordance with local ordinances, car decorations, such as shoe polish, are also prohibited the week before and during the week of Fall Recruitment Section – Primary Recruitment A Budgets - All chapters are highly encouraged to limit the amount budgeted for their Recruitment events both in the fall and spring This budget includes money spent on items that directly affect the PNMs including but not limited to: decorations, refreshments for PNMs, slideshow costs, skit costs, etc This budget does not include: Bid Day Chapters are responsible for abiding by the established guidelines for recruitment budgets B Format a Recruitment week format will be (university calendar allowing): i Day – Recruitment Kick-Off ii Day – Period I (Part 1) iii Day – Period I (Part 2) b c d e iv Day – Period II v Day – Period III vi Day – Preference vii Day – Bid Day The arrival of members and PNMs, events and dismals shall begin and end as outlined in the final recruitment schedule unless the Panhellenic Advisor, President or Recruitment Chairman has rescheduled times All chapter members may be present at each event in accordance with individual chapter guidelines All events must take place on Greek Circle, unless the chapter’s facility is deemed unfit i Groups arranging offsite events must make every effort to have events as close to Greek Circle as possible ii The chapter will be responsible for all expenses associated with the transportation of PNMs to an offsite location iii All rules associated with attire, decorations and presentations will still apply iv Plans for an alternate location must be presented to Panhellenic by July 15th Event Length i Period I • Each event will be twenty-five (25) minutes in length with a fifteen (15) minute break in between events ii Period II • Each event will be thirty (30) minutes in length with a fifteen (15) minute break in between events iii Period III • Each event will be forty-five (45) minutes in length with a fifteen (15) minute break in between events iv Preference • Each event will be (70) minutes in length with a forty (40) minute break in between events, with no penalty for early release C Attire a In agreement with NPC, chapters are prohibited from purchasing special membership recruitment outfits or requiring members individually to buy the same outfit It is suggested that certain colors or types of outfits be worn rather than using specially made or purchased outfits (Ex A member wears her own black dress instead of each member wearing identical black dresses) i Chapters may not require any of their members to order specific brands in regards to any of their attire ii Chapters may not bulk order any items that are to be worn, with the exception being the matching shirts that may be worn on Period iii Costumes or characterizations will not be permitted as attire during any period of recruitment b Period I i Matching screen printed or stitch letter t-shirts are allowed (See Section 5) ii All chapter members will wear collarless t-shirts with their sorority affiliation and appropriate bottoms (Ex Shorts, jeans, or similar appropriate casual attire) Dresses are prohibited c Appeals i For any chapter that desires to wear any outfit or piece of clothing not following the above guidelines, shall submit a proposal to the chapter recruitment officers before June 1st and must pass with a two thirds majority vote in order to wear the item(s) during Primary Recruitment D Decorations a All chapters will abide by the baseline set for décor which includes decorating only at the screen or presentation area, where PNMs are seated and one additional area for Periods I, II and III b All decorations may only be seen from inside the sorority lodge during Periods I, II and III c Draping should be used only for functionality (i.e to hide stored furniture, entrance/exit areas for members, etc.) d Preference i Minimal, additional outside front-yard lighting is permitted only along the sidewalk The purpose of this lighting must be to improve lighting so the PNMs are better able to see Enclosed tents and backyards used for this night will be allowed to have additional lighting E Presentations/ Conversation a No gifts, food, favors, preference letters or notes, etc may be given to PNMs until they have accepted bids b Welcoming and exiting songs/chants are permitted i Any song/chant that occurs throughout the week should not be delivered in an amplified way (Ex Chapter members may sing in a normal talking voice, not yell) ii In case of rain delay where PNM’s must be relocated into chapter lodges • Upon entrance, chapter is permitted to sing, but must make an effort to welcome PNM’s into the lodge as fast as possible (i.e no doorstacking during rain delay) • Upon exit, chapter is permitted to sing to PNM’s Doorstacking is permitted upon exit • When rescheduling, chapters will be allotted the full break period c Presentations are allowed during Period II and Period III i Must be provided by the collegiate members ii Must be confined to within the lodge Singing, clapping, or other entertainment will not be permitted outside iii Members should not be in costumes or use characterizations during any presentation d Chapter members are not allowed to bang on their windows, shutters, etc at the beginning or end of an event e Refreshments are only permitted during Preference Events f Period I i Should be light and casual in nature The focus should be on conversation g Period II i Should be slightly more serious in nature ii Must have a philanthropy and/or community service focus/theme iii Presentations will be limited to a video, slideshow or testimony highlighting the chapter’s philanthropy and community service • Video • • • Should be developed around the importance of the cause and the positive impact the chapter has made in the areas of fundraising, service to the community and awareness Every effort should be made to use candid event footage, member/community interviews and every day campus interactions To be reviewed by Panhellenic August 1, for the purpose of ensuring the majority of content is fitting for the round and all recruitment staff is removed • Presentation • Should focus primarily on values and benefits, should avoid the use of any comparative language (Code of Ethics) and limit focus on glorification of individual members • Use of PowerPoint or visual aids is permitted • Testimony • Live testimonies can focus on one or many members and their personal experiences as it relates to the topic of the day • Should be developed around experiences and benefits enjoyed as a part of the chapter, not around the reasoning or decision to join the group iv Presentations and accompanying introductions should last no more than 810 minutes h Period III i Should be more serious in nature ii Must have a Values-based focus/theme iii Presentations will be limited to a video, testimony, presentation or group song • Video • Should be developed around the core values of the Panhellenic community (academics, leadership, sisterhood, involvement) • Every effort should be made to use candid event footage, member interviews and every day campus interactions • To be reviewed by Panhellenic August 1, for the purpose of ensuring the majority of content is fitting for the round and all recruitment staff is removed • Presentation • Should focus primarily on values and benefits, should avoid the use of any comparative language (Code of Ethics) and limit focus on glorification of individual members • Use of PowerPoint or visual aids is permitted • Testimony • Live testimonies can focus on one or many members and their personal experiences as it relates to the topic of the day • Should be developed around experiences and benefits enjoyed as a part of the chapter, not around the reasoning or decision to join the group • Group Song • No choreographed movements • No special lighting or video accompaniment • Limited to minutes iv Presentations should last no more than 8-10 minutes i Preference i Preference events should be more serious in nature ii Refreshments are allowed at all events iii Ceremonies should last no more than 25 minutes F Volunteer Involvement a Alumnae and Mother’s Club members may not participate in the recruiting of PNMs throughout the entire week of recruitment They are permitted to assist with any functional needs of the chapter (i.e meals for active members, re-filling snacks, checking lines, decorations, etc) b If a chapter falls below 100 members, alumnae may be permitted to assist with the recruitment of PNMs i This will be determined using the Chapter Roster Update forms submitted prior to Fall Primary Recruitment ii The total number of alumnae allowed to assist will equal the average chapter size at the time of Fall Primary Recruitment iii Chapters utilizing alumnae to recruit are responsible for educating their alumnae on the current year’s Recruitment Rules and must designate their alumnae status to PNMs c No men may be present at any Recruitment events d A chapter member or alumna member is permitted to check the line of PNMs before the event begins to ensure they are in the correct order e Initiated collegiate members, new members, and national sorority representatives may assist the chapter with membership recruitment activities Section – Bid Day A Each chapter will be provided with a list of all PNMs who have been matched to their chapter at a time agreed to with Panhellenic Executive Council Additionally, chapters will be provided with a list of the PNMs who are eligible for COB/COR B All new members will have the opportunity to sign the New Member Verification (“Blue Card”) cards supplied by Panhellenic Executive Council before they board the Bid Day buses If a PNM decides to accept the bid at a later date, the chapter is responsible for turning in the appropriate documentation to Panhellenic within 24 hours C Chapters must inform the Panhellenic Exec Council as to where Bid Day events will be held The address and phone number of this location must also be provided prior to Recruitment week In accordance with the NPC Unanimous Agreements, Section VI, 2, C-D, alcoholic beverages and the participation of men in recruitment and bid day activities is prohibited Recruitment is defined as beginning the first day of period I and ending at the time bids are distributed on Bid Day Bid Day is defined as the twenty-four (24) hour period following the distribution of bids Section – Role of Panhellenic Council A Deadlines/Fines a Penalties for invitations and bid lists include: i $50.00 for the first fifteen (15) minutes and $10.00 for every five (5) minutes thereafter ii $150.00 for bid lists turned in late on preference night b Penalties for coming out of an event late will be $5.00 per minute Event time is determined by when the door opens at the beginning of the event and concludes at the time the door closes at the end of the event c Penalties for videos that are to be reviewed by the Panhellenic Council that are not submitted by August 1st will be $150 Chapters must notify The Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment 48 hours prior to August 1st if the video will not be submitted on time in order to avoid the fine d Penalties associated with deviations from this policy will be determined by TTU Panhellenic judicial action (outlined in Section 6) e Timeline of when lists are due from sororities will be presented on the final recruitment schedule f The final list of eligible PNMs will be available to all chapters on or before August 13, 2018 B Rho Gammas a Selection of Rho Gammas will be in the spring b Responsibilities and Expectations of Rho Gammas i A Rho Gamma shall not work during Primary Recruitment week ii A Rho Gamma must have been through at least one Fall Primary Recruitment as an active iii Rho Gammas shall attend pre-Recruitment workshops as scheduled by the Panhellenic Executive Council Excuses for absences must be approved prior to workshops by the Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment, Vice President of Recruitment Elect, or Panhellenic Advisor iv A Rho Gamma will be required to pay a fee of $100 if they are released for any reason to assist in the costs of lodging for the week as well as t-shirts worn by Rho Gammas v A Rho Gamma will be required to move into the official Panhellenic Recruitment hotel beginning at the specified time and will not be in contact with their chapter members at any point during Recruitment vi A Rho Gamma will be required to abide by the Texas Tech University Student Code of Conduct at all times vii A Rho Gamma will be required to have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative grade point average prior to Rho Gamma selections c Disassociation from their respective chapters will begin on August 1st, prior to Primary Recruitment C Stipends a Two (2) members of the Panhellenic Recruitment Team will remain in Lubbock to manage the preliminary mechanics of Recruitment b Elected Vice President of Recruitment and Vice President of Recruitment Elect must minimally stay in Lubbock for one of their two elected summers The Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment shall receive a stipend in the amount of $2000 and the Vice President of Recruitment Elect and/or proxy shall receive a stipend in the amount of $1000 Both stipends shall be distributed either at the conclusion of recruitment or in two payments at the end of each month (June -July 1) c If either student chooses to forego the summer position, it may be offered to the rest of the recruitment team D Recruitment-Related Proposals a All recruitment-related proposals will be voted upon by the recruitment chairman (or proxy) of that chapter Once a vote has been made, the final vote will be taken at delegate b Recruitment votes will occur during the meeting the proposal is announced In the case chapters need more time to discuss, the vote may be extended to the next meeting at the request of a recruitment chairman c Any proposal that directly alters the recruitment rules will require a two-thirds vote to pass Section – Infractions A All NPC UNANIMOUS AGREEMENTS shall be upheld B All recruitment infractions must follow the procedures as outlined in the 20th Edition of the NPC Manual of Information and the Texas Tech University Panhellenic Council Bylaws Article XII C Enforcement of Guidelines a To enforce compliance with the sanctioned primary recruitment period, chapters shall be left to police and discipline themselves with oversight and guidance from their national organizations b All rules and regulations must be upheld by all chapter members, regardless of if they are actively recruiting c TTU Panhellenic will notify chapter leadership of deviations from this policy when informed and will expect immediate action from the national organization, local organization, and/or TTU Panhellenic judicial action d Sanctions and fines will be determined through the mediation or judicial board hearing process i Possible sanctions include: social probation, required training from the NPC Area Advisor or chapter’s district team at the expense of the chapter, apology letter to community, documented workshops, etc ii Sanctions will be determined on a case by case basis Section – Release Figure Method (RFM) A During Recruitment, chapters are strongly encouraged to follow the NPC Recruitment Release Figure Method (RFM) and work with and abide by numbers provided by the NPC RFM Specialist B Every junior or senior who signs a MRABA will be hand matched and offered a bid Every attempt to distribute the juniors equally among the sororities, while taking the preferences of the juniors into account, will be made In order to hand match juniors and seniors, chapters will email their preferences in rank order to gogreekttu@gmail.com by the time lists are due Section – Snap Bidding A If any chapter does not take quota during primary Recruitment, the Snap Bidding Procedures outlined in the NPC Manual of Information 20th ed will be utilized B Eligibility a Snap bidding is allowed only for those chapters that did not match to quota in the bid-matching process b Women who participated in at least the first round of recruitment are eligible for snap bidding c Women listing intentional single preferences on their membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement (MRABA) are eligible for snap bidding C Procedure a The recruitment chairman or the recruitment advisor of each chapter not matching to quota will be notified to submit their snap bid list to the fraternity/sorority advisor b The fraternity/sorority advisor works with the chapters not matching to quota, and either the fraternity/sorority advisor or a Panhellenic officer contacts the potential new members to extend snap bid invitations c A potential new member may be offered more than one snap bid For this reason it is advisable for the fraternity/ sorority advisor or a Panhellenic officer to contact the potential new member, and it is important for the potential new member to understand that she is receiving more than one opportunity to pledge if that should be the case d Snap bids should be extended prior to the distribution of bids and the start of Bid Day activities e The procedure is used only to fill quota spaces f Snap bidding ends when bids are distributed Continuous open bidding (COB) begins as soon as Bid Day begins (see Section 10) Section - Chapter Total A Total is the allowable chapter size as determined by the College Panhellenic B Automatic Annual Reset of Total a To allow chapters to achieve parity as quickly as possible, total will be automatically adjusted every regular academic term b This is to be done no later than 72 hours following bid distribution in the academic term that primary recruitment is held and within one week (no more than seven days) from the start of the academic term(s) in which primary recruitment is not held c Total will be determined after calculating MCS i Median Chapter Size (MCS) based on the size of the average between the sixth and seventh-largest chapter in a system of twelve NPC organizations C Roster Updates a Every regularly enrolled undergraduate woman who is a new member and/or initiated member of a chapter on that particular campus shall be counted as a member of the college chapter b Every regularly affiliated undergraduate transfer shall be counted as a member of the college chapter on that campus, affiliation to be defined as meeting the requirements of the individual member organization c Any member who is away from campus for the entire academic year is not counted in total Members away for one academic term are counted in total D Vacancies in Total Chapter Size a Vacancies in the chapter membership roll can be filled only if the chapter is below total A chapter may exceed total as a result of its participation in a Panhellenic recruitment when quota-total and a preferential bidding system are used If at any time during the academic year a chapter falls below total, the chapter is eligible to COB to reach total again b Vacancies may be reported to the Fraternity & Sorority Life office at any time during the year, but must be provided once every quarter i August – Monday of Work Week ii November – Final day of classes during the fall term iii January – Following the first chapter meeting of the spring term iv May – Final day of classes during the spring term Section 10 – Continuous Open Bidding A Each NPC sorority chapter has the right to COB to reach quota or its total allowable chapter size during the regular school year as defined by the school calendar B COB procedures outlined in the NPC Manual of Information 20th ed will be followed C Eligibility a COB is open to all unaffiliated female students on campus without any requirement of prior participation in a primary recruitment period b Vacancies in Quota i Following the distribution of bids, a vacancy in quota occurs in the following situations: When a woman refuses to accept her matched bid at the conclusion of membership recruitment When a woman does not participate in a ribbon or primary new member pledging ceremony and/or does not sign documentation or agreements with the member organization indicating her intent to pledge the group ii A chapter may immediately bid and pledge another woman, in these situations, even if the chapter is over total However, if a chapter has received quota additions, the chapter may only pledge additional women to the established quota They cannot offer bids to or pledge additional women to fill vacancies in quota additions c Vacancies in Total i Following the distribution of bids (thirty minutes after the report time for PNMs for Bid Day), if a chapter did not pledge to chapter total, they are permitted to conduct Continuous Open Bidding/Recruitment once Primary Recruitment bids have been distributed to PNMs on Bid Day E Any women offered a bid through COB/COR will be required to sign a Continuous Open Bidding Acceptance Binding Agreement This form is due to the Panhellenic Advisor within 24 hours of signing