Regarding the "Can I Join Another Group" threads

[PenguinTrax]

Per the National Panhellenic Conference unanimous agreements, once a member has been initiated into one group, she is ineligible for membership in another NPC member group. If an initiated member transfers to a university where her affiliated group is not in residence, she is eligible and encouraged to join the local alumnae chapter.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) also prohibits members initiated into other groups from joining an NPHC member sorority.

There have been numerous threads on this topic in both the Recruitment and Greek Life forums. Please take the time to read those threads.

[carnation]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[jennie3576]

seriously.....thank you so very much!

[bigred1959]

If you are given a bid to a sorority but haven't been initiated yet, can you do provisionial rush to try to get into another sorority?

[epchick]

Originally Posted by bigred1959

If you are given a bid to a sorority but haven't been initiated yet, can you do provisionial rush to try to get into another sorority?

Once you have accepted a bid to a sorority, you aren't allowed to bid or rush another sorority for one FULL calendar year.

Originally Posted by epchick

Once you have accepted a bid to a sorority, you aren't allowed to bid or rush another sorority for one FULL calendar year.

...on the same campus. If the PNM accepts a bid in the fall and transfers to another campus in the spring (or accepts a bid in the spring and transfers in the fall), she is allowed to participate in rush and accept a bid (if it is extended).

This is assuming she's asking about NPC sororities, of course.

[vaisbest]

So many schools and so many girls rush....play on words!....to get this done and I wish it was not done the second school starts for these freshmen. They end up in the wrong sorority because they have no clue what is a good fit for them. I know more kids that have dropped out due to not really liking the house they picked. or not realizing that the house does not have the same goals as they thought. then they are penalized because they can't drop and join the house they fit better with. Shame. it would be a much better social organization if all kids were required to wait until jan to rush. just my take.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by vaisbest

So many schools and so many girls rush....play on words!....to get this done and I wish it was not done the second school starts for these freshmen. They end up in the wrong sorority because they have no clue what is a good fit for them. I know more kids that have dropped out due to not really liking the house they picked. or not realizing that the house does not have the same goals as they thought. then they are penalized because they can't drop and join the house they fit better with. Shame. it would be a much better social organization if all kids were required to wait until jan to rush. just my take.

I agree, but NPC and the sororities don't.

[Kansas City]

Originally Posted by vaisbest

it would be a much better social organization if all kids were required to wait until jan to rush. just my take.

I disagree. Deferred recruitment is okay but it can lead to PNMs creating often inaccurate stereotypes of the chapters for when they do finally go through recruitment. I prefer fall recruitment (particularly for freshmen) when more PNMs have a more open mind when selecting a chapter.

[AOEforme]

Originally Posted by Kansas City

I disagree. Deferred recruitment is okay but it can lead to PNMs creating often inaccurate stereotypes of the chapters for when they do finally go through recruitment. I prefer fall recruitment (particularly for freshmen) when more PNMs have a more open mind when selecting a chapter.

Agreed. PNMs can end up in the wrong house because of these preconcieved stereotypes.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AOEforme

Agreed. PNMs can end up in the wrong house because of these preconcieved stereotypes.

But the other side of that coin is - better to have them hear all that, and then get to know the sisters and want to join "the fat house" anyway. That way you know they're there because they like the sisters and want to be there, not because it's the (supposed) most popular group.

We have had too many threads on here saying "I pledged XYZ my first semester and they are NOTHING like they were at rush." If you get to watch and meet sorority members for a semester, that problem disappears. (And if you wait until rush to meet anyone - your bad.)

Mods - can we maybe hook this onto a more pertinent thread or break it into one of its own? I can see it going off on a tangent and that's not what your sticky is for.

[vaisbest]

I totally agree. But when you read the comments like someone else posted that suggests you read something to tell you why your "angel"did not get a bid, it really tells you a lot about the lack of interest in how it all effects these kids. Ladies, these are kids. They are 18, fresh from home and playing grown-up. When I read ugly things telling you to move on if it does not work out, etc, I can only think one thing....girls, look at the mothers of the girls in your recruiting class. ask your moms if other moms like them. cause 9 time out of 10, the daughter acts very like the mother. I have seen many young ladies that have be appalled at the behavior of girls that are the "popular" ones in the sorority that is the popular one. maybe if you are worried that your sorority will get a bad rap, there is a valid reason for that. I have actually counseled someone that had a daughter attend a southern school where one group was on the surface, made up of those that do lots of service and lots of good work. But to their own sisters, they were very different. In her words, if you think the show Greek is just a show, you are wrong. It is exactly how sisters treat each other. And if she had had time to really see what these girls were like she would never had joined. Fall recruitment of freshmen is pushing them into something that many don't really fit into.

[Kansas City]

It's all going to depend on the campus and Greek life scene. The campus that I advise a chapter at has a very active Greek life with generally positive influences in all the chapters. I can't think of one chapter that is something other than what they "market" themselves as being during fall recruitment. Also, our recruitment is formal but not all that competitive and pre-conceived notions do tend to influence upperclassmen (at least on my campus) because freshmen just don't know any better. I would also say that the greatest majority of PNMs on my campus are freshmen (85%?) so it not our campus culture to sit around and wait a semester or a year to find out where you think that you might belong. By sophomore year, most Greeks at my school are actively involved leaders in their organizations.

[kellynoelley]

I just needed this clarification: According to the NPHC, can I join a national sorority if I am an alum of a local sorority?

Thanks!!!

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by kellynoelley

I just needed this clarification: According to the NPHC, can I join a national sorority if I am an alum of a local sorority?

Thanks!!!

Check out the sorority's national website and contact the sorority (not via GC) for additional insight.