BID CARDS

[blueangel]

I heard some kind of noise on my door, a lot of giggling.. and a lot of shhhing!

Then I heard a knock...followed by at least two or more pair of feet running away.

When I opened the door, there was nobody there... but there was a big blue cardboard crown taped to my door with ZTA written in silver sparkles, a flower, and an envelope. It was my bid card.... a really sweet handwritten note which I still have today. I still have my cardboard crown, and the now pressed flower too.

That was followed up later in the night by a phone call from one of the sisters at the house asking me if I would accept.

I liked the way this was done because it didn't catch you "on the spot." You had some time to let it all sink in and give an answer.

[GeekyPenguin]

I am pretty sure my chapter still does this - they are at a small enough school that it's possible. We all pile into a few cars and drive over to the new member's dorm or apartment and one sister will go in and ask her to join us downstairs. If we're a dorm where there is more than one girl, a sister (usually the preffer) will go bring each girl down to the dorm, where we'll sing one nice song and then hand them their bid cards. After that we sing a rowdy, louder song and usually everyone in the dorm is looking down.

[AlexMack]

Haha, mine was pretty funny. I went to one informal event at Sigma Kappa and I wasn't sure about the chapter so I didn't go back again. After I was turned down by another chapter, I got back in touch with SK to see if they were COBing. They emailed back the same day, said they wanted to take me out for coffee and they came and picked me up.
We went to Starbucks and just hung out and I really really felt so comfortable with these girls.
In the car on the way back, the COB chair, Michelle told me they may or may not have dropped off my bid card before coming to get me (they wanted me after meeting me just once, how cool is that?!) and it may or may not be in the Greek Life office. They drove me there, I went in, found it, inwardly screamed, signed it and came out with a HUGE smile on my face.
I believe all the bids have to go to the Greek Life Office on my campus, at least during informal, but I thought the way I got my bid was pretty damn awesome.

[violetpretty]

Yeah, I'd be pretty freaked by the celebration if I wasn't so sure about a chapter. Sometimes PNMs will hold out for others and it could be potentially very uncomfortable if you don't sign. It seems like this craziness is pretty prevalent though. What happens if someone doesn't accept?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

What happens if someone doesn't accept?

During informal, my chapter only had girls who were interested in joining fill out grade release forms and such. If a girl wasn't sure if she'd accept or was just "checking us out", she just didn't put her name on the Panhellenic grade check form for us to check her grades for eligibility. So my chapter never had the issue of "if she doesn't accept" because the only girls we considered for membership were girls who indicated they were interested in joining (by filling out grade release sheets).

[navane]

I think I might feel a little bit awkward if a bunch of sisters came to my dorm and started cheering and handing me gifts. What if I wasn't sure I wanted to accept their bid?

When I went through informal recruitment, on a visit to one sorority, I witnessed their bid process. They took one girl out into the hall of the student union and [apparently] offered her a bid. A sister then led her back in and announced to the many sisters and guests present that Rhonda Rushee has accepted an invitation to be an XYZ. Then, the girls started cheering. The new member looked so surprised, happy and overwhelmed.

As for me, I had spent a while visiting all of the party rooms that evening. About an hour or so after I got home, the President of ABC phoned me and said that the sisters would like to invite me to membership. Since I had only talked to them for like an hour at most, I wanted to get to know them better. The President thought that was ok and invited me around to additional events.

I think I kind of like what ZTA did for Blueangel. It was cute and fun, without making a big fuss and making anyone feel obligated. The same goes for "XYZ" I mentioned above. The PNM was offered a bid in private which is really good in case she has questions or is unsure. Then, the sisters could make a fuss after she had accepted.


.....Kelly

[lindz0722]

i was also surprised at my dorm with balloons and a bid card during informal recruitment. it was very exciting and unexpected.
however, i felt a little awkward because i was eating sour cream & onion potato chips and was well aware of how my breath probably smelled! also, i was wearing sweatpants and a sports bra.

(of course, now that these girls are my sisters i have no problem walking around in my bra with smelly food.... but i felt embarassed at the time!)

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by navane

I think I might feel a little bit awkward if a bunch of sisters came to my dorm and started cheering and handing me gifts. What if I wasn't sure I wanted to accept their bid?

When I went through informal recruitment, on a visit to one sorority, I witnessed their bid process. They took one girl out into the hall of the student union and [apparently] offered her a bid. A sister then led her back in and announced to the many sisters and guests present that Rhonda Rushee has accepted an invitation to be an XYZ. Then, the girls started cheering. The new member looked so surprised, happy and overwhelmed.

As for me, I had spent a while visiting all of the party rooms that evening. About an hour or so after I got home, the President of ABC phoned me and said that the sisters would like to invite me to membership. Since I had only talked to them for like an hour at most, I wanted to get to know them better. The President thought that was ok and invited me around to additional events.

I think I kind of like what ZTA did for Blueangel. It was cute and fun, without making a big fuss and making anyone feel obligated. The same goes for "XYZ" I mentioned above. The PNM was offered a bid in private which is really good in case she has questions or is unsure. Then, the sisters could make a fuss after she had accepted.


.....Kelly

If you don't want to accept the bid then you don't call us by 12 on Friday or whatever we make the deadline - it's really not a big deal. Generally with my chapter if someone is at preference they will be joining. We also have a bid day but since we're such a commuter school many new members can't make it and the fuss at their dorm or apartment is the only fuss they will get.

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

If you don't want to accept the bid then you don't call us by 12 on Friday or whatever we make the deadline - it's really not a big deal. Generally with my chapter if someone is at preference they will be joining. We also have a bid day but since we're such a commuter school many new members can't make it and the fuss at their dorm or apartment is the only fuss they will get.

It's the same with my chapter. If the girl doesn't want to accept the bid, she doesn't show up to bid night. Simple as that. She doesn't have to give us her answer on the spot.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by OTW

It's the same with my chapter. If the girl doesn't want to accept the bid, she doesn't show up to bid night. Simple as that. She doesn't have to give us her answer on the spot.

Do you go back to pick up the gifts? I am dead serious about this question. How do handle someone having your letters on a shirt or something if they decide not to join?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Do you go back to pick up the gifts? I am dead serious about this question. How do handle someone having your letters on a shirt or something if they decide not to join?

We gave gifts at a bid day, but not with the bid. We wouldn't give our letters out before then. I'm not sure that we never gave anything else like flowers, etc. though.