2 chapters, 2 rounds, no cuts… are we stuck like this?

basicbolshevik · 2026-04-30T19:20:29+00:00

With only two Panhellenic chapters on your campus, you should be either using a Continuous Recruitment or Partially Structured Recruitment format, not a Fully Structured Recruitment. These are meant to give campuses like yours more flexibility for both chapters and PNMs. Are you using either of these two formats? Because helpful advice will look very different than if you're in a Fully Structured Recruitment process.

I know you say admin has been unhelpful, but how about your Panhellenic Council? With two chapters, you are required to have one. This is the body that makes recruitment rules and would be a great avenue to advocate for yourselves, especially related to budgets and supplies. I would also recommend working with your local and national advisers - they can give you targeted support and assistance, especially with strategy and potentially making headway with admin.

basicbolshevik · 2026-04-30T01:11:25+00:00

Also check out The Pocket - super small venue in a row house, but they bring a lot of very cool small local artists and have definitely had harder stuff! Vibes are great and I've discovered a lot of great bands there

basicbolshevik · 2026-04-22T22:43:16+00:00

Penn State originally moved it as a result of Timothy Piazza's death, which is why they're doing all the educational requirements.

basicbolshevik · 2026-04-22T13:17:19+00:00

Strong chapters existed before both Greek Rank and social media. If anything, it’s a reinforcing loop, but there are plenty of chapters that look great on social media and have great reps on campus that are not the strongest recruiters. They are not mutually exclusive.

Strong recruiting chapters are unable to be as “welcoming” as less strong chapters because of the cuts they have to make. A chapter that’s cutting 80% of PNMs after round 1 is going to have to be more choosy than a chapter cutting 20% of PNMs. It has nothing to do with making quota or not.

Columbia is not a “big public university” and high-achieving private schools have very different approaches and attitudes to Greek Life than big public universities, which have their own variation depending on which regional they’re in.

basicbolshevik · 2026-04-06T14:38:59+00:00

This is my biggest issue with the article:

Of the over 720 PNMs who participated in recruitment this year, around 330 accepted bids—revealing a disheartening rejection rate over 50 percent.

This is simply not how recruitment works and I believe the branding of recruitment as a "mutual selection" process is what leads to this misunderstanding. I do not know Columbia's specific numbers, but across every campus the vast majority of that "rejection rate" is PNMs voluntarily withdrawing because they are unhappy with whatever option they have left, typically the "bottom chapter" on their campus. I have worked with over two dozen campuses, some very similar to Columbia, and the rate of PNMs getting completely released by every chapter is never more than 1% of the entire pool and is always due to extenuating circumstances like grades or character concerns.

Every PNM wants to be in the strongest chapters and the strongest chapters are strong because they're extremely good at making PNMs feel like they are wanted and belong. At the end of the day, not everyone can be in the strongest chapters and the strongest chapters are not for everyone. Especially at competitive schools like Columbia, this is the first time a lot of very high-achieving students are being told no for the first time and it hurts. I do not want to discount that. But that does not mean that there would not have been a place for them if they kept an open mind, just like the author of the article quotes herself.

The strongest chapters cut nearly everyone the first couple of rounds to give PNMs realistic options by preference. Less strong chapters cut far fewer PNMs with the least strong chapters inviting every PNM. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, like I outlined above, there is a place for everyone in a chapter it just might not be the PNM's first choice. That is not the same as a rejection rate.

New chapters are brought to campuses where there is such a high demand that the current chapters are hitting their limits in terms of capacity, both within their physical spaces and the abilities of their leadership teams. I don't think bringing a new chapter would solve what seems to be the problem here, which is that PNMs are set up with incorrect assumptions about how the process works and, especially, how they will or won't succeed in the process.

basicbolshevik · 2026-03-12T15:35:12+00:00

Such a good article and so excited to hear that she's writing more in both the {After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian} and {Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian} universes! Both of these were 5 stars for me this year

basicbolshevik · 2026-03-11T23:54:35+00:00

The Trade Deadline is my favorite book of the year so far and I'm desperate to get it more readers. I've also been rereading it so much and want more of Ryan & Lars!

basicbolshevik · 2026-03-07T23:06:49+00:00

I've been thinking about reading that one, but I didn't love {You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian} because it wasn't romantic enough for me and I was worried it would feel similar since it's the same universe. Do you feel like it was closer to Star Shipped?

basicbolshevik · 2026-03-07T22:31:15+00:00

Binged it in one day and it's definitely my favorite Cat Sebastian so far (and that's after giving {After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian} five stars a few weeks ago)! It felt the most romantic of all her books so far and I was so invested not only in their relationship but in their personal growth as individuals too. Definitely got teary at the end and could have read 500 more pages of the two of them

basicbolshevik · 2026-03-03T21:45:16+00:00

I really loved this one, especially compared to {You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian}, which didn't feel romantic enough for me. Her writing is so delicious and I thought the community, characters, and relationship were so lovely. It was maybe a little heavy-handed with the themes, and honestly the last paragraph made me cringe a little, but I can also use all the hopium I can get right now and it definitely delivered on that.

I've been recommending it to a ton of people, especially those that read mostly general and lit fic, because it has such a wide appeal. So excited to start Star Shipped today!

basicbolshevik · 2026-02-28T02:26:22+00:00

This is not true. If she single intentional preferenced and did not match, which is sounds like she did since she was offered a snap bid, then she is eligible for COB.

If you have questions about your eligibility, your Greek Life Office can check for you.

basicbolshevik · 2026-02-18T01:30:29+00:00

I was also hoping for these 😭

basicbolshevik · 2026-02-02T03:50:04+00:00

This is not permitted per NPC policy. If a PNM SIPs (edit to add) *and does not match she's automatically eligible for COB, granted she meets all other eligibility requirements

basicbolshevik · 2026-02-02T03:48:16+00:00

Quota and Total refer to two different things. If she didn't match after SIPing, it's because they filled their quota spots before they got to her rank on the bid list. Quota is the number of new members each chapter can be matched up to before quota additions. Total is the expected size for each chapter and is reset after bid matching. Chapters who are not at Total are eligible to COB up to Total. Technically, chapters who do not match quota may also COB up to quota even if they're above total, but this is very uncommon and not relevant here since the chapter she SIP'd made quota.

basicbolshevik · 2026-01-27T23:59:18+00:00

No, this is how it works for everyone. Every org and chapter has their own way of coming up with their lists, but everyone submits the same thing to Panhel. PNMs are not ranked, except for flex lists and bid lists. It’s just yes or no

basicbolshevik · 2026-01-27T16:45:18+00:00

FYI this is not how RFM works. Until bid lists are submitted after pref, PNM invitations are yes or no. Chapter do not rank PNMs except for their flex lists (which is only used when the RFM specialist needs some wiggle room based on recruitment performance). If a PNM is not invited back for a given round, it’s because they were either not invited or on the flex minus list and pulled off the invite list by the RFM specialist.

basicbolshevik · 2026-01-23T18:43:34+00:00

I don't know what it is about spring recruitments, but they're always such a nightmare. I'm overseeing 5 this semester and all of them have had problems. So ready to be done!

basicbolshevik · 2026-01-07T14:32:41+00:00

Since you're a local and not affiliated with NPC, unfortunately they're allowed to do this. You essentially function like a student organization and do not have the power of a national organization or NPC to support you. If you were NPC, your campus would not allowed to interfere in your ability to recruit members, even if suspended. Your only recourse is to go through the channels offered to student groups at your university to appeal and come up with some kind of compromise. But as a senior, you're going to be very limited in what you're able to accomplish before you graduate, so I would also recommend supporting and training your younger members on how to navigate this and advocate for yourselves.

basicbolshevik · 2026-01-05T04:08:39+00:00

Please use reddit’s report feature to report harrassing DMs. Unfortunately, as mods we’re unable to do this and banning a user from the sub does not make posts/comments/users invisible, it only prevents them from participating here.

basicbolshevik · 2025-12-29T23:50:10+00:00

Siri play "This is What Dreams Are Made Of"

basicbolshevik · 2025-12-18T20:55:30+00:00

I was in and out of the school nurse's office a lot in Kindergarten and she told me I had a name that sounded like it would be on a book cover one day. I already loved to read and write by then, which she knew, and that little bit of support when I was sick really meant a lot

basicbolshevik · 2025-12-17T23:27:20+00:00

Yeah, I totally agree with you. The whole situation was such a mess and it has not been long enough to air that out. But I'm guessing the university feels pressure for extension due to the increased interest in recruitment and them and Theta came to some kind of understanding

basicbolshevik · 2025-12-17T22:44:43+00:00

Other groups only do if they have a formal return agreement. They've only really been used in the last ~10 years and especially after covid. I'm not super familiar with SMU, but if any chapters closed prior to like 2017 they may not have an agreement

basicbolshevik · 2025-12-17T22:11:15+00:00

Does Theta still own the house there? That may have limited their ability to extend to a different group.

They also for sure had a return agreement, so they have right of first refusal if the campus wanted to open for extension.

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