Recruitment Terms

Bid Day: The last day of recruitment, when potential new members receive bids to join chapters and become new members. Each chapter will usually host a Bid Day activity to help the new members get to know each other and the rest of the chapter, like bowling or roller skating. The NPC Unanimous Agreements state there is to be no alcohol use or men associated with recruitment or Bid Day.

Intentional single preference: When a woman lists only one chapter on her membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement (MRABA) following the preference round of primary recruitment.

Legacy: A daughter, sister or granddaughter of an initiated member of a sorority. Typically, different NPC member organizations have different definitions of legacies. Being a legacy does not guarantee a bid to a particular sorority. Each NPC member organization has its own policy for invitations to legacies during recruitment.

Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA): This is a one-year binding agreement signed by a potential new member (PNM) when ranking chapters after preference round of recruitment. A PNM agrees to accept a bid from any chapter she lists on her MRABA, with a maximum of two listed. If a PNM receives a bid to a sorority she lists and declines it, she is bound to it for one year or until the next primary recruitment period, meaning she cannot accept a bid to any other organization during this period. If a PNM signs an MRABA and does not receive a bid, she is eligible for continuous open bidding or snap bidding.

New member: A woman who has accepted a bid from a sorority but is not yet an initiated, active member of that chapter. Chapters will have a new member process during which the new members learn more about the sorority and prepare them for initiation.

Potential New Member (PNM): A woman who is eligible to participate in recruitment. Chapters might use the term PNM to refer to any woman eligible for recruitment.

Preference round: Referring to the last round of primary recruitment.

Quota: The number of potential new members that each chapter can offer bids to during primary recruitment. This is determined with a formula involving the number of chapters and the number of women participating in bid matching.

Recommendation letter: A form completed by an alumna member of a sorority recommending a potential new member for membership. Recommendations may be more important at some campuses than others.

Recruitment Counselor (Rho Gamma): A sorority member who may or may not be disassociated from her sorority to serve as a recruitment guide. They are a resource for questions or concerns during primary recruitment. Each potential new member will be assigned a recruitment counselor during primary recruitment.

Silence period: A period of time after the end of membership recruitment events and prior to the distribution of bids when there is no communication between potential new members and sorority members.

Snap bidding: An option available to chapters that did not match to quota. Chapters may offer bids to potential new members whose preferences were not matched after preference round. Snap bids should be coordinated and extended through the College Panhellenic, prior to the distribution of bids and the start of Bid Day activities.

Total: The allowable chapter size on a campus, as determined by the College Panhellenic, including new and active members. Chapters that fall under total may be allowed to participate in continuous open bidding until they reach total.

Values-based recruitment: A recruitment style that focuses on meaningful conversations between collegiate members and potential new members with the goal of recruiting women who will have a positive impact on chapters and the College Panhellenic community. Nonessential features such as skits, elaborate decorations and costumes are removed from the process, and the focus is on the values, benefits and obligations of membership for each organization.

The MRABA – a jumble of letters you’ve likely heard from your student participating in a Panhellenic recruitment process.

It can feel like a daunting end to the recruitment process, especially for you who has just completed an entire weekend full of recruitment rounds.

Not to fret! This guide will provide some helpful knowledge to fully understand the MRABA document and provide you with tips!

The Basics

MRABA is just an acronym for “Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement.” At its core level, the MRABA is just that – a binding agreement. The agreement must be signed at the completion of recruitment in order for a potential member to receive a bid of membership from a sorority.

The MRABA gives every potential new member a chance to be fully informed of all her options for joining a sorority. It is very important that you should only sign the MRABA when you fully understand the contract you are signing. Signing this document is your acknowledgment that you understand the terms and conditions.

The idea of a contract can feel a little scary, but the MRABA exists to help walk you through your next steps and to help you make the best decision for yourself. While the MRABA might physically look a little different from campus to campus, the information on it should be the same. After filling out some personal information including name, contact information, etc., you  will continue down the form to complete the MRABA.

At Gettysburg College, potential new members digitally sign the MRABA online with the CampusDirector software. This is why you register for recruitment on this external site. In 2022, we will use the PNM Companion app on PNM's phones to submit preferences and sign the MRABA. If phones are not available, computers will be provided for PNMs to submit their preferences and MRABA.

Want more details about the language within the document? Check this out: https://thesororitylife.com/family-friends/learn/a-guide-to-the-membership-recruitment-acceptance-binding-agreement-mraba-form/

What are the benefits?

It is a common misconception that only a certain type of woman can join a sorority.

The NPC sorority experience is for all women who choose to join. The truth is that not every woman in the world will find that she wants to be in a sorority, and that’s okay! Recruitment provides a safe and educational space to make this discovery. Let’s look at who might want to join a sorority by discovering what the experience can provide members...

Check out this article for more: https://thesororitylife.com/family-friends/learn/who-should-join-a-sorority/

Let's see...

Do I want to join a sorority? That is a question that many young women attending college ask themselves. Sorority offers students a way to get involved on campus and become connected with like-minded women. But, how do you decide if being a sorority woman is for you?

The first step is learning what sorority really is. Let’s put aside stereotypes we see in movies and think about what the sorority experience is like in real life....

Check this article out for the complete story: https://thesororitylife.com/potential-members/learn/is-a-sorority-right-for-me/

1. Register for Recruitment
2. Meet Your Recruitment Guide (Rho Gamma) - she will send you a message to add you to a Groupme for your group
3. Now the fun part: meet the chapters on day one of recruitment! You will go to every sorority on campus – which can be very tiring. Keep an open mind as you meet chapter members rather than relying on preconceived notions or secondhand information. Each day after you will go to fewer sororities. But, you will have longer periods of time with each chapter so you can really get to know the women.​

Ask Questions

As the women get to know you they will probably ask about your major, your passions, where you’re from. The overlooked part is that you are also getting to know them. You can ask them the same questions. In fact, it is encouraged. What sorority you join is up to you so take this valuable time to get to know the women. You should also ask about their organization.

• What sisterhood or philanthropy events do they hold? What kind of academic support do they provide? Use this time to get to know each chapter and ask about things you value. For example, if you value being in an organization that is service-oriented, you can ask the member(s) you meet about the service opportunities provided by the chapter.​
• What kind of academic support do they provide? Use this time to get to know each chapter and ask about things you value. For example, if you value being in an organization that is service-oriented, you can ask the member(s) you meet about the service opportunities provided by the chapter.​
• Use this time to get to know each chapter and ask about things you value. For example, if you value being in an organization that is service-oriented, you can ask the member(s) you meet about the service opportunities provided by the chapter.​

Evaluate Chapters

After each round of recruitment, you get to prioritize which chapters you want to visit the next day. This can be really easy the first day and can get harder and harder. Maybe you have no clue at all from day one. That is OK. Remember, you have your Rho Gamma to talk through your choices.​

Chapter Invitation

As you are making decisions, so are the sororities. This mutual selection process may mean not going back to a chapter you prioritized highly. You may receive an invitation to a chapter you have indicated as a low priority. Consider this an opportunity to get to know the chapter further as they have identified you as someone who fits the values and expectations of their organization.​

Are legacies (those who have family members that are part of an organization) more likely to get a bid?​​

At Gettysburg, no. In years past, ​women were almost equally likely to receive a bid whether they were a legacy (72%) or not (75%). 55% of legacies ended up receiving and accepting a bid from a chapter other than the one(s) they were a legacy for.

I'm a Junior or Senior, will I actually get a bid if I go through?​

Candidly, we recognize chapters have historically prioritized sophomore students. We utilize a secondary quota model that allows for sophomores and juniors/seniors to be reviewed independently of one another. That way, juniors and seniors can be considered for what they'll bring to the chapter without being compared to sophomores.

Does it matter what color outfit I wear for Preference (Sunday morning's round)​

No. Some chapters will choose to all wear one color (whether one of their organization colors or white or black), but the color you wear will not impact how you're perceived by the chapter.​

If I get asked back to a chapter I didn't rank as highly, did their rankings of me outweigh the rankings of the chapter(s) I scored higher?

No. ​The Potential New Member's preferences are always prioritized. For example, if two chapters both ranked you highly/invited you to the next round, you would go to the one you ranked higher. If you return to a chapter you did not score as highly, it means the ones you scored higher noted they had not developed as strong a connection with you as they had other PNM's and chose to not invite you to the next round.

Does everyone get a bid?

It is possible to not receive a bid. At Gettysburg, an overwhelming majority of the women who do not receive bids did not receive one due to withdrawing or single-intentional preferencing. ​Of those who participate in the entire recruitment process, over 90% have historically received a bid.

What if I only want to be in one/some of the organizations?​

Keep an open mind and look at all the options available to you. No one can guarantee you a bid to a particular organization. Decide first if you are generally interested in a fraternity or sorority experience, then explore all the chapters to see what each one offers. If you are interested in Greek Life broadly and keep an open mind, there is a place for you in the Greek community.​

Ask Questions

If you are a college woman going through sorority recruitment, then chances are you will be nervous and have no idea what to talk about. But that is okay. We all want to make a good first impression, so just relax. I was nervous during my recruitment weekend but writing down my questions helped me keep the conversation going. The trick is to remember you are making a friend. Ask questions that you want to know about a friend.

Questions About Sorority Life

• What can I gain from becoming a sorority woman?

• How do you balance sorority life on top of classes, work, internships, clubs, sports, etc.?

• What is the time commitment?

• What types of events do you host?

Questions About Women in the Chapter

• What is your experience like being a sorority woman?

• Why did you join your sorority?

• Do you have sisters that are involved in other campus activities?

• What are some of your chapter sisters majoring in?

Questions About Community Engagement

• What is your philanthropy?

• What events or activities do you do to support your philanthropy?

• What kinds of service do you do in the community?

• How often do you participate in or host a service activity?

• Tell me about your favorite philanthropy or service activity.

Questions About Finances

• How much are dues for a new member?

• What is included with my dues?

• How are dues paid?

• When do dues need to be paid?

• How much are dues for an initiated member?

Questions About Academics

• How does your chapter support the academic goals of members?

• What academic help/resources do you have for members?

• Does your chapter offer any scholarship opportunities?

• Do you connect members with the same major?

One major tip when asking questions is to be confident. Don’t be afraid to ask something that you are truly curious about. Chances are, you might bond over the question that was asked.

Questions can be found on this site: https://thesororitylife.com/potential-members/learn/questions-to-ask-during-recruitment/