Division of Student Affairs

2008-2009 Panhellenic Council Recruitment Rules

1. General Rules
2. Pre-Recruitment
3. Formal Recruitment
   1. Disaffiliation
   2. Parties
   3. Determining Quota
   4. Preference Day/Strict Silence
4. Open Recruitment

Section One: General Rules

1. The Panhellenic Council wishes to stress the importance of honorable recruiting. All sorority members and new members are expected to abide by the spirit as well as the letter of the recruitment regulations.
2. All members, alumnae and new members are responsible for knowing the recruitment rules.
3. All National Panhellenic Council (NPC) Unanimous Agreements shall be upheld.
4. Any violation of the Recruitment Rules is considered a recruitment infraction. All recruitment infractions shall be handled according to the Case Panhellenic bylaws.
5. The Membership Council will be responsible for assisting with formal recruitment activities, as stated in the Panhellenic Bylaws. Questions relating to clarifications of Recruitment Rules must be submitted in writing to the Panhellenic Vice President of Membership. Within twenty-four hours, the VP of Membership must notify in writing all chapters of her decision. In the event of a subjective question, the Vice President of Membership will consult the Membership Council for its input.
6. Ceiling is set at fifty. Chapters may not have more than fifty members.
7. All women joining a chapter must sign a Panhellenic Preference Card within five days of accepting a bid and will be bound to the terms of this card.
8. Chapter members are reminded that they must abide by the Code of Ethics at all times. The Code of Ethics reads as follows:

   We, the women of the Panhellenic Council at Case Western Reserve University, in order to promote harmony and goodwill between member sororities and to maintain friendly relations between fraternity women and non-fraternity women, adopt this Code of Ethics to be respected, observed, and adhered to by each member of the Panhellenic Council at all times and in all situations. No gifts are to be given to any woman prior to or during Formal Recruitment. Panhellenic Council members will not speak or act in any way that influences or biases a woman, positively or negatively, toward any particular sorority. Council members are fully expected to encourage women to participate in the recruitment process, but only in a manner that benefits the entire sorority community. Panhellenic Council members will not promise membership, nor make statements that may be perceived as a promise of membership, to any woman. Panhellenic Council members will behave responsibly with regard to alcohol consumption. Council members will not encourage or participate in the consumption of alcohol with freshmen and/or potential members, and will abide by state and federal laws with regard to alcohol consumption. This code is the foundation for a successful and positive Panhellenic community, and only through respect for it will each sorority benefit. Please exercise good judgment in every representation of sorority life. The Panhellenic Judicial Board reserves the right to review and interpret any violations of these ethics, and choose a suitable reprimand for the violating individual, group, or organization. Furthermore, no chapter members may influence a recruit in any way.

9. Sorority members must respect the rules and rights of the Potential members and abide by those rules and rights as Recruitment Rules.
10. All chapters will abide by the schedule developed by the Panhellenic Council, including party times, decoration and clean-up times, list deadlines, and meeting times.
11. Invitations and Invitation lists, bids and bid lists must be delivered in alphabetical order and on time. Each chapter is urged to supply an additional ten invites/bids in rank order to each list in the event that some names are lost in transit, such as dropping out of recruitment, etc. It is to the benefit of the chapter that they supply additional names. Women invited to a chapter’s preference party must be on that chapter’s bid list.
12. Following the close of Formal recruitment, the Panhel Vice President of Membership will distribute Formal Recruitment Evaluations for the individual chapters as well as to the newly inducted members. The Recruitment Chairs of each individual chapter are responsible for ensuring the completion and submission of their chapter’s Formal Recruitment Evaluations. The chapter Formal Recruitment Evaluations must be returned to the Panhel Vice President of Membership in order for the Panhellenic recruitment evaluation to be completed in a timely manner.

Section Two: Pre-Recruitment

Pre-recruiting is defined as influencing a freshman woman in her attitude toward any sorority.

1. During New Student Orientation, recruitment guides may not wear any form of identifying labels such as letters, buttons, or lavalieres representing their own sorority. Verbal affiliation may not be expressed unless specifically asked.
2. The Case Panhellenic Council believes that every woman should enter recruitment with an open mind. In order to ensure an unbiased attitude on the part of potential new members, all sorority women are required to follow the Panhellenic Code of Ethics. Any discrepancies regarding the behavior of a chapter or a chapter member in regards to pre-recruitment as described in the Code of Ethics should be brought to the Vice President of Membership.
3. Sororities may not engage in recruitment activities during the summer months. Sororities may not send any general letter of welcome to new students.
4. No freshman woman may attend a planned sorority event before Formal Recruitment unless sponsored by the Panhellenic Council. A planned sorority event is defined as a programmed function attended by more than five members from a single sorority.
5. Contact prior to Formal Recruitment via online social networks (i.e.: Facebook, MySpace, etc.) is generally discouraged. Specifically:
           
   1. Sorority-sponsored events advertised by these social networks may not include freshmen women on the invitation or attendees lists related to that event or group. It is the responsibility of the hosting chapter to maintain those lists.         
   2. One-on-one exchanges through these networks should be limited to include only those freshmen with whom the sorority woman has prior normal social contact. The sorority woman in the exchange must be able to justify her relationship.
   3. No freshmen women may be invited to join any chapter-specific groups.
6. No sorority woman may consume alcohol in the company of a freshman woman prior to the close of Formal Recruitment, nor may she provide, offer, or encourage a freshman woman to drink.
7. Personal and informative Panhellenic-spirited contact with potential new members is encouraged at all times, year round with the exception of those periods designated for Strict Silence.

Section Three: Formal Recruitment     

1. The recruitment registration fee will be $5.00, due before attending the third round of parties.

2. There will be no informal recruiting of any freshman woman before or during the formal recruitment period.

3.  Case Panhellenic will follow the Fully Structured Recruitment style per NPC specifications. (Events are to be value-based and include time to converse with the PNMs as well as discussion of the following: Scholarship, Leadership, Service/Philanthropy, Friendship, Citizenship/Member standards, and Alumnae life/lifetime membership.)

4. NPC believes that normal social contact should not be disrupted in the case of long standing friendships between sorority members and prospective recruits during formal recruitment. Normal social contact implies everyday activities and contact between friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. However, Greek Life, sororities, and recruitment may not be discussed except in a Panhellenic manner. No inquiries to or discussion of PNM preferences is allowed. Each sorority is charged with responsibility of seeing that unfair advantage is not taken of such contacts. Any discrepancies involving this policy should be directed to the Vice President of Membership.

5.  Formal Recruitment will take place on Saturday (1/23), Sunday (1/24), Saturday (1/30), and Sunday (1/31) of the spring semester. This spring recruitment shall begin on January 23, 2010 and will end on January 31, 2010. Bids will be extended on Monday, February 1, 2010.

6. Decorations inventories and any skit scripts are due to the Greek Life Office or to the VP of Membership by Friday, December 11, 2009. Final revisions must be approved by Friday, January 15, 2010.

7. Lists of sorority members are due to the Greek Life office by Monday, January 11, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

8. Sororities may not engage in open recruitment activities during formal recruitment. NO open bids may be extended from the beginning of the spring semester until the end of formal recruitment.

9. There will be no promising of bids directly or indirectly to any student by any member, new member, or alumna of a sorority during the formal recruitment period.

10. NO sorority may co-sponsor any event from the beginning of the spring semester through the end of formal recruitment. Events and activities include mixers, open parties, and philanthropy events. In the event of a dispute, the Vice President of Membership, in conjunction with the Director of Greek Life and the Panhellenic advisor, will have the discretion to determine if an event violates this rule. (Note: this includes mixers or open/closed parties with any fraternity)

11. Recruitment Counselors shall distribute to recruits a financial listing of the costs for all chapters. This list shall be compiled by the Panhellenic Council.

12.  Sororities may distribute a factual brochure to recruits during the second round of parties. Chapters may include a list of all fees incurred by sorority members during collegiate membership and must be approved by the Vice President of Membership.

13. All parties will be held in rooms specified by Panhellenic and times for parties shall be determined by lottery or other suitable system. All recruitment entertainment and activities are to be confined to the designated recruitment area(s).

14. From the beginning of the spring semester through the end of formal recruitment, no recruit shall visit the chapter area (floor/suite, chapter house, chapter room, etc). There shall be no house tours or formal recruitment parties held in a chapter area.

15. No sorority member, including new members and alumnae, may visit a potential recruit in her residence hall, apartment, or place of residence from the beginning of spring semester until the end of formal recruitment.

Article One: Disaffiliation

1. Recruitment Counselors, the Panhellenic President, President-elect, VP of Membership, and VP of Membership-elect shall    be disaffiliated from their chapters during formal recruitment.
2. Disaffiliation begins at the start of the spring semester.
3. Disaffiliated Chapter members may not wear letters or socialize publicly with their chapters and must uphold strict confidentiality of all recruitment information.
4. In terms of parties, the disaffiliation of chapter members should be upheld in such a way that does not seem unnatural or mysterious to the recruits. For example, pictures of disaffiliates in composites should not be covered up; but in a slide show, a picture vividly referring to a disaffiliate should be avoided. Any questions regarding the application of this guideline should be referred to the Vice President of Membership.

Article Two: Parties

1. Only chapter members, initiated members, and new members of the sorority may assist the chapter with recruiting during the formal recruitment period. House directors, alumnae, and members' parents may assist with food preparation, serving, and cleaning up.
2. Visiting national officers and alumnae may be introduced to the recruits but may not participate in recruiting.
3. Recruitment Counselors and disaffiliated members may only attend recruitment parties in an official capacity.
4. No national advisors may attend recruitment parties unless they have obtained the chapter's consent.
5. No men are allowed at formal recruitment parties.
6. No alcoholic beverages shall be served at formal recruitment parties.
7. No favors, gifts, preference letters or notes shall be presented to recruits from the sorority and or individual members until after the close of formal recruitment.
8. The use or purchase of elaborate costuming or special rush outfits is discouraged as is the use of outside decorations.
9. The ratio of initiated/new members to potential members is not to equal or exceed three to one during any portion of Formal Recruitment.
10. Chapters must not encourage single preferencing, nor talk about it. The chapter member should refer the question back to the Recruitment Counselors. Any mention of single preference or no preference shall be considered a recruitment infraction.
11. Panhellenic Council shall provide each recruit with name tags for all parties. Sororities may provide a recruit a name tag for their party; however, the sorority is responsible for the removal of the name tags before departure.
12. Recruits may not take anything out of a party with them. Chapter members are responsible for insuring that recruits do not leave the party with anything that has been given to them. This does not include the factual brochure distributed after the second party.
13. All recruitment skits should be evaluated for length and content. The use of skits during the first round of recruitment is not allowed.
14. The four recruitment parties will be based on Greek Life values. The first round will be based on scholarship; the second round will be service and must involve participation in a philanthropic or service activity. The third round will be leadership, and the fourth round (preference) will be ritual.
15. Decorations, as approved by the Panhellenic Vice President of Membership, the VP of Membership-elect, and the advisors to the Panhellenic Council, must be simplistic and/or thematically related to the corresponding value. No use of balloons will be approved.
16. Alumnae may only donate food or related items (e.g. plates, napkins, etc.). Any monetary contribution must be counted in the recruitment budget. The uniform recruitment budget per chapter is $850, $650 of which may come directly from chapter funds. The amount donated by alumnae may exceed $200 ONLY if chapter expenditures are less than $650.
17. The chapter treasurer shall follow the uniform recruitment budget, and turn in an itemized budget and a photocopy of all receipts to the Panhellenic Vice President of Membership by Monday, February 1, 2010 at 5 p.m. The Vice President of Membership will hand out information on how to format the itemized budget to be handed in each year.
18. Each individual chapter is responsible for the room that they use for the party. Chapters are expected to leave the room in the identical state in which it was found before the party, or they will be fined. There will be no use of tape, glitter, confetti, or candles. There is to be no red punch Thwing. The ban on candles will be strictly enforced due to fire hazard.
19. Chapters will be expected to check out with the VP of Membership, the VP of Membership-elect, the President, the President-elect, or the Coordinator. Checking out will entail attaining a signature from one of the above stating that the room was inspected and has been returned to its original state.
20. Following the third round of parties, chapters will be given one hour in which to compile their preference party invite list. Once that list is turned in chapters will be given one hour in which to return the room to its original condition.

Article Three: Determining Quota

1. The number of bids to be extended by each chapter shall be determined by the Quota Total System. Currently this number is determined after the third round of formal recruitment. An estimate or Quota Range will be provided for planning purposes during each round of formal recruitment.
2. All chapters shall use release figures.

Article Four: Preference Day/Strict Silence

1. The strict silence period will begin following a chapter's last Preference Party and will end on Monday, February 1,2010, at the conclusion of formal bid acceptance (4 p.m.). Strict Silence is the period in which there will be no conversation or contact between sorority members and recruits. This includes all references to sororities – verbal, typed, written, or otherwise.
2. During the silence period, all sorority members must wear their Greek letters, sorority pin, or other sign of affiliation. This rule does not apply to disaffiliated members who are disaffiliated until the conclusion of formal bid acceptance.

Section Four: Open Recruitment

1. Sororities not at ceiling may extend open bids through the end of reading days to reach ceiling for the following semester. Graduating seniors will not be counted in the next semester’s number of total members needed to reach ceiling.
2. Immediately following the close of the formal bid acceptance period, on February 1, 2010 at 4 p.m., eligible chapters can issue open bids.
3. Freshmen women not completing or participating in formal recruitment may receive bids after the close of formal bid acceptance. Following formal recruitment, sororities that did not fill quota or are not at ceiling may offer open bids to fill quota and offer additional bids to reach ceiling.
4. Informal COB recruitment ends the last reading day of each semester. All bids must be accepted at this time or are not considered valid.

Revised 8/20/09 SMR