AUBURN UNIVERSITY PANHELLENIC FORMAL RECRUITMENT RULES
2010
PANHELLENIC RECRUITMENT RULES Each chapter is responsible for informing their chapter and alumnae of all Recruitment rules and making sure they are followed. Each Sorority President, Recruitment Chairman, Chapter Advisor, and Local Alumnae President must sign the Formal Recruitment Agreement stating they have read the rules and will follow them.
Recruitment Rules-Effective Year Round 1.
During Fall and Spring semesters individual sorority women may invite potential members whom they personally know for a weekend, but no written invitations may be issued and no planned entertainment may be held by any sorority. Chapter rooms may be used for such guests on an individual basis only. Any planned entertainment or activity will be interpreted as a violation of Recruitment Rules.
2.
A prospective potential member, including sisters of sorority members, may not attend any organized sorority function where sorority members will be in attendance, such as formals, socials, etc. But a prospective potential member who is the sister of a sorority member may attend events which immediate family is invited to attend such as Homecoming Teas, A-Day Teas, and Mother/Daughter Teas.
3.
Women who are planning to be potential members at Auburn University may attend only cooperative Panhellenic parties that are sponsored by a Panhellenic Alumnae organization. No Recruitment Parties may be given in the name of an individual sorority.
4.
No Auburn collegian may give a party in the name of Panhellenic.
5.
Fraternity women, including alumnae, may not contact potential members or their parents for any reason unless they know them personally.
7.
Specific conversations involving prospective potential members should be for the benefit and support of the entire Greek system. No written or verbal information regarding individual sororities should be discussed or distributed.
8.
At no time shall a sorority member discuss another sorority or one of its members unfavorably.
9.
At no time shall a sorority member discuss Panhellenic unfavorably.
RECRUITMENT RULES - Effective Summer, Pre-Recruitment, and Recruitment Only 10.
During Summer Semester only, an activity will be considered a sorority function when FOUR or more sisters or new members participate. A potential member is defined as any woman planning to go through Formal Recruitment at Auburn
University and may not be present at such activities. However, if a sorority member knows a potential member personally because she is from her hometown or is a family friend, the member may contact her to get pictures for posters, but she should not plan to invite her to Auburn, visit her, bring friends, or in any way try to “rush” the potential member during the summer. 11.
No sorority members, new members, or alumnae may spend money on a potential member or entertain a potential member, with the intent of rushing, during the summer months or the Recruitment week. No alumnae will put pressure on a potential member to join a particular sorority. Alumnae and members’ mothers may not have contact or communicate (this includes flowers, letters and balloons) with the potential members during the week.
12.
Any sorority woman who is a Camp War Eagle counselor may not wear sorority insignia or entertain summer orientation participants with members of her sorority while orientation sessions are occurring. All sorority members who are Camp War Counselors are asked not to reveal their sorority to Campers during the sessions. To do so will result in a recruitment violation.
13.
Sorority women may not go to Camp War Eagle sessions, remove participants from sessions, or allow participants to spend the night with them during Camp War Eagle.
14. Silence Rules will begin on the first day of pre-recruitment, and continue, except for scheduled parties; until potential members have received their formal bids on Bid Day morning (silence rules prohibit any oral or written communication or visitation, including text messages, email, and other online messaging). Silence Rules are the same for potential members. Potential members may not contact or be contacted by sorority members, new members, alumnae, or members’ mothers in any manner. Sorority women must follow all Silence rules with regard to Pi Chi’s as well. 15.
No sorority letters may be worn outside the sorority residence hall during fall recruitment workshops and Formal Recruitment; this includes party T-shirts, jerseys, jewelry, etc.
16. No Pi Chi’s mother may serve as a Recruitment Counselor Mom and serve as a Recruitment Mom for her daughter's sorority during the same recruitment period. This does not include mothers with two or more daughters in one sorority unless all of them are Pi Chis. Mothers must disaffiliate from one of the two.
FORMAL RECRUITMENT - POTENTIAL MEMBERS 17.
Potential members must attend all meetings with their Recruitment Counselors.
18.
Potential members must attend the maximum number of parties assigned for each day. If any conflicts arise, notify a Pi Chi. Any one found violating this rule will be released from Recruitment.
19.
Each potential member must, without talking to ANYONE, proceed to preference card signing immediately after the last preferential party. From the moment each potential member leaves her last party until she signs her preference card, she may not talk to ANYONE, including her Pi Chi (except for staff members present at preference card signing).
20.
Any potential member who indicates fewer preferences on her preference card that the number of choices available to her is considered to be not maximizing her options. Potential members who do not maximize their options will be considered having made an intentional single preference, even if they choose two of the three available choices. A potential member who lists every preference available to her (one of one, two of two) will be considered to be maximizing her options.
FORMAL RECRUITMENT RULES - GENERAL (This includes members, new members, alumnae, and members’ mothers)
21.
From the time Pre-Recruitment begins until bids are extended, sorority members, members’ mothers, and alumnae are not allowed to have any contact with Pi Chis (contact includes visiting, phoning, sending letters, notes, balloons, flowers, etc.) or mention which sorority a Pi Chi is a member of to a potential member. This does not pertain to when all chapters give Pi Chi gifts.
22.
Once someone has chosen to be a Pi Chi they may not participate in or aid their chapter regarding any fall formal recruitment activities that year, even if they do not fulfill their obligation as a Pi Chi.
23.
Under no circumstances may a member or new member, alumnae, members’ mother indicate to a potential member that she will receive a bid from any sorority, including her own, or say anything to indicate the potential member’s status with a sorority (i.e. placement on invitation or bid list).
24.
An individual sorority shall not mention a recommendation to a potential member during the Formal Recruitment period.
25.
Beginning with Preferential signing, no sorority member, new member, alumnae, or members’ mother may encourage a potential member to turn down a bid or, after accepting a bid, depledge at any time.
26.
No sorority member, new member, alumnae, or members’ mother shall go to another sorority’s hall from the beginning of fall workshops until three hours following bid distribution, unless they are extending snap bids. No sorority member, new member, alumnae, or members’ mother shall be present at another Sorority’s Bid Day activities, EXCLUDING IMMEDIATE FAMILY. Special cases must be approved by Panhellenic before Bid Day.
27.
Beginning one hour before bid distribution, sorority members must stay concealed from potential new members. Panhellenic will set and distribute a time that sorority members may leave their residence halls provided that they remain in the area immediately adjacent to their residence hall or chapter room. Once all bids are distributed, sorority members may move about freely as long as they do not enter another chapter's bid day area.
28.
Sorority members are prohibited from taking new members to fraternity parties, bars, or any gatherings where alcohol is present during Bid Day night.
29.
Sororities are required to provide programming for their new members until at least midnight on the night of Bid Day.
30.
No sorority member may reveal the affiliation of a Pi Chi, Recruitment Committee member, Panhellenic Executive Officer, or Panhellenic Advisor. A fine will be levied on any sorority that has pictures of any of the above women on display (this includes videos and slide shows). This fine will also include any pictures on web sites during the summer quarter and Recruitment Week.
31.
All sororities must follow Recruitment release figures.
32.
All sororities must keep potential new members academic record (including, but not limited to GPA and test scores) confidential and use only for Recruitment.
FORMAL RECRUITMENT - PARTIES 33.
Pi Chis may not attend Recruitment Parties. Those who may visit parties are the Panhellenic Advisor, Official NPC Recruitment Observers, Panhellenic Executive Officers, and the Assistant Recruitment. The Panhellenic Executive Officers and the Assistant Recruitment will not be allowed to attend preferential parties.
34.
Pi Chis may not sit in hallways during parties or while a sorority is in their chapter room. Pi Chis should stay outside or in the lobby of the dorm while their group is in a party.
35.
Sororities may not have any decorations during Ice Water Teas. Background music may be used, but no sorority song, chant, or cheer may be sung. Only
unflavored ice water may be served to potential members in clear cups with no decorations, fruit, colored ice, etc. Only plain napkins, white or colored may be used (no crests or letters). 36.
During Philanthropy and skit rounds, each sorority will be responsible at specified party times for serving drinks to potential members. Only beverages may be served at these parties. Food may not be served at any of these parties. Preference round is the only round that may include food. Food and beverages may be served at each Preference party. Food should be limited to small amounts of finger foods (i.e. petit fours and strawberries).
37.
Potential members may not take any napkins, cups or any other items from the recruitment parties at any time during the week. No nametags, gifts, flowers, or mementos are to be given to potential members.
38.
All sororities are responsible for having potential members out of their chapter rooms by the time each Recruitment party is scheduled to end. Any delay in this will result in a fine.
39.
A particular skit theme may not be used by more than one sorority unless both sororities are in agreement, and skits must be approved by the Recruitment Executive Board. No skits may be changed after August 1.
40.
Skits may only be performed on skit day.
41.
A picture gallery may be allowed on Skit Day only. A slide show or video may be shown on Skit Day, Philanthropy Day, and Preference Day. The picture gallery and video/slide show may both be shown on Skit Day, if desired. Zaps may be used on Philanthropy Day and Skit Day only. Bragging is allowed on Skit Day, not on Ice Water Teas, Philanthropy Day or Preference Day.
42.
Skit Day is to be “Brag Day”. Bragging is defined as showing or displaying by physical means or verbally speaking in a skit, any campus involvement of chapter members or the achievements and/or awards that the chapter has received. (This includes but is not limited to, university nametags, university uniforms, zaps showing involvement, and videos showing involvement or awards.) Conversations with potential members will not be considered “bragging”.
43.
On Philanthropy day, it is permissible to discuss how much your individual chapter has raised for your national philanthropy; it is not permissible to compare your fundraising and other philanthropic contributions with other Auburn sororities.
44.
Alumnae and members’ mothers may walk in and out of the front door and main lobby only to run errands. Alumnae and members’ mothers are not to participate
in any parties. If a mom/alumna is seen talking to a potential member, it will result in a violation. 45.
No preferential gifts will be given. Individual letters cannot be read to potential members, however place cards and standard letters are allowed.
46.
No elaborate costuming will be worn on Ice Water Teas, Philanthropy, Skit, and Preferential Days. One (1) accessory/prop costing no more than $10.00 a piece may be used each day. Accessories/props includes: hats, collars, belts, bow ties, etc. Shirts, shoes, shorts, pants, skirts, pajamas, nightshirts, boxers, etc. are not accessories.
47.
On Philanthropy Day there shall be no elaborate decorations that follow a theme. The only decorations allowed will be table clothes, solid color balloons, one banner no larger than a king size sheet and one centerpiece for each table.
FORMAL RECRUITMENT - DECORATIONS 48.
All decorations should be inside of the chapter room. Two planters may be on the portico outside of the chapter room if they are there all year. Nothing can be added to the residence hall public areas.
49.
No open flame or other flammable objects may be used during Recruitment in accordance with building and fire regulations.
50.
A sorority member may hold or stand next to a basket or bowl where the potential members place their calling card in order to facilitate receiving those cards. The basket or bowl cannot be decorated in any way or follow any theme.
SORORITY EXPENDITURES 51.
An itemized budget, including costumes, slides, videos, cups, napkins, etc., must be filed in a sealed envelope in the Panhellenic Office by noon on. A late fee will be levied for each day a recruitment budget is late.
*Please refer to the Auburn Panhellenic Constitution and Bylaws for the correct procedure for handling recruitment infractions