NPC has now made one of those stops as easy as friending on Facebook.

Our organization has launched RecruitmentPrep, an online tool that should make the process of recruitment simple, friendly and easy to follow.

While there are many recruitment guides that exist, none have been done in partnership with the NPC – the one reliable and valid source of information by sorority women and for sorority women.

As we’ve expanded to reach targeted audiences in recent years with targeted messaging, this has been long on our “to do” list.

A standard guidebook already in print may cost $20 – the same cost for our online tool. But those texts are not generated by the one and only organization steeped in 110 years of sorority history. With that foundation, NPC is constantly updating and repurposing for today’s young women.

Pushing out to pilot campuses across the nation this upcoming recruitment season, the site will become even better as we engage our participants to provide feedback and help us fine tune this important tool.

As times change, NPC changes. We advance sorority with every decision made by women. Join us as the recruitment season begins anew in 2012 on campuses across the nation. And stay with us as we plan for the next adventure.

Jane H. Sutton
Chairman 2011-2013

1. “A woman who is or who has ever been an initiated member of an existing NPC fraternity shall not be eligible for membership in another NPC fraternity.” This is a unanimous agreement by which all of the 26 NPC member organizations abide. Membership in an NPC organization is for a lifetime.
2. If your daughter is not initiated and is considering transferring, she may not want to be initiated because she will not be able to participate in recruitment at her new campus.
3. If your daughter is initiated and her chapter is not on the campus, there are still opportunities for her as a lifetime member of an NPC organization. She should contact the fraternity/sorority professional on her campus to see about ways she can become involved with the local campus Panhellenic. She should also contact her member group to find out if there is an alumnae association in the area.
4. If your daughter is initiated and her chapter is on the campus where she is transferring, she should contact her member group headquarters and the local chapter for information on the affiliation process.

All PNMs are given information and instructions by a member of the fraternity and sorority life staff and/or Panhellenic about the MRABA form and what they are agreeing to abide by.  PNMs should pay close attention to the information given to them, especially the points outlined below.

1. A potential new member may:

• Choose not to complete an agreement at that time.
• Choose to list any sorority whose preference (last) event she attended and from whom she is willing to accept an invitation to membership (a bid).
• Choose to list only one preference, but she must understand that this will limit her potential to join any other NPC group during the just completed recruitment process should she not be placed with her single (only) choice.

2. When signing the acceptance agreement, she agrees to accept an invitation to membership from any NPC fraternity/sorority that was listed on the MRABA form.

3. Once the acceptance agreement has been turned in to the representative of the College Panhellenic Association, it cannot be altered or changed.

4. If she receives an invitation to membership (a bid) from any NPC group that was listed, and she chooses not to accept it, she may not pledge any other NPC women’s fraternity/sorority on the campus for one calendar year from the time of the signing.

5.  If she does not receive an invitation for membership (a bid) from any NPC group that was listed, she is eligible for membership through the continuous open bidding process. However, this process is dependent on whether or not membership spaces are still available.

Indiana University encourages women who did not receive bids to explore opportunities in other student organizations.  For additional opportunities, students should visit myinvolvement.indiana.edu or contact sao@indiana.edu to meet with someone to talk about getting involved on campus.  Women may also sign up for informal recruitment by contacting iupharec@gmail.com, however, there are limited spots available.  If you have specific questions or concerns regarding recruitment, reach out to the recruitment team at iupharec@gmail.com.

This past week when recruitment began at Appalachian State University, I pulled the harness over my head and got ready for an incredible experience. I am a Zeta Tau Alpha from Iowa State University and the last 6 years have been very active in an Alumnae Chapter as well as serving as a General Advisor for a local Collegiate Chapter. I used all my experiences to prepare her as best I could, but also knew that twists and turns and maybe a few loop-de-loops could be thrown in there that she would just have to ride out. Little did I know this roller coaster would be just as nerve racking and emotion filled as it turned out. ZTA is not on the campus of App. State. That means if Emily wants to be Greek, it will not be with the organization I have been part of for 25 years. So while I was dealing with her twists and turns I was also trying to embrace all these new organizations and what they had to offer my daughter.

The ride of recruitment lasted 2 weekends-that in and of itself is enough to make your stomach turn. Way too long to doubt your choices or over think the process. But Emily handled it just as she had with every coaster we ever rode together. She held my hand when she needed to and asked for my advice on things she wasn’t sure of, tried not to fear the big hill that came her way when groups she thought liked her released her, and in the end let her hands fly high when she received and accepted a bid to join the sisterhood of Alpha Omicron Pi.

So the first of many roller coasters in sorority life ended with a feeling of exhilaration, and the anticipation of the next one. Emily is so proud of her sisters and her sisterhood already. She had a wonderful bid day and cannot wait for her pledging. My daughter also gave me a gift. She offered her hand for my roller coaster. Emily wrote me a letter expressing her gratitude for sharing my love for ZTA with her and she can only hope to be as good an AOII sister as I have been a Zeta sister. And as I let go and let my hands fly, I know my daughter has found a wonderful sisterhood that will ride many roller coasters with her.

After this big ride, I may want to try the Merry-Go-Round for a little while!

The role of the family is to facilitate its own self destruction.

That quote never left me though years have passed and I now have four children that I am attempting to raise to eventually be ‘on their own’ ; finding their way so to speak. In today’s culture, I believe it can be difficult for parents to let go of their children’s lives. Sometimes we hover too much and sometimes our children expect us to rescue them.  Now that my own sorority daughter was a sophomore, had I gotten wiser in my parenting? Fortunately, I did come up with a few suggestions parents could reflect upon in supporting their daughter through recruitment and beyond yet allowing them to spread their own wings. I will share them with you too. Take them or leave them but do enjoy this new phase in life for the both of you.

1. Lose expectations or feelings from your own Greek life experience. Whether you have a Greek affiliation or not, you do have some opinion about Greek life if you went to college on a campus with a Greek system. Some of these opinions or biases may be based on a college experience quite a few years back. Try and encourage your daughter to form her own opinions AND only after she begins the process,  not taking to heart any bias from boyfriends, siblings, hometown friends, distant relatives, etc.

2. At each of the recruitment events, encourage her to look around those rooms and really get to know the other potential new members at each of the events. Those are the young women she will be living with and experiencing campus life with and each day of recruitment will help her know where she is most comfortable.

3. For daughters who may be shy or reserved, the recruitment process might be overwhelming. Encourage her to be open minded, taking a risk as she embarks on college. It is a great time to branch out and perhaps lose some of the high school labels we all put upon ourselves. One can really be and should be authentic and sincere throughout the whole process. Even if your daughter decides recruitment might not be a fit for her at this time, remind her that this experience will afford her a great opportunity to get to know other women on her residence hall floor and beyond. New friendships may come from it.

4. She will be exhausted and emotional. Allow her this indulgence and help her maintain her sense of humor. Remind her other potential new members are experiencing the same things.

5. Be a good listener. You don’t have to fix anything. If she can share the ups and downs of her experience she can sort through her feelings about all of it and often doesn’t need or want advice.

6. As she begins college try and become connected to your daughter through technology. NOTHING replaces voice to voice communication, eye contact or hugs…but this generation communicates on Facebook and in text messaging and there is no going back. Learn to text and possibly get a Facebook page (especially if your daughter is encouraging it) just to be connected….not to hover but just to be available. The technology allows a kind of subtle way to be present.

7. Encourage and frequently discuss safe choices especially regarding alcohol and driving under the influence or with others who have been drinking. The more we encourage them to be safe and smart, the more likely the messages will stick when presented with more risky choices. If you are informed about binge drinking and alcohol poisoning then you can help inform her. Awareness is the first essential step.

And finally,

8. Love her up and remind her of the gifts you see in her! As a parent I was not prepared for how difficult the transition was for my own daughter on many levels. One loses a bit of confidence beginning all over again out of high school-especially if the new campus is large. That is why it is EXCELLENT that our daughters want to join a sorority to engage in that support system and in those relationships as they begin college life.

Because sororities emphasize the academic, social, cultural, and service components of the college experience, we do encourage qualified students to seek affiliation at the earliest possible opportunity. This way they are able to take the fullest advantage of the benefits of collegiate membership. Also, the support and mentoring offered by chapter members and alumnae advisors can have a tremendous positive impact on their initial adjustment to college.

If your daughter is an upperclassman who is undecided about participating in recruitment, it would be a great idea for her to seek advice from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs (sometimes called Greek Life) on her campus. Although it is traditional at some schools for most participants in recruitment to be freshmen, sorority membership is for a lifetime.

If you daughter is seeking references, she should also seek them for all groups on the campus she will be attending. She may decide when she gets to campus her initial interest in certain groups change. Strongly encourage your daughter to go into recruitment with an open mind. Having a reference sent in will not be a problem should she change her mind about recruitment — most chapters will keep that reference on file in the event she decides at a later date to go through the process.

If there is not an Alumnae Panhellenic in your area, then pick a location close to you. If there are no Alumnae Panhellenics close to your home, then you can reach out to each NPC organization’s headquarters and ask for contact information of alumnae in your area. You can find the complete list of NPC member groups at this link: https://www.npcwomen.org/about/member-organizations.aspx.