Recruitment Guidelines

The University of Colorado at Boulder Panhellenic Association Membership Recruitment Guidelines are intended to help guide fraternity women and potential new members through the membership selection process and Formal Recruitment Week. The guidelines incorporate many of the procedures recommended and/or required by the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). The purpose of formal recruitment is two-fold: (1) to ensure that member organizations have equitable opportunities for membership recruitment within the Panhellenic system; and (2) to provide potential new members every opportunity to become acquainted with as many fraternities as possible in order that they may make informed decisions concerning membership.

Non-Formal Recruitment Contact

1. A chapter member, alumna member or anyone acting on a sorority's behalf shall not initiate contact in any manner with a potential member (i.e., a woman participating in, or going to participate in, Formal Recruitment week) during the fall semester, winter break or anytime outside a scheduled Formal Recruitment event with the intent of promoting her own chapter. All conversation shall be limited to positive Panhellenic spirit. Likewise, potential members may not be sent flowers, gifts, correspondence, mementos, etc. According to the NPC Manual of Information, "NPC believes that normal, social contacts should not be disrupted in the case of long-standing friendships by prohibiting all contact between sorority women and potential [members]. (Normal contact implies relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers.) However, each sorority is charged with the responsibility of seeing that unfair advantage is not taken of such contacts."
2. No woman is eligible to join a sorority during school breaks (i.e., summer months, winter break). A woman in her first year as an undergraduate is not eligible to join a sorority until her second semester.
3. A chapter member, alumna member or anyone acting on a sorority’s behalf shall not imply to a potential new member nor her family that she has an invitation to a party, ask her to pledge, nor imply that she will receive a bid.
4. No potential member (i.e., a woman participating in, or going to participate in, Formal Recruitment week) shall be inside chapter facilities outside of scheduled Formal Recruitment events without prior approval from Panhellenic Membership Recruitment Coordinator. The only potential member who is allowed in a chapter house is one who is a legacy to a chapter in which her sister is a current, active member living in the chapter house.

Legacies

1. A legacy is defined as a daughter or sister of an initiated sorority member unless an inter/national organization recognizes additional relations.
2. A legacy may not be given any gifts by the sorority.
3. The only potential member who is allowed in a chapter house is one who is a legacy to a chapter in which her sister is a current, active member living in the chapter house unless prior approval is given by the Panhellenic Membership Recruitment Coordinator.

Formal Recruitment

1. Formal Spring Recruitment will consist of five stages: Round 1 (Open House – all fraternities visited); Round 2 (Philanthropy Round – maximum of seven parties); Round 3 (Skit Round – maximum of five parties); Round 4 (Preference Party maximum of three parties); Round 5 (Bid Day)
2. A woman must be an enrolled, full-time undergraduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder and must be in at least her second semester as an undergraduate to be eligible to participate in formal or informal recruitment activities.
3. Potential new members must register with the University of Colorado at Boulder Panhellenic Association and pay the registration fee to participate in formal recruitment.
4. Potential members must abide by the Recruitment Guidelines published in the University of Colorado at Boulder Panhellenic Association Recruitment Book and National Panhellenic Conference unanimous agreements.
5. Chapters may not allow potential new members to leave the party with any item(s) received during the party (e.g., gifts, letters, napkins, cups, etc.).
6. Alcohol is prohibited during recruitment and new member activities.
7. Hotboxing and/or any inappropriate conversation are strictly prohibited. Hotboxing is defined as any situation which the potential new member is intentionally separated from typical recruitment activities by conversation and/or position.
8. Parents, guardians or relatives of potential new members may not attend any recruitment party during formal recruitment unless the person is an official chapter advisor.
9. Males may not participate in any recruitment event. Employees of the fraternity (e.g. hashers, cooks, etc.) may be in the chapter house during recruitment week but may not have verbal contact with any potential new member.
10. Potential new members participating in formal recruitment must wear the nametag provided by Panhellenic during all formal recruitment week activities.
11. Potential members must attend all formal recruitment events at the designated time. A potential member must receive prior approval from the Panhellenic Membership Recruitment Coordinator or the Panhellenic Advisor to miss any event during the week.
12. During formal spring recruitment, any time outside of formal recruitment events is defined as strict silence. A chapter member, alumna member or anyone acting on a fraternity’s behalf is to have no contact with potential new members or recruitment guides.
13. A potential member participating in formal recruitment shall not be, nor ever have been, an initiated member of a National Panhellenic Conference organization.
14. A woman is ineligible for membership recruitment if she has been a new member of an NPC sorority at the University of Colorado within the same calendar year.
15. A woman shall complete the “Membership Recruitment Acceptance” card immediately following the last preference she attends. Once a “Membership Recruitment Acceptance” has been signed and submitted, no change may be made.
16. A woman signing a “Membership Recruitment Acceptance” card and receiving a bid at the end of formal recruitment shall be bound by the agreement for one calendar year at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
17. Failure to follow any of these rules could result in dismissal from the formal recruitment process.