Recruitment Rules
Fall 2015 Panhellenic Recruitment
Recruitment is defined as one or more sorority members meeting together with potential new
members to promote the interest of a particular sorority according to the National Panhellenic
Unanimous Agreements.
All recognized Panhellenic chapters must abide by all National Panhellenic Conference
Unanimous Agreements. It is in accord with the dignity and good manners of fraternity women:
To avoid disparaging remarks about any fraternity or college woman;
To create friendly relations between fraternity and non-fraternity women;
To avoid negative publicity on Panhellenic matters.
I. Recruitment Rules
A. Recruitment Dates
1. Recruitment shall be held beginning August 27, 2015 and concluding on Bid Day,
September 2, 2015.
2. Rules Regarding recruitment shall be upheld starting on the first move-in day for
sorority houses (August 12) except for the rules regarding summer recruitment efforts
which are in effect when registration opens.
3. No sorority may require their membership to return to campus before noon on
Wednesday, August 12, 2015.
B. Summer Recruitment Efforts Guidelines
1. Summer Party
a) A party will be defined as a social event based on the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill’s social policy with three or more chapter members and
one or more PNMs present. By PNM we mean any incoming freshman women or
registered upperclassman.
b) Summer parties can be reported up to 30 days after the event, and mediation will
occur as soon as all parties who are involved in mediation return to Chapel Hill
for Formal Recruitment.
c) This rule goes into effect the day that Formal Recruitment registration opens.
2. No sorority may hold an all campus party, advertise their name in connection with
one, have a mixer, date function, or cocktail party from the date of graduation at the
end of the previous spring semester until September 3, 2015 (the day after Bid Day).
C. Panhellenic Spirited Contact Guidelines
1. Normal Contact is defined as normal day-to-day contact with potential new
members. This may include, but is not limited to, working with a PNM during class,
saying hello on campus, and encouraging involvement in Panhellenic. No member of
a Panhellenic group shall promote their chapter in any way outside of the designated
Recruitment parties directly to PNMs. There will be NO phone calls to PNMs; NO
initiation of unnatural forms of communication (NO letters, emails, IM’s sent to
PNMs, and no social media communication); NO talking about individual sororities
or individual members of a sorority to PNMs; NO eating meals with PNMs.
a) Normal contact goes into effect beginning Wednesday, August 12 and remains
into effect until the beginning of the Strict Silence Period described below. There
will be zero tolerance for violating normal contact guidelines and violations
will be treated in the same manner as violations of bid promising.
2. Strict Silence Period is designated as the period of time from the end of the PNM’s
last party during Preference Round until after bids have been extended by Panhellenic
(September 2). During this period, there shall be no conversation or contact with
PNMs by active chapter members, new members, or alumnae AT ALL.
D. Sorority Member Guidelines – All members (including alumnae and new members) are
responsible for knowing and observing the Recruitment Policies.
1. Potential New Member Contact
a) No sorority members may visit PNMs in her place of residence from August 11,
2015 until Bid Day activities conclude.
b) Sorority women living with (a) PNMs:
● Must fill out a special request form and turn it into their chapter president who
will then turn them in to the Panhellenic mailbox in OFSL-CI. These request
forms are due by 5:00 pm the day before Recruitment kick-off,
● Are not to discuss anything pertaining to Panhellenic Recruitment with the
PNM,
● Shall not invite other sorority members to the PNMs place of residence, nor
shall she organize any social meeting between PNMs and sorority members.
c) No member may issue an invitation of any sort or make appointments to meet a
PNM anywhere for any reason.
d) No member may arrange a date for a PNM.
e) No member shall give anything to a PNM, or vice versa (e.g. a coke or a candy
bar).
f) There shall be no hugging of a PNM by a member, but shaking hands is
permitted.
g) There shall be no “hot boxing” of a PNM, defined as three or more sisters from
the same sorority talking to one or more PNM at the same time. Hot-boxing will
result in mediation.
h) There shall be no posting of Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pictures of chapter
members with PNMs. Violation of this will result in a fine.
i) Chapter members with sisters as PNMs are exempt from the above rules from
August 11 - August 26 ONLY in contact between themselves and their sister.
Starting August 27 through September 2, these chapter members are held to the
above regulations and all others that follow in these rules regarding member
contact with PNMs.
● Bid promising, as described below, is not tolerated by chapter members with
sisters as PNMs and violations of bid promising even with sisters will be
investigated and treated as described below, regardless of the time of the bid
promise.
2. Recruitment Counselor, Panhellenic Judicial Board, and Panhellenic Recruitment
Team Contact
a) Panhellenic women participating in any aspect of Recruitment are not allowed to
have any contact with Recruitment Counselors, Panhellenic Judicial Board
Members, or the Panhellenic Recruitment Team from August 11, 2015 until the
time bids are extended on September 2, 2015. This includes visiting, hanging out
and or contacting a recruitment counselor. Notify the Panhellenic Recruitment
Team for extenuating circumstances.
b) President or other designee will be required to remove all Recruitment
Counselors, PJB, and members of PRT from their studentlife.unc.edu page and
personal websites by July 31, 2015.
3. Chapter Responsibilities
a) Sorority Recruitment chairs shall abide by the times agreed upon for turning in
party lists and ending parties.
b) A standard list of membership financial responsibilities shall be turned in to the
VP Recruitment by March 15, 2015. This information will be given to the PNMs
and their parents by Panhellenic prior to the start of Recruitment.
c) Chapters that do not pledge quota may offer bids to women who have participated
in at least one event (i.e. one recruitment party) during Formal Recruitment
through “snap bidding.” The purpose of “snap bidding” is to allow a chapter to
extend an invitation to membership prior to the time when bids are extended.
Chapters may only “snap bid” up to quota.
● Women listing Intentional Single Preference are qualified for “snap bidding.”
● Once “snap bidding” is over, bids are distributed, and bid day activities begin.
“Snap bids” are not allowed after bids are distributed on September 2, 2015 at
5pm.
d) Sorority members are allowed to wear or carry insignia, letters or identifying
clothing outside of all Recruitment functions except when not allowed by national
regulations.
4. Chapter Bid Promising
a) There will be NO PROMISING OF BIDS, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, by a
member or alumna of a Panhellenic group.
● Verbal: Anything that would suggest them attending your bid day or the next
round. Anything suggesting returning to the next round or recruitment
activities within any specific chapter is not acceptable.
(i) Example:
1. We will see you tomorrow (Incorrect).
2. I hope to see you tomorrow (Incorrect).
3. I hope the rest of recruitment goes well for you (Correct).
● Written: The above guidelines on Bid promising pertain to texting, emails,
phone calls, and social media contact as well. If a bid promise is contained in
any of these forms of communication (such as a preference night letter), then
the PRT can request that the communication be turned in for mediation as
evidence. If the communication is missing, there will be a fine.
b) PNMs will be made aware of the significance of bid promising via an information
session as well as through their Recruitment Counselors.
c) A PNM that approaches any member of the Panhellenic Community and feels as
if she was bid promised will be enough evidence to file a College Panhellenic
Violation Report and to bring the accused party into mediation.
E. Panhellenic Recruitment Rounds
1. There shall be no open windows or doors of chapter houses during rounds for the
purpose of sound escaping unless permission is granted by the Panhellenic Recruitment
Team. While PNMs are outside the chapter houses before and after rounds, they should
hear no noise from the sorority.
2. For Round 1 (Open House), chapters will be allowed to chant/cheer at the beginning of
the round; however, chapters will not be allowed to stomp, bang on walls or windows,
open/close blinds, or make any noise besides chanting/cheering.
3. All Recruitment Round themes (including, but not limited to décor, accessories,
outfits, and gifts) must be approved by the VP Recruitment according to the following
process:
a) An initial plan for round themes must be submitted to the VP Recruitment no
later than 5pm on March 31, 2015.
b) Final plans for all round themes, with the exception of the exact details for skit
round, must be submitted to the VP Recruitment no later than 5pm on August 1,
2015.
c) All skits are subject to approval by the VP Recruitment and the Panhellenic
Recruitment Team. Chapters will be provided with a schedule for potential skit
approval times prior to the beginning of formal recruitment and will self-schedule
their approval time.
d) A form for all theme submissions will be provided at least two weeks prior to
their due date. They will be considered on a first come, first serve basis.
4. Food and Beverages allowed during each round:
a) Round 1 (Open House) – Chapters are allowed to serve water in clear plastic
cups with a napkin. No food may be served.
b) Round 2 (Skit) – Chapters are allowed to serve water in clear plastic cups with
a napkin. No food may be served.
c) Round 3 (House Tours/Philanthropy) – Chapters may serve water in clear
plastic cups with a napkin. Food may be served in accordance with the budget.
d) Round 4 (Preference Round) – Chapters may serve any type of non-alcoholic
beverage; however, it cannot be served to resemble any alcoholic beverage i.e.:
champagne flute. Food may be served in accordance with the budget.
5. Only Panhellenic representatives, house directors, alumnae, new members, and
initiated members of the sorority may assist with Recruitment during the Formal
Recruitment process. National sorority representatives and alumnae must be identified as
so by their nametag. (Mothers of members may assist with food preparation, serving, and
clean up.)
F. Recruitment Counselor, Panhellenic Judicial Board, and Panhellenic Recruitment Team
Guidelines
1. Panhellenic Recruitment Team includes Panhellenic Executive Board, the
Recruitment Assistant, and the Recruitment Counselor Coordinators.
2. Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT shall not wear or carry identifying insignia
during the Formal Recruitment period. This includes, but is not limited to car decals,
laptop decals, and water bottles. Shirts that have any sorority letters, regardless of if
they are your own, are not permitted. This is in effect on move in day, August 11,
2015 until Bid Day, September 2, 2015, at 5:00 pm.
3. Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT shall not participate in Recruitment practice.
4. All Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT shall attend educational sessions in the
Spring and Fall unless special permission has been granted by the Panhellenic
Recruitment Team.
5. Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT may not live in a sorority house during
Recruitment. All members must be moved out of their sorority houses by Recruitment
Kick-off.
6. Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT must stop eating meals or visiting any
sorority house by the first round of Recruitment (August 27, 2015).
7. Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT shall not have any contact whatsoever with
sorority members as outlined in Section I.D.2.
8. Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT must have their Facebook, Twitter, and other
social media/networking profiles (ie: LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) on fully
limited profile by opening of recruitment registration. These profiles must be
deactivated, and Twitters and Instagram set to protected by August 2, 2015 (30 days
before Round 1 of Recruitment). Twitter and Instagram must also be privatized and
any chapter related profiles must be un-followed according to the same dates.
9. Recruitment Counselors, PJB, and PRT shall abide by all NPC rules and shall
perform their duties as unbiased counselors, acting always in the spirit of Panhellenic.
10. Failure to abide by any of the above disaffiliation requirements will result in informal
discussion with PRT and your possible removal from the position.
G. Recruitment Risk Management Procedures
1. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Panhellenic Association prohibits
the participation of men, alcohol, and illegal drugs in membership recruitment and
Bid Day Activities.
2. No sorority woman is allowed on fraternity property, to consume alcohol, or to go to
a bar starting from Recruitment Kick Off at 5:00 pm and ending on Thursday
September 3, 2015 at 5:00 pm (the day after bid day). This will be known as a
Substance Free Period.
3. Contact with men is permitted, except on fraternity property.
4. There shall be no hazing during formal recruitment. The University defines hazing as:
“Hazing that causes or permits an individual, with or without consent, to engage in
activities that subject that individual or others to risks of physical injury, mental
distress, or personal indignities of a highly offensive nature, in connection with
recruitment, initiation, or continued membership of a society, fraternity or sorority,
club, or similar organized group whether or not recognized by the University.”
5. No sorority is allowed to discriminate against a PNM on the basis of race, religion,
national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
H. Greek Promo Day
1. All chapters are required to attend Greek Promo Day in the Pit, Friday, August 21,
2015.
2. Chapters can bring five t-shirts, a trifold, a scrapbook, and four people, including
President and Recruitment Chair, to Greek Promo Day.
3. Hot-boxing rules apply during Greek Promo Day.
4. Chapters cannot hand out anything (i.e. candy, buttons) to PNMs. Violations of this
will be considered gifting.
I.
Bid Day
1. All Bid Day themes (including, but not limited to décor, accessories, outfits, and
gifts) must be approved by the VP Recruitment according to the following process:
a) An initial plan for Bid Day as well as a Theme Approval Form signed by an
(Inter)national Representative must be submitted to the VP Recruitment no later
than 5:00 pm on March 29, 2015. Bid Day themes can be submitted no earlier
than 12:00 pm on March 29, 2015.
b) Final plans for Bid Day must be submitted to the VP Recruitment no later than
5:00 pm on August 1, 2015.
c) A form for all theme submissions will be provided at least two weeks prior to due
date. They will be considered on a first come, first serve basis.
2. No sorority will bring balloons to the Bid Day location. In addition, chapter members
may not bring any accessories to the Bid Day location that were not provided by the
chapter, and approved in the Bid Day plan submitted to the VP Recruitment.
a) No feathers, glitter, fur, or beads will be permitted at the Bid Day location.
b) Two representatives from each chapter must remain behind and clean up their
chapter’s area. They will be dismissed by a member of PRT when their area is
deemed acceptable.
3. Each chapter can bring up to 100 women to the Bid Day location.
4. Chapters may not bring their own music to the Bid Day location
J.
Language
1. Sorority women must use the proper Panhellenic Recruitment Terms (this includes
lyrics in songs, skits, or chants):
Incorrect
Correct
Girl
Women
Boy
Men
Panhel
Panhellenic/ PHA
Pledges
New Members
Pledge Period
New Member Period
Pledge Class
New Member Class
Pledge Mom
New Member Educator
Rho Chi
Recruitment Counselor/
Gamma Chi
Rush
Recruitment
Rushee
Potential New Member/
PNM
Bid Card/ Preference Card
Acceptance Agreement
(MRABA)
Suicide
Single Intentional
Preference
Bid
Invitation
Independent/ GDI
Non- Affiliated
Greek System
Fraternity/ Sorority
2.
3.
4.
5.
Community
Pin
Badge
Party, cocktail, mixer
Social Function/Themed
Event
No alcohol/ drugs
Substance Free
Chapters shall not use any curse words (including, but not limited to, hell, damn, etc.)
in any songs, chants, cheers, speeches, or conversation.
Chapters shall not reference drugs, alcohol, fraternities, or any individual person or
sorority (by name or in general), bars or parties in any songs, chants, cheers,
speeches, skits, or conversation.
Violations to the language guidelines will result in a fine.
Under no circumstance can a chapter member ask a PNM about her legacy status.
Violations will result in mediation.
K. Budget
1. Chapters will record all expenses related to recruitment, including but not limited to:
flowers, food, decorations, and crafts for philanthropy round.
2. Chapters will submit expense report budgets by the beginning of the first party of that
specific round.
3. If a theme for a round is being changed from previous years an additional $500 for
decorations can be spent.
4. Donations for rounds are capped at $1000 for the whole recruitment period. Money
received by donations can be spent at the chapter’s choosing but an expense report
must be submitted for these funds by 5:00 pm on August 26, 2015 (the day before
Round 1).
5. Round 1 (Open House): $500.
6. Round 2 (Skit): $500.
7. Round 3 (Philanthropy/House Tours): $500 for decorations, $700 for food. $1200
total.
8. Round 4 (Preference Round): $500 for decorations, $700 for food. $1200.
L. Party Length
1. Chapters will be given designated start and end times for each party by August 1,
2015.
2. Chapters will be given a two minute “knock” by PJB two minutes prior to the official
party start time.
3. Parties started more than 15 seconds early will be fined.
4. Parties started more than 1 minute late will be fined.
5. Parties ending more than 1 minute early will be fined.
6. Parties ending more than 15 seconds late will be fined.
II. Infractions of the Recruitment Rules
I.
A.
B.
C.
Consequences associated with Infractions of the Recruitment Rules
Turning in budgets late: $50/day
Not following round budget: $50 per round
Holding practices on a Blackout day: $25 per practice
D. Blackout round violations: $10 per incident
E. Inappropriate language: $15 per incident per word
1. Repeated inappropriate language violations: after a total of $150 of language fines,
each additional violation will be $50 per incident per word and mediation.
F. Infractions of Section I.E.4 (Food and Beverages) and Section I.J.1(Terms): $10 per
incident
G. Gifting anything to a PNM: $10 per incident
H. Bid Day Infractions (specifically rules in Section I.I.2-4): $25 per incident
I. Bid Day debris: Any debris left in the Bid Day location after bid day will necessitate a
fine equal to the amount of the deposit that the Panhellenic Council loses as a result of
the debris.
J. Bid Day attendance: Chapters will be fined $20 for every unapproved person that goes to
the Bid Day location.
K. Late party lists: $3/minute for the first hour, $4/minute after that
L. Party Time Length Infractions (starting parties early/late, ending parties early/late): $30
per party
M. Substance Free Period: There is a $25 fine for attending a fraternity house or bar or
consuming alcohol. Panhellenic has the authority to bring a chapter to mediation for
repeated Substance Free Period violations.
N. No Drugs Violation: Illegal drug use will result in an infraction and subsequent
mediation.
O. Bid Promising: A single reported case of Bid Promising will bring the chapter to
mediation. There are 30 days after Bid Day for a PNM or any member of the Panhellenic
community to file a bid promise violation. All standard violation procedures must be
followed.
P. Recruitment Counselor, Panhellenic Judicial Board, and Panhellenic Recruitment Team
contact: informal discussion with PRT and the possible removal from the position. If
removed from the position, the person will be unable to participate in their chapter’s
recruitment.
Q. Missing Preference Letter or Bid Promising form of communication requested by PRT:
$25
R. Summer Parties: Violations of this rule will result in an infraction and proceed according
to the Judicial Board Procedures.
S. Social Media Pictures: $10 per picture posted