Sisterhood Since 1922

Recruitment

Formal Recruitment will begin Thursday, September 11th and continue to Bid Day on Sunday, September 14th. More details will be added as we get closer.

The Birmingham-Southern Panhellenic Code of Ethics is below. We encourage you to read them if you are considering taking part in formal recruitment!

Direct any questions to: [email protected]

Recommendations

Letters of Recommendation are welcome, but not required to participate in recruitment. Relax, don't stress! 

If you have letters of recommendation, feel free to send them to: 
Student Activities: Greek Life
900 Arkadelphia Rd.
Box 549014
Birmingham, AL 35254

Panhellenic Code of Ethics

Recruitment Schedule
    1. Pre-Recruitment begins with check-in on Freshmen move-in day and Closed Recruitment begins with Icebreakers.  The schedule is set by the Panhellenic Council and Advisor.  Recruitment is officially over the morning after bids are signed.
    2. No sorority women may be on campus before their move-in time.  Exceptions will be permitted to women who are working for Panhellenic, Residence Life, Orientation, or any woman who is affiliated with Birmingham-Southern College extracurriculars (i.e., sports teams, band members, etc…). Requests to move-in early or moving-in early is a violation and $75 will be assessed to the chapter.
    3. Potential New Members are allowed at Fraternity Row only on dates designated by the Panhellenic Council.
    4. No potential new member may be in a sorority house until Closed Recruitment during the designated times according to the Panhellenic recruitment schedule.
    5. Sorority women may not enter a freshman dormitory unless they are a Freshman Resident Advisor, helping on move-in day, or are a sister to the potential new member.
    6. A sorority woman may not use Recruitment activities or preparation as an excuse to miss a class.

  1. Recruitment Rules
    1. These rules apply to every person involved with Recruitment, including alumnae, member’s parents, etc.
    2. The rules shall not be altered after Spring Term unless there is a unanimous vote by the Panhellenic Council for amendment.  No rule shall be altered during Closed Recruitment. 

  1. Recruitment Registration
    1. Any woman who registers for Recruitment must be officially enrolled as a full-time student at Birmingham-Southern College and not be on academic or social probation.
    2. Registration will be submitted online to Panhellenic by the potential new member and will only be used by the sororities for Recruitment.  The sorority must keep all information confidential.

  1. Absences and Tardiness
    1. It is imperative to attend Recruitment parties and to arrive promptly.  If a potential new member is unable to attend a party, she must turn in an excuse to her Rho Gamma 24 hours before the party.  If she is unexcused and misses a party, she will not further participate in Recruitment.
    2. If a potential new member is going to miss a portion of her parties, her party schedule will be adjusted by the Panhellenic Advisor.  If a potential new member arrives late, she must notify her Rho Gamma and Panhellenic Advisor so she may be escorted into her party.

  1. Party Procedures
    1. All invitations to parties will be issued by the Rho Gammas based on the preferential matching system.  The potential new member’s preference card and the sorority’s invitation list are the basis of selection.  Selection shall be left confidential.
    2. A chapter may talk with the potential new member, sing and dance as a group/chapter, play music, and have officers speak individually.  Any other activity must be approved.  A slideshow may be shown only one night.
    3. Conversations, speeches, presentations, and songs must reflect the Panhellenic spirit and each chapter in a positive manner.  No derogatory comments  are permitted
    4. Favors are not allowed at any time.  A potential new member should walk out of each house during Closed Recruitment with nothing.
    5. Pictures of any women disaffiliated should not be displayed.  If there is a large group picture, they must be covered up.The women disaffiliated will be the Panhellenic President, President-Elect, VP-Recruitment, Rho Gammas, and any Freshman Resident Advisor or Freshman Hall Director.  These women will not be allowed to wear their sorority’s items nor display anything in their room from the end of Spring Term to Bid Day.
    6. Verbal and/or non-verbal communication may not be used to potential new members who are not at a party. This includes all electronic communication, i.e. cell phones, text messages and social media.
    7. Each house may have slogans, chants, and decorations inside their house.  Nothing should be displayed outside except for the normal decorative items found outside of each townhouse.
    8. The cost for everything associated with Recruitment will be $1000.00.  Everything must be put into an itemized budget including rentals?.  Anything donated will not be included in the total cost, but must be itemized in the budget with an estimate.  The budget must be submitted to the Panhellenic Advisor within two weeks after Closed Recruitment on the sheet provided by her.
  2. Icebreakers-1st Night of Recruitment
    1. A snack and beverage will be provided by Panhellenic.  No chapter should provide any beverage or snack
    2. Attire for everyone will consist of sundresses or skirts or other casual summer clothing.
    3. Each potential new member will attend a party at every house
  3. Values Night-2nd Night of Recruitment
    1. Each chapter may provide  one small snack and simple beverage, and it must be approved by the Panhellenic Advisor
    2. Attire will be casual for the chapters, consisting of jeans or shorts and jerseys or other chapter tshirt.  Potential new members will be casual as well.
    3. Each potential new member may attend up to 4 parties.
  4. Preferential Night-Final Night of Recruitment
    1. A beverage may be served, but it should not be considered a dessert.
    2. Attire should consist of a nice Sunday dress or cocktail dress.
    3. A potential new member may attend up to 3 parties.
    4. After the Bid list is made by a chapter, no one is allowed to share that information.  This is strictly confidential and will result in a MAJOR recruitment violation if list is divulged.
    5. After Preferential Parties are over, the Silence Rule will be in effect.  No chapter woman may speak to a potential new member until after bids are signed. Social media contact, texts, or phone calls to Potential New Members would be considered a violation.

  1. Issuance of Bids
    1. The quota-total system shall be used.  Quota is set by the NPC RFM specialist.  Quota additions may be used in Bid Matching.
    2. Chapter total will be adjusted to average chapter size after bids are signed.
    3. If a potential new member attends a chapter’s preferential party, she must appear on the chapter’s bid list.  Bids will be matched by a computer and/or a committee selected by the Panhellenic Advisor.  This process is confidential.
    4. NPC unanimous agreement states that men may not be involved in Bid Day activities.  This does not include standing in the Ampitheater.
    5. No alcohol will be involved during the Issuance of Bid or Bid Day activities.
  2. Recruitment Assistants
    1. The VP-Recruitment will be the overall supervisor of Recruitment Assistants (Rho Gamma’s), with the assistance of the Panhellenic President and President-Elect.  These people will be available during Pre-Recruitment to handle any responsibilities.
    2. Rho Gammas will serve as Recruitment counselors to potential new members.  They shall apply to Panhellenic for the position, and will be selected by the Panhellenic Advisor, Panhellenic President, President-Elect, and VP-Recruitment.  The selection committee will strive to pick 1 woman from each chapter. If a Rho Gamma does not fufill her duties or is found to violate the rules, she will be dismissed and may not reaffiliate with her chapter until after Bid Day.
    3. Chapters may only send gifts collectively.  Panhellenic is allowed to give out gifts to the chapters collectively, but no disaffiliated woman may give a gift or send a note to her chapter.
  3. Freshman Resident Advisors and Freshman Hall Directors
    1. Any sorority woman that is a Resident Advisor or Hall Director in the freshman dorms must disaffiliate.  They may not wear anything or display anything relating to their chapter in their room.
    2. During Pre-Recruitment and Closed Recruitment, they may only discuss Panhellenic, Recruitment, and the BSC sorority system instead of individual chapters.
  4. Alumnae
    1. A chapter is allowed to have alumnae assist Recruitment, but it is the responsibility of the chapter to inform the alumnae of the rules.  No more than 10 alumnae may be present at a party and they must wear a nametag.
    2. Alumnae may only walk through the back doors of the townhouses.  They must not walk through the front door or around the Bruno Residence Hall.
    3. Alumnae may to serve food, talk to potential new members for short periods of time (unless otherwise approved by Panhellenic), and play music.
  5. Infractions
    1. Any violation of the Recruitment Rules or Code of Ethics shall be reported.  A violation report must be sent to the Panhellenic President no more than 30 days after the alleged offense.  If the violation is against her chapter, it will need to be sent to the President-Elect.  A potential new member, Rho Gamma, chapter president, or Panhellenic Advisor may send a report using the “College Panhellenic Violation Report Form.”
    2. Within 24 hours, the Panhellenic President will determine whether a mediation period or Judicial Board Hearing is warranted.
    3. For mediation, the Panhellenic President will appoint a neutral party.  It may not be a student and it can be the Panhellenic Advisor if she did not turn in the violation.  It is closed to the public.  The Panhellenic President, President-Elect, VP-Recruitment, and representatives from each chapter should attend.
    4. Judicial Hearings are closed to the public.  Participants will be representatives from each chapter involved, the complaining party, the Panhellenic President, President-Elect, VP-Recruitment, and the Panhellenic Advisor.
    5. Infractions and judicial procedures will be followed according to the NPC Manual of Information described in the Judicial Procedures.
  6. Communication
    1. Communication to women that are disaffiliated is forbidden during Closed Recruitment.  If you live with a disaffiliated woman, you may talk about anything but potential new members and Recruitment.  These women should not attend regular chapter meeting or Recruitment practices.
    2. Communication to potential new members is forbidden from the end of Preferential Night until bids are signed.
    3. A family member may take a potential new member off campus.  Rho Gammas, the Panhellenic President, President-Elect, and VP-Recruitment may take a group of potential new members off campus only during Pre-Recruitment and must be accompanied by another disaffiliated woman not from her sorority.
    4. Sorority women should only have face to face communication with potential new members, with the exception of Rho Gammas, Freshman Resident Advisors, Freshman Hall Directors, the Panhellenic President, President-Elect, and the VP-Recruitment.
    5. Chapters may not organize members to communicate with potential new members during the summer.
    6. No sorority woman may give gifts or favors to potential new members.  They must present sorority life in general over their individual chapters
Birmingham-Southern College
Panhellenic