Leadership, Sisterhood, Scholarship, Service
Informal Recruitment
What is Informal Recruitment?
Informal Recruitment, also known as Continuous Open Bidding (COB), is a process that sororities engage in outside of the the primary (formal) recruitment period. During this process, a sorority will offer bids to women in order to reach chapter total (the largest size a sorority can become through recruitment). It tends to be more casual and unstructured than primary recruitment.
Each sorority operates on their own COB schedule, so there is no standardized time frame when all sororities are recruiting new members during informal recruitment.
The best way to find out if a chapter is participating is by checking our website, sorority chapter social media, or by emailing the chapter president. If you’re interested in sorority membership and a chapter invites you to a COB event, you should consider attending. If you missed out on formal recruitment, this is a great way to try and find a sorority at Penn State.
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Chapters that decide to participate in Continuous Open Bidding will follow the process below:
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Chapters will host events for PNM’s interested in joining that chapter.
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Once a woman moves into PNM status, they are eligible to extend a bid to that PNM.
Requirements to Participate in Informal Recruitment
In order to participate in recruitment you must fulfill the following requirements:
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At least a 2.5 cumulative GPA
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Be enrolled as a full-time student at Penn State University Park
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Completed at least 14 credits at a Penn State campus OR 27 transfer credits OR be classified as an adult learner by Penn State
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Not have conduct probation with a transcript notation at the time of recruitment or intake
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Not be suspended or expelled at the time of recruitment or intake
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Register on Campus Director
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Complete the Fraternity and Sorority Life Information Session on Canvas, including the terms and conditions at the end
Please reach out to our VP for Recruitment, Colleen Sannito, at pennstatephc.recruitment@gmail.com with any questions about who is going through the COB process, issues that arise, problems registering, or eligibility after reading our COB FAQ Page!