Men's Recruitment Rules
Muhlenberg College Inter-Fraternity Association

New Member Qualifications

1. A man is eligible to participate in Recruitment Week if he is a full-time student at Muhlenberg College.  Full-time is defined as taking three or more courses in a semester.  Newly matriculated transfer students must submit a full transcript from their previous institution(s) to verify eligibility in order to participate.

2. A man shall not be, or ever have been, an initiated member of an NIC group.

3. A man shall register for Recruitment Week and pay a registration fee before participating in any scheduled activities.  Preferably, this is done before Recruitment Week, but can also be done at a recruitment event.  The amount of this fee is to be determined annually by the IFC.  Fraternities must deliver registration paperwork for potential new members that attended their recruitment event within 24 hours of the event.  Failure to deliver this paperwork carries a monetary fine.

4. a. A man of sophomore standing is eligible to participate in new membership recruitment if he has a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.25 recorded at the end of the semester preceding Recruitment Week or received at least a 2.40 grade point average for the semester immediately preceding new membership recruitment.

b. A man of junior or senior standing is eligible to participate in Recruitment Week if he has a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.25 recorded at the end of the semester preceding Recruitment Week or received at least a 3.00 grade point average for the semester immediately preceding new membership recruitment.

5. A man is not eligible for Recruitment Week or new member education if he is currently serving a disciplinary suspension or expulsion. A man on disciplinary probation is eligible to participate in Recruitment Week and education pending the approval of the Inter-Fraternity Council.

Timeline

1. Recruitment Week may occur once each semester and begin no later than the start of the fourth full week of the fall semester.

2. An additional Recruitment Week and new member education program may be held in the spring semester at the discretion of the Inter-Fraternity Council. The spring program will follow the same rules as the fall program.

3. Recruitment Week will last no more than ten (10) days.

4. A Recruitment Week schedule of events for each participating chapter must be submitted to the IFC Recruitment Chair and finalized with the Director of Greek Affairs for approval before advertising or holding any event.

5. All Recruitment Week events must be registered with the Office of Greek Affairs as per the Chapter Event Policy.

Event Rules

1. A Recruitment Week event is an event sponsored by a fraternity that is held or publicized to attract new members.  The IFC recognizes that informal recruitment continues throughout the calendar year.  A fraternity-sponsored event is defined as any event where brothers of a chapter(s) solicit participation of eligible men either before or during Recruitment Week.  Also, any closed activity by which a fraternity or group of fraternities provides only eligible men with entertainment, food, prizes, or gifts.

2. Starting on the first day of classes and continuing through Chapel Run, no member of a fraternity may visit an eligible man in his place of residence without invitation.  Solicitation of eligible men for participation in a door-to-door style is prohibited.  Exceptions to this rule are resident advisors acting as counselors, members of the Inter-Fraternity Council, and roommates.

3. Recruitment Week events may occur Monday through Friday. All Recruitment Week events must end by 1:00 a.m. Fraternities wishing to hold recruitment events at any other time must have good reason and prior permission from the Inter-Fraternity Council.

4. Alcohol is prohibited at all Recruitment Week events. All individuals (actives, alumni and the potential members themselves) present at a recruitment event shall not be under the influence of alcohol or and other controlled substances.

5. A fraternity shall under no circumstances provide eligible men with access to or means to obtain alcohol or any other intoxicating substance.

6. Any eligible man participating in a “wet rush” will be prohibited from accepting a bid with any chapter for an entire year and cannot be included in any new membership education program until after the following year's fall recruitment period.

7. “Black Rushing”, defined as denigrating, insulting or impugning other Greek organizations in any form of communication (written, verbal or electronic), is strictly prohibited.  Fraternities determined to be black rushing will be subject to monetary sanctions determined by the Inter-Fraternity Council. All IFC member fraternities understand that it is essential that all Greek organizations act in a manner that supports a unified Greek Community at Muhlenberg College.

8. IFC member fraternities recognize that the actions of one fraternity reflect on the entire Greek community.  Therefore, all printed Recruitment Week materials (calendars, T-shirts, flyers, etc.) are subject to approval by the Inter-Fraternity Council Recruitment Chair and the Director of Greek Affairs, and may not be published, distributed, or released to the Muhlenberg College community until approval has been given. Neither Muhlenberg College nor the Inter-Fraternity Council will be responsible for any money lost due to materials being printed and subsequently rejected.  Distribution/display of unapproved materials carries a mandatory monetary fine and possible notification of the offending fraternity’s national leadership.  Examples of unacceptable materials include references to or be related to any of the following:

   • Degradation of any persons regarding sex, race, creed, or sexual orientation;
   • Offensive language or innuendo;
   • Sexual promiscuity or obscenity;
   • Use of alcohol or other drugs.

Bid offerings and acceptances

1. Definition: a formal bid is offered only at Chapel Run at the end of Recruitment Week.  Any other promise of an invitation to join a fraternity is considered informal and is not recognized by the IFC.

2. A list of the names of all bid recipients must be turned into the IFC and Office of Greek Affairs for a final check of eligibility before a chapter can formally offer a bid to any man at Chapel Run.  This will occur at an IFC meeting specially scheduled for this purpose.

3. A confirmation of new member status (in the form of all required paperwork) of all bid recipients must be turned in to the office of Greek Affairs by the end of business on the second academic day following Chapel Run.  A monetary fine of $10/day applies for late paperwork.

4. In a spirit of openness and unity, the IFC asks member fraternities to refrain until at least the second half of rush from making any informal bid offers to potential new members.

Policy Coverage

No policy can cover all possible situations that may arise. When this policy is not specific in a certain point, chapters are to conduct their activities in the spirit of fraternal responsibility embodied in this policy and the guiding ideals and principles of the organization. Chapters in violation of this policy's intent will be subject to review by the Inter-Fraternity Council Judicial Board.

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