INFORMAL
RECRUITMENT
Ohio State Panhellenic offers informal recruitment options for Potential New Members in both the fall and spring semesters. Informal recruitment, also referred to as Continuous Open Bidding (COB), is a much more relaxed version of recruitment that allows PNMs to find their place in our Panhellenic community, It takes place at the conclusion of primary recruitment during the spring semester for any student who has completed the requirements to go through recruitment. In the fall, COB options are open to those students who have completed these requirements. First-year students are NOT eligible to participate in COB during their first semester. The chapters that participate in COB change each semester and it is not guaranteed that any certain chapter will be eligible to participate.
What is C.O.B?
Informal Recruitment or Continuous Open Bidding (COB) is a more casual and unstructured process that only takes place if chapters are eligible and choose to participate. Not every sorority participates and the chapters that choose to participate change per semester. It does not operate on a set schedule like Primary Recruitment, so each sorority handles its Informal/COB process differently.
Who is Eligible?
All Ohio State University students are eligible to participate in COB provided that: (1) they are enrolled as a full-time student; (2) they have never been initiated into one of the 17 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities at OSU, or on another campus; (3) they have not received a bid during the most recent Primary Recruitment, declined the bid, or broke their pledge; (4) completed 12 collegiate credit hours.
Is it the same as a snap bid?
No. Snap bidding ends when bids are distributed on Bid Day. Informal/Continuous Open Bidding (COB) begins as soon as Bid Day ends. Furthermore, Snap Bidding is ONLY allowed for those chapters that did NOT meet quota in the bid-matching process of Primary Recruitment. The Snap Bidding process takes place before bids are distributed on Bid Day and eligibility is limited to women who participated in at least the first two days of recruitment (i.e. Meet the Chapters).