guide to cobing

Dear GDI,

So you decided you want to join Michigan Greek Life; that’s fantastic! There are so many women who would love to have you join their organization. Obviously, primary recruitment is the main way to join; however, it isn’t always the best fit for everyone. That is where COBing comes into play.

What is COB?
COB stands for continuous open bidding. It is a requirement that members of sororities or female fraternity’s always look for and recommend potential candidates for membership. This process can occur year round expect during strict silence or during primary recruitment.

Who can COB?
Any Panhellenic sorority not at Panhellenic total can recruit members through the COB process.

What is total?
Total is the median number of members each organization has. We do not use average to ensure the most amount of women possible can go Greek.

How can I find out who is under total?
The Fraternity and Sorority Life Office’s webpage has a list of 4 sororities who are currently advertising they are taking COBs. However, not every sorority who plans on taking COBs are advertised. If you are interested in figuring out which organizations are also taking COBs you can send an email to their president and recruitment/membership chairwomen.

What do COB events entail?
COB events can be arrange of things. Chapters that are trying to get a large number of women through CoB may hold a COB recruitment week. For example, they may host a movie night one night, a craft party the next, a third night could be roller skating. These events are planned so that PNMs can meet the most amount of women possible and get a solid feel of what joining their organization could mean. Other COB events could be much smaller, like one-on-one coffee dates or being asked to attend a sisterhood event already planned. This is so you as the PMN understand what is expected of you as a member.

Who should go through COB?
Any female in good standing with the University of Membership that is interested in joining Greek life should consider going through COB. Typically, it is more beneficial for “older” women (aka upperclassman and transfers). This is because during primary recruitment there is an unofficial stigma about why someone didn’t join as a freshmen or that there is no point in joining after your sophomore year. During COB, you can adequately explain to the chapter why you have made the decision later on in life. From an Internationals perspective, they love when juniors and seniors go through recruitment because it is less likely they will drop and the experience really is “for a lifetime.”

What does membership entail?
Please please please only go through COB if you know you can meet the financial obligations of a sorority! There is no point taking up the chapter members time if you drop when you realize you have to pay $900-$2000 a year in sorority dues. Also, be expected that they will require you to live in the sorority facility. If you have no intentions of living in, again, don’t waste their time. This is another reason why COB is a better option for some women. By joining an organization as a junior or senior, you have 2-3 less years of expensive local dues and then only have to pay the cheaper alumnae dues after graduation ($10-$50 a year).

But only ~lower tier~ sororities COB.
If you have this mind frame, please do not COB. No one wants your bad energy in their organization. Keep an open mind and you will meet amazing humans.