Prior to the fall 2021 Primary Recruitment season, Phi Mu’s National Council unanimously voted to remove the requirement of an alumna reference/recommendation for Potential New Members.

• The main reason was to empower current collegiate chapter members to make their own membership selection decisions without what was sometimes undue influence, or the attempt at undue influence, by even well-meaning alumnae.
  • To better manage expectations of alumnae and of Potential New Members.
  • Some alumnae mistakenly believed that submitting a Reference Form would guarantee invitations to Phi Mu, or even a bid.
  • This often led to ill will toward the collegiate chapter and/or Phi Mu Fraternity.

• To reduce barriers to joining by allowing each Potential New Member the same opportunity to receive an invitation for membership to Phi Mu.
  • Potential New Members without access to a Phi Mu alumna, or the knowledge of how to find one through Phi Mu or an Alumnae Panhellenic, were – or felt – at a disadvantage. That group included first-generation college students and those without family members in sororities.
  • Many Potential New Members who did know about references spent an inordinate amount of time securing them.
  • Some Potential New Members were disheartened, after submitting a reference (and going through the time to obtain it), to not get invited to the next round.
  • This often led to ill will toward the collegiate chapter.
• Most references from alumnae – this data was provided by collegiate chapters – were “information only” and had details already available on the Potential New Member’s resume and recruitment registration form.
• The usage of recommendation letters varies widely from campus to campus – for some it was standard but for many others, they were not utilized and those chapters still pledged quality women. For some campuses where recommendation letters were the norm, chapters had to spend an inordinate amount of time tracking and processing letters, some of which were “information only” so not helpful for membership selection decisions.
• In the age of social media, chapters are extremely good at learning about Potential New Members in order to make their own decision about who to extend a bid to.

Chapters receive photos, resumes, and often essay questions and even videos from Potential New Members with their recruitment application. Submitting additional photos and information chapters already receive on PNMs’ resumes is an unnecessary step.

No. Potential New Members are not guaranteed a bid. (Potential New Members were also not guaranteed a bid when recommendation letters were used in the past.)

It is up to each individual chapter to determine how to use this information. There is no expectation for what chapters do with the information.

Chapters will not be expected to send thank-you notes or acknowledge that names were received. You will receive confirmation from the Fraternity that your form was received upon submission.

Emails to Potential New Members will be sent in batches, so there may be a gap between when her name is submitted and when the informational email is sent. She will receive an email similar to the example below, personalized with her first name and the college she is attending/plans to attend.

A Phi Mu legacy will be extended the same courtesy that is given to all Potential New Members.  

Phi Mu continues to define a legacy as a sister, half-sister, step-sister, daughter, step-daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter of a Phi Mu in good standing with the Fraternity.  

It is our hope that alumnae members teach Phi Mu’s values of love, honor and truth to their legacies so that when it comes time to choose a sorority home, legacies will want to join Phi Mu with other Potential New Members who share these values.  

Membership in Phi Mu is open to but not guaranteed to any woman. The Fraternity firmly supports our chapters in making autonomous membership decisions.

Phi Mu has long been aware that the emphasis and utilization of Reference Forms/recommendation letters varies widely from campus to campus. While securing an alumna reference or letter of recommendation is the norm at some large institutions, many of our chapters receive none each year and are still able to pledge quality women who represent Phi Mu’s values of love, honor and truth.  

On some campuses, many Potential New Members spent a large amount of time attempting to find an alumna to write them a reference/letter of recommendation and it became increasingly clear that this was a true barrier for access to the organization. While Phi Mu values the information that our alumnae members provide to help our collegiate chapters, having a reference/recommendation letter as a required aspect to join Phi Mu actively excludes women who may not have access to an alumna to write one for them.  

An alumna reference or letter of recommendation has never guaranteed an invitation to membership and Phi Mu firmly supports our chapters in making autonomous membership decisions.