RIF Form

Recruitment Information Form (RIF) Instructions

Fill out the RIF for any potential new member you wish to recommend for membership into Pi Beta Phi. Please send the RIF before recruitment begins. If possible, attach a picture of the potential new member.

If the potential new member is a legacy of Pi Beta Phi, a Legacy Introduction Form may also be sent to the chapter, but it is not required. Legacies of Pi Beta Phi are sisters, mothers and grandmothers.

Although only one RIF is needed for each potential new member, letters are welcome from all alumnae.

  RIF Form (PDF)    | Legacy Form 

Return the completed form to the Vice President of Membership of the appropriate chapter. Addresses for the Vice President of Membership are available here.

Please note that RIFs and other supporting documentation may not be submitted electronically.

Information Concerning the Recruitment of Legacies and other Potential New Members

The opinion and careful consideration of our alumnae will always be valued by our collegiate chapters.

As alumnae of Pi Beta Phi, we have the responsibility to ...

• Provide information on potential new members for Pi Beta Phi membership through Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs) and Legacy Introduction Forms (this form does not take the place of a RIF).
• Encourage a legacy to explore all chapters on her campus and choose the one in which she is most comfortable without placing undue expectations on the legacy or the chapter. Recruitment is a MUTUAL selection process, and alumnae must honor a legacy's and chapter's right to choose.
• Understand the Pi Beta Phi Constitutional rules and requirements, as well as Pi Phi's policies, governing legacies. They are as follows: 
• Constitution:  Article I-Membership
  Section 3.Legacies.  A daughter, sister, or grandmother of an initated member shall be considered a legacy of the Fraternity. Special consideration shall be given to legacies whose qualifications are comparable to those of other potential new members.
• Recruitment and Membership Selection Guide
  The Fraternity urges its chapters to consider the heritage of a Pi Beta Phi background as a great asset and has the following policies regarding legacies:

1. The Vice President of Membership shall inform the chapter of all potential new members known to be Pi Phi legacies.
2. A legacy shall be invited to at least one invitational round of formal recruitment (parties). (This does not apply to informal recruitment where preference is the only invitational party.)
3. A legacy who attends a preference party shall be placed on the first bid list.

Please note that the national fraternity has no mandate or authority under our constitution to require any chapter to pledge specified individual potential new members, including legacies. (This has always been Pi Phi's policy and is not a change.) 

• Trust our collegians. They are well versed in Fraternity policies and exercise complete autonomy with regard to new member selection. Beginning fall 2010, all chapters will complete a Leading with Values^® seminar concerning honor and respect for legacies prior to recruitment.

As alumnae of Pi Beta Phi, we can expect ...

• Our alumnae organization or the collegiate chapter to whom we submit a RIF will acknowledge the receipt of our recommendation. Alumnae must understand that sending a RIF does not guarantee a bid to membership.
• Individual alumna will not be contacted personally by the chapter or a member of the Alumnae Advisory Committee if potential new members, including legacies, are released because of privacy rights concerning all potential new members involved in the recruitment process.
• During formal recruitment, a legacy will be invited to at least one invitational round and will receive an invitation to membership from Pi Beta Phi if she attends the Preference Round. The chapter must be informed prior to the start of recruitment that the PNM is a legacy.

Local chapter advisors and Pi Beta Phi Fraternity officers serve as dedicated coaches and mentors to our collegians; they strive to educate our members on the value of a legacy. At the same time, membership selection is the responsibility and privilege of our collegiate chapters and our advisors are in a position only to support the constitutional requirements around courtesy given to legacies.

National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and
Pi Beta Phi Guidelines

• Do not call the family of the young woman (potential new member) for information for the RIF.
• Encourage the potential new member to fill out an alumnae Panhellenic information form if there is an alumnae Panhellenic in her area, and remind her she must register for recruitment on campus.
• Do not contact the chapter collegiate members during recruitment to inquire about progress.
• Alumnae should neither expect to receive any information about the status of a specific potential new member nor expect to receive bid list information.
• Violations of Panhellenic rules by alumnae may cause the collegiate chapter to be penalized.