Continuous Open Bidding, COB, is a way for Panhellenic sororities to add a few women to their sisterhood throughout the academic term. It can be very casual, unstructured, and since not every sorority participates, it is not easy to tell which sororities will participate in a given semester. Continuous Open Bidding does not operate on a specific schedule, so some chapters may complete their COB process before another chapter begins it. If you’re interested in sorority membership, though, and a chapter invites you to a COB event, you should attend. If you missed out on primary recruitment, this is a great way to try and find a sorority home at Auburn. Please be advised that COB is different from fall primary recruitment and that submitting our online interest form does not register you for fall primary recruitment. By submitting the online interest form you are only indicating that you are interested in Continuous Open Bidding, it does not guarantee you will be reached out to by chapters.
Continuous Open Bidding
FAQ’s
Continuous Open Bidding is a very informal process that sororities use to take in new members. Unlike primary recruitment, there are no silence rules, no long days of going from party to party, or complicated invitation acceptances. When a sorority holds COB, they simply contact a potential new member on their own and hold a series of informal events to get to know her better. Each chapter does it differently. Some might go to dinner with a potential member. Some chapters might hold a ‘movie night’ in the chapter room and invite potential members to attend. Attending a COB event is a great way to casually meet people and to have fun.
NOTHING! Unlike primary recruitment, registration is not necessary to participate. Some times, a sorority may simply contact someone they already know. However, they will also come to the Greek Life Office to find out if anyone has expressed interest by submitting interest with us. In that case, we will provide the sorority with copies if the forms submitted. If you submit an interest form with us, a sorority may or may not call you to meet. If they do, you can go if you want, but you are always within your rights to say, “No, thanks.”
The time for COB begins right after bid distribution for fall primary recruitment and ends at the end of the spring term. When a chapter holds COB, they hold it on the days that they want and whatever time of the year they want. COB does not occur during school breaks.
All women who are full-time Auburn University students are eligible to participate as long as they meet 3 conditions… (1) they must have never been initiated into a National Panhellenic Conference sorority before; (2) they must not have received a bid from fall primary recruitment and turned it down within the preceding year; (3) she must not have accepted a COB bid and later turned it down within the preceding year.
COB events are held wherever the chapter chooses. They may plan a small dinner with some potential members and a few sisters at someone’s apartment or a restaurant or they may choose to go watch a basketball game together. They might have an event in their chapter room. The location of the event is not important, as long as the event is alcohol free.
Some sororities find themselves eligible and do not have it, others will have it as soon as they have room for one person. Some sororities will have it one year and not the next. If you want to be a sorority member, putting your name in the COB mix is a great way to get involved. If it’s only one specific sorority you’re interested in joining, COB might not be for you.
There are several ways sororities might get names. They already have the registration materials of everyone who participated in recruitment. So, if you participated in recruitment but did not join, they have your information. A sorority will also poll its members to get ideas. An officer will announce that the chapter will be conducting COB and will ask if anyone already knows someone who might be interested. For this reason, it is important that you let your sorority friends know that you would be interested in learning more and maybe joining. They will also reach out to the Greek Life Office, where we keep a database of COB interest forms. Interested women complete this form so that sororities conducting COB can get their information. Sometimes a sorority having COB will refer to the database, sometimes they won’t. Being in there will just let sororities know you’re interested in case they want to invite you.
Again, there is no official “signup,” but you can express interest by completing this form.
While completing our interest form is a good way to get your name in the hands of the sororities, it is not required (but it is suggested). It also does not guarantee that any chapter will reach out to you. The only way to meet all of our chapters is to participate in fall primary recruitment.
Last modified: January 4, 2023