By Laura Acuff, Opinion Editor

A rumor circulating campus that 17 girls intending to pledge social clubs failed to receive bids Thursday night is unfounded, said Mauri Westbrook, director of student organizations and activities.

“This year, for 2008, what we can say is that every student that went through the ranking process was matched with a club, was given a bid from a club, an official bid to join that organization,” Westbrook said. “Those organizations want those students to be a part of their organization, and so through that matching process some people get their first choice, some people don’t get their first choice, but we can say that every student was matched with an official bid from an organization.”

Westbrook said that according to the Social Club Handbook, available online at www.acu.edu, every qualified student who puts forth a “good faith effort” in the rushing process can expect to receive a bid.

GATA President Lyndsay Ice, senior music major from Hurst, also said the rumor was inaccurate and every girl got a bid.

“My feeling is that maybe they didn’t quite understand what happened,” Ice said. “So like the girls that maybe didn’t get their first choice show up at this location to receive their bids, but maybe it wasn’t communicated clearly that that’s what it was. But every single girl who ranked and was eligible received a bid.”

While unsure of the rumor’s origins, Ice said confusion about GATA bids may have contributed.

Ice said that because GATA is a small club, Westbrook allowed them to have two separate meetings to announce bids: one for the girls who had ranked GATA first, and one for those who had not.

“We had all of the girls that ranked us first go to a location to meet with our vice president so that they could get pumped up and excited,” Ice said. “The girls that maybe ranked us second or third or whatever went to a different location and talked to one of our sponsors in hopes that she could encourage them to really consider pledging us.”

Ko Jo Kai President Jamie Lyn Spires, senior communication major from Arlington, said she has not heard of the rumor and that every eligible girl is usually given a bid. Even girls found to be unqualified receive early notification.

Alpha Kai Omega President Erin Chappell, senior social work and biblical text major from Southlake, also said she has not heard of the rumor. Chappell said forgetting to rank was the only potential reason she could imagine that would keep a girl from receiving a bid.

The unavoidable nature of the pledging process can sometimes spark discord, Ice said.

“Girls really go into the pledging and rushing process and get their hearts set on that one club that they just really feel like that is where they belong,” Ice said. “When they don’t get it, it’s a huge disappointment, and they are just upset about it.”

However, Ice said despite any glitches, she has faith in changes being made to the pledging system and the people behind it.

“I don’t know that it’s perfect yet but I really think that Mauri and the student leaders and other people on campus who have an influence over this are really trying to put together the best system possible,” Ice said. “Because either way you do it, some girls are going to get hurt and not get the bid that they want, so I think with this system they really are trying to figure out the best way.”