PX or Counselor advice?

[PhoenixAzul]

Can any of our past PX (PGams or whatever ya wanna call yourselves) give me some info on how to be a kick ass PX? Mine last year were nice, very informative. I just want to help these girls. I've gotten so much out of this experience, and I just want other girls who might be "on the fence" to give it a chance and realize that life is good. . I want to do a fun ice breaker, which we do with our group after opening ceremony, but I'd like some advice. How do I help these girls stay calm? I thought about doing a "group scream" before each invite hand-out, just to blow off the tension (waiting for invites is TORTURE! ). Anyone with battle scars please share!

[adpiucf]

I think an ice breaker to get the girls thinking about recruitment and sororities is to pair them up in groups of 2 girls per group. Have them answer a pre-ordered list of questions and practice shaking hands with a firm light squeeze, smiling and thinking of questions to keep a conversation going. Then, ask the groups of two to come up and introduce each other to the group. A great gift to your PNM is a cup with their name painted on it and some candies inside.

Also, I don't know how your school works invites, but other groups might find it distracting or clique-ish if you do a cheer. You want your PNMS to mingle and mix with other PNMs who could be their potential sisters, too.

Recommendations for the week
1) Give them only as much info as they can digest EACH DAY before and after the parties.
* For the orientation, where they meet you, it's helpful to introduce yourself, hand out any materials from Panhellenic, get their emergency contact info and give them a brief explanation of how the week will work. Give them a phone number of where you can be reached at any time. (Now is not the time to talk about Single Individual Preferencing (aka suiciding), how to fill out their score cards, etc. Just let them digest little bits.) Talk about what to wear each day and open the floor up to questions.
* DO get a phone number from each PNM where they can be reached at any time and tell them the importance of answering the phone early in the morning, just in case there is a change in events or schedule. IT WILL HAPPEN.

2) Teach them to sing the Greek Alphabet. This will be useful later on if they join a sorority and have to know the alphabet.

3) Give them a list of good questions to ask in the houses, and questions they should have a rehearsed answer to (IE: Why do you want to join a sorority). Keep notepads and pens for them where they can write their thoughts.

4) Be a good listener. Sometimes cuts can be hard. Encourage them to stay in recruitment through the end. Also, encourage them to get involved on campus.

5) Encourage them all to be themselves because although it can be perceived there are "top" chapters, if you're not yourself, you won't join the chapter that is right for you and you won't fit into someplace where you can't be yourself.

6) Encourage them not to gossip about rumors heard at other chapters, but to talk to you first. You can address the group about those rumors.

Have fun! Being a counselor is a great way to learn about yourself, leadership and making new friends who will look up to you

[velouria]

I haven't been a rho chi yet, but I know mine this year was awesome. Some things she did:
-had lunch with us before recruitment, even if not to talk about recruitment, just to hang out.
-group meeting to make name tags and hang out. lots of fun puffy paint and foam letters and things so we all had our own cute nametags to match our personalities.
-available anytime to talk about recruitment stuff. returned phone calls quickly.

mine was truly a great spx. I wish we had more contact after recruitment was over, but she is a senior and had been separated from her sisters all semester, so obviously she was really busy. =)

I'm sure you'll do great.

[thetalady]

... remind the PNMs that there are eyes and ears EVERYWHERE! Tell them that sorority members aren't spying on them, but they hang out at the same places the PNMs do.

They don't want to let a momentary lapse in judgement negatively affect their ability to join the group of their choice.

* Watch what you say
* Watch what what you wear
* Watch how you behave

[texas*princess]

I've never been a rho chi, but I wanted to say good luck !!!!! I'm sure it will be an awesome experience for you!

[PhoenixAzul]

Any advice from the fall NMs? What did your PX do well or not do that you wish she had?

[emleepc]

Co-sign with adpiucf....

I had for my girls:
mints before parties----a MUST!!
Coloring books---our recruitment was set up so that they had some extra time between parties.
I made folders for each member of my GammaChi group with fun sorority poems about sisterhood, etc. in them, as well as a sorority worksheet, where, after each party, they could write their thoughts and opinions of each sorority they visited with that day.....and stressed to them that it was confidential. Neither I nor anyone would read that information. It was for them, to help them make a decision.
My girls didn't want to do ice breaker games....but we did just sit around and talk----about all kinds of things----not necessarily recruitment stuff.....but I did answer questions if they had them. I got to know my girls better, and they got to answer questions and tell about themselves, just like they would do at the parties.

Think about when you went through---what things did you need to hear, what questions did you have, etc.? Chances are, they will have the same fears, and questions that you had.
Good luck to you!!!

[UHZeta]

My Rho Gamma was fabulous. She's not only my sister now but my Big! She was very encouraging and talked a lot (which not only put us all at ease, it was a relief to just listen for a while after all the "hi I'm so and so and I'm a --classification-- majoring in --major--....). She did some group unifying things which some people think is bad but it made my feel like I was going into the houses with friends rather than competitors or strangers. It was also good because I now have friends in other sororities.

I think that the idea of having a sheet for the girls to jot down notes about each house is excellent. I sort of did that on my own but some girls don't think about it.

[FSUZeta]

be prepared to be their "big sister" or their mom for the duration of recruitment. they will look up to you and take in everything you say. be funny, be fun, be wise, be a friend, be kind and compassionate.

when i was a rush counselor, two girls who were best friends from a small town, and were roommates, vowed that they would join the same sorority and be bff. as the week wore on, they realized that they were liking different sororities. one of the girls had a long talk with me, because she had been dropped by her friends favorite house and her friend had dropped her favorite house, so she knew they would not be sisters. she wanted to drop out of recruitment. it took a lot of talking and hand holding to convince her not to drop out of recruitment, but she did stay in and she joined her top choice, as did her friend. she was very happy and ended up a terrific member of her sorority. that made it all worth while.

[PhoenixAzul]

BUMPAGE!

One of my sisters gave me this advice...

"Tell them to wear something unique. They all have to wear the recruitment shirt, but tell them to wear their favorite pair of pants or a bright pink bow in their hair or a really unique necklace, something that will stick out. So many people remembered me because I had on pink pants on Open House. It also makes it easier to associate a face to a name when you're doing invites."

[kddani]

Originally posted by PhoenixAzul
BUMPAGE!

One of my sisters gave me this advice...

"Tell them to wear something unique. They all have to wear the recruitment shirt, but tell them to wear their favorite pair of pants or a bright pink bow in their hair or a really unique necklace, something that will stick out. So many people remembered me because I had on pink pants on Open House. It also makes it easier to associate a face to a name when you're doing invites."

Good idea, except I might advise against a bright pink bow in the hair

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally posted by kddani
Good idea, except I might advise against a bright pink bow in the hair

hehe, this particular sister could pull it off though, she's fantastic!

I'm trying to make a mental list of things to do/say/make sure I cover.

1) comfy shoes
2.) call me if you need me
3) be open minded
4) wear something unique
5) watch your step on the crests
6) be open minded
7) mints
8) make lists of things you liked about houses
9) make lists of things you didn't like about houses
10) be open minded.

i was having a convo with a girl from another house (and i love this house, they're super wonderful and have a really strong sisterhood) about rush. She said, "the biggest thing I hate is when girls think that rush changes what you know about them. Like if you're mean and spiteful to other people during class and then sweet to me at a rush event, I'm going to wonder about you. You have to be a nice person overall before you can be a nice pledge/sister. "

[tunatartare]

I was a Rho Chi this past semester and it's tradition here for all the Rho Chi's to dress up the first night of recruitment. I wore a pair of nice black pants and a white polo shirt. When I got to the student center, it turned out that for night 1, all the Tri Sigmas were wearing black pants with white shirts. Can you guess which sorority all the PNM's thought I was in that night?

[PhoenixAzul]

wooops! Chalk it up to "wardrobe malfunction". Heheheh. It's going to be super hard for me to disafiliate! Everything I own has letters (this is what happens when your seniors leave...they give you all their stuff to make moving easier! conspiracy, I swear!). I spend a lot of time with the girls in my chapter, esp. in the caf. But maybe ill take that time to sit with the girls in my group...problem solved!

I believe that the PX's have shirts they wear @ opening ceremony. I don't remember dressing up really for opening. I know that open house was supposed to be your rush shirt and comfy shoes. novelty round was just wear whatever. finals i think was sorta formal, because I remember curling my neighbors hair for her. AAAAAUGGGH. this is so exciting. haha. I'm such a huge nerd. I think my BF is getting annoyed with the greek talk....he's just gonna have to deal

[tunatartare]

I hear that. Practically everything I own has greek letters on it. Towards the end of recruitment I ran out of things to wear because my letters were the only clean clothes I had left!