True. I remember reading here somewhere that some high schools in certain towns are known as "feeders" to some fraternity chapters because guys just happen to pledge there and invite the younger guys who graduate from there to come to events.

You definitely don't have to pledge them all, but it seems to provide a good PNM pool from which you can choose.

It's absolutely true. In fact, if you rush a certain school pretty hard you're guaranteed to keep pulling them. Rush in the SEC is very town/school based. All the SAE's are from Catholic/Episcopal in Little Rock, Jesuit in Dallas, and the Hot Springs area. Sigma Chi tends to pull them from some elite Dallas private schools as well as all of Southeastern Arkansas. It goes on. Rush hard on a couple specific schools that y'all have guys from. Those guys will give your fraternity identity (hopefully a good one) and y'all will have a solid base to come from.

That's the thing though, he isn't in the SEC. At some colleges keeping too much of any kind of connection with high school is looked at as lame. I mean one or two guys from the same hometown yeah, a whole fraternity of guys from the same town, either really lame or part of the Mafia.

It doesn't have to be the whole fraternity. But if numbers are the problem that is the easiest/most obvious solution, assuming everyone has at least some friends from high school, have everybody bring one or two of them by.

Plus it's Iowa, there's only like 3 towns to start with so it's going to end up like that anyways haha.

First of all that was pretty ignorant.

In Iowa Fraternities are not as appealing to everyone, most people hate fraternities and the guys in it. Just a really different environment and its hard to recruit people here.

You'd be surprised at how many people don't want to be associated with high school at all once they graduate. I'm one of them. I went to college 600 miles away from home for a reason. It's not that I didn't like high school, or that I had an awful time there. In fact, I had a lot of friends and it was one of the best times of my life. But at the same time, that part of my life was over, and I knew it was time to move on to the next big thing. I didn't want to go to Keene State or UNH (referred to in southern New Hampshire as the University of Nashua High), because I wanted to meet new people outside of that high school.

At the same time, some people like that familiarity. They like bringing in their best friends, whom they've known since they were 3 years old, and that's fine. Allow those guys to bring their friends along. You don't know them anyway, so what's the difference? It's probably one of the best ways to recruit.

On the other hand... if you have too many people coming in from the same high school, then yes, it might make it seem like you're back where you were before graduation. For some, that might be less than appealing. It's one thing to have a good buddy, or an acquaintance, there with you. It's another to have half of your graduating class pledging with you.

Chill. He's just being facetious.

I think it's easier to recruit at Iowa State than it is at Iowa. At least some of the houses are still wet and they can have parties at Iowa State; they can't at Iowa due to University regulations.

It's not that guys hate fraternities (at least not when I was in school) it's that most of them are uninformed. The percentage of students in Greek Life has hovered around 10-12% for the past 10 years, but almost ALL of the leadership roles on campus (Homecoming Exec, VEISHEA, even some of GSB) are held by members in Fraternities and Sororities.

If you go into it with the attitude that everyone hates you and no one wants to join, you're going to have a hard time recruiting. Again, you have to show guys what your fraternity can offer them that they can't get elsewhere. Why did you join Kappa Sig?

In Iowa City they can go to the bars at 19 and don't say that you cant drink in there because you can haha.. i have done it. So they dont really need to be wet. Plus their are house parties haha..trust me kids are not having trouble getting alcohol or finding parties

Oh I know they don't have any trouble finding alcohol or parties, but at Iowa State fraternities still serve somewhat as a social outlet. Not so much anymore at Iowa.

Seriously, it's college. Some kids are going to drink no matter what. But there's also more to that where the fraternities are concerned. Friendship. Brotherhood. Leadership. Networking. Those are all benefits.

Are you the new rush chair or just a regular member? Are you gaining any insight here? I mean, it's all well and good to come on GC and ask questions, but if you're not going to apply the suggestions people give, then what's the point?

ETA: nevermind, I see you're the recruitment chair.

I would suggest you contact your AA and see if you can set up a rush event with your alums and prospects. Make this a multi media event with music, powerpoint and get some of the Rush videos from National. Have lots of food and drinks and invite the sororities to help. they love doing that kind of stuff. Do this on campus where the Freshmen can attend easily and get a sorority to help you dorm storm. Plan an after event for those interested and go do go-karts, lazer tag, paint ball or something where you can meet prospects and interact. Let the alumni sell what the fraternity means to them and what it was like as a member during their time. Let them tell war stories and make a great event out of it. You have to organize, advertise, wear your letters, market the fraternity and get your name out there. I was the alumni rush advisor for a Kappa Sig chapter that went from 8 members in 2005 to 75+ today. This is how we started. You have to build the momentum and follow up with everyone you meet as prospects. This isn't easy but it is fun.

Ghostwriter speaks the truth. Take his advice with a grain of salt though, and remember that not all campuses are the same.

Remember though. There is the one really basic recruitment tool that I think is absolutely brilliant and under-utilized

The 5 Step NIC Recruitment Model
1. Meet them
2. Become their friend
3. Introduce them to your friends
4. Introduce them to the Fraternity concept
5. Ask them to join

It really is THAT simple. A lot of people think they can convince people to join in one day. It's not that easy, if it were, we would all have 100 men chapters.

Take some time to stop "recruiting" and start meeting people. Think of all of the people you have in now, and think of why they joined. A lot of your best members I'm sure joined because they wanted friendship

Don't even talk to them about joining until you can consider them your friend and you have introduced them to several of your friends. Take this message and spread it to everyone in your chapter. Motivate all of them to try this model on 5 new guys from the incoming freshman class, and I guarantee you most, if not all, will end up joining

Also, remember that you cannot do these five steps in one day. Becoming their friend does not mean friending them on Facebook. You may know someone who would make a great member, but that it will take a year to get them to join. If you think they're worth it, don't give up - just be consistent.

I hate this excuse so much

I have never really been that big of a fan of excuses to begin with. I don't want to seem like I'm picking on you, but man, it really upsets me when people in my own chapter make this excuse

If you operate under the mentality that you are somehow disadvantaged from the very beginning, then you are going to end up writing your own destiny.

I go to a school where 80% of the school commutes, the University itself is less than 50 years old, about 30% of the school's male population is international (the type that almost never joins a Fraternity) and the leading major is in the school of engineering and computer science.

The perfect recipe for failure in Fraternity recruitment, and there are still chapters that get 20 man pledge classes

The reason why we are successful is because we try and learn everything we can. We read books, we go to conferences, and we analyze our mistakes.

The first step to fixing your recruitment problem is to stop thinking the way you are. Start fresh, and motivate your brothers to recruit.

Kill the negativity, and I guarantee you will start seeing success