A Tough Fall Ahead
 

There is a lot of work to do to help rebuild for Linfield College.
I am the current President and we are facing a rush semester without a house and minimal members (Our house just recently became condemned and we are trying to get the money for a remodel).
For the best 3 years I have been here I have seen over 70% of our new initiates leaving along with the normal numbers of seniors graduating.
Our chapter now rests on 17 members and we are up against three other fraternities exceeding 30 members all with working houses.
Getting out and have a solid rush class is a must but its hard to get all the guys motivated and getting out to meet new potential brothers.
I am planning on launching a "What's S.L.A.G.?" campaign but I am afraid that won't be enough.
Any good ideas?

Yes. Linfield has always been a pretty good chapter. I'm sorry that you're down, but good genes should win in the end. There was an old guy with a crew-cut - the mayor I think - who took care of the chapter; he may have died.
You should have at least 50 members. Dominate your competition. Grow fast and aggressive so there's a dynamic of excitement and so you can compete.
Here are some practical ideas. Ditch the "slag" idea - no one responds to promotions like that; they respond to men rushing men. Personal contact.

1. Pick one Brother who is in a position to drop out or take a lighter load for a semester and make rush his full-time job. Pay him by adding to the pledge fee or get alumni to make him an employee. The chapter has been good so you should have alumni suppport. He should concentrate on pledging numbers of good underclassmen and getting them initiated.

2. Make getting a good house a priority. Make ther alumni do this; the undergrads don't have the ability to get that done. Inspire the alumni with the promise that the chapter will be on top again. Define that by being the biggest and best.

3. Consider having two pledge classes per semester until you get your numbers back. Remember - and make sure the Brothers understand - against competition twice your size you cannot afford to 'get good' slowly. You'll never recover if you try to do it slowly. Do it quickly. Double your chapter size in one year and enjoy the effect of the increased optimism and excitement.

4. Make sure all the Brothers know that they must follow the leader, the rush chairman. Thier reward is a much better fraternity experience. Be prepared to lose a few. You may get down to 10 or 12 members. Some will leave becasuse they lose interest. Siome becasue they're embarrassed to be in what they view as a loser fraternity. But know: ON a campus where the top houses have 30 me, you can dominate and very quickly.

5. Don't fall into the psycho-babble crap about "every brother is responsible for bringing one new member in to replace himself'. That doesn't work. When everyone is responsible, then no one is responsible.

6. Pick a theme, an identity, and pursue that. Were you the jock house? The syudent government house? The smart, good-lookin guys? Did you have all the guys from a particular high school? At a small scholol with small fraternities, each fraternity usually has a specialized theme that distinguishes itself.

7. Great idea: find a sports club, like lacrosse or wrestling, or rugby, and pledge the entire team. They like to thikn of themselves as a fraternity enyway. This way they can be members of an important national fraternity.

Remember: Put someone in charge and make everyone follow him. Move quickly; no such thing as getting better slowly. Make alumni get you a house - you have to have a house if everyone else does. Don't be depressed when you lose some members; expect it. That actually makes it easier for the new guys to be accepted. Move now. Do it now. determine to have 40 brothers by the end of the 2010-11 school year.

Are you coming to the Convention?

Pardon my crash, but isn't there a possibility that his parents might have a slight problem with that??

I'm glad you said something, because I was shocked by that suggestion. Aren't we all in this to support our members academic development? I don't think it's responsible to suggest someone put their education on hold to recruit for the fraternity.:rolleyes:

Particularly since Linfield is private and not cheap.

Greek life can be a great thing, but if I thought for one minute it was interfering with my child's ability to get her degree in a reasonable amount of time - I'd be torked, and she'd be done. You go to college to get an education and a degree - everything else is icing.

Also, and someone please correct me if I'm totally off base, but on my kid's campus, you have to be a full time student in order to be active. Am I misinformed or does that vary by chapter, campus, and organization?

With respect, I believe this is an excellent idea or I would not have suggested it. It's been done before, and successfully.
Certainly, if a man's parents are paying the bills and they object to him taking the job then he is not a candidate. Neither is any man a candidate who feels that this would "put his education on hold" as you say. On the other hand, it's not unusual for a man to take a semester off and work, or to take a lighter load and have a part time job.
As far as being considered "active" is concerned, this is a job taken by a fraternity Brother as a recruiter. Whether the chapter counts him as "active" at the moment is beside the point. He is in fact there, doing his job. It could be an alumnus just as easily as it could be an undergraduate.
On some campuses, a man is given the job of full-time summer rush chairman, with a car, a clothing allowance and a budget. This is his paid job for those months. He leads the chapter in rushing and assembling a pledge class, often moving them directly into the house before fall term begins. This is common fraternity practice at some big schools in Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Iowa, Missouri - I'm sure there are others.

In this case - Linfield - the individual has reached out for help with ideas. If they don't re-build their numbers the chapter will die. It sounds as if fraternity sizes are small, so they can become competitive again quickly.

The three responders are all sorority women, and I understand this solution may sound odd to you because sororities tend to have lots of rules and restrictions on rush, including fall formal rush, and a limitation on summer contact. I believe this idea will also work with a weak sorority chapter that wnats to improve, and I have suggested it before.

Yes, we're here to get an education, and a first class education offers many advantages. What also offers considerable advantages are the lifelong relationships with quality men we forge in college. Pike at Linfield is an old and distinguished chapter. I'd like to see them survive and prosper.

I'm surprised at your reactions to a creative and effective solution with an entrepreneurial flair. The right man, who sees advantages for himself in this endeavor, will make a success.

It's not so much the rush rules or the part time student issue, it's more the idea of any parent being OK with this. I'm quite familiar with the concept of taking a semester off to work, but that's usually to make money at a full-time adult job to pay for your education - not to be a rush chair.

Paying the guy who does summer rush is completely different. It's SUMMER. School is not in session. He's probably turned down far more lucrative summer jobs to do all this for the chapter and he should be paid in return.

You know I usually agree with you man, but I just can't get on board with this one.

Your suggestion is ridiculous and goes against almost everything that Greekdom is about. ETA: I don't even care about parents' opinions and whether the parents are paying for it. Students shouldn't be taking time off in the interest of the GLO regardless of whether it is disguised as a job.

I'm accustomed to hearing about NPHCers staying in school longer so that they can "make new members," or become a member, "save a chapter," and enjoy "being out" as a collegiate. And I knew some IFCers when I was in college who stayed in school a little longer to stay involved as an active and "save the chapter." All of those people FAIL at life and those chapters FAIL their national headquarters with zero exceptions.

/this isn't a lane swerve because this is a Greekdom issue

My goodness. I certainly did not expect women to post in response to a Pike discussion, and I am surprised at the intensity of the responses (Dr Phil, I assume from your language that you are also female). But it's fine; if we didn't have passion for this stuff there wouldn't be any discussions at all and no website. Thank you for your responses; I enjoy the discussion.

With respect, I have a lot of experience with fraternities over a long time and I have seen this done successfully. It's not a bad thing that sorority women view their organizations differently than fraternity men. My focus is on ressurecting, saving or improving existing fraternity chapters. If you want a weak chapter to get better, someone must step forward and take command - it doesn't happen all by itself. That man must come from somewhere, either from outside (a transfer or a consultant from national), or from the inside. If the inside man is a full time college student, he has limited capacity to get the job done.

Dr Phil, I'm not certain we share the same concept of 'Greekdom' and I'm pretty sure I don't know what you mean by it. I do understand biology and the mechanics of fraternity competition. You made a pretty bold statement: "All of those people FAIL at life and those chapters FAIL their national headquarters with zero exceptions." That has not been my experience.

Linfield is a small school. If our chapter is to survive (National requires 25 members to sustain a chapter) then the members must take immediate action, be creative and find success to motivate the group. Chapters thrive on momentum and morale. Both can be generated by strong, bold leadership.

Fraternities do not operate on the same dynamic as sororities. Women do not fit well into the male model and vice versa.

I am a fraternity member and also find this to be a bad idea, HOWEVER,

THAT right there is the real problem. I suspect it may have been part of the multi-faceted problem which was the colony at Howard.

I do not support national minimums that are above the minimum number that the college requires.

These are all opinions. I doubt you would attempt to hone in on the perceived emotion if we were not women typing. This is a Greekdom issue and not a gender issue or a fraternity-vs-sorority issue. Certainly you do not assume that you are typing to people who are unfamiliar with keeping chapters afloat or that what it takes is so different for fraternities and sororities across councils and conferences.

The interesting thing about posting such threads on a publically viewable PiKA forum is that anyone can read and respond to it. I notice that NPC and NIC sometimes discuss struggling colonies and chapters on Greekchat and there's a reason why the NPHC orgs tend not to.

Imagine that.

A chapter that is struggling to survive is always a difficult thing. That doesn't mean that every suggestion is a good one even if it worked for a chapter(s) in the past. Afterall, a brother could take off from school to "work for the fraternity" and the chapter could still lose its charter. That would be fail all around.

I'll ignore some of the insanity as others have got it covered, but here's an idea- if you don't have a house, why not considering playing it up as a positive? My college was very similar to Linfield- small, private, liberal arts school with 3-5 fraternities and sororities. The fraternities had houses, the sororities didn't. Sounds pretty similar to Linfield.

One of the challenges that several of our fraternities faced was getting enough people to live in. Some people, including my husband, either didn't join or disassociated when they found out they would have to live in the house. With such a small student body and not a ton of interest in Greek life, the fraternities often struggled to fill all of their beds. I'm sure it is really hard on you guys to have had your house condemned (ouch :() and you guys want it back, but until you do- it's all about how you spin it. "We have a fantastic, close-knit brotherhood and we do a lot together, but we also live in the dorms/apts/whatever and are able to be really involved in other aspects of college life".

Yes, the spin may not work, especially if you guys don't embrace it & believe in it- but find a way to put a positive spin on the situation and showcase what you have to offer. In this case, not having a house can be a huge perk to some people. Just a thought...

Also, since you don't have a central house to congregate in- be visible. Wear letters, have lunch together on campus, host activities. Show that brotherhood goes beyond the house. Any group should do this regardless, but for you especially this is important.

Good luck!

I respect your opinion, but I'm not sure what you mena by "the minimum number that the college requires." I know that the HBGLO chapters and the multi-culturals can have very low numbers, but I'm not aware that a university requires an IFC chapter to have a set number. Panhellenic sororities with low numbers usually just go out of business.

No. Regarding the failed colony at Howard, I'll offer my opinion but I am speaking only for myself. I was angry that we installed a colony at Howard and I predicted what would and did happen. My national fraternity was disrespectful of a campus cuture, and that you must not do if you want to prosper.

I live in Tallahassee. FAMU and FSU are less than one mile apart. I am very familiar with the Black campus culture, with the unique strengths and drawbacks of Black fraternities and sororities, and with the - lets call it the point of view - of a smaller HBCU living in the shadow of a very large state university.

What my fraternity tried to do was to create a culturally white fraternity with black men on a campus where that very act was considered to be an intrusion of the most disrespectful kind. The appeal that was made to the Pike candidates was pretty straightforward and had to do with encouraging achievement and especially with a fraternity experience that involved no hazing. I was told that our colony attracted many student body leaders. I understand that after the colony failed, those men were initiated into Pike at a nearby chapter (GWU?).

Here's what I believe:
1. You must respect the campus culture if you want to prosper. We were disrespectful of the established culture at Howard and were not wanted there.

2. I do not want a chapter of Pike that is culturally Black. I don't want to see men wearing my letters whacking each other with canes, branding each other, wearing dog collars and doing a number of other things in public. I appreciate and i respect the demonstrated strengths of Black fraternities, but I don't want a chapter with the downside.

3. No matter how outstanding the men were that started the Pike chapter, if they wanted to fit into the Howard campus culture they eventually would have become just another fraternity like all the others there. And, they probably would not have been successful because Pike is not a traditionally acepted HBGLO.

4. At one time, and not so long ago, Jewish men were not permitted to join 'Christian' fraternities and so they became ZBT or TEP or AEPi or some other Jewish fraternity member. But today, that discrimination is rare and Jewish men feel free to join whatever fraternity appeals to them. I think we're slowly moving that way where Black men are concerned as well. Black men now join culturally white fraternities in surprising large numbers because that's where they feel comfortable and that's where they feel they have the most friends. Other black men feel more comfortable in an HBGLO. Black fraternities are NOT simply smaller versions of white fraternities. There are - some would say profound - cultural differences, both as undergrads and as alumni.


So...that's what happened to us at Howard in my opinion. I was appalled when we went there, and I was embarrased when we failed. I knew it would happen, and I was especially saddened that some fine men were misled by adults who should have known better.

"Yes, the spin may not work, especially if you guys don't embrace it & believe in it- but find a way to put a positive spin on the situation and showcase what you have to offer. In this case, not having a house can be a huge perk to some people. Just a thought... :"

You may be right. That's what they may have to do. If everyone else has a house, it's awfully hard to be the odd man out. But, you've stated it well. They have to put a positive spin on the situation.

oh shit. let me get off GC and get back in the kitchen where i belong before i get in trouble. :rolleyes:

You need to stop letting your emotions do the typing. :cool:

This will be a tough fall for this chapter but I hope it doesn't result in a tough fall.

Thank you, Senusret I, for ushering in another PiKA at Howard discussion.

Ha! Didn't mean to stir up trouble. I really do enjoy the exchange. I just didn't expect to see anyone other than Pikes on a Pike thread. How do people find out that something has been posted on an individual fraternity discussion site?

And, no other Pikes have seen fit to post so I appreciate and am thoroughly enjoying your company.

You stirred up sarcasm. Don't get all emotional on us.

You've been lurking and semi-posting for 8 years and do not know that? We don't always post in other GLOs' threads but your comment was just that interesting.

Well...yes.
I still couldn't figure it out so I went back and looked at the front page and saw the little lighted flag. I guess that indicates that there is a recent post.

I was a political science and advertising major. We tend to be really good looking but not real bright.

First of all, yikes.

Second of all, I am pretty sure most colleges and universities have a minimum number of students required before they will recognize a campus organization. That number for general organizations tends to be between 10-15.

Sometimes, in the Greek world, that number is either lower for GLOs or or is waived in the case of culturally-based GLOs.

In the case of Pike at Howard, the minimum number that your fraternity requires is WAY TOO HIGH. There is no all-male fraternity at Howard with numbers like that. From what I recall, Howard only requires ten people to recognize an organization.

That's all I was saying. Didn't expect you to respond to anything else but the numbers.

"That's all I was saying. Didn't expect you to respond to anything else but the numbers."

OK.
Our national fraternity has an average chapter size of 68; that's the highest of all NIC fraternities. That's our choice and I support it. Other fraternities also make a point of encouraging all their chapters to try to be the largest on campus, or one of the largest. In the IFC culture, it's very difficult to maintain continuity and strength with fewer than 25 members. There are IFC chapters at Ole Miss, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, FSU and Auburn with 200+ members. There are also major schools where the strongest IFC chapters have far fewer. At the University of Virginia, for example, I don't know of any prestige fraternity chapter that has more than 50 members. It's a matter of the campus fraternity culture.

As you said (or, somebody said here today) the HBGLOs and the multi-culturals often have very small numbers. You know that their intake process is very different, as is the culture. They generally don't have big houses to maintain, and their competition doesn't have the numbers to overwhelm them. And it should never be discounted that the HBGLOs especially, see their identity and their role very differently than do members of the IFC chapters.

I wasn't really aware of this: ("...most colleges and universities have a minimum number of students required before they will recognize a campus organization. That number for general organizations tends to be between 10-15."). It makes sense.

Great. But that's your opinion and it does not address the OP's concerns. Linfield is not going to magically have 50+ members in each org. That works for larger schools and SOME small ones. They have an avg of 30. Let's help him figure out how to get from 17 to 30 before we tackle completely changing campus culture to get up to your preferred amount.

Thank you! I just read this entire thread and thought, "Why is Firehouse calling for such drastic measures?" This is a chapter of 17 looking to gain 13 members (at the least)... not a chapter of 7, up against chapters of 50, ready to die out. Baby steps.

I don't want to sound mean here, Firehouse... but I wouldn't agree with 95% of this.

1. They "shouldn't" have 50 members. If they want to plan out acceptable goals for themselves, that's fine. But as a chapter, you shouldn't be hard on yourself for not having 20+ members more than any other chapter on campus. "Domination" isn't necessary at this point. Evaluate where you are, where you're going, and where you want to be... and establish goals based on that.

2. Getting a good house should not be a priority right now. Getting good members should be. Without brothers, you won't be able to support a super duper fantastic house!

3. Having two pledge classes can work... and sometimes it doesn't. I've seen it go both ways. If you're going to do this, map out a solid plan to make this work. And don't overwhelm yourself! If you think it will be too much work right now, just focus on one class.

4. Greek life isn't about "following the leader". It's about collectively coming up with the best solutions to your problems. Don't just rely on the rush chairman to do everything for you. THAT's how you guarantee that no one else will step up to the plate.

5. Replacing each graduating member with a new member isn't "psycho-babble"... it just makes good sense. Hell, it makes sense to try and recruit two people for every guy who leaves. How else are you going to get above a chapter of 17? I'm not saying that EVERYONE should be recruiting hardcore (some people just aren't good at it), but use your best members to get more good members.

6. PLEASE don't pick a "theme" for your house! This is the worst possible thing that you could do! If you do this, only a fraction of the campus will be interested in looking at your chapter at all. Be as well-rounded as possible!

7. Don't pledge an entire sports team. If it happens, it happens. But don't make this your goal. Because the guys who pledge who aren't on the team will feel left out. Or again, you could be limiting who is looking at your chapter. We had it happen at my school. When I was active, a chapter was down to only 7 members (basically all soccer players) and closed. It was opened again a couple of years later, but at the time they had inadvertently "excluded" most of the campus, and then even the newer soccer players didn't want to join.

"Follow one person?".. "There's no such thing as getting better slowly?".. MAKE your alumni get you a house? Um... Really?

I will tell you to start by looking at Phiredup.com. Order the book "Good Guys" from the site. And PM me with any questions that you might have (because I don't feel like typing too much more right now). Good luck!

""Follow one person?".. "There's no such thing as getting better slowly?".. MAKE your alumni get you a house? Um... Really?"

Yes. Really. No disrespect intended. You're correct that there's no one-size-fits-all solution. But, yes: Give one man the authority and let him lead the chapter to success in rush. If they're down to 17 men and it's not the result of a large graduating class, then it is the result of poor leadership in rush. And yes, fraternities that don't get competitive quickly generally don't get much better. And yes, there are some tasks that the alumni must do; undergrads generally don't know how to secure housing.

I don't know anything about Linfield other then remembering that they were a pretty good chapter at one time. So, in the last hour I did some quick itnernet searches and found out more.

There are four fraternities at Linfield: Pike, Kappa Sigma, Theta Chi and Delta Psi Delta, the oldest local fraternity in the Northwest still in existence.

The original poster - the newly elected Pike president - says that 70% of the new initiates have left the chapter. That's not a good sign. He says that his competiting fraternities "exceed 30 members". That number turns out to be low. He says that the house was condemned, but they are trying to raise money to rennovate.
It tuns out that the Linfield Pike alumni have a very active facebook page, and planned an alumni work party at the house for July 17 (don't know how it turned out). They also are appealing for contributions from alumni to rennovate the house; I asume that is in order to "un-condemn" the house.

Delta Psi Delta alumni raised enough money through a capital campaign to pay off their house. The chapter photo shows a large chapter, over 40 men.

Kappa Sigma owns a house that holds 24 men. The 2010 chapter composite shows 53 members.

Can't find out how many members Theta Chi has, but they won a Chapter Excellence Award from their National in Spring, 2010, and members hold the Presidency and vice-presidency of Order of Omega.

My Pike chapter needs to grow to competitive size, and on this campus that appears to be 45-55 men. Their alumni seem to be in position to help with the house, and that should be their job.

Here's a revealing thumbnail look at the chapter's numbers. Our national magazine publishes chapter membership figures in every quarterly issue. These numbers were reported for Linfield:
Summer '10 17 members
Spring '10 15
Winter '09 10
Autumn '09 35
Summer '09 33
Spring '09 33
Winter '08 47
Autumn '08 47

This chapter's membership has dropped like a rock. I don't know why it happened, but I know this chapter needs to catch fire and quickly. If they only have 17 members, you cannot count on all of them to be there, especially if morale is a problem in the chapter. They have strong competition that is twice, even three times their size. They need bold action. They need success quickly that will inspire and motivate the members.

The alumni Facebook page appears to offer some hope for the house. It's an old chapter; one we do not want to lose. But they have hovered between 10 and 17 members for a year. They cannot survive with those numbers against that competition.

Which is why it might be a bad idea for them to get a big house that they can't fill. Houses that are more than what a chapter can support can be the straw that breaks the camel's back where a struggling chapter is concerned.

Whatever happened, there is also IMO the possibility that "did you hear Pike HIRED someone to run rush because they're so far in the toilet?" would get scuttlebutted about. And I can't see that being a positive. It's kind of like the equivalent of a struggling chapter of a sorority bringing in members from one of the superduper chapters - which, if you read rush stories on here, doesn't fool rushees for a second.

I will say however that O of O offices and national awards don't necessarily mean a chapter is desirable to the STUDENTS on campus. Not a rag on OX there, just saying that it doesn't prove they are doing things the students want - it might just mean they're better at filling out paperwork.

I think they've had that house for a long time. From reading their alumni facebook, my guess is that it's "condemned" but it can be fixed up to be in compliance.

We can always find a reason to not do something, like paying one of the members to make rush his job for a semester. But, its obvious the guys have to do something or they're going to die. On a small campus there are few secrets. The other fraternities will probably know what the Pikes are doing. But, what does it matter if they're successful? It's going to be tough enough to re-build as it is. Might as well go all out.

And, there are worse things than the chapter dying. If they remain barely alive at 10-17 members and degenerate into the permanent campus bottom-feeder, that is worse. They had 47 memebrs just two years ago so their general chapter psychology might still be OK. They might still think of themselves as a good fraternity with a low membership crisis. You can work with that. What you cannot turn around is the small chapter that has been bad for so long that they fanticize their weakness as a virtue.

If this chapter is going to make a run at success it's going to have to happen quickly. The good news is thay can probably do it with the right help.

I agree with Firehouse.

It's not as 'shocking' to some of us who have seen Rush Chairmen spent an extraordinary amount of time rushing new members. To have them paid, whether by a commission level, or by expenses and free summer lodging does make sense. As a parent, it would not be appalling to me in the least if the Rush Chair was compensated because it is a job! In fact I can think of several rush chairs who listed what they did on their resumes for job hunting when they graduated.

The only thing I can add is that PikesOnce might want to also concentrate on the area's Alumni as well as look at why the trend is going downward. The Area Alumni are important as they are a source of legacies as well as other recruits and resources for the chapter. I'd stress that heavy. PikeOnce can get a list of the alumni in the area from National, and he can also ask National to send a Chapter Consultant to help.

As for the Howard discussion, I share Firehouse's view. I also did not agree with the colony simply because it was not a fit nor did it show a possibility of sustaining growth. It always puzzled me that Howard would even allow the colony.

The crux of Firehouse's suggestion was for the person to take time off from school to do this as though bringing in members (paid or not) trumps being a student.

I also disagree with paying members to bring in new members. Membership is a privilege and having a role in bringing in new members is a privilege. I know all about membership intake as a fulltime job both as a collegiate and as an alumnae. But, it is a fulltime unpaid job, most of it voluntary (even when based on necessity), that is part of the privilege and hardwork of being a member. I don't think we should get paid by our chapters unless it is an organizational policy to do so.

If people want to get paid for such things, they need to apply to work for their local/regional/district/national offices of their GLO. They accept applicants.

YOU ARE REFERRING TO SUMMER. HERE IN THE USA, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE NOT IN SESSION IN THE SUMMER. IT IS NOT THE SAME.

I have to think there is a different perspective depending on whether you're in a fraternity or a sorority. It's not unusual for men to hold full or part time jobs while going to school. Nor is it unusual for men to drop out for a semester and work, maybe in town or maybe on campus.
And in fact, more and more colleges and universities are operating year-round. Not long ago, fraternities got a free pass in he summer because the chapters weren't in session. Not now. Now - at least in Florida's public universities - many IFCs are fully operational in the summer. This weekend at FSU the major fraternities will hold huge parties at their houses. The chapters may not meet regularly but the officers are in charge and responsible. If you don't have an active rush program in the summer, and have your top rushees sign bid cards or take pins, then you're left to pick over whomever shows up in rush week.
Not so with the sororities. Fall, formal rush brings all the young women to all the chapters during one orchestrated week and the pledge classes are assigned by rigid rules. I doubt if the sorority rush chairmen have much to do in the summer other than paperwork - processing recommendations and planning. I doubt that the sororities are allowed to overtly rush and pursue specific prospects, or sign them to bids in the summer.
Men's rush is open and aggressive, competitive. In an open system the rushees are not brought to our doors. If we don't hustle in the summer, we fail. It's a good idea to have a man in charge who is responsible to lead the chapter and get the job done. If we can pay him, all the better.

FWIW, I think the rush chair for XYZ sorority at Alabama should get paid too.

It's not unusual for sorority women to do any of the things you mentioned either. However, they do it to make money to pay their tuition, room and board, not to work for their sorority.

Even if classes are held in summer, it still isn't anything compared to spring or fall.

I have zero problem with a guy heading up summer rush and getting paid for it. However, the OP's post didn't say they were having such a rush. He's talking about the fall semester, as stated in his title. I highly doubt that a school with only 4 fraternities and chapters of such small size has a summertime rush like Florida or the SEC schools.

Maybe, but I've never heard of a fraternity doing this, so it sounds like it's not a universal fraternity perspective either. You say this like it's unusual for women to do this. It's not. It's just that we have rules against non-enrolled students being active in our sororities.
That is a legit difference. However even when school is in summer session here, it's not "normal' classes and none of the "normal" rules apply for fraternities OR sororities.

Nothing new here.


I'm surprised you didn't say "virile." Could you have more stereotypes in your post?

OK 33girl, I see your point.

The original poster said his chapter only has 17 men and he's asking for ideas that work. If the drop from 47 to 17 is the result of a purge (i.e. drugs, hazing) then they may have a postive foundation on which to rebuld. He doesn't say (in fact, I wonder where he is amid all this discussion...). He does suggest that many members just..."left". That sounds like bad leadership and a split in the chapter. We don't know.

When men are dis-spirited and morale is bad, the solution is usually for one man to rise to the challenge and take command. The others cluster around him and follow him because he shows that he can make things happen. In that chapter there may be a man who loves the Fraternity, and who would take the banner, but he cannot afford to drop out for a semester - or - perhaps he has a job in addition to school and he would take the rush chairman's mantle if he had enough money to quit work.

I am in favor of what works. I have seen this technique bring success. There may be other ways to solve the problems here and save this chapter. I don't know the men. We have a Convention starting next week and perhaps I'll get to talk to them. I do know this: they cannot survive without bold and decisive action.

I don't mind using certain stereotyes at all, as long as they're not virulent [how about that word?]. In fact, the most successful fraternities and sororites thrive, prosper on certain stereotypes. Men and women can respond very differently depending on the situation.

I see that you're a Sigma Kappa. We need to get them back here at FSU. Wonderful old chapter with many loyal alumni.

Most colleges and universities have summer sessions for current students and/or summer programs for incoming students. That has been the case for decades for many colleges and universities. However, it isn't fully operating year round because the campus climates and availability of faculty, staff, and students are very different than during the regular semesters or quarters, which is one reason why the chapters do not meet regularly. The chapters that you are citing most likely are not "fully operational," either, because being "fully operational" would be pointless (and could also be against GLO guidelines, depending on the GLO, and against college/university guidelines, depending on the college/university).

A lot of the things that you are typing about are not brand new (Drolefile already responded to that) and they are definitely not a fraternity vs. sorority thing. I am in an NPHC sorority and as a collegiate in the '90s we often held chapter events during the summer, that did not go against guidelines, because most of us lived in the area or were on campus for the summer. During the summer, we also interacted with nonmembers who were figuring out which sorority they wanted to join, as well as self-proclaimed aspirants who hoped to become a member in the next year or so.

We don't go through recruitment and do not have aspirants dropped off at our doors for recruitment; and not every NPHC aspirant is one who has researched the organizations and come to college with their eyes on a particular organization. So, it depends on factors beyond fraternity vs. sorority and the OP may want to see what other PiKE chapters and other organizations are doing (across councils and conferences) and see if they can find something that doesn't violate PiKE and college/university guidelines.

I still don't agree with members being paid by the chapter to be in charge of the membership intake/recruitment but it's understandable if it is mandated or permitted by the organization for the collegiate level. People need to check that and not just rest on what some chapters have been able to get away with. Creative minds in desperate need can get chapters in a whole lot of trouble if they don't check their organization's guidelines. It never fails and loose lips sink ships.

I'm a fairly recent fraternity alum and I think somebody taking off school for a semester to rush is ridiculous. While fraternity rush can be a lot of work, it is nothing so intense that you should have to take off time from school to do it, especially at a school like this that is not even close to one of the 150+ member SEC fraternities.

Honestly, strong leadership is one thing, but the entire chapter needs to be motivated. One leader cannot change an entire chapter's esteem and confidence in their fraternity. All the organization in the world is not going to help if the brothers feel that they are a) in a losing battle and/or b) they are in a fraternity that they are embarrassed to be a part of. So assess where your membership is with that...you need to boost the morale before people will respond to orders.

In general, my chapter has never really had an issue with recruitment so I don't have any advice for how to turn around a struggling chapter. I do know that what has worked for us is to assign a "point person" to a specific guy that we wanted to pledge. We would have a meeting about who we wanted and then post a list in a private place in the house (the laundry room, supplies closet, etc). A person would volunteer to be the point person for the potential pledge if they had a natural connection to this guy (from class, dorms, high school, whatever). He would invite them to things tailored around the person's interests. For an athlete, invite him to a pick-up basketball game, a musician to a concert, etc. He would then be in charge of inviting Delts who they knew would be compatible with their interests to this event. That way, when rush came around it took very little to get him not only interested in a fraternity, but ours in particular.

The key of this is not to push the fraternity for some time...he's simply hanging out with a bunch of guys with similar interests. We'd only mention rushing closer to ("hey man, have you thought about rushing?"). It sounds very similar to all the "I Love Recruitment" stuff, although we never read the book or spelled it out or anything...it just works. You can't push your chapter too hard...it comes off as desperate and nobody responds to that. Focus on the connections first and cultivate them, and then mention membership.

Good; you've submitted some good ideas. So far, most of this thread has been arguments. You've articulated some ideas that may be helpful to the boys in Oregon. You and I don't have to agree on everything. You're offering practical answers based on your experience. Thank you for your willingness to help.

I offered practical answers based on my experience, as well. You just didn't want to listen to them.

First things first, stop the 70% of newly initiated from quitting! Deal with that issue first because if your retention stays that low, no amount of rushing is going to help you.

Incentivize!!! Have your brothers carry around info sheets for potentials, the brother who turns in the "best" leads get's _______. Never stop rushing, it should be a 24/7 operation.

Since you don't have a house, find a place that you can claim as yours and make it yours. A restaurant, coffeehouse, bar, or even a brothers house. A place where you guys are visible and are able to meet up with each other easily.

Good luck!