Formal Recruitment Question
 

I was talking with my recruitment director (I'm assistant recruitment director) and she told me that our Panhel wants to charge potential new members to go through formal recruitment. I totally disagree with this.

First, I will give you a lil insight on how greek life is on my campus. First, we are a commuter school but we do have dorms but majority of the people on campus are commuters. There are 4 National sororities on campus and one local. 3 National fraternities. The population of Greek life is small. The biggest fraternity is Sigma Pi and they have like 40 brothers. The other two fraternities are small, 15-20. As for us sororities, two of them are close to total and two are not and the local is very small. The school however does support Greek life and we are working to make it bigger.

I disagree with charging PNM's because one, why should they have to pay to meet the 4 National sororities :confused: (local doesn't particiapate). If they were charging to go through formal when I did, I wouldn't of even gone through. But anyway, I was wondering if any of you heard of this on another campus and do you think it would be a good idea. Formal is when we get the most girls to come out....but if they have to pay, I doubt we'll get as many.

My school has a large commuter population, as well as a large percentage of students who live off campus (not with parents).
There are 5 Nationals and no locals. We charge for formal, but it is very small ($5) and is used to cover things like Recruitment Counselor t-shirts, name tags for PNM, etc.

Whatever money we have leftover after we buy the things that get supplied to PNM/RC and things that are supplied to the sororites from Panhel is donated to the local Boys and Girls Club.

I think it would be fine to charge something small, but I would not go any higher than $5-10.

We charge PNMs to go through recruitment and the fee is about $50. But we have a hugely popular Greek system, so the PNMs have no problem paying.

To Charge or Not to Charge...That is the Question
 

I think charging some kind of fee for formal recruitment (each campus decides what it is) forces the PNMs to show a level of commitment. If there is no fee, I would think there would be a tendency to not take the process seriously and you'd have more no-shows at your parties.

There have been posts pointing out that the girls who refuse to go through if it costs money are usually not too serious about it in the first place and are probably the ones that are going to drop out anyway.

I'm not sure I agree that this is always the case, especially at generally non-Greek commuter campuses, but I do think it's the case more often than not.

Anyway, I believe that if a small fee -- $5-10 -- deters people from rushing, how the heck are they going to be able to handle ponying up $100+ a semester for dues?

I think the issue here is that PNMs are being asked to fork over $5, $10, $50, whatever, with absolutely no guarantee that they will receive the return on investment that they want - i.e. a bid. So even though the FR fee may be nominal, and even if it's spelled out to PNMs that they're getting a T-shirt and a pizza dinner with their rush groups for their $10, it can be a deterrent to registration.

In an environment like LSU, Ole Miss, etc. a rush fee will work and will not scare PNMs away, but at schools where Greek Life is not as big (say, in the Northeast, at commuter schools, etc) it's tough enough to get PNMs to come out for FR even without charging a fee.

I have no probllem with a Registration Fee. Everyone paid an application fee when they applied for school. So they should be able to grasp the concept behind it. UCSD raised their fee last year (to $15-20, I believe) and it did not seem to have a negative impact on the overall number of rushees that signed up. However, there was definitely a differance in retention through out rush. A LOT more stuck around than in previous years.

Boo!
 

I don't want anyone who is scared of a five dollar bill! LOL

Re: Boo!
 

I agree. This is the real world, and as long you are honest with the PNMs, you won't have a problem. The $5-10 is for operations, and it doesn't guarantee membership in any sorority, but most PNMs do get in a sorority if they follow the rules and recomendations (don't suicide.) That's all.

There is nothing unethical about covering your costs by charging a reasonable fee.

Re: Boo!
 

lol

i think sugar and spice has a good point- if this woman won't put up $5 to go through recruitment, how is she going to pay the $500+ for new member fees (and 500 is going by my "cheap" campus fees for new members)

Re: Boo!
 

:) $5 wouldn't have scared me away, but $50 might.

I went to school in the Northeast. It's tough to get people to come out for rush. Not everyone is reasonable enough to understand that their $5-$10 is getting them a T-shirt, a couple of meals, whatever... and more importantly, the chance to find a sisterhood they can call home.

ETA: My school did not charge for FR; Panhel-related rush expenses were covered through Panhel dues.

I know at my school it is cheeper the earlier you register... Also we have a discount for returning students registering for recruitment early... I think the price ranged from $5 early for sophomores and up and up to $20 if you waited till the day of to register... We mainly did this to try to get people to register early, since we had huge issues with everyone waiting til the day of (and yes we do still except apps then)... We are not a big greek supportive campus, so we can't afford to turn women away who register late...

I paid a fee at Ole Miss... I didn't think anything of it. And, at MTSU, you have to pay a fee as well. (MTSU is highly commuter-oriented.) MTSU never has had an issue with people not wanting to rush because of a fee...

Nothing is free... And, I don't see anything wrong with charging a fee to defray some of the admistrative costs. Plus, usually you get a shirt for the fee as well...

It's like auditioning for something or applying for a job. You'd have to have a portfolio, nice outfit, resume. If auditioning, the costs can go even higher with the necessity of headshots, portfolio, etc... And, there is never a guarantee of success there either. So, the whole theory of, "It's wrong to charge someone a fee when they might not be getting anything in return" is a load of bunk to me... :rolleyes:

ASTLuv, in your situation, I think a $5-$10 fee wouldn't be bad especially if the rushee got a t-shirt with it. That way you all have a better idea of how many women are coming and you know there aren't going to be people there who want to come through rush just to act like jerks (which does happen).

Any more than that though, and it will hurt the number of people who rush. I don't think what flies at Ole Miss or Auburn will fly here. It's a completely different situation.

But, if $5 or $10 dollars will stop someone from rushing, do you think that person will be able to make their dues? If they are that cash-strapped will they have to work so much that they would not be an active, participating sister?

It's not so much that they are cash-strapped....it's that a lot of people decide to do it on spur of the moment. Also, they're not getting lodging or meals or anything, just maybe a t-shirt.

If people are that cash strapped how do they plan to pay dues. We have a small greek system on a commuter campus and charge like 20 bucks or so for rush and they get a tshirt out of it.

Hey, thanks for your guys opinions. It sorta swayed me to actually thinking it would be a good idea. It's going to be brought up at our next panhel meeting and then most likely chapters will go back to their gen. meetings and vote on it. I now at least have some good input to say at my meeting next week. Thanks a bunch!

My school is actually considering the same thing... we're considering singing up for online resgistartion with WRGA which costs (for my campus) 300 dollars, charging would be a way to recoup those funds and also get a more committed PNM becuase we have a VERY high drop out rate...

I go to the same school as nauadpi and my sorority doesn't participate in formal NPC rush, so we don't charge at all. I have seen flyers around NAU within the past year that have formal rush costing a woman $50 dollars to rush an NPC group, to me that is alot and as some of you have posted that's alot for female that may/maynot recieve a bid. Considering that it is a NON-REFUNDABLE fee. I also don't know of any discount given to returning students that rush an NPC, and I know several returning students that have rushed during formal rush. Up until I believe 2000 formal rush had been FREE.


Oh one more thing! SInce my sorority is only an associate member of the NPC here on campus we do information night with them and if a girl wants to rush us she has to tell her PX that she is rushing XYZ and drop....bye, bye, bye $50.00.

I think that a fee is a good idea. Like others have said, it gets people to committ and if you can't fork over the fee, ours is $20 though might be upped to $30, then how the heck are they going to pay for dues? $50 is pretty dang high so there better be an explanation for it, but with ours you get a shirt and folder with all the info about prices and parties times and what to wear. I think it's worth it and helps waylay the cost of everything. My year all the AX's stayed at a hotel during recruitment, which was way expensive, so the cost went mainly to that.

I do want to comment on some of this... For the past two years to try to increase the number of upper classmen going through recruitment we have sent out to ever on campus women at least a flyer offering a discount on recruitment. I personally always found this funny cause for some reason I kept getting them even though I was already of greek afiliation (we supposedly were not sending them to women who were)... As for costs up to $50 I hope it has not increased that much for this year. Last year the highest cost was $20 for people registering late... I really think it would hurt greek life at NAU to see the costs so high... As for the fact of women paying the fee and dropping out because of interest in your sorority or our other non-NPC group that is there choice. They app itself lists the sororities which are part of formal recruitment and all the info sessions during the summer at previews (NAU's version of orientation) allow the sororities to say this. Also, I don't want to argue on these topics, but at NAU women who go through formal recruitment as long as they make it to the last night and don't try to suicide will receive a bid from one of the sororities. As a result here we have more problems with women dropping out of recruitment before preference night and therefore not receiving a bid, then women not receiving a bid by staying with the process.

And in general on the NAU campus I find much of formal recruitment to have issues since the campus is so anti-greek. But it happens when and the way that it does. As long as the fees are now not reaching $50 I think the fees that are being charged make sense and go to reasonable costs.

Iowa State, where I'm an alum and adviser charged $185 to go thru formal recruitment last year. However, the bulk of that ($150) was to pay for room and board as we do recruitment before school starts and the women move in about a week before everyone else. The other $35 was for registration purposes of recruitment.

I paid $17 to rush as a freshman. The money went to snacks for us during recruitment, as well as the room fees at the hotel where the sororities hold pref. I almost didn't sign up because of the fee. Mostly because I thought it represented all the negative things I had heard about the greek system (buy your friends, etc). But I am sure glad I did it anyway!!
-M

i think that our fees for FR were somewhere around $30-$35. i don't remember anyone complaining about it; but i also go to a school with a huge greek system and we were told what the fees were for and what not.

If you're getting something for your $$, I don't think a fee is a bad idea. For instance, I pay $10, and I get a t-shirt and pizza, GREAT! But I think it's crap to have PNMs pay for PXs to stay in hotels away from their sisters, etc. Each chapter pays Panhel dues to belong to NPC, and that sort of cost needs to be paid by the chapters. I know at my small greek school, there was no fee, but then again, we didn't have to put up Rho Chis or any of that.

As for the person who paid $185, that makes sense for you to be paying to put YOURSELF up! I guess it's just the northeast state of mind...if I'm paying $$ in, I want something back. It has NOTHING to do with being strapped for cash. You can't sell a greek system by asking women to PAY to see sororities.

Isn't it somewhat like the application fee for admission to colleges/universities? You pay the fee to be considered. There is no promise you will be accepted. You don't even get a T-shirt. I guess Admissions departments use the money to defer administrative costs and as a deterrent to keep "John & Mary Everybody" (those who aren't serious about applying) from wasting their time.

As an example...the undergraduate application fee for admission to Stanford? $95

Let's see..... I think PNMs at Hillsdale pay about $5, which basically covers the cost of 'processing' their forms. I have no idea what this means, but that's what we were all told the money was for when we went through recruitment. :)

In every active members dues (of every chapter) are included a few dollars in Panhel fees which pay for recruitment materials. However, the chapters themselves cover the cost of all materials for their recruitment: nametags at their house, etc. In truth, there is not much involved in recruitment at my school, therefore, there are not many fees.

We have deffered recruitment, so the girls come back three days early from their Christmas vacation and move into their dorms then; however, there is no special fee for doing this. There are no hotels involved in our recruitment, everyone stays in their house or dorm, and the recruitment parties are held in the houses.

We are a very small school, and our deans do everything they can to encourage Greek life, which is wonderful. It is perhaps for this reason that we don't have the PNMs pay a recruitment fee. I think, however, that a small fee to cover a tee-shirt, food, nametags, etc. is perfectly appropriate as long as it is clearly explained to the PNMs what they are paying for, and the fee is not so exorbitant that it drives members away. This, of course, would vary from school to school.

Well said! Our PNMs pay $20 dollars which includes rush supplies (a bag of mints, tissues, lip gloss, etc.) and a hat or T-shirt... Not a bad deal...

Wash U
 

At Wash U our fee for rush was $49... and this included housing in the dorms a week (formal rush is the week before spring semester, and reslife charges $20 a day for every day spent in the dorms before they officially reopen), a recruitment t-shirt, dinner every night, booklets of info, etc. I guess it just limits it to the people who are serious about rushing. If anything, making people come back a week early from winter break is a much bigger deterrent than the rush fee.