Recruitment
 

Just wanted to see how it's gone for everyone this semester. We are have our stuff going on this week.

Summer was a great success: 28 guys I think. Filled up all our live-in-house spots...even had to move some actives around to make room. Biggest class in at least 12 years

we dont give out bids for a couple weeks now, but we are stuggling... big time, hopefully itll all be ok... we really need 10 guys

Once again, our IFC board and/or IFC Director failed to organize anything "official" for Rush week (which was last week for us). So, basically Rush Week ended up being guys who were interested in Greek Life just walked around aimlessly to any house that they wanted to.

We usually spend a week or two doing some informal events (dinners at restaurants, bowling, etc) anyway and then give out bids. I think we are looking to try and get at least 10 pledges this semester to bolster our numbers for the upcoming graduation(s). Hopefully luck and Wooglin are on our side.

We really don't have anything offical at my campus either. We have 'Rush Week' but the school doesn't do anything to organize it.

IFC gives us a few guidelines to follow, but other than that it's up to us.

Same thing with our IFC, and they wonder why greek numbers are dwendling... Now, our Pan-Hel is TERRIFIC on getting on the ball and planning events, and they do wonderfully... if only the IFC can take a lesson from them

I don't know if I'd necessarily want the IFC to be in control like the PanHell councils.

All it takes is a motivated chapter, some structure and organization, and you'll have a pledge class of your desired size.

Not knocking anyone, just stating that Rush requires hard work and dedication.

Right, and I agree... and the chapter need to give 110% to recruitment and work their booties off...


what I am saying, if the IFC got more involve in campus... it would help create a more positive greek enviornment... especially in a deferred rush! Recruitment is the chapter's responsibility but the IFC would help a GREAT deal in that aspect

Agreed! You're right, they could do more than just collect their dues!!!!

If there is a problem with your IFC, run for a position, get on a committee, speak before them, do something besides whining about their lack of help.

However, you must do this with a purity of intention to help ALL the chapters on your campus. This can't be a crusade simply because you are struggling. Pitch ideas that will benefit everyone and you'll go much further. If you need some ideas, PM me, and I'll help you develop plans and strategies.

ummm, none of those were my intentions at all, and our IFC rep is doing his best. lol. I wasnt attacking, I was discussing :)

Well, my recruitment is nearly over.

We had 45 guys come to my house total and handed out 27 bids. We have 24 accept with 3 guys coming up tonight to tell us their decision. It's a quality pledge class and we took some of the best guys that other houses really wanted.

oh awesome, congrats

Congrats! That is awesome news. Just another example of how hard work can pay off. Best of luck to your chapter and the new pledge class. Remeber, make their pledge period a positive experience they'll never forget!

-kai-

Actually, since we just recently received our charter at Convention, our IFC board still considers us a Colony. We have to gather a petition for them to approve our status change. Therefore, we do not officially have any vote or say in any matters in regards to IFC's operations. If we could, we would run for a position, etc. Alas, our current IFC would rather spend the budget on kegs and parties than on worthwhile things like recruitment.

San Diego chapter is about to hand out 10 bids on Friday. The expectation is that all 10 will accept their bids. Currently active membership is at 28. I hear that all 10 men receiving bids are quality gentlemen and great!
The 10 men will make give our chapter the largest pledge class for the semester, as I believe Lambda Chi Alpha will have 7, and SigEp will have 2. I am unsure as to how many the Delts will have, possibly none. Sidenote: Freshmen have deferred rush until next semester. Alpha Chi Omega's expansion netted 45 ladies for their colony as well.

Oshkosh handed out 10 bids, pledged 10 men last night. Rush is going on for one more week with an attempt to make it a 15 man pledge class. The chapter currently stands at 18 men. This is a great sized pledge class for this chapter.

we had to push back bid day... we have little attendance at recruiting events, and we lost 3 members in the last couple weeks (one only for a semester, the other two dropped)... one day things will come easy, and that day will be awesome

I could've cut and pasted your post and it would've described our situation too.

gave out 4 bids... (suppose to be small, we have deferred rush), 1 senior, 2 juniors, and a soph... the soph isnt going to pledge til spring do to difficulties.

Out of 30 ish rushee's, UCSB handed out 14 bids and all 14 accepted. We're coming back strong this year.

btw SDBeta1, you're from University of San Diego, yes? not UC or State right?

University of San Diego is correct. UC and State's chapters are both inactive.

UCF - 27 pledges. Best in their 5 year history. Nice job!

Gamma Xi chaper at Florida is down to 35 pledges this semester (started out at 42). We're now in I think the 5th or 6th week of pledging, and they look pretty good. I believe the active brotherhood is at 110 (not sure exactly, however) members, and we're definitely moving up to the top tier at UF.

Nice job brother!

Sounds like a solid chapter, congrats!

Looks like we are going to initiate 10 solid guys this semester. A lot of guys I thought were going to make it didn't, and a few guys I thought weren't going to make it did. I was proven wrong, and it's one hell of a pledge class.

We are heading over to Oxford on the 3rd to initate at the chapel there. I'm looking forward to it even though this is like the third or fourth I've seen there. The new guys can't freaking wait to go.

Congrats to the new brothers. I hope their initiation is something they cherish forever.

-kai-

my chapters half way through rush. we've handed out 7 bids so far, and all of them have accepted. we still have nother week to go. if we get another three guys i'd be pretty happy.

We just went through our first formal recruitment since founding a year and some months ago. We only got 6, but we are the only house who kept a dry rush policy, so the 6 we got are EXCELLENT!!!

dry rush is the only way to go. when i first got in we would wet rush and then spnd the rest of the semester trying to filter out all the guys that were only there for parties.

I don't really understand this war on alcohol.

Drinking is a fact of life. There are many social situations that are critical to your success in life that will have alcohol. You need to be able to control yourself.

A fraternity needs all types of people. Guys that party, guys that are academically oriented, guys that play sports, politics, etc. A good fraternity is one that has a mixture of brothers with those traits.

Dry rush is basically not allowing you to guage how a person acts or reacts in a social setting with alcohol. Some people do a total 180 when they drink. I think that is important to know.

Additionally, if it is a mixed rush system (some wet and some dry houses) the dry houses are at a real disadvantage. A lot of good solid guys are not going to even check out the dry houses because it gives the wrong impression. "These guys don't party, not social, etc etc".

Some freshman are probably going to think that the dry houses are service fraternities or something.

I really don't see any advantages.

i agree with you there should be a mix of different type of guys in a fraternity, and if we could have a mixed rush system that worked i'd be all for it. unfortunatly that doesn't happen.

the way we do things in my chapter is we have a dry rush. we tell the guys that drinking and parties is not one of the foundations of our fraternity, brotherhod is. we tell them that we're doing too many good things and making too much progress to let a bluto wannabe mess it all up. we also point out that were all betwen the ages of 17 and 23 so parties and drinking and girls come with the package but its not our sole ambition.

then we watch as the pledges drink and guage their actions as the semester progresses. if they do a 180 when they drink then we sit them down and talk to them about drinking. there's no reason to not bid a guy just cuz he doesnt know how to drink. thats one of the lessons you learn in college.

besides if a freshman is really too dumb to understand that a chapter with a wet house is holding a dry rush cuz we want to get to know them, then forget'em they're obviously not the type of guy i need to call bother.

I agree. Drinking is not one of the principles of Beta. However, I do not see how a wet rush equates to a Bluto like mentality, promotes drinking as the reason to join a fraternity, and halts progress.

It's not knowing how to drink or not, but knowing how to govern yourself in those situations. Some places would certainly use alcohol as their sole means of rushing-and those places would fail. Drinking acceptable in social settings and I just don't think that banning from rush (only) is going to bring in these 'ideal' guys.

Freshman are dumb. Plus, many don't go in rush knowing the ideals that nationals is trying to mandate to chapters. If you know a rushee that is one thing, but to a total random guy looking into rush everything influences his decisions.

Well, no matter the argument there is with wet rush and dry rush... We are not allowed to have a wet rush. Its not about whether wet rush is benificial, its if we want to break the rules or not. We dont want to break the rules. Plan and simple. I dont know if thats the rule everywhere, but I assume so. Its a rule here, so were going to stick by it.

from the risk management policy:
All recruitment activities will be dry functions.
So I do believe it is something that should be followed everywhere.

Wow.

Talk about avoiding the question.

You know, that's the same answer that our EC gives when we question the logic about a policy. He doesn't have an answer, so he just gives us the same BS.

Anyway, we just finished our rush week here. A dry rush, like every fraternity on campus. We did suprisingly well, considering that IFC didn't actually let chapters know when rush week was until 4 days before it started. Although, the IFC President's fraternity already had event's planned and the IFC graduate advisor's fraternity already had event's planned well before the offical dates were announced.

We had a total of 18 guys come to our house, from what I understand that was a pretty high number. 11 guys accepted their bid, three deferred, and we lost 4 guys to other houses. One guy went to another fraternity because he was a legacy and I think his father really pressured him. The other three were good guys, but were drawn into a different fraternity by promises of girls. That's like the dumbest reason to decide which fraternity to pledge, because every fraternity is going to have social events with sororities etc. Maybe it's better that we didn't get them in the end.

lol, if thats why they join a fraternity, then you dont want them as a Beta. Congrats on getting that many, and doing it with a dry rush. As far as your question goes that you said we avoided... I agree with you on alcohol for the mass majority of what you said. I would love to throw a wet party in somewhere during rush, I think it presents a totally different look at the brothers, that you cant see otherwise. I think thats valuable. However, rules are rules, and you promised to uphold the code, meaning your not going to break those rules. That is why everyone does dry rush. Instead of breaking the rules, try changing the rules! Now, obviously, you probably wont be able to get people to change that rule, so you have to deal with it. You said Well, there are many more situations that our critical to your success in life that require you to follow the rules, and you need to be able to control yourself.

Thats why my chapter doesnt have wet rush. We took the oath not to, and thats much more important to us.

I would just like to know the basis behind the rule. I want to hear a justification that isn't just the same rhetoric that I always hear.

the basis of the rule is that people thought there were too many negatives that came out of drinking then bad. Now, you said freshman are stupid... so they could easily think that someone who keeps offer them free alcohol is the place for them, and thats not the kind of guys we want... Also, its unfair to those who do dryrush, if you wetrush.

there is no reason to break a rule, if you dont like, try and change it... but the you committed to the rules, so the basis doesnt matter. Now, that sounds like a bullshit answer, but thats the best that I MYSELF could tell you.

I can see where the dry rush is comming from, but the whole self-governance thing is contradictory to that in my opinion. I think that in the past that alot of chapters were probably really careless, but we need to be trusted to deal with that. So, I agree with you, but I know that I cant change the rule, so the best thing I can do is abide by it.