Pledging
 

I am the new "Pledge Education, MembershipEd, or "Pledge Daddy" in my chapter and I was curious if anyone had any suggestions on how to encourage/motivcate pledges to learn the history of the fraternity and be involved as much as possibly in the Fraternity without Hazing.

We have cut out all hazing from our pledging, and now it seems that their is no real punishment for not learning your stuff or being involved. We are committed to our non-hazing policy, and will not break away from it. So if anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Brandon:confused:

Positive reinforcement. Reward the brothers/new members who have learnt their stuff. In my sorority, we use candy... i don't know if that would work for you.

A lot of chapters use the test scores to determine who gets high pin or pin order in a new member class.

Give 'em a test
 

Years ago, teachers invented tests to see if students had learned their stuff.

Surely, your great "no hazing" program doesn't ban tests???

If I was the PT, I'd:

1 - assign pages 1 thru 6 as this weeks assignment.
2 - at the next meeting, give them a test on the major points, and publicize the results (post 'em on the bulletin board). The two worst pledges can't come to the party Sat. night.
3 - assign pages 7-14, and tell them there will be another test.
4 - take meaningful action. If the same two guys are still the lowest scoring, depledge 'em. Unless they have a real tearful excuse, they obviously have little interest in your chapter.

What do you do to members who don't participate, don't pay their dues, etc.?
Do the same to pledges who don't, or you'll get more who don't.

Also check the Phi Gamma Delta (and I think Phi Delta theta) national web site. They have lots of ideas for decent pledge programs.

Best wishes.

Re: Give 'em a test
 

..... actually, many of them do.

:(

There are no tests in DG that I am aware of. Someone correct me on this one, though.

Play Jeopardy! with fraternity history answers/questions. Winning team gets a fun prize. (With my chapter we got beauty products, I doubt that would work for your chapter, but pick something relatively cheap but still worth working for win it.)
This idea seems a bit much like school, but maybe you can think of a way for it to work -- divide the fraternity history into different sections, and assign each section to a different pledge/group of pledges. Have those pledges teach a mini-lesson on the subject they were assigned during the new member meetings. They'll at least know one part of the history well, then.

The DG chapter at Kent State gives a final new member test and all of the potential sisters must pass it in order to go through ritual/initiation (excuse me if I have the wrong term). I'm not quite sure how high they have to score, but an acquaintance of mine said it "kicked her in the ass."

Testing/Jeopardy
 

We do give them weekly tests, but it just doesn't seem like they think they "have" to learn it. We also play a Jeopardy style game with this fraternity history with cool prizes.

I was never hazed, but I had the motivation and wanted to everything I could to help my chapter and learn about it, because its our past and where we come from, so I am having a difficulty try to get the new guys to do the same.

Currently when they do bad, or don't show up to things we assign them house chores, but that only works so much. Any other ideas for possible punishments?

It seems that we have "cliques" within or pledge classes lately, and the older guys say its due to not hazing, because when they were hazed they formed a close bond with the entire class because they had no one else to go to. So if anyone has ideas to what I can possibly due to help the class grow closer together I'd really appreciate it. I've thought of a pledge retreat, but should actives be allowed to come?

Thanks for all the advice so far, and all that is still to come.

Thanks,
Brandon

We do not haze, but we demand that our candidates take their new member program and the information therein seriously. They just end up getting blackballed if they don't do their stuff. Simple as that.

To motivate them, just remind them that the membership's decision on whether or not they get in will weigh heavily on your recommendation.

There is a final test at the end of the new member period. Pledges have to pass with a 90% or better to continue on with initiation. Marie, you can find a copy of this test behind a password on the "froms" section of Anchors Online. If you need the password, PM me.

Re: Testing/Jeopardy
 

No, just have it for pledges. Perhaps have 3 officers help you out, or more if it's a huge class and you need to split them up into groups for something (however, to avoid the clique thing, split them up into groups and make sure they're never with the same person).

I've been through plenty of leadership and team building classes, and none of it involved hazing. I got some pretty good teams out of it too.

Also... I'm pretty sure ATO's HQ puts out some pretty decent national programming (my little brother is an ATO). You might want to contact your HQ and speak with whoever is in charge of that type of stuff.

A tight Candidate class can be achieved without hazing. We've managed to do it every year. I imagine that the transition isn't easy but it is what's in the best long-term interest of your chapter.

I second that emotion. You pay a well respected national fraternity to provide you with chapter services. Pick up the phone and call them.