How do you turn a chapter around?
 

I am trying to help turn a chapter around on a very competitive greek life campus. Their reputation is that their numbers are small and the girls are "fat" and "ugly."

On a positive note they have great grades and participate well in grekweek etc.

Recruitment and their reputation is what needs help.

Please, supply public relations type help I can pass along. I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

I would love to help out! Problem-solving is my fortay! Where is this chapter at? From what I have seen, there is a big difference in between Southern & Northern chapters. Plus, campus size, how many sororities there are, etc...matter a lot. Let me know! =)

LIZ,
Dani

[This message has been edited by StrawberrySweetie (edited August 21, 2001).]

(non-Zeta butting in http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif)

OK, Brandeis said some slightly piggy things, but he was right about one thing: be very selective. Choose girls that are proud to be Zeta, want to be with the other girls, and are willing to work. Yes, it does help to pledge attractive, outgoing girls, but only if they really want to be there. It doesn't matter if she looks like Cindy Crawford and has the checkbook of Bill Gates, if all the sisters hate being around her or if she thinks she's doing the chapter a big favor by joining, cut her loose. But don't just give anyone an invite. WARM BODY BIDS ARE BAD BAD BAD. If a chapter is drowning, taking anything with a pulse is like putting a hose in its mouth. If the rep is bad to begin with that will make it worse.

Be sure everyone looks their best, especially when they are wearing letters. And stay away from people or groups who say negative things about the chapter.

Dani - I am in Pittsburgh also. Where do you go to school?

My advice, is simple. Be very selective when it comes to selecting new members for your society. It may take a while and you may have to take a small pledge class for the first few years. But, it's worth it. Take girls who are cool, based mostly superficially on image. Be it; good looking, athletic, outgoing, wealthy, etc. A combination of the latter is ideal. This will get you respect anywhere. Don't listen to liberal propoganda promulgating beliefs that are idealistic but sadly not realistic. (which i am sure people will post on this forum)

thank you so much for your willingness to help me. The school I am talking about it "technically" in the south (south of the mason dixon line) but I would consider it a mid atlantic school right outside two major metropolitan cities. While reading the other message boards, and knowing I went through rush in 1989, and times I am sure have changed, I still believe that rush at my school is comparable to the other "cut throat" schools. The greek system is pretty large. 15-17 sororities and 20-22 fraternities and there is a definite heirarchy. Thanks for your help. I would really appreciate any comments/suggestions you could make because I am toying with the idea of becoming an advisor of this group and would love some really great ideas to approach them with.

A good way to turn a chapter around is to put an all-out effort into informal recruitment. Go nuts with it. Have everyone wear their letters all the time and have them always look cute, be friendly and pass out info. Get them to talk to everyone they know who isn't greek and pledge as many awesome people as you can. This is better than formal because you don't have to compete for girls during an informal semester the same way you do during formal. Also, you won't be at the disadvantage of being constantly compared to the other sororities since the girls don't have to go and visit them if they don't want to during informal. Once you give your chapter a good shot in the arm through a high quality informal recruitment, you should then focus on the next formal recruitment with a ferocious intensity. Always look cute, always be active, do everything to the nth degree and then majorly stress the ways that you are better than the other groups. If you continue to buck your stereotype, it will eventually disappear. I have seen this happen to a particular sorority that went from like 8 new members one fall, to pledging over quota the next. This CAN happen, and the chapter "feel" will change. I hope this is helpful. Please let me know :)

Here's my advice, short and simple: Quality of Quantity. If you don't make quota, it's not a big deal. I'd rather have a pledge class of 5 totally awesome girls then a pledge class of 60 filled with girls that could potentially bring the chapter down.