Ideas needed
 

Okay, my chapter just had a really crappy Spring Rush. We're on the quarters system, so we don't recruit again until Fall and we're going to need a pretty awesome rush in the Fall since 50% of our chapter graduates after next year. I'm not the Delta, I'm the Theta (Philanthropy/Community Service Chair for the chapters that don't have Theta), but I'm interested in helping. My question is do any of you have any ideas for a combined Theta/Delta event?

Hmmm

Putting together a gang for a Habitat for Humanity project would bring guys together; I wouldn't bill it as a rush event but it could well be that. No worries about alcohol because there won't be any. No worry about the kind of guy that you'll find because they are "discovered" while doing good for Habitat.

Offer free breast cancer screenings at the local sororities?

GZ, you're excused now

Everybody wins!!!

It's not a combined event, but there have to be some freshman in your house who know guys who aren't in a fraternity. You have the entire summer to get them interested in the house. Rush should never be "over." And if it was really that bad you could always do a summer rush and initiation.

I suggest a Hooter's trip. Nothing brings guys in better than the female
figure and chicken wings...

Oh boy, Hooters. I remember when my area got our first Hooters. (It has sense gone out of business)

I was excited because I have always heard of the "Hooter Girls". When me and my friends finally went our first time, it looked like the B-Team from the worse strip club in the area!!!

I hope it's a better situation over in St. Louis, but here in Mass., they would have to include 2-3 free pitchers before the girls could look attractive.

But PiLambda is right. Booze and broads is always a good formula.

No drinking while recruiting though!

If you are going to have alcohol, don't talk about Lambda Chi...

I know everyone hates doing it, but Rush teams help quite a bit. Especially so its just not 1 guy doing all of the work, and people showing up to socialize with themselves. Our ELC just came and gave us a bunch of great ideas. He has our delta pass out note cards, and have everyone write down at least one guy that might want to join. Pass them out to the rush teams, make them call them, take them to dinner, have a good time. It pays off in the end if you do it right. We are also setting up a highschool scholarship. Something like $1000, and we are passing out applications to all of the local highschools. Supposedly the people that apply, but dont get it, show a strong tendency for joining the house. We are trying that out for next year. We are getting our alumni to pay for it.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

In ZAX,
John Dever
GT1111

"No drinking while recruiting though! If you are going to have alcohol, don't talk about Lambda Chi..."

Oh riiiiiiiiiiiight, no drinking. ;) wink* wink*

Heres the thing, and I know hes serious about the no drinking thing. If you have events where alcohol is involved you get guys that thing everything is a party. Don't get me wrong I like having a good time with my brothers, but I hate when people get the idea that we are only about drinking. You cant put through guys who are going to want to get drunk all of the time and never help out the chapter. It leads to bad things. Its hard to form a stable and successful chapter on alcohol.

Rush is work - not a party
 

We had the rush vs. party problem at North Dakota years ago. Alcohol at rush was legal, but then the guys asked sorority girls to come over to help show off the house. It turned into a scam session with all the guys trying to get set up with all the girls and little recruitment going on.

Yes, there is a difference between a rush and party event.

I was actually going off of what PiLambda said about Hooters. I mean, you have a bunch of guys going to Hooters, looking at women, ordering Buffalo wings,and drinking....a Diet Pepsi???

Alcohol is acceptable within reasons I believe. If you have a bunch of LXA's taking potential members to a Hooters and nobody orders a beer, it may work against the chapter in some cases. Yes, it is not about partying, but you also don't want to come off as too uptight that even a beer is not acceptable.

Having a beer with potential members at a Hooters; ok. Holding the legs of a potential member while he does a keg stand; not ok.

We did a rush team concept and it work out for my chapter this spring bringing in 12 AMs, opposed to our 5 AM spring average. We called the rush team the Delta Force and made cool T-Shirts. You can always ask sororities to give you names of non-greek members and make a contest out of it, which ever sorority gives you the most name of potential AM's gets to have a mixer with you. Its a win win situation for both of you, and the new potential AM's get to meet girls. Try to rush new members during the summer through freshman orientation, and try to get members to be part of the orientation team. Just some ideas that I know have worked.