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Old 03-07-2006, 11:23 PM
seraphimsprite seraphimsprite is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 182
Like it or not, appearances do matter in sorority life. Even if you have a great close-knit sisterhood, fun members and are involved on campus, when, as a chapter, you're not as attractive as the other sororities on campus, it's difficult to be a strong chapter. Fraternities don't want to have socials with you, women don't want to join and retention can become an issue when your new members find out that the chapter isn't the "stereotypical sorority experience" because you spend most of your time constantly trying to recruit new members, not having the socials that the other chapters do. And I say this as someone who joined a chapter that sounds a lot like your own. (And fwiw, I don't regret my decision at all because I had an amazing experience, but that doesn't mean there aren't times where it can be incredibly frustrating.)

We did make efforts to improve our image, both with our current members and with recruiting. I have to second the advice that the best way to turn the chapter around is not with the existing members, but one pledge class at a time. Informal recruitment is a great way to pick up girls, particularly since they'll have more time to get to know your members for who they are than they would during formal recruitment. But the key is then to retain those members. And then get their friends to join. The more "face card" members you have, the more you should use them (for lack of a better phrase) to present a polished image of your sorority.

As for your current members, no, if they don't want to lose weight, they're not going to. But sometimes it's just a matter of doing the little things. You need to get together with the other members in your chapter who do care about appearances and work with some of the others on a more one-on-one basis. Have a girl whose eyebrows are Brooke Shields-esque? Invite her along on to a spa day. The member with no fashion sense? Take her shopping. Compliment your sisters when they where make-up, letting them know that they look good. But you have to approach them as your sisters, not as projects needing improvement.
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