[Firehouse]

"I understand what your saying, but I have a question--- you say we should double the existing size of other fraternities pledge classes, how would you reccomend we do this?
Other groups obviously would want to to do this as well, what is stopping them? it would seem to me that if other fraternities struggle getting pledge classes over 10, how would we go about doing it?
...and firehouse, shock and awe, by this do you mean recruiting aggresively and becoming very active socially on campus?"

OK, good! You're asking 'how' and that's the first step. To win in the fraternity game you have to have two things: knowledge and will. I can give you the knowledge. You have to be willing.

Here's why things are the way they are on your campus. Remember when you started high school? When you walked in the door there were already many school traditions in place. You looked around and simply went along with what was established.
At your school, the fraternities have settled into a sort of unofficially agreed-upon heirarchy. If the good fraternities only get 10 guys, then 10 is the standard. Mid-level fraternities are happy to get 5 pledges because the good ones get 10. That's the way it was when they arrived, and no one rocks the boat.
By 'shock & awe' I mean you rock the boat. You become the top fraternity overnight. There are five superficial areas where fraternities are evaluated by peer fraternities and sororities. They are: size, appearance, sports, power and glamour. They are superficial criteria, but the fraternity that throws its tent over those five poles is considered to be the top house on campus. At many schools, there is no single fraternity that leads in all five areas. However, if you find one that makes a point of dominating all five, then you have a great beast of a chapter, the dominant force before which all must bow (I like the way this sounds).
Let's look at them individually:
1. Size: the best fraternity should be the largest, the most successful in rush. What is stopping the other fraternities? Nothing more than convention and tradition.
2. Appearance: The best fraternity looks like it. That doesn't mean that every member is handsome, but it does mean that as a group the chapter looks good. Don't pledge guys you have to explain. If a guy doesn't care if he's sloppy or unkempt, then why would you pledge him? Your appeal is that you're looking for men who want to create a great fraternity chapter.
3. Sports: you don't have to win Intramurals (but it's good if you do), but you have to be a factor in the championships. And focus on pledging some varsity athletes. They add prestige and they can carry your letters where no one else can.
4. Power: This refers to student government and other campus leadership positions. Once again, none of this happens by accident; you have to make it a priority. Identify and go after those guys.
5. Glamour: I used to call this "Social Preference" but it's difficult to articulate. It's not about who has the best parties; every fraternity thinks they have the best parties. Glamous means, who do the best looking girls on campus favor?

When you rush, you talk about the fraternity you haven't built yet but you are creating it with them. You infect them with your enthusiasm. You inspire them with the clarity of your vision.
Fraternities run on momentum and morale. You create that by winning. Win everything: sports, sorority philanthropies, everything. The fact that you have a large membership helps you win.
When you create a new chapter, you may pledge 50 men and only keep 30 of that number. But you keep pledging more and more men. Not every man in the fraternity wants to do every thing. Some play sports, some run the student senate, some coordinate sororities for homecoming.

Here's the hitch. Think of it like a battle plan and you're the aggressor. You have to move fast and hit hard. Your attack cannot afford to get bogged down or you'll get stalled. You'll turn into everyone else. That's why speed is important. You only get good fast. No one gets good slowly. We're dealing with undergraduates who only have two-three years max to give to the chapter. Slow doesn't work.

Trust me. Best of luck.