|
The advice from Firehouse and Delta Lambda brother is absolutely on point.
I come from a very similar chapter to Iota Delta...Kappa Epsilon at Rockhurst. They too were disappointed that a Smythe didn't come this year after a stellar year - they have an 80-man chapter with a 3.5 GPA, won everything, absolutely dominated the campus. Like Rose, Pike is nearly 10% of the male undergrad population at Rockhurst. For many years, since we won our first Smythe when I was a senior, we've kept our eye on other Pike chapters for competition. We're fortunate to have excellent Pike chapters in Missouri including Mizzou, Rolla, UMSL, SEMO and St. Louis when they were there.
The biggest advice I can give as a psuedo advisor to the chapter from there (I live in the Texas), is to get them unified as to a specific set of goals for recruitment. Not just a sheer number, but also quantifiable stats on things like GPA, varsity athletes and campus leaders. Push them to stretch their goal to the max and to get that number closer to the 47 of two years ago than the 28 of a year ago. Kids now live in a bubble, with their ipod and cell phone in tow, so they don't always understand what it means to come together to accomplish a set of goals for a group. It's absolutely critical to approach the ultra-competitive guys in the house and get them hacked off that they didn't win a Smythe and then ask they why they think they didn't win. Likely they'll come back with any litany of excuses. Tell them these don't fly with you and then set a course to get them motivated to take things to the next level. Perhaps there is some program that wasn't up to par, like Continuing Education or Public Relations. This should be the #1 focus of the Exec Board after recruitment. I'm pretty sure that the consultants will give you as a chapter advisor candid advice on how to improve the chapter's awards application and programming.
For those brothers who need some rush education, simply put rush education is of particular importance. I'd challenge them by saying "we've had X straight Smythes, but last year didn't happen. What are you gonna do to reestablish that winning streak so we can get back to the top of the heap?" Remember, there is no doubt that Rose is among the best within Pike. Sustaining that success is much more difficult than getting to the top, so guys just have to dig in and give it the good ole' college try. If the chapter is the best they can possibly be at everything, then success will follow.
I must say, this discussion is very timely. I'm about to head off to give very similar advice to the chapter at UT Arlington. They are working hard to eclipse the previous recruitment record on campus of 42 men, set by Pike in 1992. This number, 42, has been their "battle cry" all summer and a sort of code word to motivate one another when they see someone not pulling their weight. You don't need to necessarily do this exactly, but making these goals part of the everyday workings of the chapter makes a huge difference. The chapter at UTA may or may not get to that magic number within the next month, but it's helped a great deal in keeping them focused and right now they are dominating recruitment. With continued hard work, they'll get there.
Best of luck to Rose Hulman and all Pike chapters on a dominant fall recruitment.
|