[Kevin]

The key to success is, IMHO, a combination of early identification of prospects, i.e, you identify and contact prospects as soon as humanly possible -- at the end of their senior year if they're someone you know, or during the Summer if you can put together some sort of a list of known incoming freshmen who would fit.

If your school has a leadership scholarship, or something to that effect, I'd recommend getting a list of every man who received that scholarship and contacting them.

From what I see above, it looks like y'all rely a lot on the potentials coming to you. Go to them. Our chapter had a lot of success when we went to a 'big board' system. We'd get a few sheets of posterboard and draw big 'ol grids on 'em. In the first column, we'd write every identified prospect's name. Everyone had to come up with at least a couple names. The second thing we'd write would be the contact information.

We'd then assign guys to recruit those kids, 2 to each kid. Those two would hang out with the prospects, get to know them, let them get to know the recruiters in a non-threatening, informal environment. This is also a great way to weed out.

We'd have the recruiters document their contacts and make notes on the chart just so we could be sure we weren't missing anyone.

Add that to your more formal themed night setup and you should do well. The biggest houses are the ones who work the hardest at this. I know our Oklahoma State chapter actually rents out apartments in both OKC and Tulsa which, for the summer act as bases of operations for two rush teams who essentially live and breathe Rush all Summer.

We don't all have the budget for that, but it's no mistake that Ep Ep is almost always a Rock Chapter.