Quote:
Originally Posted by 33girl
And yeah, I am going to say, I think 1st semester rush works OK for the guys, because guys and girls are just different. Guys also don't have to worry about totals and quotas.
Other than a onetime one hour anti-hazing workshop, I think supplemental NM programs are a terrible idea, and I wouldn't be surprised if you lose some people because of them. Many colleges have a study skills or freshman program similar to this anyway - the NMs would end up sitting through the same stuff twice. If you don't have this sort of program, and if it IS really beneficial information, shouldn't it be offered to ALL freshmen? Limiting a program to Greeks will just create anti-Greek resentment. Also, I'm guessing that the pledge classes won't be freshmen only, and I think that asking a junior to take a study skills class is ridiculous.
I can't say as I blame the administration for wanting to show that 1st semester rush is a bad plan, because I agree, but they're doing it in an ass-backwards way, for the wrong reasons.
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I can completely understand having first semester recruitment for the guys. That's why this whole thing got started. And to be honest, the guys struggle a lot more than we do for members, they break the rule anyway, and it doesn't really make a difference for them between how many people drop first and second semester.
I think the supplemental new member program is going to be a disaster. My chapter will have 20 active sisters starting in the fall, and the only night they were all available for a business meeting was Sunday. The new members will have to attend that, plus their new member meeting AND this additional meeting. Some people are saying, "Well, if they're not willing to do that, then they're not willing to put the effort in to be Greek." I tell them, "Sorry, but if that was required of me, I'd never join.. especially in my first semester." My first semester was crazy. I was an Engineering major, I studied my a** off, and still struggled with my classes. I eventually switched my major, but my first semester was pretty much chaos. If I added three meetings a week, plus other activities going on, AND reading up about the sorority on my own, I'd probably have dropped out of school altogether.
Another problem I see with this... we already try very hard to get student athletes to join, but it's difficult with their already busy schedules. I remember years ago, when the TKEs were on campus, a lot of their members were on the baseball team. And before the KDRs were reinstated, their whole fraternity was on the soccer team. But I can only think of a handful of people who play sports now. I remember when I was active, for Greek Awards, we would have to nominate a girl from our chapter for Greek athlete of the year. There was one girl who was on the golf team, and she was always our nominee. So.. now they want new members to have three meetings a week? Athletes will never join.
I agree with having one workshop.. or maybe even two. I suggested maybe two Saturdays throughout the semester, for 3 or 4 hours, with a lunch and fun activities included, where everyone could meet each other, interact, and learn what it is to be Greek. But that never really went anywhere and some people said, "But who wants to show up on a Saturday?" I think I'd prefer 2 Saturdays to an hour, once a week for 8 weeks.
Again, I'm just trying to gather how much work this is really going to be. I forsee people dropping and paperwork piling up, and everything becoming more complicated than it needs to be. Fortunately, my chapter's president, while willing to try this new program, is also encouraging the sisters to still focus on sophomores and juniors and to not have an entire new member class of freshmen. It's never been that way before, and so many things have changed recently, that would just be one more thing to add to the mix.