Other Chapters Helping Recruit

Faith4Keep · #1 07-12-2007, 12:23 PM

This quesiton applies both to sorority AND fraternity recruitment, but oh well.

I'm curious... when it comes times for a NEW chapter to colonize or a particular chapter needs 'help' recruiting or boosting numbers, one situation is that actives from Mystery University are asked to help recruit for the new/struggling chapter at Sherlock University nearby. (or maybe this doesn't happen?). Who's to say that the Sherlock University chapter of the GLO won't adapt the same 'stereotype' or attract the same type of girls as the ones at Mystery University? If the actives at MU are the tall blondes, would the new pledges at SU be tall blondes too?

I guess what I'm asking is- do collegiate members from Mystery University have a say in Membership Selection? If so- how would nationals/HQ prevent the SU chapter from being a clone of the MU chapter? Even if they don't participate in MS-- wouldn't the PNMs naturally be attracted to whatever 'stereotype' the helpers from MU are?

AlphaFrog · #2 07-12-2007, 12:29 PM

We had another chapter come to one of our COB events. They did not participate in MS.

VandalSquirrel · #3 07-12-2007, 12:40 PM

I've seen it done with different groups, and it was usually done only the first or second day to free up members from important tasks (kitchen for example), so the members from the recruiting school could meet the PNMs. The work was done by the visiting sisters, and they didn't interact with the PNMs.

This is why it is so lovely when alumnae contact the chapter and recruitment advisors and offer to help at recruitment. Maybe by being an extra pair of hands you are freeing up Samantha Sister to go out and meet a PNM, and as a result she makes a connection that results in a fabulous life long member.

irishpipes · #4 07-12-2007, 01:44 PM

It isn't uncommon for your scenario to happen (the scenario of chapters helping during recruitment). I have never known of the visiting chapter members to participate in MS. Even if Mystery Chapter brings their most gorgeous and popular members, it frequently turns off PNMs who want to be recruited by girls who actually attend their own school. They are smart enough to realize that the girls rushing them will not be their friends in the chapter. It is therefore difficult for PNMs to bond during recruitment. I think this is why the clone situation doesn't really happen. I know it is sometimes necessary to utilize this tool, but it isn't always as great as it may seem.

adpiucf · #5 07-12-2007, 01:49 PM

With colonizations, I think it is a different story b/c you have alumae directors running the show, and the whole thing is conducted outside of formal recruitment. And you know you're part of "history" as a chapter founder so I don't think you'd get attached to any collegians who came from neighboring chapters to help out.

With respect to women from other chapters rushing PNMS for a struggling chapter, I don't see how you couldn't have them at MS... they met the women, who else is going to vote on them? Then again, how could you have them voting at MS when it isn't their chapter? I have no idea....

33girl · #6 07-12-2007, 01:50 PM

I'm sure when it's a new chapter, that the national reps who are picking the colonizing members take the opinions of the sisters from Mystery U into consideration - after all that's partly why they were brought in - to give a student POV so that it's not just adult volunteers picking the girls for the new chapter. Plus, chapters that are brought in to help recruit are usually ones that national HQs would like to have clones of, so I doubt they would discourage that from happening.

However...

As far as helping a struggling chapter, it probably results in a lot more "WTF?" than anything else if the Mystery U girls are actually rushing rather than kitchen-ing or decorating, and as IP said, doesn't go well. It's two very different situations.

33girl · #7 07-12-2007, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adpiucf

With respect to women from other chapters rushing PNMS for a struggling chapter, I don't see how you couldn't have them at MS... they met the women, who else is going to vote on them? Then again, how could you have them voting at MS when it isn't their chapter? I have no idea....

Hopefully they were there mainly as room fillers and to greet women and they quickly passed them around to as many of the actual chapter sisters as possible, so enough Sherlock U sisters met them to be able to vote.

AlphaFrog · #8 07-12-2007, 02:05 PM

In the COB situation, there's usually not that many PNMs that each wouldn't meet at least a few sisters of the actual chapter. At least in a less-competitive system.

adrie435 · #9 07-12-2007, 02:18 PM

We had a new chapter colonizing at my school while I was a freshman going through recruitment.. They brought in girls from a couple of the neighboring schools that helped the original few founders with recruitment. From what I remember, the girls from Mystery U were talking mostly with us and the colony members were trying to float around a talk to as many PNM's as they possibly could..

I don't know how it worked much farther than 2nd round though because I dropped them when I realized I had only talked to any of the girls who would actually be my sisters for about 2 minutes since there were so many PNM's that year. I was really turned off by the fact that they had all those women who didn't go to our school playing such a big part in their recruitment. Looking back though, it's hard to think of a better way to do it that would have made a more positive impact on me.

OtterXO · #10 07-12-2007, 02:18 PM

When I went through rush there was a struggling chapter who had members from another chapter at formal recruitment. The weird thing was, they never mentioned that they were from the other chapter until I noticed that in teeny tiny writing on their nametags is said Alpha Beta Chapter - USA State University. I asked what that meant and the girl (who I really liked) mentioned that most of the people around were from her chapter. That completely turned me off at the time. It didn't really help their recruitment much because I think they only used the other chapter members for the first two nights....plus after word of the other chapter members being there spread, they had the same problems they would have had anyway with returns. It was a little weird then, but I understood after the fact - they were struggling with numbers and needed some help. But, the chapter ended up closing that same year so it seems like it was a last ditch effort situation by national HQ.

irishpipes · #11 07-12-2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adpiucf

With respect to women from other chapters rushing PNMS for a struggling chapter, I don't see how you couldn't have them at MS... they met the women, who else is going to vote on them? Then again, how could you have them voting at MS when it isn't their chapter? I have no idea....

Typically the visitor is paired with a chapter member. The chapter member then participates in MS. The visitor just helps the chapter to avoid the problem of one rusher to 2 or more rushees for the first few rounds of recruitment.

Faith4Keep · #12 07-12-2007, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adpiucf

With respect to women from other chapters rushing PNMS for a struggling chapter, I don't see how you couldn't have them at MS... they met the women, who else is going to vote on them? Then again, how could you have them voting at MS when it isn't their chapter? I have no idea....

Yes, this is the question I'm asking. Even in the instances where Mystery U's chapter members are just trying to make the room look full, the songs loud, or stalling until a sister of Sherlock U can get to their PNM... the Mystery U sisters ARE still talking/mixing/mingling with the PNMs. So do they have a say in MS? I see how there could be pros and cons...

But, as mentioned in the stories above, it CAN really hurt if the PNM knows that Mystery U's sisters are not going to be their sisters... at least at Sherlock U. Maybe they push for the whole "XYZ is everywhere!"...? If I was in that situation where I needed help from neighboring U's, that's how I would advertise it. I guess PNMs aren't really thinking about how that chapter is deciding who gets to pledge... but I'm still curious!