Formal Rush - HELP!

[Krista#78]

The sisterhood at Kettering is shrinking, we currently have 7 active members on campus. In order to be recognized by the university, we are required to participate in NPC's formal recruitment processes. We have been participating in these events for the past 8 or 9 years, but we have never been good at formal recruitment. I read a lot on the rush pages of GC, but I think we still need some help. We have two rotationals and a preference party first week when we return to school. Kettering has deferred pledging and it's been 3 months since we've seen any of these girls, and bids go out at the end of our first week back at school.

I am currently our recruitment chair and would really appreciate if anyone has any ideas or suggestions on how to make us stand out to these girls even though we are approximately 1/3 the size of the other 2 sororities on campus.

For those who are unfamiliar with formal rush:
Rotationals are where we take all the girls who signed up for formal recruitment (most often freshman) and split them into two or three groups. Each group is then taken to a room where the sorority sisters are and spend 30 or 45 minutes with that sorority in that room. We are not allowed to give them ANYTHING not even a name tag for them to take with them outside of that room. The sorority is allowed to decorate the room pretty much however and with whatever they choose and provide snacks and stuff if they like. But basically we need to get them excited about Beta Sigma Phi and as far as I know, we haven't been able to do this within the confined setting that we are given.

Preference is a 1 1/2 hour long event where we invite the girls we would like to become a part of Beta and they have a choice to accept or decline the invitation. We've always just done a small get together type thing where we make mocktails with the girls and socialize. After reading on GC's rush pages, it says that a lot of chapters do a ritual at this event, I know that at least one of the other sororities on campus does, but if we were to do a ritual, I would imagine we would have to write it ourselves unless anyone knows of one that they already use with rushees / potential new members.

Formal Rush General: The girls who participate in formal rush receive a bid before the girls who do not formal rush. So, it pretty much goes that if they participate in formal rush and attend a preference party for at least one of the three sororities, they will get a bid from one (and only one) of the sororities whose preference parties they attended. It's really a lot more complex than that, but for simplicity, basically that's the summation.

Sorry to be so long-winded.

Thanks,
Krista

[OrigamiTulip]

We haven't forgotten abot you post, Krista, I promise. I'm just still thinking about what to say

[erica812]

Krista,

Although all of my sisters are University students, we are not a recognized campus organization, and we have no intention of becoming one. We made this decision because we didn't want to be in competition with other sororities. We want people to realize that we are a different sort of organization. I give you A LOT of credit for putting our sisterhood out there in the college setting. I'm sure it is hard work, and I am really proud of the Kettering sisters for keeping Beta Sigma Phi going. Even if you can only take three or four pledges, you will be helping your chapter to significantly grow. Remember, our goal is to spread the light of the torch, and even a single new Beta Sigma Phi is important and special!

Because my chapter is operating on a University campus, I do understand the pressure to measure up to expectations. I went through formal rush as an undergrad (never pledged), so I know the basic mood and routine of that period. It is a high stress time, but the prospective members need to see high energy and high enthusiasm instead. The first rush we held was one week after Formal Rush on our campus. We called it our "Strawberry Bash." We decorated the room with balloons and streamers. We served chocolate dipped strawberries and a strawberry shortcake dessert. The sisters (10 at the time) wore strawberry name tags. We spent the time chatting with our visitors, and we played a get-to-know-you game. Only four girls attended, but three of them accepted our invitation to join.

I realize that we were working with very different numbers than you will have to accomodate. Four ladies is much fewer than you will see, I imagine, but I think the strawberry theme was really fun!

Good luck, Krista. I'll let you know if I think of anything else.

Erica

[bsp-mich24]

Hi Krista,

RE: food ideas For your April Rush events:

To take Erica’s post on the Strawberry Bash Rush theme
one-step further, try one of the recipies from the Beta Journal
http://home.betajournal.com/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi
from The Kaffeeklatsch: The Recipe RacK: Strawberry Recipes
I'm still thinking of other ideas.

Michelle

[Krista#78]

Thank you guys SOOO much for all your help, I have definitely appreciated the PM's and the information here. I think we're going to use the "strawberry bash" idea and try to incorporate that as a sideline with a skit. As a chapter, we have never done a skit night and had no idea that such a thing was common or even really existed till I started poking around on GC. But it definitely sounds like something we can and should do!

We still haven't quite figured out what to do for the first rotational yet, but I know it'll be mostly chit-chatting and showing them all our stuff and talking. I have gotten quite a few good ideas on questions to ask. (Thank you ALL!) The second rotational we plan on doing the skit thing and for preference, probably making mocktails. We did this last year and it seemed to work out all right so hopefully it will go well again this year...hopefully. It gives us time to spend more closely with the girls as a couple of us huddle around a blender with them, mix ingredients and of course, not follow the recipe and end up with either a really good mocktail or some really strange concoction...

We have a very busy first week back at school, starting April 6th, and I know that I'm asking a lot more of our membership during that week than we have ever done before so hopefully it will go alright. I just hope I don't stress out our membership too much so that they aren't happy and enthusiastic for the events.

I wish our membership understood the formal stuff a little better though, we only have one or two members that participated in formal rush the rest of us were COB. That's the way it's always been but hopefully with all this hard work we can change some of that!

Thanks Again,
Krista

[bsp-mich24]

Hi Krista,

I hope all is well w/you and your BSP sisters. How is spring rush going? Please PM or send regular email. I just found out Tuesday that I will be the new Ext. Ofcr for next year and will be helping out with the late spring /summer rush citywide rush. Keep us posted when you have a chance.

In sisterhood,
Michelle

[erica812]

Congratulations, Michelle on getting Ex. Officer! That's what I am hoping to run for too.

Yes, Krista...let us know how things are going with your Rush events. I can't wait to hear!

Erica

[amanda_bsp]

I thought I'd be nice and update you. I'm one of Krista's sisters. So far recruitment has gone good. We've invited 20 girls to our preference. WE give out bids on Sunday and I'm sure one of us will let you guys know how it goes. Thanks for your thoughts.

[bsp-mich24]

Hi Amanda,

Thanks for the update. I'll keep my fingers crossed that all 20 women want to experience Life, learning, Friendship, and Beta.