Summer Rush

[HalfWindsor]

How important is summer rush to the SECs and other chapters in the south?

I go to a big southern school, but no fraternities utilize the summer for recruitment purposes. If we started having summer parties for incoming freshman, would it look like we are trying too hard?
(we're definately a top group, but not invincible)

Thanks fellas! (and ladies?)

[LaneSig]

Summer rush parties can be very important. You need to get guys aware of your chapter and your brotherhood as soon as possible. It will also help you to know which guys you want to hotbox and which guys you wouldn't let into your house to take out the garbage. Many southern and SEC schools have a good idea of who they are going to bid strictly from their summer rush parties.

Even at my campus, Arkansas State, (not very competitive rush) my chapter held a couple of summer rush events. It was an easy and laid back way for rushees to see and get a feel for our chapter.

[TSteven]

Are you sure the other chapters aren't having some sort of informal or nonofficial summer rush events? As Lane said, these are usually very laid back events. And often the parties aren't publicized as a rush event. Nor are they open to anyone rushing and can be by invite only. In any case, find out if and of the other chapters are doing any type of informal events. If they are, then y'all should be as well.

And for all y'all NPCers (and anyone else not familiar with NIC guidelines), while some IFCs may not allow summer rush, the NIC does allow it. Think of it as a COB/COR type thing.

[Tom Earp]

Please beleive there is some sort of summer contact or should be by GLOs.


If they are not doing it, then they are not doing their Chapter very well.

Of course, The SEC plays different rules from what I hear?

[HalfWindsor]

I'm positive that no fraternity on campus holds any type of parties over the summers for recruitment purposes.

Of course groups go out and try to get 5 or 10 guys they know and want, but nothing large scale.

Should we go against the grain of the system norm and start recruiting over summer on a larger scale? Or would we look desperate?

By the way, this is an SEC- now you probably know which one. The fraternity culture here is just very lazy when it comes to recruiting. Hardcore when we're rushing, but lazy about recruiting. Does that make sense?

[SoCalGirl]

Only people on your campus can give say whether or not they would think it would seem desperate for your chapter to have summer events.

My concern would be that it could be a very slippery slope. As a top group holding summer events the other groups may feel "pressure" to also start having them too. Next thing you know it's practically mandatory!

That being said, if you want to test the waters, I would start with informal invite only events. The first invites should go to in house legacies and high schools friends that already know brothers in the chapter.

If you're sure nobody else has them, why do you want to consider starting?

[TSteven]

My understanding is that Auburn's Summer Rush is their main rush. Thus all the events. While fall rush is more of a secondary thing to get the pledges that didn't make it to a summer event etc.

Generally speaking, most SEC schools have some sort of a combination of summer rush and fall rush. Some or more structured or formal, while others not.

For an example, you may want to take a look at the Ole Miss IFC Recruitment Rules (Ole Miss has one of the more competitive IFC rushes) to get a better idea of how Summer Recruitment (Recruitment = Rush), Pre-Recruitment, and Formal Recruitment works for them.

Originally Posted by HalfWindsor

I'm positive that no fraternity on campus holds any type of parties over the summers for recruitment purposes.

Of course groups go out and try to get 5 or 10 guys they know and want, but nothing large scale.

Should we go against the grain of the system norm and start recruiting over summer on a larger scale? Or would we look desperate?

By the way, this is an SEC- now you probably know which one. The fraternity culture here is just very lazy when it comes to recruiting. Hardcore when we're rushing, but lazy about recruiting. Does that make sense?

First off, if you feel it isn't broken, they why fix it? However, if you feel that some sort of push needs to be done over the summer (perhaps to be proactive or just to be sure to get quality men), then increase the number of guys you rush over the summer. Go from trying to get 5 to 10 guys to 15 to 25. Again, you do not have to do anything large and/or have massive parties. Just take suggestions provided and scale it to what would work best for your chapter, the event, and would best fit with your campus culture. That way, you don't look like you are being desperate.