Pi Chi Ideas

[KATGIRL85]

Hi,
I'm a Pi Chi (rho gamma) from Clemson University. I was just wondering if any one had any good idea that I could use for treats for my girls or ideas in general that would help the process run smoother. Also does anyone have any good ideas about ways to tell a girl she has been "released" (dropped), or ideas about thing I could do for those girls to make them feel better? Thanks for any advice!!!!!!

[PenguinTrax]

Breath mints, sour candies, and oil blotting paper (for faces) would all be welcome additions to a goodie bag.

As far as what to say...that should have been covered in your Pi Chi training? Nothing is going to make them feel better, but you should be prepared to answer the "why me" questions and be honest regarding any questions regarding COB, etc. For example, if you know a girl had a 2.0 GPA you can honestly tell her that her grades were a big factor in her being dropped. Academics are a big part of sorority life. Encourage her to work on her academics and then go through Spring recruitment.

[adpiucf]

I got various campus organizations to donate school spirit items and chotchkes promoting their clubs. I put together goody bags for my PNMs and gave them out at Greek Forum when I met them. Other recruitment counselors put together a bag of candies or decorated a mug with the PNM's name on it.

Most of the PNM's I had were underclassmen, so I thought it would be good to get them thinking about all the opportunities to get involved on campus. I also gave them a little gift at the end of each day-- a home made book mark, a bag of candy, a note telling them how wonderful and unique and special they were, etc.

Don't overwhelm them with too much information. They don't need to know terms like COB/CR, snap bidding, SIP/suiciding, etc. Focus very generally when you meet them on how recruitment works-- IE: You'll get a schedule of events and places to be for each day of recruitment.... When you go to an event, you'll be paired with a sorority woman the minute you walk in the door.

Give them tips on questions to ask and questions they should expect from sorority women.

Explain that recruitment is a mutual selection and that it is to their benefit to keep an open mind, be discreet in expressing their opinions about the sororities (you never know who is listening!) and attend the max. number of parties to which they have been invited.

Also explain that some women may not have as many invitations as others. Tell them it is ok to feel a little upset, but to keep a positive attitude and to talk to a recruitment counselor if they are feeling hurt or unsure about recruitment.

Stress the importance of being accessible via cell phone from early morning (depending on how early recruitment begins) for schedule changes.

After pref ceremonies, explain how they should fill out their bid cards. Explain that although the sororities they have preffed have shown a strong interest in them, not every woman who prefs will be extended a bid because the chapter only has a certain number of seats in their new member class. They may receive a phone call on Bid Day morning with this news... but they may also have an opportunity to join another sorority.

Cuts can be very hard on a PNM. Most of these women have never experienced rejection in this way and it can be devastating. Don't get into technical detail-- it will just overwhelm them-- but keep an open door policy and be encouraging as best you can.

Hope this helps.

[FSUZeta]

be sure to have some band-aids and/or some moleskin(dr. scholl's) with a little pair of scissors to cut the moleskin, to protect blisters. remind them to drink water and stay hydrated.

if one of your pnms is in crisis(bad news from home, dropped from favorite sorority, no invitations at all, wanting to pledge with her bff and then discovering that the bff's like different sororities, etc.) be prepared to spend as much time as you need to, to help her find a solution and feel better about herself. know when you need some assistance to help the girl. most of these girls will look on you as a big sister, be there for them, if they need you.

and....enjoy yourself. i loved being a recruitment counselor-it was a great experience.

[PhoenixAzul]

As a former PX, here's some things I learned:

1) at your first meeting, send around a form to double check the PNM's contact info (not sure what your campus' prefered method was). Make sure theyve given you the number of a phone they ACTUALLY answer, with a voicemail they ACTUALLY check. I had a ton of girls put down their dorm room numbers....but they never hooked up a phone or set up/checked their voice mail. This meant several rather late trecks across campus and abusing favors owed by RA's to leave letters/messages for unreachable girls.

2) Perhaps draw up a "business card" about you and your PX partners. The "at-a-glance" type of info can be very helpful when a stressed out PNM is trying to figure out what to do about that day's major trauma. Phone number, room number (and building) if you stay on campus, numbers for emergency services, campus counseling, and Panhel office if appropriate.

[AOIIalum]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul

2) Perhaps draw up a "business card" about you and your PX partners. The "at-a-glance" type of info can be very helpful when a stressed out PNM is trying to figure out what to do about that day's major trauma. Phone number, room number (and building) if you stay on campus, numbers for emergency services, campus counseling, and Panhel office if appropriate.

What a great idea! If you do this, keep extras on hand throughout recruitment in case one of your PNMs forgets or loses her card.