My chapter gets so much hate on greekrank and I think it's hurting our recruitment!!!

[FSUZeta]

OP, your first sentence in your response to me was very telling;Your chapter is well thought of by the Greek Life office. Has that helped with recruitment? Improved your campus image among peers? Now, I don't mean to transform from the virginal Sandy ala Grease to the slutty Sandy at the end of the film, but realize that saying to a PNM that the Greek Life office holds you in high esteem will get you nowhere. You want your peers to hold you in high esteem too and say good things about you( and come to your defense on GR). As to how you can require all members to belong to at least one club or org besides the sorority, you can vote it into your by-laws. The benefits are two-fold. requiring your members to join another group gives them the opportunity to be your chapter's unofficial representative. Group members will know that girl is an ABC and that one over there is a DE, etc. They interact with other Greeks in a positive way and slowly the perception of your chapter begins to change. The second benefit is to your members. Being a member of a sorority will look good on a resume as will being involved in a different activity and your members will be making contacts and honing their communication, originalzational, and interpersonal skills.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by shadokat

Chapters are not FORCED to invite women back. They cannot be forced to provide a "plus" list, only a minus list.

As for letter pimps, you take em to standards and get them out. Plain and simple.

She said in another post that their advisors were forcing them to invite back anyone with a high enough GPA. Disempowering the chapter in this way doesn't help their confidence. They'd be better off to invite back a smaller amount of women that they've gotten to know through activities, dorm neighbors etc (I don't get the impression this is a rec-necessary school) and make them feel special, rather than having to pander to women who are going to rip them apart the minute they walk out the door.

And yes, every chapter needs worker bees who aren't super gung ho. I'm not talking about them. Those worker bees are often the best bigs, the most skilled sign makers - things that may not be easy to verbalize in rush but are important in day to day life. I'm talking about the women who never show up to anything and never give any support - in effect, the women that you feel like you are still rushing even though they've been members for a couple semesters. Those kind of women are toxic in rush. They're only there because they'll get fined if they don't show. They're resented by the rest of the membership, for good reason, and the PNMs can see it. Hopefully that isn't half your chapter, but if it is, my recommendation still stands - get them out.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Oh, and another note about mixers, socials, etc?

If someone votes in favor of an event, that should mean they're going to attend. If it's scheduled on a night that they can't make it, they should vote against it. Not vote for it "because the other sisters want it." Nothing ruins a chapter's reputation faster then not showing up 4 things you have committed to, especially mixers. If there are sisters who are continually not showing up, they need to go in front of the Standards Board. If the behavior continues they need to be terminated. Too many chapters get to a struggling point because they explain away someone's lack of commitment by saying she's a good person, blah blah blah. That may be true. She may be a fabulous person. It may also be that the responsibilities of sorority life just aren't for her. If as you said in your other posts, you really weren't allowed to be choosy during rush, you have to do it now. The point is that you can't afford to have deadweight who is contributing nothing to the chapter.

Agree about only voting "yes" if you're going to go. However, the sister who never goes to mixers should not be characterized automatically as "deadweight". She may be busting her butt at other things, and mixers aren't her thing. Since most mixers are with other greeks, they're the LEAST important "responsibility of sorority life" I can think of. These women may be the very sisters who bring in their study group members, their other classmates, their brother's girlfriend -- those people with whom they can grow into one-on-one relationships.

[33girl]

I said any event, not just mixers. But the plain truth is, nothing will make your name mud faster than scheduling a mixer and only having a third of your sisters show up. They may not be the most "important" thing about being in a sorority, but you can't say that interaction with fraternities has no part in a chapter's reputation or success in recruitment. It does, and any sorority that acts as though they are "above all that" is just shooting themselves in the foot. The same applies to fraternities.

[carnation]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I'm talking about the women who never show up to anything and never give any support - in effect, the women that you feel like you are still rushing even though they've been members for a couple semesters.

Does anybody else call them ghost members?

[kitekat]

A similar situation happened at my school.

This isn't only hurting your chapter, but it's tarnishing the image of your school's overall greek system. Greek Rank brings out the worst in sisters, and while your chapter is being beaten down, it's also making the other chapters look extremely petty.

So at my school, the result was our Panhellenic Council organized somewhat of a sisterhood event that was mandatory for every chapter to attend, and they presented a Panhellenic Resolution - an agreement where each chapter agreed to hold each other to a higher standard and support our Panhellenic sisters in all events and situations. There was a discussion about Greek Rank, and everyone from every chapter was encouraged to stay away from it all together. And you know what? It actually worked. We were relieved of a lot of toxic feelings and it helped to put everyone on an even playing field. It's turned into an annual event that Panhellenic puts on, but now only new members are required to attend.

I suggest that you or a chapter officer bring this problem up to your school's Panhellenic Council and see if they would be interested in coming up with a similar resolution. Feel free to message me if you want more details about our resolution.

[mumomm]

Greek Rank is an awful site that should be taken down. It promotes bullying and that's all it's used for by trolls who most likely aren't students at all. I love what kitekat said about promoting its boycott. It hurts all greek life.