A Very Untraditional Recruitment/Expansion Story

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The general procedure for the presentations was that each organization would make a general Panhellenic presentation open to the community, and then a presentation specifically to our chapter. We weren't really sure what to expect from all of these presentations, but we went in with an open mind. Our chapter advisor was also present during all of the presentations, and as the new alumnae relations chair, I worked with her to take notes and ask questions about things that our alums would be interested to hear.

Relish was the first to present. They set up their materials in our living room as we waited upstairs. When we came downstairs, it was like going through FMR--collegians from Pitt and Duquesne greeted us, introducing themselves and making conversation. Some of them talked about Relish and how great it was to be a member. Some of them even bumped like it was FMR! We sat on our own couches and dining room chairs, and I really felt like I was being rushed. It was an odd feeling for me, considering that I never experienced it from the PNM side. I spoke to a girl from Pitt, but I mainly remember really liking her outfit, which was a green V-neck sweater with a white collared shirt underneath and khakis. It was hard for me to not think about the people I knew from high school who went to Pitt while I talked to this girl, wondering if any of them had joined Relish.

The presentation itself was pretty good. They brought their director of expansion and the woman who would be our individual chapter consultant if we chose them. They showed us a video that they send to members to encourage them to donate money to their foundation, talked about their national philanthropy, and gave some history on their organization. They also talked about how blown away they were by our symphony, officer structure, and longevity.

However, they seemed to be overly optimistic. They said that it was feasible for them to attract 40 girls to get us to total with the rest of the groups on campus that same semester. We were slightly skeptical about what they could do on a campus like ours. What kind of tricks did they have? Only about 90 girls finish FMR each year.

We also wondered if they knew what they were getting themselves into when colonizing a local. When someone asked what our chapter name would be and if we had any input into it, they said that National Council might approve of us breaking the naming convention to incorporate some of our current letters into our chapter name.

Overall, I think that we were impressed, but not in love. We would need to compare this presentation with the others that were to come. Mayo would be presenting to us in a few days...