Question about BMP?

[TNK274]

Originally Posted by pshsx1

I hate all of these BMP threads b/c all of the pledge model chapter members are all ignorant a-holes for some reason.

I am the VP of Mem D of my chapter and we are one of the top chapters at my school, we recruit great guys, and we have traditions that have held strong for the 38 years my chapter has been around.

Everything about any Greek org is different from chapter to chapter. You CANNOT base your opinions on your own chapter nor one other chapter that you have run into.

If your members are content with being member of a bottom rung Fraternity, maybe you need to re-evaluate both your recruitment process and your member development.

And there is nothing wrong with the term "member development." Keep in mind, although we're all brothers, we are also members of an organization of our respective schools.

Well, fellow SigEp, I have been to a few other chapters, not many, but mind you I don't have the means to travel a lot. And yes, re-evaluating recruitment and development is exactly what we are doing.

I have been to 3 other chapters, two were very successful on their campuses, the other, not so much. The two had a strong development program, one was pledge and the other was BMP. Ours has been lacking recently and a few brothers of mine that visited those chapters and others agree with trying a little bit from each chapter, but ultimately we know that we have to find something that works and that we can make OUR OWN i.e. something that we can offer that is different from uniform BMP and other fraternities on campus. Not rejecting BMP, rather EMBRACING the design and going further than the Quest default is what I mean. Not downing the BMP by any means, just saying one has to strike a balance....

The reason I dislike the word member is because a fraternity is a Brotherhood, no? I joined a fraternity to form true bonds of friendship with dudes that I have things in common with, and to have fun with those people. Member development to me means taking Sigmas and turning them into brothers, in the sense that one makes that step from feeling like a member to becoming a brother at some point during his development. We have had some guys leave because they just didn't feel that bond with some brothers, recently it's been mostly Sigmas and Phis and one Epsilon :O, and that is really depressing, to see this happen and feel powerless, because they reject any kind of reaching out to them....or perhaps we aren't trying the right thing?

This is where Recruitment comes in. We've had some guys who weren't exactly the most outgoing and almost all who quit were the non-social type. The problem is the older guys are the "stereotypical BMP guys" that the stereotypical pledge model assholes talk about. I love them, though, they are my brothers, but we have a hard time recruiting well rounded men because of the image they project. We are a joke at intramurals (slowly changing that) the last time we got Phi Beta Kappa was spring 06 (3.15) but only 12 actives that semester. The past 2 years it's been 2.8. Just saying that with old actives and alumni hugging traditions nuts it's hard to get things done.

[pshsx1]

Originally Posted by TNK274

Well, fellow SigEp, I have been to a few other chapters, not many, but mind you I don't have the means to travel a lot. And yes, re-evaluating recruitment and development is exactly what we are doing.

I have been to 3 other chapters, two were very successful on their campuses, the other, not so much. The two had a strong development program, one was pledge and the other was BMP. Ours has been lacking recently and a few brothers of mine that visited those chapters and others agree with trying a little bit from each chapter, but ultimately we know that we have to find something that works and that we can make OUR OWN i.e. something that we can offer that is different from uniform BMP and other fraternities on campus. Not rejecting BMP, rather EMBRACING the design and going further than the Quest default is what I mean. Not downing the BMP by any means, just saying one has to strike a balance....

The reason I dislike the word member is because a fraternity is a Brotherhood, no? I joined a fraternity to form true bonds of friendship with dudes that I have things in common with, and to have fun with those people. Member development to me means taking Sigmas and turning them into brothers, in the sense that one makes that step from feeling like a member to becoming a brother at some point during his development. We have had some guys leave because they just didn't feel that bond with some brothers, recently it's been mostly Sigmas and Phis and one Epsilon :O, and that is really depressing, to see this happen and feel powerless, because they reject any kind of reaching out to them....or perhaps we aren't trying the right thing?

This is where Recruitment comes in. We've had some guys who weren't exactly the most outgoing and almost all who quit were the non-social type. The problem is the older guys are the "stereotypical BMP guys" that the stereotypical pledge model assholes talk about. I love them, though, they are my brothers, but we have a hard time recruiting well rounded men because of the image they project. We are a joke at intramurals (slowly changing that) the last time we got Phi Beta Kappa was spring 06 (3.15) but only 12 actives that semester. The past 2 years it's been 2.8. Just saying that with old actives and alumni hugging traditions nuts it's hard to get things done.

Sorry to kind of snap at you in the last post, I was just a bit on edge about things last night. Anyway, what you're saying sounds good and hopefully your chapter is headed in the right direction. It just takes time. Older members are generally always the ones who want to be stubborn and not change anything.

Also, I think it's fine to say that you start off as a member and become a Brother. It's like pledging in a sense. You pledge in order to earn your right to wear letters and become a Brother. Same with the BMP. It even says so in the LRB. The second you go through SROP, you become a member in good standing. You have to earn that right to be called a Brother. Personally, when we have new Sigmas join, I treat them with as much respect and hold them as dear to me as any of our Phis, Epsilons, or Brother Mentors.

I do like seeing your point of view on this, though.