Recruitment structure changing - Advice wanted

[ErinBee]

Our current Recruitment chair is asking for some advice with the upcoming recruitment changes our greek system will be seeing. I have a bunch of my own, but I wanted to see opinions from sorority members that have actually recruited in this structure before I meet with her.

Greek life is very small, 5% are greek. There are currently 4 NPC sororities. Our university is definitely a "suitcase college". In the past we've had formal recruitment the week before students move in. This year they are raising the total from 65 to 75 (don't even get me started on that one). Formal recruitment will now be after school starts. Also, there will be some type of recruitment in January. I'm not sure the spefics. I believe it will be formal. I also think that this may just be to get the houses to total with that change.

So does anyone have any insight on recruitment during the school year?

[AnotherKD]

I'm not sure what you're worried about. Aside from recruiting when there may be a conflict with classes, what are your concerns?

[jennyj87]

I know you're worried about doing recruitment during the frist week, but it might give woman a chance who maybe weren't sure about recruitment a chance to go through. They dont have to worry about moving in early.

[AOII Angel]

The main difference between the two types of recruitment is the ability to "dirty rush" between parties since PNMs can't be partitioned as well. My rush was before school started, but my school went to the other method years ago. It's a small adjustment. I think they are hoping, like jennyj87 said, that more women will find out about recruitment after school starts and sign up. One the biggest complaints in the past had been the amount of time needed to decorate because we were "full frills" when I went through. I'd assume you guys are pretty much no frills by this point. Organization is the key, as well as a good attitude about the change. Change is inevitable.

[AXOrushadvisor]

In my time as a recruitment advisor I have been involved with the system both ways. The University was the one that made the date change. The only difference is that you really have to want to go through recruitment when it is done before school because it takes some planning by the PNM's. When doing recruitment after school starts the PNM's are already there and some may have changed their minds about going through recruitment because their roommate, suite mate ect is going through. It also gives Panhellenic time to advertise, hold informational meetings and have information tables set up around campus. Change is never easy, but honestly it didn't make that much difference to us as a group. Are there specific questions or concerns you have about the the date change?

Curious about raising total. It is not usually done unless every group is over total for several years. It sounds like you didn't support the increase?

Are you sure they are going to do 2 formal recruitments a year? Are they trying to go to deferred recruitment? A lot of campuses do a formal in the fall and an informal in the spring (January or February) I can not imagine doing 2 formal recruitments and the work that would involve.

Good luck to you!

[LocalLove9]

My campus does two formal recruitments, one in early fall and one in early January, mostly because of the way my school's schedule is set, so I guess I can address any concerns you might have about that. It seems normal, honestly, just because that is the way its done for sororities at my school (fraternities can but don't have to do winter rush). We tend to do the same themes for winter as we did in the fall, use the same skits/songs/whatever, although it is also a good chance, if something in fall didn't work, to do something new instead. Something to think about to make it so that one set of recruitment chairs isn't doing two formal recruitments in one year: our outgoing recruitment chairs do fall recruitment, and then the incoming chairs for the next class do winter. That way, the experienced chairs are around to help if needed, and the new chairs get a trial run before they are totally on their own.

Something that has happened at my school that you may want to consider: a big problem is girls who don't get asked back to the houses they want in fall dropping from recruitment and then re-rushing in the winter, when fewer girls rush. Quota is also lower in winter, so it doesn't always work as well as they planned, but it is still pretty common. So you may want to keep that in mind- you may see some of the same people you saw in fall again in winter.

Feel free to ask me any other questions you might have about doing two formal, if that is the format your school is going with.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ErinBee

Our current Recruitment chair is asking for some advice with the upcoming recruitment changes our greek system will be seeing. I have a bunch of my own, but I wanted to see opinions from sorority members that have actually recruited in this structure before I meet with her.

Greek life is very small, 5% are greek. There are currently 4 NPC sororities. Our university is definitely a "suitcase college". In the past we've had formal recruitment the week before students move in. This year they are raising the total from 65 to 75 (don't even get me started on that one). Formal recruitment will now be after school starts. Also, there will be some type of recruitment in January. I'm not sure the spefics. I believe it will be formal. I also think that this may just be to get the houses to total with that change.

So does anyone have any insight on recruitment during the school year?

Originally Posted by AXOrushadvisor

Curious about raising total. It is not usually done unless every group is over total for several years. It sounds like you didn't support the increase?

I'm curious too.

I was going to say that I can't imagine a suitcase college doing rush before classes start and getting ANYONE to show up...but then I saw your location and it made sense. You most likely do have a pool of women who have known all their life about sororities...the change to rush after classes start will diversify that pool somewhat. It honestly is not necessarily a bad thing.

As far as the January recruitment, more likely it will be a structured informal - i.e. there's still a quota but rushees may only have to visit all groups for one round, after that they can choose who they return to (as long as they're invited). This sounds like it might screw the smaller or less popular group, but they can actually spin it to their advantage - i.e. women who might have been put off by formal rush only have to come back to their parties. Hopefully in January the rushee pool in general will have realized that placing all your hopes on joining the "top" chapter is not a good plan - statistically speaking if nothing else.

Hope this helped.

[ErinBee]

Sorry I was a little unclear about my question. I guess I just wanted to know the challenged faced that were not previously faced when recruitment is before school. I feel like it will be a little more important for girls to be in letters on campus and participating in the welcome week type events. All of the answers were extremely helpful and some I'd never thought about.

On the total issue, it's not that I don't agree with it. I'm alumnae by the way so I have no say in the matter with Panhellenic. I think it's unnecessary. Not all the chapters are at total, expect for immediately following formal recruitment. Which one chapter usually has to COB to total. Our houses are tiny as it is and I have no idea how they could fit 75 girls in for chapter.

The whole spring recruitment, I think is informal and I've heard through the grapevine it will just be a one time thing to get chapters full with the new total.

I'm also concerned with the whole dirty rushing thing. It is HORRIBLE at my school, and I do actually think this will help. How do the usual rules involving contact with PNM's usually work with school that have recruitment during school?

[33girl]

If the chapters have that much trouble getting to/staying at the current total, they shouldn't have voted to raise it. AFAIK this is the only way total can be changed, through vote of Panhellenic. If the Greek advisor or school administration arbitrarily raised it, contact your area NPC advisor.

Also it doesn't make sense to already be planning an informal one-time rush to "fill the chapters with the new total." Usually when total is raised, it is because there are tons of girls wanting to get into the groups and the last thing you need is an extra rush - filling the groups to the new total gets taken care of and then some in formal rush.

Every campus is different about contact and silence rules, but all I can say is don't go overboard with restrictions thinking it will eliminate dirty rushing. (It won't.) The whole point of deferred rush is for PNMs to meet and become friends with sorority women in a normal situation, as opposed to the nuttiness that is formal rush.

Also all the groups need to realize that if there is a huge problem with dirty rushing, backbiting and sh!t talking - that may be part of why your campus only has 5% Greek involvement. No one wants to get involved in that type of community.

[ErinBee]

Originally Posted by 33girl

If the chapters have that much trouble getting to/staying at the current total, they shouldn't have voted to raise it. AFAIK this is the only way total can be changed, through vote of Panhellenic. If the Greek advisor or school administration arbitrarily raised it, contact your area NPC advisor.

Also it doesn't make sense to already be planning an informal one-time rush to "fill the chapters with the new total." Usually when total is raised, it is because there are tons of girls wanting to get into the groups and the last thing you need is an extra rush - filling the groups to the new total gets taken care of and then some in formal rush.

Every campus is different about contact and silence rules, but all I can say is don't go overboard with restrictions thinking it will eliminate dirty rushing. (It won't.) The whole point of deferred rush is for PNMs to meet and become friends with sorority women in a normal situation, as opposed to the nuttiness that is formal rush.

Also all the groups need to realize that if there is a huge problem with dirty rushing, backbiting and sh!t talking - that may be part of why your campus only has 5% Greek involvement. No one wants to get involved in that type of community.

LOVE THIS! That's what the majority of us having been saying for a while. The problem is mostly with a very small percentage of every chapter (I'm not going to be naive enough to think that my chapter is innocent).

I'll pass on all the advice to the recruitment chair. Thank you so much!! I complete agree with everything about raising total and I was definitely scratching my head at that one. I would think if anything our campus should try and add another chapter but ONLY after a couple of years of the chapters staying at total. We have 10 IFC fraternities and only 4 NPC sororities.

I'm an alumna member but I'm still on campus so I hear only one side and have no say. But I'm willingly to offer my advice if wanted.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ErinBee

We have 10 IFC fraternities and only 4 NPC sororities.

That's actually fairly normal (unless the fraternity chapter sizes are larger than the sorority chapter sizes). Fraternities don't have quota or total so their sizes can be all over the board and even if there are one or 2 big ones, there are usually more that are substantially smaller than the average sorority chapter size. When you have fewer fraternities than sororities, start worrying.

[AXOrushadvisor]

Erin Bee- our Chapter does a weeks worth of AXO t-shirts prior to recruitment starting. Sort of an advertisement. They also do t-shirts for the Greek Men, although, this is now against the rules. I would certainly look into putting together some cute t-shirts that all the women wear on the same day. Also, get them involve in move in day- also a great way to advertise. Good luck!