Dying Chapter-Help!

[ASTalumna06]

Hi Reesie!

I’m an AST and I attended Penn State Behrend as well (from 2002-2006). Actually.. you’re friends with a lot of my friends through Facebook.. I see your name pretty frequently on pictures and status updates (I’m not stalking you, I swear! You just have one of those names that stands out! ). We may have even met before... Sorry if I don't remember!

My chapter was actually down to about 4 girls a few semesters before I joined, and while I was active, I only saw the chapter reach 19 sisters once.. we initiated 9 in the spring, then lost 6 who were graduating. On average, I’d say my chapter had about 11-12 sisters during my active years and for a year or two before and after that. And your chapter probably hovered just a little higher than we did at that time.

It’s tough being a small chapter, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say you’re dying just yet. We do, unfortunately, have the problem of girls transferring to the main campus, and my chapter has definitely dealt with that… however, losing 11 or 12 girls because of both graduation and transfers is a lot to take in.

I worked as my chapter’s recruitment advisor after I graduated, but I left in March of 2010. I know that the recruitment structure has changed in just that short amount of time, so I have a few questions:

1) I heard fall recruitment is now more structured. How exactly is it set up?

2) Do all of the chapters still participate in the recruitment kick-off in the spring semester?

3) Is spring informal recruitment still the same – lasts for 2-3 weeks, as many events as you’d like, a set bid day but each chapter does what they want, when they want… and can bid girls after that?

4) Have you already had bid day this semester? Or by mentioning that total is at 35, are you saying that you still have room for 11 new members this semester?

5) On average, how many PNMs have come through recruitment (between all 3 chapters, if you know this information), both last semester and this one?

Before you answer any of these questions, I’ll say at least give you this piece of advice – talk to some of your alumnae. They know what it’s like to be in a smaller chapter, and what it’s like to have to build it up. The number of PNMs between all 3 chapters has grown substantially in just the couple years, so sisters who graduated fairly recently will have some idea of what it’s like to work from the ground up.