Smaller Groups-how can you make PNMs feel chosen?

[IndianaSigKap]

One thing that may help those PNMs feel welcome may sound a little harsh, but I have watched it work. Even if a chapter needs members desperately, it still needs to make cuts. By inviting every PNM back, the chapter looks desperate. If the chapter cuts a few women, maybe grade risks or the PNM who sulks during the party, the word gets out quickly. It shows the PNMs and the campus that the chapter may be small but quality is still a goal. Also, let the PNMs know that they are wanted by telling them and showing them. A friend of mine works with a struggling chapter and her chapter used the mentoring program to retain NMs. The women they felt might drop were assigned to an older member who was more like the new member. When that relationship was built, the older member began to introduce the new member to other members of the chapter. This (and making some strategic cuts) really worked for them. It is a slow process, it has taken them the better part of two years but for the first time they made quota this year and have the same number of members as the other chapters on campus.