Low Rush Numbers

[aopinthesky]

>>>Those unable to attract members can close up shop.<<<

I think I have been in a discussion thread with you before on this subject, but the reason that is not going to happen is because it is not the Panhellenic way to intentionally bring sororities on a campus just to see who will survive. NPC expands when there is a need for expansion, not just to see what will happen. It sounds as if the Panhellenic women are doing everything they can think of to boost their recruitment numbers. It also sounds as if the last thing they need is a new NPC group.

[adpiucf]

Originally posted by Firehouse
If no one can make total, why not bring in some more sororities with new ideas and aggressive recruiting and see who is successful? If there are ten national sororities, it's reasonable that five will be successful and pull the system up. Those unable to attract members can close up shop.

Firehouse, it sounds like an admirable theory worthy of Darwin (Survival of the Fittest) But a Panhellenic could not bring on additional sororities if ALL of the chapters are this far away from total and with such small recruitment numbers. The women's groups have very specific rules regarding expansion, and an NPC sorority would not consider colonization at a school with chapters that are currently struggling with numbers. It would mean that the new group would struggle, too, and numbers are very important in terms of long-term success. This isn't to say a bigger chapter is better, but in terms of financial status, having a house, ability to be more selective in recruitment (able to take more nontraditional students like those who pose grade risks, etc).

FAU friend, while it may be a challenge having to compete with a local sorority, I don't think that their existence is the major problem with your turnout at recruitment. I think your situation poses an interesting challenge, one that might be solved with a Panhellenic Public Relations campaign to build the sorority image on campus. As a commuter school and a university with a good number of international students, you have many college women who are not educated on the benefits of Greek Life, or who have their familiar home culture (the commuters) or international culture clubs and organizations (the international students). Has Panhellenic established a Task Force with the Greek Adviser to study recruitment numbers for the last 5 years, and to evaluate the methods by which Greek Life is being promoted on campus? Perhaps you are not doing anything wrong at all; perhaps FAU Greeks need to band together and aggressively campaign so their presence is know, respected and membership is sought after at your school. There are a number of programs out there that can help you improve your PR--- or perhaps this would be a great opportunity for the School of Communication at FAU to give this as a project to a class of seniors-- who form 3-4 groups that brainstorm, research and strategize a successful plan to increase your visibility on campus that will ultimately get more people to go through recruitment.

[AlethiaSi]

At my school- SUNY cortland- in the Fall we usually have smaller numbers than in the Spring and most of the time- it is through COB that we get most of our girls- i just got in in the spring but i'm Rush chair and it is very discouraging to have rumours going around about sorority girls- we are the only local on campus and the others are national and so because of that our dues are cheaper but we've been here for seventy five years and have over a thousand alumni backing us up- which seems similar to a national chapter to me- so girls are like- oh i don't want to do that- and have all these misconceptions b/c of other sororities pledge programs, dues- fights and drama- so basically what i hear most of the time is that there are stereotypes and thats what keeps numbers down..sadly enough.... i love my sorority and i know each and every girl loves theirs as well and to hear that they don't want to be apart of waht we care about.... its discouraging- keep your head up, don't give up and know that you have something to offer and are special and if they don't recognize that then- then maybe you don't want them there anyway.... know waht i mean??? good luck!!!!!!

[FAURecruitment]

Okay, I just read this thread and I have to say something. I am currently the Vice President of Recruitment at FAU and I held the position last year as well. I honestly don't know what is wrong this year. Last year, we had about 190 women signed up for recruitment, but this year we have.......drumroll please........69 with one more day to sign up. One of the main problems is that Greeks aren't really supported by staff members on our campus. We've done many things to try and change their views but it just doesn't seem to work. Another thing is that a lot of women do not want to participate in recruitment. I've asked several women why and they basically tell me that they've seen things on tv as well as heard things that give greeks a bad name. I've tried talking to them about it but it just doesn't work, they're minds are made up. Also, the fraternities on campus are having a bad year theirselves so, it's just not us.
I want to clarify somethings on the rules. The rules about not being able to socialize with the fraternities was put into pass because many of the sorority women were recruiting for mainly the fraternities rather than for themselves, also on our campus a lot of the freshman girls judge the members of the sororities based on which fraternity they hang out with and that's not what they should be looking at. All sororities on our campus socialize with all of the fraternities.
As for Beta Chi Omega, we are currently taking care of the problem with them. This organization is in the process of becoming a club and on our campus you can form a club as long as you have ten people who want to join. These women know that they may not expand into Chi Omega in the future, but that is what they are basing themselves on.
If you have any more questions, please post here or pm me.

[Lil_ChiO_Lady]

The same thing is occuring on my campus as well...The numbers at this time last year were about 100 as we neared the day of the deadline...well we had decided to set a deadline to get info in early,but the has caused us to get 68 pnm's by the deadline..well we extended to Tuesday so hopefully more girls will sign up..KEEP UR FINGERS CROSSED for a good turnout.

[33girl]

Originally posted by exlurker
Best of luck to you and to the Greeks at FAU.
I think many of the people in the GC community are familiar with rules or policies against "little sister" organizations. I believe both the NPC and the North American Interfraternity Conference have passed resolutions that strongly discourage those kinds of groups.

huh?? I don't think anyone said anything about little sisters, she said that the sororities were helping the fraternities to rush. Re the club she mentioned it is just a rumor that they want to be little sisters, I would think if that was true they would call themselves Sigma Beta Theta or something.

[Firehouse]

You say the freshmen girls judge sororities based on which fraternities they hang out with, "and that's not what they should be looking at." I'm sorry, I just don't understand the mindset. You're trying to tell them what they SHOULD be looking at instead of basing a solid sales appeal on what they ARE looking at. They're telling you they're not interested in what you're offering, but you insist on offering the thing they're not buying and you wonder what's wrong.
Young women, especially on a commuter campus where the atmosphere is not the same as a traditional residential campus, want to have fun. Often, the opportunities for fun are different on a communter campus.
Look, this can be turned around and fairly easily, if you will just shape your appeal to the market instead of being bound by sets of rules more geared to traditional campuses and already established structures. Greeks may have taken a downturn in the 1990s, but they are making a stong comeback today. There is no reason why your sorority system can't flourish there. In my opinion, you don't need to run off a fine, prosperous local sorority who might be able to teach you something about rush. Sororities are wonderful organizations with a powerful appeal. There's no reason to think that the young women on your campus would not want to join.

[33girl]

Originally posted by Firehouse
You say the freshmen girls judge sororities based on which fraternities they hang out with, "and that's not what they should be looking at." I'm sorry, I just don't understand the mindset. You're trying to tell them what they SHOULD be looking at instead of basing a solid sales appeal on what they ARE looking at. They're telling you they're not interested in what you're offering, but you insist on offering the thing they're not buying and you wonder what's wrong.
Young women, especially on a commuter campus where the atmosphere is not the same as a traditional residential campus, want to have fun. Often, the opportunities for fun are different on a communter campus.
Look, this can be turned around and fairly easily, if you will just shape your appeal to the market instead of being bound by sets of rules more geared to traditional campuses and already established structures. Greeks may have taken a downturn in the 1990s, but they are making a stong comeback today. There is no reason why your sorority system can't flourish there. In my opinion, you don't need to run off a fine, prosperous local sorority who might be able to teach you something about rush. Sororities are wonderful organizations with a powerful appeal. There's no reason to think that the young women on your campus would not want to join.

Firehouse,

The problem with attracting girls who only care about what fraternity the sorority hangs out with is so huge I don't understand why I even have to explain it to you! For one thing, this can change from year to year....we had one year where we hung out with Delta Chi pretty much exclusively, 2 years later we barely spoke to them. If girls had only joined to hang out w/ Delta Chi they would have probably quit, and who needs that?

Also, you saying that there's nothing wrong with encouraging that just furthers the "pu$$y and beer" mindset that some fraternities use to get members. How long do those guys stick around, and do they do anything for the fraternity at all?

Yes, a sorority on a commuter campus can be great for socializing and finding that outlet...I don't think they are telling the girls that all they do is study and do philanthropy. But if all these rushees are going to contribute is partying and won't be there for anything else, what's the point?

And I didn't see anything about a "fine prosperous local sorority." I saw a bunch of wannabes who are deliberately misrepresenting themselves.

[exlurker]

33girl, thank you for making that clear. I was mistaken. I misinterpreted the clarification about rules on socializing and confused it with an earlier post about a possible little sister situation. Red face here, and again, thank you.

Originally posted by FAUNikki
I think I found the answer to my question. There is a "club" on campus ... Beta Chi Omega. ...
The other rumor is that they wanted to be Beta Theta Pi's little sisters, but since our school doesnt allow that nonsense, they had to start a "club".

[aopinthesky]

>>>In my opinion, you don't need to run off a fine, prosperous local sorority <<<

In my opinion, you need to read the posts a little closer (except for the fact that you are posting for the flame value). No one said this was a fine, prosperous local sorority, but an upstart who seems to be throwing a kink into a situation that is not good for the NPC groups on campus.

[Firehouse]

Sorry for the confusion about the local sorority; obviously I mis-read one of the posts and I aoplogize. Aopinthesky, I'm really not a flame-monger, I just have an especially strong interest in rush.
I do understand that boys and girls are different in their approaches, but to be fair, I think you'll agree that when something isn't working it's OK to think in terms of special strategies to get the job done.
33girl: you and I have exchanged posts before on rush and you're aware of my respect for your opinions and experience. You're right of course about the high turnover in membership that results from intensely superficial rush tactics. I haven't made myself clear, so please allow me to try again.
Young people want to be associated with things that are popular and fun. I think the best context to introduce someone to my fraternity is an atmosphere that's relaxed and enjoyable.
My suggestion to these young sorority women is to simply band together, invite the fraternities to join them in a social (not a beer-frenched orgy) and invite all interested young women to come and enjoy the atmosphere and to talk casually about the fun and the advantages of joining.
Student life on a commuter campus typically consists of going to class, then going to work, then going home. I think that the appeal of sororities on these campuses can be especially powefull because they are entres into the more traditional trappings of campus life that characterize the residential schools. I get frustrated when I hear "they're not interested". I think they are.
Aopinthesky: proud to say that I was the AOPi Pledge Sweetheart a very long time ago.

[aopinthesky]

>>>I think you'll agree that when something isn't working it's OK to think in terms of special strategies to get the job done<<<

Firehouse,
I do agree that there are things the campus Panhel can consider to get their recruitment numbers up, and you have made some good points. However, since I have a particularly strong interest in expansion - and it's affects on sitting chapters, glibly suggesting that 5 more sororities colonize on a campus "just to see who can survive it" is not helpful. A former chapter consultant tells me that rush numbers are off at many campuses, and of course, it is more apparent at schools where you have 150 going through one year and 80 the next, as opposed to 1300 one year and 1100 the next. I believe that schools will see an upsurge in recruitment, just as they have seen a downsurge. That is, if Sorority Life ever goes off the air.

[AGDee]

I think we have to factor the economy in with the "Sorority Life" damage that has been done as well. At some campuses, which tend to be exclusive and expensive, the school funding is coming from scholarships, grants or families who are more economically stable. Commuter campuses often attract the students who are paying for their own schooling and working as many as 3 jobs to make ends meet. Extras, like a sorority, don't seem within reach for these women. I know that, in the Detroit area, 4 or 5 years ago, McDonald's was paying $10 an hour to try to get people to work for them because there were so many jobs out there. They're back to paying minimum wage, because they can. I know several college students who weren't able to get jobs this summer because unemployed college grads were working at anything they could.

Sorority Life didn't help at all, I agree. I approached several cute, smart, enthusiastic women who were working as students at my work over the summer about sorority membership and they all gave this "You've got to be kidding, why would I do THAT?" look. I tried to change their minds, but I don't think I even made a dent in their opinion of Greek Life. Greeks have a growing image problem (in the North at least). I read the Southern rush threads and it shocks me! I think I only had one pledge sister (back in '84) who had even heard of a sorority before we went through recruitment and she was a legacy of one of the groups on campus. We have got to get more visible in the general community, even as alumnae, so that women have heard of us before they get to college!

Dee

[33girl]

Firehouse:

I agree that an all-Greek - emphasis on all, not a mixer situation of any sort linking 2 specific groups - picnic or fest of some sort would be a good tool to introduce people to Greek life, especially at a commuter campus. However, you've got to balance that with Panhellenic rules, and they say that men aren't allowed at actual rush parties.

I also think that at commuter campuses, you need to spell out dues and fees, and make it clear that just because your friend at Big U pays $2000 a semester to be in her sorority, your dues are not going to be anywhere near that.

As to Sorority Life, I am SO tired of this being the scapegoat...mainly because people either say they are too sorority, or not sorority enough. It's just silly.

[adpiucf]

I may get jumped on for this, but as much as I dislike MTV's portrayal of the sororities on Sorority Life, I have been at several campuses since the show began as an alumna director-- recruitment numbers have NOT been affected by the TV show.

Also, I agree with Firehouse, to some extent, that the freshman mind needs to be appealed to in terms of recruitment marketing points. An 18 year old is thinking of fun, friends and boys-- Greek Life should not be marketed as a big party, but I honestly feel that a Task Force at schools with low Recruitment numbers should form in order to quantitatively assess the situation, and come up with logical marketing solutions to increase Greek visibility on campus and promote the Greek image to both incoming freshmen and current students. Take a look at what's been done, and brainstorm on what could be done.