The Best Strategy for a "Weak Recruiting" Chapter

[Mevara]

I know our Panhellenic has rules about having other chapters help with recruitment. The other chapter must wear name tags stating which chapter they are from. Panhellenic announces it to the other chapters so everyone knows what is going on and then of course word would get out to all the PNMs.

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by Titchou

The ones where I know we did it, the PNMs had no clue - at least they weren't told by PH that some of our women were from elsewhere. I can see where it might be a drawback if they were told.

Was this recent, as in the past 5 years? Had this happen at that campus before?

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Mevara

Was this recent, as in the past 5 years? Had this happen at that campus before?

Not that recently...and have no idea whether anyone else there had done it - on either campus....

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Mevara

I know our Panhellenic has rules about having other chapters help with recruitment. The other chapter must wear name tags stating which chapter they are from. Panhellenic announces it to the other chapters so everyone knows what is going on and then of course word would get out to all the PNMs.

Yeah, it would be different today with most places but at the time, we didn't have to do this. I'm pretty sure both times were in the 90's - I know one was for sure and the other I feel fairly certain was.

[AlphaFrog]

The visiting chapter reminds me of me being disappointed that the girl I put as my #1 choice for Big Sis was actually an advisor (she was a grad student, and young looking) who wasn't even an ASA. You can understand my confusion though since she lived in the house and went to more events than most of the collegiate sisters. I think I was more upset that the NM Ed person didn't bother to tell me anything, though, and it took me wondering where she was at initiation to find out. I think she eventually AIed, though.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

One of the other problems a WRC faces is that not everyone is a great rusher, and having SO many women come back, you want to be sure you are pairing your best rushers with the women who are most interested in your chapter.

I've often wondered, once the change was made to PRUSH, why they don't let the chapters see the PNM preferences. I think that knowing which women didn't want the WRC under any circumstances would allow the WRC to better pair rushers with PNM's. It would also allow the chapters who have to make deeper cuts to have an idea of how they should issue invites, as well.

[Titchou]

PRUSH?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Titchou

PRUSH?

PNM's rank right after parties. Contrast with SORUSH, where PNM's get a list of invitations and pick from them.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

PNM's rank right after parties. Contrast with SORUSH, where PNM's get a list of invitations and pick from them.

They see the rankings. The RFM report contains all that information....and then some!

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by Titchou

They see the rankings. The RFM report contains all that information....and then some!

They as in GA and RFM specialist? I can tell you I have never been able to see which PNMs rank a chapter high/low. I do see how many PNMs ranked a chapter 1 but not exactly which PNM.

[FSUZeta]

Me neither, Mevara.

[shirley1929]

Sorry to temporarily derail...

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

The visiting chapter reminds me of me being disappointed that the girl I put as my #1 choice for Big Sis was actually an advisor (she was a grad student, and young looking) who wasn't even an ASA. You can understand my confusion though since she lived in the house and went to more events than most of the collegiate sisters. I think I was more upset that the NM Ed person didn't bother to tell me anything, though, and it took me wondering where she was at initiation to find out. I think she eventually AIed, though.

This TOTALLY reminds me of Pref...I went to pref with ABC and XYZ who were both my legacy chapters (and a third that doesn't matter to this story). At XYZ, I had really hit it off all week with a girl who was just FUN - loved her and she made me want XYZ more each day. Could totally see her as my big sis, and I think that she even hinted around about that being a possibility. Well, in the end, I was bawling at Pref, told my "friend" at XYZ that I was going ABC and thanked her for such a good week. She was very gracious and told me it was OK & that she understood.

3 weeks later, I ran into her at a football game and she told me she went inactive/alumna status right after rush was over! She'd been planning to do it all along...

I would have been SO pissed not to see her on Bid Day and beyond - she was basically the only person I'd gotten to know really well!!!

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Mevara

They as in GA and RFM specialist? I can tell you I have never been able to see which PNMs rank a chapter high/low. I do see how many PNMs ranked a chapter 1 but not exactly which PNM.

OK, now I see what you mean. I thought you meant the final report. Not sure I'd want to see a daily ranking form each PNM. They flop around like a fish out of water. It could be totally reversed the next day. The one on one feedback is usually more important to me.

[DubaiSis]

One on one feedback is good from good rushers in small rushes, but I don't think even the best rushers in the SRCs could gauge interest among 1000+ rushees. You might not make big changes on who talks to whom between the ranked chapters, but if you have a girl who has you in the top set, you want to make sure her opinion of you stays strong. Having her be rushed one on one when the girls who had you last get doubled would seem like a better use of resources. If they don't share that information now, I think they should. If Panhellenic wants to get the WRCs competitive, this is one way they could give them a boost.

Having the TIME to effectively use that list is a whole different thing. When you get your lists minutes before the first party you don't have much time.

[LAblondeGPhi]

I think bringing in another chapter to help a WRC is better than double- or triple-rushing, but it's not exactly going to fly under the radar with all the PNMs. They'll figure it out, and those who didn't will hear it from the other girls.

Ideally, you'd sandwich WRC members with visiting members in rotation so that the PNMs get to talk to members of the WRC, but don't have to be double/triple rushed. In that scenario, it's a win-win. Even better is if the chapters have some kind of relationship to one another, and the visiting chapter members are prepped appropriately on the campus culture and specific activities the WRC plans and participates in (this doesn't always happen!)

Best case scenario is that the PNM doesn't think too much of it and gets to meet at least one or two members of the actual chapter, and has a better experience at that party than she would have otherwise. Worst case scenario is that the PNM didn't get a chance to meet anyone from the chapter, and is either duped into liking women who she'll never see again or she's completely turned off; or that the PNM figures out toward the end of the party that she's been talking to visiting sisters and feels betrayed/duped.