Difficult question

[SouthernSweet]

Originally Posted by SockPuppet3

We are NPC.

To answer other questions, we have struggled with formal recruitment for a while. This is the first one I was ever involved with (on this end), and it was a mess. Having gone through formal recruitment last year, and getting to see what other groups on my campus can do, I'm not surprised we did so poorly - the other groups seem to be so much more "with it" than us. I love my sisters, and we worked our butts off, but it just doesn't seem to be enough. We've had such a poor reputation on campus for so long now that I don't know how we'll be able to pull out of this slump.

I really thought it would get better once some of our alumnae moved on, but their involvement is still so strong. And when your chapter is already weak, it's hard to turn away people who are willing to help. I think we're just being helped by the wrong people. HQ always seems interested in helping us, and the chapter consultants who visit usually make comments like, "Obviously, you have a great sisterhood, you just need to get your numbers up." We're like, "Obviously. We get that. How can you help us do that?"

So what is a closed meeting anyway? Has anyone ever participated (in any form) in one? It isn't scheduled for a while, so I have some time to get my thoughts together. Of course I'm assuming I have a chance to express my thoughts. If it's just a gripe session run by alumnae, then I don't want to go (nor do I see why we would be required to attend). If it's a chance for us to try to figure out a new game plan, then I'm all for it. I just hope it isn't too late.

We don't have a house, so ASUADPi, that isn't really an issue we're having to worry about. We have all talked about the other questions you've mentioned (what happens to sisters? will we try to come back - again?) Our chapter was closed around 20 years ago and reopened around 5 years later. From what I gather, it's been 15 years of uphill battles for us. I'd hate for someone else to be going through this 15 years down the line.

I just don't know. I feel like we need some serious HQ intervention. But, that might just be asking for trouble. I just want to contact HQ and say, "Please, please please help us - but don't close us."

Well, it looks like they tried to do that and your chapter decided to go in a different direction.

I think you need to contact your Headquarters. Recruitment is just like marketing in any business and in sales...you need to pinpoint your target audience, find out what they are shying away from and correct it. I would agree with the others that chapters are not closed easily...it's an expense on the sorority and once your gone it's hard to come back.

I would say they will know of other schools who have made a huge 'come back'...you can call those schools and find out what they did differently and see if you can apply those same principles to yours.

You may not be able to do it in a single year, it may take a couple.

What is the reputation of your sorority....I mean the REAL one...when new students hear of your sorority, what do they think of? What image comes to mind? Is it good or bad? Can it be corrected?

If you have a sister that is majoring in business I would find out who is taking advanced marketing classes and apply those same principles immediately...you don't have to wait until the next recruitment to start.
People are people, they make choices emotionally in organzations they join and in products they buy....the principles are the same.

[FSUZeta]

give us some more figures, so that we might better understand the campus atmosphere :

how many pnms signed up for recruitment? how many of those withdrew from recruitment? how many were not offered bids? how many ended up accepting bids?

how many members does each of the other sororities have?

how many members does your chapter have?

when you don't make quota, do you immediately begin rushing great girls you know?

what sort of recruitment does your campus hold?

how many round of parties and how many parties per round?

what did you do for your parties? for instance, did you have themes for each night? did you decorate? did you serve a special food or drink? did you have entertainment?

what type of activities do you do for informal recruitment?

and more importantly, what does your chapter do for sisterhood events and just for fun?

[FSUZeta]

bump

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by SouthernSweet

I think you need to contact your Headquarters.

No, No, No. She should talk to her chapter president about her concerns. Chain of command exists for a reason. The chapter leaders have been elected for a reason. Let them do their job. Alerting them of a concern is a good place to start. Next is to run for a chapter exec postion in the next election cycle, to learn about how the sorority does things and to effect change from a postion of leadership. The only collegians who should be contacting HQs are the exec board members. They've been put in office for a reason and if you have a problem with what they're doing or not understanding why they're doing something a certain way, you need to question them directly, and not go behind their backs. (Unless of course, there's a hazing issue, in which case an adviser or sorority IO should be given a heads-up to counteract the problem. But that is irrelevant to the discussion at hand.)

[33girl]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

No, No, No. She should talk to her chapter president about her concerns. Chain of command exists for a reason. The chapter leaders have been elected for a reason. Let them do their job. Alerting them of a concern is a good place to start. Next is to run for a chapter exec postion in the next election cycle, to learn about how the sorority does things and to effect change from a postion of leadership. The only collegians who should be contacting HQs are the exec board members. They've been put in office for a reason and if you have a problem with what they're doing or not understanding why they're doing something a certain way, you need to question them directly, and not go behind their backs. (Unless of course, there's a hazing issue, in which case an adviser or sorority IO should be given a heads-up to counteract the problem. But that is irrelevant to the discussion at hand.)

Especially since this is the OP's first semester as an initiated sister.

[adpiucf]

EXACTLY!

[SockPuppet3]

FSUZeta, I really don't have answers to all your questions. Campus is 15% greek; about 100 girls went through rush, don't know how many dropped out/didn't get bids (who has that info anyway? I'm blown away by the amount of info people on here seem to get - I tell myself they must be alum or somehow involved on the outside, cause we sure don't get that much info); the other chapters on campus have around 60 members, we have about 20; we have a completely no frills rush (so no food, extravagant decorations, etc) - the other chapters blame that on us; there are 3 rounds of parties, we had only one party for pref (which wasn't heavily attended); we COB as soon as we can; there's not a lot to do in our town, so our sisterhood activities aren't much beyond getting together at a sister's apartment and just hanging out. I think that pretty much addresses most of your questions.

adpiucf, I plan to run for office this year. But, in the meantime, I'll talk to the Pres and let her know what I'm feeling.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody.

[adpiucf]

I do wish you the best of luck. Going through the right channels with your concerns and offering to help with the solution, being an officer and learning the hows and whys of the sorority will help you to help your chapter and feel better about your decision to become a member. I am proud of you for sticking it out and wanting to make a difference. Please keep us posted on your plans!!!

ETA: I do want to tell you that every chapter, even the ones at and over total, have problems and internal issues. I know it seems hard to believe, but it is very true. It's also very confusing when you're new to understand the inner workings of an organization or to see why things are done a certain way, esp. if it appears that they may not be contributing to the chapter's long-term success. The most important lesson I've learned in being a sorority member is this: When I enter a new group, I observe first, learn the ways and means of the organization, ask questions and then seek to recommend changes once I have a better understanding of the way things work and the culture of the group. I encourage you to go about this the same way. When you are the newbie and you arrive intending to change things without first getting acclimated to WHY things are done a certain way, things can backfire-- not b/c your ideas aren't good ones, but because people will be resistant to how they perceive someone with limited or no background into the group dynamics. You've had a year to watch and grow. This is the prime time to talk to your pres with your concerns and get involved!

Originally Posted by SockPuppet3

FSUZeta, I really don't have answers to all your questions. Campus is 15% greek; about 100 girls went through rush, don't know how many dropped out/didn't get bids (who has that info anyway? I'm blown away by the amount of info people on here seem to get - I tell myself they must be alum or somehow involved on the outside, cause we sure don't get that much info); the other chapters on campus have around 60 members, we have about 20; we have a completely no frills rush (so no food, extravagant decorations, etc) - the other chapters blame that on us; there are 3 rounds of parties, we had only one party for pref (which wasn't heavily attended); we COB as soon as we can; there's not a lot to do in our town, so our sisterhood activities aren't much beyond getting together at a sister's apartment and just hanging out. I think that pretty much addresses most of your questions.

adpiucf, I plan to run for office this year. But, in the meantime, I'll talk to the Pres and let her know what I'm feeling.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by SockPuppet3

we have a completely no frills rush (so no food, extravagant decorations, etc) - the other chapters blame that on us;

What????

National Panhellenic first began pushing for no-frills resolutions over 10 years ago. ALL schools are supposed to be implementing a no frills (or at least heavily defrilled) rush, everywhere, across the country. Why on earth would the other chapters think it has anything to do with your chapter??

My chapter didn't have the choreographed songs and dances or fancy food either (and this is in the 1980's), but we could have cared less if other chapters had them.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by 33girl

My chapter didn't have the choreographed songs and dances

And picturing you DOING the songs and dances makes me .

[FSUZeta]

sockpuppet3:

you might ask the greeklife advisor on campus for the statistics i questioned you about. (i am a recruitment advisor, and both the vp of recruitment for the chapter i advise and i have to file a report to our international office which includes these figures-plus we keep our own totals during the recruitment process)

i have never attended a no-frills recruitment, so i do not know how it is handled. what goes on during the parties-is it organized at all? could you tell us where recruitment is held?

is there a bowling alley in town? a skating rink? a public swimming pool? a movie theater? does your school play football, basketball or baseball? is there a starbucks or a local equvilent to a starbucks in town?those are all things that you guys could invite pnms to. what sort of things do you do for informal recruitment?

i (and i am sure everyone else)would like to help you, if we can. the more info. you can provide, the better the help we can give.

[33girl]

All "no frills" means is dispensing with elaborate costumes, skits, decorations and food, and focusing more on conversation and getting to know the women. The money spent (or should I say wasted) on these things could have much better uses - like philanthropy. It doesn't have anything to do w/ the structure of the parties (ie formal rush can be no-frills).

Unfortunately, it's gotten a bad rap on some campuses that have implemented it as sororities have used it to call infractions on each other - ridiculous things like fining for having too many balloons in the room or the PNM walking out with crepe paper on her shoe. This is NOT what no-frills is supposed to be about.

[Buttonz]

Not all schools have this information though...I know if we had to go ahead and give our HQ this info, we wouldn't know where to start, as our Greek Life office didn't so much for recuritment for us beyond a Greek Life fair and helping us book the rooms

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

sockpuppet3:

you might ask the greeklife advisor on campus for the statistics i questioned you about. (i am a recruitment advisor, and both the vp of recruitment for the chapter i advise and i have to file a report to our international office which includes these figures-plus we keep our own totals during the recruitment process)

i have never attended a no-frills recruitment, so i do not know how it is handled. what goes on during the parties-is it organized at all? could you tell us where recruitment is held?

is there a bowling alley in town? a skating rink? a public swimming pool? a movie theater? does your school play football, basketball or baseball? is there a starbucks or a local equvilent to a starbucks in town?those are all things that you guys could invite pnms to. what sort of things do you do for informal recruitment?

i (and i am sure everyone else)would like to help you, if we can. the more info. you can provide, the better the help we can give.

[adpiucf]

The campus Panhellenic should keep track, though, as they are the ones who organize recruitment.

[FSUZeta]

so, are there displays highlighting the activities the chapter has been involved in-charities, sisterhoods, intramurals, etc. or are these a no/no?

you mentioned that rush infractions have been called for too many balloons, so if i read that right, then balloons can be used for decorations? are they allowed to make hand made banners that might have quotes about sisterhood on them? when i hear no-frills, i think absolutely NO decorations of any sort.

during no frills, is it strictly conversation-or does panhellenic have a theme they want everyone to follow for each night-sisterhood one night, philanthrophy the next, etc.? can a sorority show their national video of their philanthrophy?

do the chapters sing songs as the pnms enter or leave the party?

sorry for all the questions, but i have never seen a no-frills recruitment and i want to learn all i can. thanks.