Summer Rush Begins!!! - Page 5

Betarulz! · #61 06-19-2003, 12:04 AM

Okay, realized I had yet to say anything about this week.

This is kinda a quiet week for us, a chance for the rush chairs and the chapter to have a little break from the grind of rush (although in all actuality now that the NSE has started the rush chairs have to be present at the house every day to give tours.). All that is going on this week is a BBQ tomorrow night at the house. I imagine that with all the verbal commits from rushees that the BBQ will see several guys turn in cards. Also, now that NSE has been going for a week, there will probably be several new faces that begin showing up. Finally, Lincoln Public School Seniors only graduated 2 weekends ago and so all the kids from the schools in Lincoln who waited until after graduation to be contacted should fully be in the swing of rush by this point.

Other than the barbeque, there is no event this week, but of course that doesn't mean rush stops. I imagine that phone calls will be made and some guys taken out. So while the big event is missing, we still could offer some bid cards this week.

JAM: Saw your worry about rush apps...basically I can tell you that you shouldn't worry too much. If you think your son might not be getting calls due to not having involvement on his app, the best way to overcome that is to just go to the houses. Like I've said earlier, the app only can be used for so much, and even then it comes down to how he clicks with the guys. Obviously it is more difficult if he doesn't have a place to stay for a couple of days to check out houses, but it might be worth it just to spend some time down there, even if has to set up arrangements to stay the night with a fraternity (something my chapter did for my pledge brother from Seattle). If he does decide to stay with guys from one house, my suggestion would be that he meets with other houses before he meets the guys he's staying with, and then after he's packed up all his things and said his goodbyes the next day. But he also needs to let the guys he's staying with know that he's there to check out all houses and just because he's staying with him doesn't mean they're his first choice.

Is he going to the same school your daughter is going to? If so maybe he could stay with some of her friends in the area for one night? Just an thought.

Betarulz! · #62 06-19-2003, 01:48 AM

Two more bid cards arrived back to our house today.

One was from one of the guys who told us on saturday he would sign (an Omaha kid).

The other the guy who was down between us and Farmhouse. The extra talking to from the rush chairs, and the guys he already knew in the house helped us secure him...

Also one more bid card was sent out, and this guy has his choices narrowed down to us and two other houses. That means we have 9 bid cards out, and 2 of those guys have given us verbal commitments that they will send the card back with their signatures on it...if we got all nine that would bring our pledge class up to 15 guys, not bad for being about half way through the rush period.

I think that there will be some more bid cards given out very soon, including the one to the aforementioned kid with not so great rush app.

justamom · #63 06-19-2003, 07:31 AM

Yes, he will be at the same school. We just aren't a town the fraternities cater to. His sister seems to think he will be "just fine" and is very willing to help him. Thanks for the ideas Betarulz, I hadn't even thought of those possibilities!

Now he's thinking we could just hand him $1,000.00 if he decides NOT to rush!!!

He's a crafty one!

BSUPhiSig'92 · #64 06-19-2003, 05:04 PM

I am just amazed at the amount of effort that goes into your summer rush. The amount of driving alone is mind-boggling! Do the rush chairs receive $ compensation of some sort from the chapter so they don't have to work? It sounds like a full-time job in itself.

I am also amazed at the level of parental support/involvement you have. That is something I have never seen at that level before. Amazing!

It seems like summer rush is something that's unique to the great plains states. How long have you guys been doing it like this? I'm just curious how it came to be the norm, since it is so different from most of the country.

PsychTau · #65 06-20-2003, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Betarulz!
...we're going to reccomend that he look into Pike b/c they don't have a house and he would be better able to meet their expectations. Honestly, we have no qualms in giving reccomendations to other houses when it's certain that it would be a better fit for everyone.

Wouldn't it be great if sororities were secure enough in themselves to do this? Not to say they aren't out there, but I think it would make our system run so much more smoothly if we were focused on helping the rushees find their home instead of us appearing to be so competitive.

Beta, I LOVE hearing this story. My husband told me how he was rushed by Sigma Chi from Fulton, MO at a party in Little Rock, AR. I just couldn't imagine them coming to LR, but they did!!! Good Luck!!

Betarulz! · #66 06-20-2003, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BSUPhiSig'92
I am just amazed at the amount of effort that goes into your summer rush. The amount of driving alone is mind-boggling! Do the rush chairs receive $ compensation of some sort from the chapter so they don't have to work? It sounds like a full-time job in itself.

I am also amazed at the level of parental support/involvement you have. That is something I have never seen at that level before. Amazing!

It seems like summer rush is something that's unique to the great plains states. How long have you guys been doing it like this? I'm just curious how it came to be the norm, since it is so different from most of the country.

The rush chairs job pretty much is a full time job, they really can't get a job until the 2nd half of the summer until New Student Enrollment is over. They get a portion of their house bill deducted for the work and are also given the IRS standard per mile driven (I think it's like $.37/mile)

I think that summer rush has been going on since the mid '80s. I'm not sure what caused the change but for a while there wasn't even a formal rush period at the start of the fall semester, and even now it isn't very widely participated in by potential rushees.

I really like summer rush, just because of the time allowances and the way I think it allows every guy to find the right place for themselves. However I realize that it can't be done everywhere, particularly places where a lot of people come from far away. It also means that housing for upper classmen has to change, as it seems less than a great idea to rush in the summer but still have to live in the dorms...

Betarulz! · #67 06-20-2003, 06:52 PM

Got our seventh pledge today. He's pledge #3 from the same Lincoln HS. Don't really know that much about him, but he signed immediately upon receiving his bid card. A couple more bids were extended and we're up to 12 bids outstanding and 2 of those who've given verbal commitments but just need to get those cards in!!

texas*princess · #68 06-20-2003, 06:57 PM

Good luck BetaRulz!

MoxieGrrl · #69 06-21-2003, 10:10 AM

Congrats on your new pledge!!!

Betarulz! · #70 06-21-2003, 08:21 PM

Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Betarulz!
...we're going to reccomend that he look into Pike b/c they don't have a house and he would be better able to meet their expectations. Honestly, we have no qualms in giving reccomendations to other houses when it's certain that it would be a better fit for everyone.

Okay, this kid has received a lot of attention lately, because all the people that weren't at the summer chapter meeting decided that we have to have him, or that he'll make the pledge class so much better or something else...

I think it's full of shit. The kid's nice, but not everyone can be a Beta, and just because he knows some of what is expected of him as a pledge (he had friends pledge last year) doesn't mean he is going to be able to give the same commitment or meet our expectations. So much of our fraternity is based on the bonds of brotherhood made while being a pledge, that to be a sophomore, live-out, in the most intensive program at UNL ( Most kids that graduate from it end up with triple majors in 4 and a half years...everyone who graduates gets a dual major in business and computer science) are three MAJOR hurdles to overcome, that have been proven as big hurdles in previous pledge classes.

I'm just not down with putting a kid in a situation that is most likely setting him up for failure.

Betarulz! · #71 06-22-2003, 12:05 AM

Okay, back to the good news of rush...

First off, big congrats to sthpllrd who previously posted on this thread way back at the beginning. He signed with Alpha Tau Omega (right next door) not to long ago he told me in a recent PM.

One of his close friends just turned in his bid card to us today and that brings our pledge class up to 8. Some guys are feeling that we may be behind in Rush, but according to our rush chairs as of last thursday we had the same number of pledges as SigEp, so that allayed some fears.

We also had a first yesterday. The first kid to be offered a bid card and not sign with us signed with ATO this week. His cousin was a rush chair for ATO so it was an uphill battle the entire time. I never met the kid but I heard a lot of great things about him. Dissappointment? yeah, particularly for the guys who got to know him, but you win most, you gotta lose some. Personally I was pretty surprised that it went this long before we "lost" a guy to another house. I just kinda figured that it would have happened by now. With that statistic though, I find a lot of confidence in what our rush chairs have done, and also in that the chapter made the right choice in getting those guys in as rush chairs. It really speaks highly of them and also the chapter.

I'll continue to let everyone know about signees just as soon as they happen.

As for this week: Rush BBQ on thursday, and a rush event at a lake just outside of Lincoln on Saturday. I'm trying to get out of work on Friday in order to head up to Lincoln in time for the BBQ, but we'll just have to see if I can. I'll definitely be up there Friday afternoon at the latest. This is the first rush (pretty much only)event we can invite girls too(

), since they usually want to stay in Lincoln. NSE days this week are Tuesday through Friday, So there will probably be some new guys coming through (hopefully).

sthpolrd · #72 06-22-2003, 02:04 AM

thanks for the congrats.
I really liked your house, it seems like a great place. I just felt more comfortable at ATO. Its just one of those times where you can just feel where you best fit in.
My dad was an ATO in the 70's, he was super fired up when I told him my decision.
thanks again beta.

justamom · #73 06-22-2003, 10:12 AM

Competition and strength spread between several houses makes for a stronger Greek system! Everybody wins!

MattUMASSD · #74 06-26-2003, 01:25 PM

Hey Beta I was wondering how much do you spend on postage? My fraternity is sending out a letter to incoming freshmen and we thoughtn we could get discounted postage being a non-profit org but we cant.

Betarulz! · #75 06-26-2003, 08:25 PM

You know, I'm not really sure.

I know that we try to send rush packets to all the rushees we meet and want to see again. I guess we save on postage by giving packets to them when we see them.

I also know that we were able to our recruitment scholarship application sent along with stuff from greek affairs that was sent out to all those interested in Greek life, which I'm sure saved us a bunch of money. But honestly I never thought about postage.