How Can We Maximize Greek Membership?

[33girl]

Originally posted by hoosier
One of the worst possible rules, but not uncommon. What do they need $50 for?


"The Panhellenic Recruitment Kick-Off will take place at 7 p.m. today in the Student Union. Each woman interested in joining a sorority must pay a registration fee. Because the Aug. 17 deadline has passed, there is a $50 late fee. Registration is open until midnight Tuesday." UNC newspaper

T-shirts
Water/snacks/etc
Registration materials
Being stupid and being late (LOL)

[BetteDavisEyes]

I think it's great when houses make quota but it also sucks when your house isn't making quota b/c girls would rather drop than give your house a chance. Last year, a little over 300 girls signed up for recruitment but only 4 out of the 7 houses on campus made quota. So many girls went into this just dead set on a particular house that they preferred to drop instead of giving another house a chance. I particularly remember one PNM sitting with her arms crossed during the Pref party & refusing to speak to anyone. She went to 2 Pref parties & only came to ours b/c her Rho Gamma convinced her to give it a chance. I would rather she didn't come b/c she just looked mutinous & hostile.

[aephi alum]

Originally posted by hoosier
One of the worst possible rules, but not uncommon. What do they need $50 for?

That's a good point, actually. At many schools, PNMs wishing to go through NPC recruitment must pay a registration fee, and that can cause people to balk - "why should I pay $10/$50/$100/etc. to go through recruitment when I have no guarantee of walking out of it with a bid?"

The fees pay for T-shirts, snacks, maybe meals, and maybe room and board during recruitment week. The late fee is there to motivate PNMs to sign up early, though a $50 late fee seems a little steep... what's the standard registration fee?

Of course, if you're a PNM balking at the idea of paying $10 or $50 or whatever to participate in recruitment... wait until you pledge and get your first bill.

[AlphaFrog]

Our rush was $5- but we didn't get T-Shirts either

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by aephi alum


Of course, if you're a PNM balking at the idea of paying $10 or $50 or whatever to participate in recruitment... wait until you pledge and get your first bill.

Seriously.

Recruitment here at Kent costs $20 to sign up for. I think they might get a Go Greek water bottle, but nothing else.

[dgdramadawg]

Some things I noticed while a student at UGA:

Somehow there are always rumors of certain sororities being this way or that way (the smallest house, the nerds, the party girls, etc.) which can make girls who might fit in at these houses feel uncomfortable because other rushees are so quick to judge. I know that I myself was guilty of judging a couple of houses based on stupid rumors like "They check how much your dad makes" and "They vote by looking at your photo." I know we can't ever completely stop these stereotypes/rumors, and they happen to every house, but I think if we foster an environment of Greek togetherness, this will help girls choose the best houses for them, rather than the houses with certain reputations. [And yes, I know most people agree with this... but trust me, the rumors I heard were from sorority women who were supposed to be "silent.]

I've also heard girls say that they refuse to pledge a house because it does Spring Rush and "None of the good houses do spring rush." This is ludricrous, and what this says to me is that (a) the girl only wants to join a popular clique, not pledge a sorority, and (b) the girl does not understand why a group would do spring rush or COB. I know of several houses at UGA, for example, who never have problems making quota in the fall but sometimes choose to do spring rush in order to bid to total or because a space opened in the chapter because of a senior graduating in December or a fall new member de-pledging. If large campuses (like UGA) advertised Spring Rush like they do Fall Rush, this would make it as big of a deal to the rushees, and they would not feel as though their house choices were any lesser because they were rushing in January instead of August.

Overall, I think that more women would pledge if they went through rush feeling like all sororities were equal and they were looking for the best fit out of a variety of options. However, so many women drop out each year because they don't get the top houses on campus and they would rather not be Greek than find a home elsewhere. I really think campuses with a large number of houses need to focus on bringing out the strengths of each individual chapter so that there's never a feeling of "good houses" and "bad houses"... rather just a feeling that each house is unique.

Yes, I know that's idealistic and will probably never happen.

[TxGirl]

It seems that it's getting the collegiates members to understand this that is the problem. I cannot understand why, in the limited amount of time we have to talk to PNM's, you would want to waste one second of it talking about another chapter.

I think that sometimes it falls to ingnorance of the chapter members. They don't understand what "Panhellenic Spirit" is and they are only concerned with their own chapter not the overall Panhellenic system. It is beyond their comprehension, in most cases, to see that all the chapters are tied together and that the system is only as strong as it's weakest link.

Stepping down from soapbox.

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by TxGirl
I think that sometimes it falls to ingnorance of the chapter members. They don't understand what "Panhellenic Spirit" is and they are only concerned with their own chapter not the overall Panhellenic system. It is beyond their comprehension, in most cases, to see that all the chapters are tied together and that the system is only as strong as it's weakest link.

I agree. I know that I personally have become much more Panhellenic-minded, but probably because of GC (), and the fact that I am involved in my area Alumnae Panhellenic. Also, since I work with the collegiate chapters, I can see the "bigger picture" on campus, whereas when I was in college, sure, I was all about helping the other girl...but not so much that she was as good as us.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally posted by TxGirl
I think that sometimes it falls to ingnorance of the chapter members. They don't understand what "Panhellenic Spirit" is and they are only concerned with their own chapter not the overall Panhellenic system. It is beyond their comprehension, in most cases, to see that all the chapters are tied together and that the system is only as strong as it's weakest link.

Exactly. I think a lot of women don't become very Panhellenic-minded until they're alumnae (although there are exceptions to this, of course).

And I loved what you said about chapters talking about each other during recruitment, TxGirl. When I was going through, it amazed me that girls would actually say "You're not going back to XYZ, are you? They're the [fill in the blank with snobby, chubby, etc.] house, you know." What a lack of class that displays, and how very against rush rules it is!

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally posted by dgdramadawg
Exactly. I think a lot of women don't become very Panhellenic-minded until they're alumnae (although there are exceptions to this, of course).

And I loved what you said about chapters talking about each other during recruitment, TxGirl. When I was going through, it amazed me that girls would actually say "You're not going back to XYZ, are you? They're the [fill in the blank with snobby, chubby, etc.] house, you know." What a lack of class that displays, and how very against rush rules it is!

this is the MASSIVE problem with defferred recruitment. While it is a blessing that we get to see their college grades and know them a little better...it also means they've had 3 months to listen to every little piece of gossip by non members and members alike, and that's a problem.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally posted by PhoenixAzul
this is the MASSIVE problem with defferred recruitment. While it is a blessing that we get to see their college grades and know them a little better...it also means they've had 3 months to listen to every little piece of gossip by non members and members alike, and that's a problem.

AMEN! I can't imagine how horrible it would have been if they'd had all of fall semester to dirty rush at UGA!

[doubleblue&gold]

I haven't read all the posts but think I spotted what I want to reiterate........

The first problem is that you get some PNMs that will not consider all the groups----that she has to have one certain group. She'll have to live with the possibility she won't get a bid. This is something that nothing we do will change---making rules can't change her attitude. You can't guarantee her a bid when she will only look at one group.

Whatever the new release figures do(and I honestly hope they actually work)......if grous keep inviting back too many PNMs to their parties to look good, there will always be PNMs who go bidless. If quota is 20 and they have 60 come to their pref parties, even the worst person wth math skills can figure out they all aren't going to get a bid!

[AGDee]

We encouraged the implementation of recruitment fees at some schools up north here (where they don't need to house them or feed them because it's while school is in session) to discourage women who aren't serious about recruitment from going through. There are sometimes anti-Greek types who go through deliberately to cause trouble. There are others who sign up initially and end up never showing up. The women prepare for a certain number of PNMs and then half of those show up to first parties, which creates difficulties and unnecessary expenses for the chapters. So, you have a recruitment fee. Nothing outrageous, just enough to prevent women from signing up without thinking about what they're doing.

Dee

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by TxGirl
On a different note, I've worked with several campuses. At many, if a woman is being dropped b/c she has not invites - the CPH will call the chapters and ask that they reconsider her so that she won't be released from recuitment. The only exception being that if they know she is being release b/c of GPA they don't usually bother.

Wow. This is interesting. I don't think it's right for Panhellenic to go calling saying "Will you take this woman because if someone doesn't, she'll go bidless?" How does Panhellenic know that this woman wasn't a rude, snobby, brat at alot of the parties? I think it's fine if a chapter CHOOSES to go back and snap bid someone, but having someone call and ask just seems like they're trying to place women just for the sake of placing them somewhere with no regard to the chapter personal feelings about the woman. But then again, the chapter does have the right to decline...

[ADqtPiMel]

I would honestly say that at my school, unless a PNM is released for grades, she will almost always receive a bid. I have a hard time being sympathetic to girls at Miami who don't get a bid, because the vast majority of the time, they deemed themselves too good for certain chapters.