new colony at Hofstra University

[thomaskat]

hey guys just saying whatsup, pike will be colonizing hofstra university this upcoming semester, starting mid october, I am very excited

any insight as to what Im going to be getting involved in?
thanks
tk

[RushIUPiKA]

I wish you all the best in colonizing. I have been a member of the IU colony for a year now and it looks like we will be getting chartered around October or November. In an ideal world, I could tell you that everything is easy and you'll be chartered instantly, but it's alot of work. Only 1 percent of Pikes are ever founding fathers. This is a huge responsibility, but quite possibly the best decision that I have ever made. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Kyle Blessinger
Recruitment Chairman- IU Colony

[thomaskat]

kyle,
In the coming weeks I will more then likely be seeking your advice as to what and how you got your colony off the ground.
where I am at school we have a pretty set greek community, they dont want us coming in obviously because any new greek org. will take away from their numbers. the average pledge class at my school is between 4 and 9, so any new group has the possibility to hurt.
Im excited at the prospect of starting something new and having a good time with my friends
Chris

[RushIUPiKA]

That is good to hear. Only one percent of PIKES are ever colony and chapter members, so joining that group puts you in with a select few. One of the first things you guys should do, I believe, is to put in place a "business" aka recruiting plan. Focus on our four cornerstones of SLAG. Appoint one or two guys for each.

For example, find two of your smartest guys, and appoint them in charge of Scholars. This means these guys are out talking to professors about people in their classes that are academic standouts or even going around and speaking to honor societies/clubs. I am fairly sure that they can also get a list of the incoming freshmen GPA. After getting that, go through, and pick out every guy with atleast a 3.0. Email each one of them and tell them what we're about.

Next, you want to take the opportunity to do a SWOT evaluation. Our consultants do this when they make recruiting and expansion visits. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. In doing this, it gives you a very strong idea of where your colony stands. This also helps establish your target market and shows you the guys that you should be going after.

I did this for our IU Colony over the summer, and thus far, 2 and a half weeks into rush, we have recruited 21 guys. To give you an idea of how successful those strategies have been so far, we signed 15 guys TOTAL (fall and spring) of last year. Granted, I think we have the second largest Greek System in the US, only behind Illinois, however every other chapter on campus has been established for quite sometime. Most of their pledge class numbers right now are at 17 or 18, so we're even AHEAD of them.

If you take these ideas and roll with them, it will guarantee you a successful rush and successful chartering. Feel free to email me at kablessi@indiana.edu. You can also call my cell @ 812-325-4948 if you have any other questions.

Fraternally,

Kyle Blessinger

[KEPike]

Chris and Kyle,

I firmly believe that fraternity membership as a colony member is drastically different than membership in an already established chapter. There are several key things which make being part of a colony truly unique. They are:

-The ability to start something from scratch and to grow it into a successful organization of like-minded men (this is essentially what entrepreneuers do when they start a new business).
-The opportunity to recruit specifically based on need rather than based on what shows up. A colony is generally successful because it addresses its' weaknesses through recruitment. This strategy is rarely practiced by existing chapters, and I believe it is one of the greatest opportunities for a colony.
-The ability to build traditions and norms that will be practiced for years to come. This may sound overly philosophical, but Pike can be whatever you want it to be on your respective campuses. No other organization can change their culture at the drop of a hat.

I think, however, there is a common idea among colony members that the colony has to be 180 degrees different than the existing fraternities on campus. While this idea may seem true, that the Pikes should conduct themselves drastically different than the others, it is important to always remember the climate of the campus and competition from other organizations.

It sounds like Kyle and the Indiana boys are headed in the right direction by appointing specific men to target specific areas within recruitment. Every few years, Bobby Bowden at FSU has to recruit a long snapper, a fullback, and even a placekicker (I say this in jest, Firehouse, the FSU kicker didn't blow the game vs. Miami this year!). Recruitment is exactly the same. If there is one area where we need to be creative, and to think differently than the others, it is in recruitment. If the average at Hofstra is 4-9, Pike should be double that. If at Indiana, where the well-established chapters take a traditional pledge class in the 20s, let's buck the trend and take two 20-man classes in the fall. These concepts may be hard to swallow but they are what keeps Pike at the head of the pack and what makes our expansion process so successful.

Fraternally,
Andy Axsom

[Firehouse]

Bingo!
KEPike is right on the money. as always.
(And by the way, our kicker - nicknamed "Weed" for reasons I do not want to know - is NOT a Pike at FSU. However, our big fullback who's scored six touchdowns in three games IS a Brother).

Listen to what KEPike says. Don't let the upperdogs set the rules. Remember David and Goliath. What would have happened if David had turned around and asked to borrow someone's helmet and shield? Win right from the beginning by setting your own standards, higher than the campus sees now.

Remember this: In the fraternity context, nothing impressive happens slowly. You move fast, move big. Shock & awe. Trust me. Listen to KEPike.

[thomaskat]

Originally Posted by RushIUPiKA

That is good to hear. Only one percent of PIKES are ever colony and chapter members, so joining that group puts you in with a select few. One of the first things you guys should do, I believe, is to put in place a "business" aka recruiting plan. Focus on our four cornerstones of SLAG. Appoint one or two guys for each.

For example, find two of your smartest guys, and appoint them in charge of Scholars. This means these guys are out talking to professors about people in their classes that are academic standouts or even going around and speaking to honor societies/clubs. I am fairly sure that they can also get a list of the incoming freshmen GPA. After getting that, go through, and pick out every guy with atleast a 3.0. Email each one of them and tell them what we're about.

Next, you want to take the opportunity to do a SWOT evaluation. Our consultants do this when they make recruiting and expansion visits. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. In doing this, it gives you a very strong idea of where your colony stands. This also helps establish your target market and shows you the guys that you should be going after.

I did this for our IU Colony over the summer, and thus far, 2 and a half weeks into rush, we have recruited 21 guys. To give you an idea of how successful those strategies have been so far, we signed 15 guys TOTAL (fall and spring) of last year. Granted, I think we have the second largest Greek System in the US, only behind Illinois, however every other chapter on campus has been established for quite sometime. Most of their pledge class numbers right now are at 17 or 18, so we're even AHEAD of them.

If you take these ideas and roll with them, it will guarantee you a successful rush and successful chartering. Feel free to email me at kablessi@indiana.edu. You can also call my cell @ 812-325-4948 if you have any other questions.

Fraternally,

Kyle Blessinger

kyle, thanks for the advice, I definitely appreciate it, we just submitted our final roster with 20 men on it, which is bigger then some of the smaller fraternities on campus and close to the top tier guys, then pike is going to come and recruit more, so hopefully with luck we will be able to become as big as or bigger then the other fraternities

Chris and Kyle,

I firmly believe that fraternity membership as a colony member is drastically different than membership in an already established chapter. There are several key things which make being part of a colony truly unique. They are:

-The ability to start something from scratch and to grow it into a successful organization of like-minded men (this is essentially what entrepreneuers do when they start a new business).
-The opportunity to recruit specifically based on need rather than based on what shows up. A colony is generally successful because it addresses its' weaknesses through recruitment. This strategy is rarely practiced by existing chapters, and I believe it is one of the greatest opportunities for a colony.
-The ability to build traditions and norms that will be practiced for years to come. This may sound overly philosophical, but Pike can be whatever you want it to be on your respective campuses. No other organization can change their culture at the drop of a hat.

I think, however, there is a common idea among colony members that the colony has to be 180 degrees different than the existing fraternities on campus. While this idea may seem true, that the Pikes should conduct themselves drastically different than the others, it is important to always remember the climate of the campus and competition from other organizations.

It sounds like Kyle and the Indiana boys are headed in the right direction by appointing specific men to target specific areas within recruitment. Every few years, Bobby Bowden at FSU has to recruit a long snapper, a fullback, and even a placekicker (I say this in jest, Firehouse, the FSU kicker didn't blow the game vs. Miami this year!). Recruitment is exactly the same. If there is one area where we need to be creative, and to think differently than the others, it is in recruitment. If the average at Hofstra is 4-9, Pike should be double that. If at Indiana, where the well-established chapters take a traditional pledge class in the 20s, let's buck the trend and take two 20-man classes in the fall. These concepts may be hard to swallow but they are what keeps Pike at the head of the pack and what makes our expansion process so successful.


Fraternally,
Andy Axsom

I understand what your saying, but I have a question--- you say we should double the existing size of other fraternities pledge classes, how would you reccomend we do this?
Other groups obviously would want to to do this as well, what is stopping them? it would seem to me that if other fraternities struggle getting pledge classes over 10, how would we go about doing it?


and firehouse, shock and awe, by this do you mean recruiting aggresively and becoming very active socially on campus?

thanks for all the good words
Chris

[Firehouse]

"I understand what your saying, but I have a question--- you say we should double the existing size of other fraternities pledge classes, how would you reccomend we do this?
Other groups obviously would want to to do this as well, what is stopping them? it would seem to me that if other fraternities struggle getting pledge classes over 10, how would we go about doing it?
...and firehouse, shock and awe, by this do you mean recruiting aggresively and becoming very active socially on campus?"

OK, good! You're asking 'how' and that's the first step. To win in the fraternity game you have to have two things: knowledge and will. I can give you the knowledge. You have to be willing.

Here's why things are the way they are on your campus. Remember when you started high school? When you walked in the door there were already many school traditions in place. You looked around and simply went along with what was established.
At your school, the fraternities have settled into a sort of unofficially agreed-upon heirarchy. If the good fraternities only get 10 guys, then 10 is the standard. Mid-level fraternities are happy to get 5 pledges because the good ones get 10. That's the way it was when they arrived, and no one rocks the boat.
By 'shock & awe' I mean you rock the boat. You become the top fraternity overnight. There are five superficial areas where fraternities are evaluated by peer fraternities and sororities. They are: size, appearance, sports, power and glamour. They are superficial criteria, but the fraternity that throws its tent over those five poles is considered to be the top house on campus. At many schools, there is no single fraternity that leads in all five areas. However, if you find one that makes a point of dominating all five, then you have a great beast of a chapter, the dominant force before which all must bow (I like the way this sounds).
Let's look at them individually:
1. Size: the best fraternity should be the largest, the most successful in rush. What is stopping the other fraternities? Nothing more than convention and tradition.
2. Appearance: The best fraternity looks like it. That doesn't mean that every member is handsome, but it does mean that as a group the chapter looks good. Don't pledge guys you have to explain. If a guy doesn't care if he's sloppy or unkempt, then why would you pledge him? Your appeal is that you're looking for men who want to create a great fraternity chapter.
3. Sports: you don't have to win Intramurals (but it's good if you do), but you have to be a factor in the championships. And focus on pledging some varsity athletes. They add prestige and they can carry your letters where no one else can.
4. Power: This refers to student government and other campus leadership positions. Once again, none of this happens by accident; you have to make it a priority. Identify and go after those guys.
5. Glamour: I used to call this "Social Preference" but it's difficult to articulate. It's not about who has the best parties; every fraternity thinks they have the best parties. Glamous means, who do the best looking girls on campus favor?

When you rush, you talk about the fraternity you haven't built yet but you are creating it with them. You infect them with your enthusiasm. You inspire them with the clarity of your vision.
Fraternities run on momentum and morale. You create that by winning. Win everything: sports, sorority philanthropies, everything. The fact that you have a large membership helps you win.
When you create a new chapter, you may pledge 50 men and only keep 30 of that number. But you keep pledging more and more men. Not every man in the fraternity wants to do every thing. Some play sports, some run the student senate, some coordinate sororities for homecoming.

Here's the hitch. Think of it like a battle plan and you're the aggressor. You have to move fast and hit hard. Your attack cannot afford to get bogged down or you'll get stalled. You'll turn into everyone else. That's why speed is important. You only get good fast. No one gets good slowly. We're dealing with undergraduates who only have two-three years max to give to the chapter. Slow doesn't work.

Trust me. Best of luck.

[RushIUPiKA]

Firehouse,

Your enthusiasm resonates tremendously within me and makes me glad you don't belong to another fraternity.

Here at IU, the majority of PIKE is done by a handful of people, ie we may have almost 60 guys, but 15 percent of them are the only ones participating. I have tried everything under the sun, either suggested to me, or my own ideas, and nothing has really worked. What I need is someone to come and speak here, someone with enthusiasm and drive, like yourself or Darius Sidebotham. I KNOW FOR A FACT that a speaker with enthusiasm, passion, determination, and will is the only thing keeping me from having 30 guys that want to help me with recruitment.

We're soo close to chartering I can taste it, but I am asking for y'alls help on some things, so if anyone can think of something quick and effective, let me know ASAP.

Fraternally,

Kyle Blessinger

"If you ain't first, you're last."

[KEPike]

Originally Posted by RushIUPiKA

Firehouse,

Your enthusiasm resonates tremendously within me and makes me glad you don't belong to another fraternity.

Here at IU, the majority of PIKE is done by a handful of people, ie we may have almost 60 guys, but 15 percent of them are the only ones participating. I have tried everything under the sun, either suggested to me, or my own ideas, and nothing has really worked. What I need is someone to come and speak here, someone with enthusiasm and drive, like yourself or Darius Sidebotham. I KNOW FOR A FACT that a speaker with enthusiasm, passion, determination, and will is the only thing keeping me from having 30 guys that want to help me with recruitment.

We're soo close to chartering I can taste it, but I am asking for y'alls help on some things, so if anyone can think of something quick and effective, let me know ASAP.

Fraternally,

Kyle Blessinger

"If you ain't first, you're last."

Kyle,

The answer, in my opinion, is simple. You can do some simple visualization of where the colony/chapter will be once chartered. At a meeting you get everyone there and you ask everyone to close their eyes. An influential alumnus would lead the experience by asking everyone to reflect on their experiences as a colony and on the cumulative efforts of the group. He asks everyone to visualize what being chartered will be like...to be initiated into Pike, to experience the ritual, the installation ceremony, and the chartering banquet. More importantly, draw on the feelings that everyone would experience - accomplishment, togetherness, brotherhood, etc. Then, ask for the concerted efforts of everyone in getting to that point, in building the best chapter possible, and whatever else needs to be said.

Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, and scores of other successful athletes practice visualization before a big game. They imagine what it takes to be successful, the sense of accomplishment and pride that they have in their teammates, their coaches, their support systems, and then they visualize the steps to take them there.

Getting guys on the same page, or better yet, to pull on the same rope, is a difficult challenge for a colony. In any organization, the 80/20 rule applies, but with a colony your expectation level is different. My earlier comments about constructing a culture and about accountability are best encapsultated by Firehouse's point - You inspire them with the clarity of your vision. Pike can be whatever you make it to be. Whether you are the best at sports or video games or whatever...make that vision permeate your organization so that it is absolutely clear.

[Firehouse]

Good stuff, KREPike.
(hopefully sports and not video games)