pledgers misery

[Ruspa]

Have latest social technologies and >2000's general habits had a negative impact on US fraternities rushes as well as here in Italy?
Before the cellphone & internet-flatrates era kids subscribing for their first academic year were more likely to being interested in pledging.
Now since a couple of years we're all facing hard times in finding new interested members, and it's a nation-wide issue, so I'm wondering if also in the USA you're experiencing misery in obtaining new pledgers.
We look for pledgers all year long (there's not a specific greek rush week, we initiate them as they come), but the more the time passes, the more likely you'll find fresh students of the 1st year coming from Nowhere city, staying in our big city since 1 week and already with dozens of friends and girls and beer and whatever fun they never had before, so they're already happy with that. Hard for us to persuade them joining :\
Is anyone of you overseas in our (nationwide) situation? Everyone in the US beg in knees to join a fraternity when entering an university? We surely are missing something here. What do you usually do to persuade youngsters to pledge?
P.S: words like: fund raising events, university sport, charity, cheerleading are not on european guys dictionary, they would make them run away from us. Probably.
while frat-houses and extra-academic activities are mirages. We do not have money for that. "Old" frats have a job, a car, an house and all the stuff but young studs (the real frats that enjoy greek-life in the present, or "the Future" if you prefer) have an average budget of 50€ per week. And it's enough for bus tickets, coffees and lunches. Surely your parents won't never ever fund parties. Mommy wants you to study, not hanging around with friends and get your degree in 2056: two thousands euro every year for university fee is enough to stop every extravagant activity.