Fall Recruitment

[KSUPIKE]

Just wanted to check in and see how everyone's fall recruitment is going ?

[KSUPIKE]

Well I guess I'll start it off: We have 27 members so far. 25 in house and 2 out of house. We have a goal of 40 well rounded guys, I think we will hit it this year.

[Firehouse]

Is KSU Kansas State? Congratulations! If you sign 40, that will put Alpha Omega close to the top of the system in membership.

We're in summer rush, but we don't officially sign as many in the summer as mid-western schools. I'd like to but it just doesn't seem to be the custom in Florida. I'd like for us to pledge 60 or 70 in the fall. Our big rush rivals ATO and Sig Ep both got kicked off this spring, so that may enable us to harvest a bumper crop of pledges. Other top fraternities here are Phi Delt, Delt, Sigma Chi and Lambda Chi. There's 40,000 students so the market is strong.

It looks like we've lost Alpha Eta chapter at Florida, and that's a tragedy. They are over 100 years old and always had 100+ men. We need to get back at Central Florida (UCF) and Stetson and Florida Southern too.

In Florida, PiKA is on top at FSU, the University of Miami, Florida Tech and Florida Gulf Coast. We're solid at Embry-Riddle; Pikes and Sig Eps share dominance on Florida Atlantic; I'm not sure but I think we're good at Florida International. The University of South Florida chapter has been the weak link but maybe they're getting better.

[KEPike]

Things here in Arlington are going well. Eta Upsilon is off and running with summer recruitment, primarily through freshman orientation and a few events where they'll host several top recruits. I'd say so far the chapter has probably a dozen or so guys they'll bid thus far. It is difficult to get a picture of what the other fraternities are doing, but I do know that Pike is being much more aggressive than in the past in targeting top recruits. We've got a good rush chair and a good group of captain all who are bringing a lot of names to the table.

They got in huge trouble last summer for signing guys out of season. It was the dumbest thing of all time. Basically, the adminstration want to promote fairness and equality in fraternity rush. If any Pikes out there think that this is the way to go, Firehouse and I will personally come and whip you into shape!

[Firehouse]

I just saw on the National website that KEPike was named 2007 National Pi Kappa Alpha Chapter Advisor of the Year! What a great honor, and well-deserved.

[KEPike]

Thanks for the kind words...here's some in return:

I was in a Freshman Orientation session last Friday where I discuss expectations in college for the College of Business. As I was leaving, I overheard two really sharp guys talking about fraternities, asking one another if they were going to join, etc. Both said maybe, and that Pike was one of their top choices. One is a Pike legacy from SMU and one mentioned the FSU Pikes. It just goes to show you that the Pike reputation is strong thanks to the hard work of all of our brothers!

[RosePike]

I'm an advisor for the Iota Delta Chapter. With fall recruitment coming up I have some concerns I would like to share and ask for any advise you can give. Last year we swept just about everything. Highest in grades, won intramurals (first time ever), won greek games, help initiate the IU colony, got second in rush by two guys. It seemed we were nearly a shoe in for a smythe. However, it didn't happen. I think the largest reason was do to the dramatic shift in rush numbers (47 to 28). The previous years rush class was abnormally large, we usually average about 33 guys.

To say the least it has taken the wind out of quite a few Brother's sails. Others are commenting on how this years rush class should be large because of last years accomplishments. So I have two groups that I have to address. One whose morale I have to boost and whose desire to win a smythe I have to reestablish. Another who doesn't quite realize that Rush takes a whole lot more than trophys and awards. Any suggestions on how to rally the troops?

thanks,
RHITPike

[Firehouse]

First, congratulations on being a successful chapter advisor. It is a demanding and frustrating position and the rewards are limited to personal satisfaction. There are several chapter advisors on this Pike board, and I'm sure they can offer good advice. I want to solicit advice from a man close to me who also serves as a chapter advisor and is without a doubt the best I've ever seen. I'll pass it along to you when he responds to me.

From my view, I think you should not allow the boys to draw too close a connection between the Smythe Award and their standing as a chapter. Yes, it's nice to get Smythe Awards and to be recognized for achievement, but the application process itself is very tedious and requires a tremendous amount of creativity just to get noticed. I think national has (what?) 180 chapters? Let's say that one third of them acrually apply. The applications are very detailed, and 60 documents each with all the associated materials and "splash" is a challenge to evaluate.

What I'm saying is that you can be a great chapter and not get a Smythe simply because whoever was in charge of the application might not have done a good enough sales job. The long term strength and stability of Rose-Hulman Pikes is not founded on a trophy from Memphis.

If you're really curious, I'd call memphis and ask for the Director of Chapter services and ask him: "Why, exactly, did we not get a Smythe?" Maybe you're right: it could be the rush numbers. The solution to that is to not depend on the whims of the campus. You TAKE what YOU want every year. I always tell our boys: "You initiate 50 men a year. Period. You can do more if you want, but never less." Long term strength and stability depend on consistent performance. Don't allow the campus to determine your rush numbers. A chapter with Rose-Hulman's history and record of achievement should be able to dtermine their own rush numbers in spite of whatever any other fraternity does.

Here's what I might do. I'd tell the chapter that they are unique (you can ake a good case because of the house and the academic standing of the school). I'd say that our goal is not to be the best at Rose-Hulman because that is too limiting. Our goal is to establish our reoutation as one of the rgeat college fraternity chapters in America. I'd promote the chapter's strength on the website. I'd make sure that the Shield & Diamond has chapter news in every issue and I'd make sure the news is spectacular: winning, winning, winning. You can create the IMASGE of a spectacular fraternity chapter - the image is actually better than th chapter - and the undergrads will buy in.

The best chapter advisor I've ever known says that chapters run on momentum and morale. That means pushing negativity aside and promoting success and winning. Everybody wants to stand with the winners.
Who's the best fraternity chapter in Indiana (by reputation)? Phi Psi at Indiana? Sigma Chi at Purdue? I don't know; I'm asking. Someone has the reputation as being the big dog in the state. You can tell your boys that their goal is to TAKE that title. You have a spectacular house and great potential for numbers on that campus. You can create a reputation and a legend. Make the Smythe come to YOU.

[Firehouse]

RosePike, here is what I wanted to get for you: a response to your message from the Chapter Advisor:

"It is always disappointing when you shoot for a goal and don't succeed. The chapter DOES run on momentum and morale so it hurts when people start to think that their efforts are not appreciated or valued. It is important to not let the boys dart off in the wrong directions - seeking solutions to correct what they see as an injustice. Keep doing the right things. If you keep doing the right things you will eventually have success. Brother Bobby Bowden took his football teams to 14 consecutive years of being ranked in the final top 4 of the Nation. During that time he won two National Championships. Almost every one of those years he felt they deserved to win the National Title. He understood though that the National Title was a subjective thing and to receive it he would need a measure of luck. To fans and alumni he would say, "We're doing the right things. We're up there every year around it. Eventually the luck will fall our way and we'll get it." Don't let the boys feel that they need to get big numbers at the expense of quality. They DO need big numbers, but only because numbers makes you strong. With large pledge classes comes a large chapter. A large chapter means a deeper talent pool, greater financial stability, and not every person is required to do every thing - the burdens can be shared - the best athlete doesn't have to give up being the IFC representative in order to lead the team. If you get a large number of super sharp guys in your fall pledge class the momentum from that will carry the chapter through the fall and into January. If they get a large pledge class of questionable guys, or a large pledge class, many of whom are questionable, it's a momentum killer! The brothers will be angry. They will want to drive the pledges off. They will not be proud of the pledge class. The sharp brothers will find other interests, outside of the fraternity, to occupy their time because thoughts of the fraternity will make them feel uncomfortable. Morale will plummet. Getting a pledge class, even a large one, that you can't be proud of is very, very bad! A large pledge class of outstanding guys is the key.
RUSH is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THE CHAPTER DOES! Perpetuating and improving ourselves is our most important task. Forget about personal growth programs - NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN RUSH! RUSH IS EVERYTHING - EVERYTHING IS RUSH! Everything we do as a chapter, everything we do to enhance our reputation, to improve the perceived value of our fraternity membership, affects our ability to get the best pledges! Getting the best new members affects everything we do thereafter! The best guys create the best programs, provide the best leadership, comprise the best fraternity!

When freshmen arrive on campus they don't know anything about fraternities. They don't know what happened last year [good or bad]. All they know is what they see and hear. Fairness and truth have nothing to do with it. If you have a good reputation with the sororities, that will help. A freshman that asks a pretty girl if she knows anything about fraternities and, if so, which one he should join, will get the right answer. If he isn't likely to get the right answer, then you need to work on your sorority relations! I don't know how RUSH is conducted at Rose-Hulman [formal or informal, in the fall or delayed, etc]. However it is done, it is THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPETITION FOR THE FRATERNITY TO WIN! It IS a COMPETITION! The boys have to realize that! Rushees choose the fraternity they join for many different reasons - but they won't join a fraternity where they don't feel they have friends. It is vitally important that the boys are outgoing and friendly - approaching the rushee and initiating conversation. Not standing around in little brother only groups talking to each other! Be aggressive! Be imaginative! Be friendly! Figure out how to beat the other fraternities! Talk about it - how you're going to do it! If you try to rely on your reputation to bring you pledges you'll be disappointed. You get to be the best fraternity because you're willing to bust your ass to work for it! When you do that, you get the guys that are willing to bust their ass because they are in the best fraternity!
If the boys are insecure, remind them that reputation follows about a year behind reality. They had a great year last year. If they have great year this year, people [outsiders] will begin to notice.

Pump them up. Tell them that they have shown that they can do it with last years efforts. Tell them you know how they can get better still! In order to motivate my guys I used to tell them to imagine their chapter being air lifted and dropped into a highly competitive campus of great chapters - could they compete? [I always carefully choose my examples] Tell them to aspire to be like our great chapters on strongly competitive campuses like at Tennessee, Florida State, Virginia Tech, [fill in chapters here]. As long as they are trying to compete with other chapters on their own campus, they will never be significantly better than the other chapters on that campus. When they start to compete with the big dogs at other schools, then they are competing on a National level. THIS IS IMPORTANT: The IDEA of the better chapters that they can emulate is more important than the reality. If you think that you're the best thing going then there is no incentive to improve. If they look around and see that they are the undisputed champions - they need to find some competition real quick. I would not encourage trips to visit other great chapters. It is better to let them idealize the other chapters in their minds - reality is almost never as good. Plus, if they go to another chapter and aren't treated the way they would hope to be, it's a real disappointment. They don't stop to think that the guy they're talking to [and who is blowing them off] is just tired or not interested.

In order to get the morale and momentum up and moving the chapter needs to experience victories. It may be up to you to recognize victories and bring these to the Chapter's attention. It sounds to me like the chapter needs some recognition from National. Let me tell you how to get that. National recognizes a Scholar of the month every month. They can't do that unless someone applies and supplies them with the information. Apply! Send them information on a dozen guys! Maybe they'll choose one. Maybe they'll choose three! They can only work with what they know and no one ever applies for those things! National has similar recognition for other things. Do a little research. I'm behind the times because that's a trick I don't need anymore - but it's a good one.

Send in chapter information to the Shield and Diamond for every issue. Include pictures they can use of stud guys! Not only will that build morale in the chapter, it will also help bring the chapter to the attention of the people at National. If they keep hearing about the successes at Iota Delta, they'll start paying more attention [ if they DON"T hear about you, how are they to know?] If you want to be considered one of the best chapters, you have to do a little advertising.

The guys at National don't have time to pour through each Smythe application in depth. The first thing they do is eliminate any chapter that owes National money. If a chapter has had a major problem recently that will probably kick them off the table as well. After that, it's pretty subjective. The voters are going to be predisposed to vote positively for chapters that they know to be good. A chapter consultant might make them aware of a chapter that fills out reports well but is really weak but they can rarely sell them that a chapter is great if they never heard of it. You have to SELL the chapter to National. Get their attention. Do you just fill out the application or do you provide pictures? A picture [the RIGHT picture] is worth a thousand words! Don't just say "We won football intramurals!", give them a picture of a guy catching a pass over the head of another fraternity man! Show a big crowd giving a victory cheer around a jubilant team! Don't just say we had guest speakers, show a picture of a big crowd listening to a speaker - show that there was great participation. I've never sent an application to National that was in less than a 3" binder - give them something to look at! These are just tricks though - showmanship. They won't do you any good unless there is substance.

Challenge the boys to get better. Give them a reality check. To your boys I would point out that Pike is a very strong National fraternity with over 120 active chapters. We have a national reputation for excellence in our chapters and at the National level. If the boys want to compete, they have to get better! Ask them if they are the undisputed leaders on their campus [If you went up to ten random people and asked them who was the best fraternity, how many times would you hear "Pike" - if it's not at least seven out of ten, you don't dominate yet]. If they are not, ask them why they should expect to be named among the best Pike chapters in the Nation if they are not the best on their own campus? Winning intramurals is good! But everyone at the Smythe table wins intramurals every year! Like being the largest chapter on your campus, that's just part of the ante! If you want to get in the game you have to dominate! - consistently!

As chapter advisor you have to persuade - not dictate. That makes the job double tough. Enthusiasm is contagious though. If you can build enthusiasm in the chapter, that's money in the bank. It will also help them to listen to your advice. Hope this helps. Good Luck. phi phi"

[KEPike]

The advice from Firehouse and Delta Lambda brother is absolutely on point.

I come from a very similar chapter to Iota Delta...Kappa Epsilon at Rockhurst. They too were disappointed that a Smythe didn't come this year after a stellar year - they have an 80-man chapter with a 3.5 GPA, won everything, absolutely dominated the campus. Like Rose, Pike is nearly 10% of the male undergrad population at Rockhurst. For many years, since we won our first Smythe when I was a senior, we've kept our eye on other Pike chapters for competition. We're fortunate to have excellent Pike chapters in Missouri including Mizzou, Rolla, UMSL, SEMO and St. Louis when they were there.

The biggest advice I can give as a psuedo advisor to the chapter from there (I live in the Texas), is to get them unified as to a specific set of goals for recruitment. Not just a sheer number, but also quantifiable stats on things like GPA, varsity athletes and campus leaders. Push them to stretch their goal to the max and to get that number closer to the 47 of two years ago than the 28 of a year ago. Kids now live in a bubble, with their ipod and cell phone in tow, so they don't always understand what it means to come together to accomplish a set of goals for a group. It's absolutely critical to approach the ultra-competitive guys in the house and get them hacked off that they didn't win a Smythe and then ask they why they think they didn't win. Likely they'll come back with any litany of excuses. Tell them these don't fly with you and then set a course to get them motivated to take things to the next level. Perhaps there is some program that wasn't up to par, like Continuing Education or Public Relations. This should be the #1 focus of the Exec Board after recruitment. I'm pretty sure that the consultants will give you as a chapter advisor candid advice on how to improve the chapter's awards application and programming.

For those brothers who need some rush education, simply put rush education is of particular importance. I'd challenge them by saying "we've had X straight Smythes, but last year didn't happen. What are you gonna do to reestablish that winning streak so we can get back to the top of the heap?" Remember, there is no doubt that Rose is among the best within Pike. Sustaining that success is much more difficult than getting to the top, so guys just have to dig in and give it the good ole' college try. If the chapter is the best they can possibly be at everything, then success will follow.

I must say, this discussion is very timely. I'm about to head off to give very similar advice to the chapter at UT Arlington. They are working hard to eclipse the previous recruitment record on campus of 42 men, set by Pike in 1992. This number, 42, has been their "battle cry" all summer and a sort of code word to motivate one another when they see someone not pulling their weight. You don't need to necessarily do this exactly, but making these goals part of the everyday workings of the chapter makes a huge difference. The chapter at UTA may or may not get to that magic number within the next month, but it's helped a great deal in keeping them focused and right now they are dominating recruitment. With continued hard work, they'll get there.

Best of luck to Rose Hulman and all Pike chapters on a dominant fall recruitment.

[RosePike]

Alright quick post, the men of Iota Delta pulled in 23 (soon to be 25) great men. This amazingly dominated all of the other Fraternities. Apparently Rose had a low rush year. Well I'm guessing we'll see anoth 10 in the spring. 35 makes the house right at 124 on a 1400 man campus. Not bad.

[Firehouse]

Congratulations! That's great. Dominate!
Every Pike chapter should push to dominate.

[UNDPike86]

Things are good at University of North Dakota, Zeta Rho. We've got 18 pledges this fall compared to 7 last fall. We won rush on our campus.