is this a good idea?

OnePlus69Is70 · #1 08-17-2002, 10:23 PM

I posted this in Rush, but I'm gonna put it here too, because I need all the input I can get. I'm rush chair this semester, and I'm considering something a little radical, so I need some advice. First, some background: we're a local fraternity at UMass. It's not a big Greek system, and it's just barely organized- chapters tend to go their own way most of the time. This is our first semester with a house, so it's really the first semester we've been able to get organized and prepped before the freshmen get there.

Fraternity rush here is very weird- we're technically not allowed to hold any rush events during the first week of school, and not allowed to give bids for another week after that. BUT if someone were to break those rules, the very most that would happen is other people would get very annoyed and TP our house or something.

Rush has also been very unsuccessful the past few years- we're barely sustaining our numbers. I think a lot of it has to do with the slow pace of our rush. Freshmen get excited about a fraternity, but then life gets in the way and they don't come back.

SO what I'm thinking of is cramming our rush into opening weekend, and issuing bids the first day of classes. I really think it'd be much easier to just get it all over with at once, and get our new class started, than dragging it out and having prospectives get distracted by everything else in their lives. I dunno- what do y'all think of this? I'm hoping that if we do and it works for us, we'll get other houses to switch to a quicker rush too.

KappaTarzan · #2 08-18-2002, 01:56 AM

hey there...
as a fellow umass-ian (massholes rule) i just thought i'd let you knwo that at UML we rush until the begining of october, we give out bids the first thursday in oct.. most of the greek orgs do it that way, the ones that don't rush all semester and give out bids the last week of school.. we do get very big numbers, and it allows you to know your potential sisters/brothers before you let them in- who knows, they could be crazy...

just a thought

OnePlus69Is70 · #3 08-18-2002, 02:19 AM

The most common response we get from men who don't choose to pledge is something like, 'Yeah, you're great guys, but I already have friends on my floor/in my band/in such-and-such club'. Those responses start around the second week of class. I'm hoping that by moving faster, we can snatch freshmen and transfers before they "get distracted". Does that sound right?

KappaTarzan · #4 08-18-2002, 02:22 AM

yea, it does.. i've heard greek life at UMA is smaller than here at UML.. if you have a aol IM name, PM me with it, i'm on alot..

your best bet would be to go for it then, i think. STEAL THOSE FROSH!

OnePlus69Is70 · #5 08-18-2002, 02:24 AM

it's much, much smaller. Here's an analogy- our Greek Life is to yours about the same as our hockey program is to yours. You win national titles, we celebrate when we're not last in the conference.

PotentialPledge · #6 08-18-2002, 08:12 PM

hey fellow Umassians lol. I think the greek life at all 4 campuses should get better. here at UMD we have 2 sororities and 3 fraternities for 7000 students. Does anyone know if umass boston has any glos?

lionlove · #7 08-18-2002, 10:17 PM

I took summer classes at UMB back in 2000 and I saw a poster advertising rush at a certain chapter so I guess they do have some greek life. It's all commuter students though so it's probably not too big

OnePlus69Is70 · #8 08-19-2002, 10:19 AM

they're finally getting dorms next year, though. anyone wanna place bets on whether or not there'll be a Greek section?

Kevin · #9 08-19-2002, 10:40 AM

The system doesn't sound too stacked against you... Of course I'm not there so I can only tell by what I read *disclaimer*

Blanket bidding on the first day of class is not only dangerous (you have no idea who you'll get -- and people's real character sometimes doesn't emerge until after they're initiated) it's probably against your IFC's policies (if you're a member)..

I'd be careful doing something like that... You're opening the door wide to conflicts with other houses. There is a house here that does that since they aren't recognized by IFC.. They're still small and the good quality guys that go through rush know the difference between houses that blanket bid vs. houses that bid on quality men...

The 'ol quality vs. quantity debate... I say you can have both!

Optimist Prime · #10 08-19-2002, 02:18 PM

If you actully give them bids, physichally and they sign its not dirty rush because you're not promicing anything you're just doing it your way. Don't worry about TP just don't tell anyone where you live.

FuzzieAlum · #11 08-19-2002, 03:09 PM

There is one danger - your rush could come and go so fast no one will know about it. At some campuses it takes some time to work up an interest in Greek Life.

However, if things aren't working now, why not try it?

OnePlus69Is70 · #12 08-20-2002, 03:49 PM

It's impossible to violate IFC policies- there aren't any, on anything. It's a great way to do things. Theoretically, we could rush, bid, and pledge someone before school even started, and there'd be no probems with it.

I think we are gonna go for it. What we've been doing hasn't worked, and if we don't hit quota in the first weekend, we can just keep going.

Krisber81 · #13 08-23-2002, 12:28 PM

Just to reply to Potential pledges response about UMD's...I konw we have a very small Greek life system. I would love to get more started but our very nice friend Mr. laib is making that hard on us. He wont let another sorority on campus, and it's hard because we have roughly only 3000 students living on campus because it is mainly a commuting school. And we have new fraternities on campus as of last semester...we now have Kappa Theta, Sigma Phi Rho, the Iota's, Sigma Tau Gamma and I have a feeling i'm missing one, maybe not. And for sororities we have still only two thanks to Laib, Phi Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Tau.