Carrying new members over summer

AngieWashU · #1 03-13-2006, 06:43 PM

Has anyone ever recruited new members in the spring that couldn't be initiated until the fall?

The chapter I advise has three open spots and a senior class that is larger than what quota will likely be in (fall) formal recruitment. At this point in the semester, the new members couldn't be initiated until fall. I'm afraid that it will be difficult to retain new members over the summer and any effort we put into COB will be in vain.

Thanks!
Angie

Denise_DPhiE · #2 03-13-2006, 06:45 PM

One more time in slow motion? I am not clear on what the problem is. Glad to help, if possible.

AngieWashU · #3 03-13-2006, 06:50 PM

Sorry.

Can a chapter expect to retain new members from the spring through being initiated in the fall?

If so, what special efforts might be suggested?

KSUViolet06 · #4 03-13-2006, 07:00 PM

My class was held over during the summer. We joined with like a month left of school (including finals). Our VP of NM Education gave us the option of either doing our NM period in like 4 weeks (when the standard is 8) or waiting til August. We were all busy sophomores and juniors so we didn't see ourselves trying to learn everythting about Sigma in 4 weeks on top of finals and other school stuff.

I live in the same area as my chapter and we all hung out over the summer so the chapter never felt like they would not retain us.

Personally, I didn't mind. But you take a risk when you hold members over for a summer. Will they still be interested once school starts? Who knows.

I'd try my hardest to initiate them before summer. If you're pledging them in the next week or so and your NM period is standard length (8 weeks or so), you might be cutting it close.

AngieWashU · #5 03-13-2006, 07:14 PM

That's exactly what we're facing--if we pledge women after Wednesday, there won't be 8 weeks left for our NM period. Considering how busy the last month of school always is, I can't imagine compressing the NM period and being fair to the NMs.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience!

AGDLynn · #6 03-13-2006, 07:27 PM

Does your org have anything in the rules about the members actually have to be in a semester?

Since you will have their Spring grades, is there an opportunity right before everyone goes back to school to have the ceremony(ies)?

I'm thinking will the chapter have enough energy after recruitment to have Init. practice, and/or ceremonies?

I don't if the formal recruitment is right after they start school. Wouldn't you want these new members to be able to vote?

AngieWashU · #7 03-13-2006, 07:38 PM

To further complicate this situation , this campus has formal recruitment about 6 weeks into the fall semester. This means Initiation would have to be squeezed in during busy recruitment preparation or NMs would wait until at least end of October to be initiated.

Thanks Lynn!

adpi*violet · #8 03-13-2006, 08:19 PM

When I was the New Member Coordinator we had one girl held over from Spring to the fall, mostly because she pledged right at the end Spring semester, just like you are describing. Since we only had the one girl, it was quite easy for me to keep in touch with her throughout the summer and I think her Diamond sister (big sister) did also. When she was eventually initiated with the other new members we picked up in the fall, she was quite proud of being our chapter's longest Alpha member (new member). It showed her dedication to the sisterhood, even without being privy to all secrets.
I think so long as a concerted effort is made to keep in touch with your uninitiated new members, it is feasible.

PS: Where in Colorado are you at? I grew up near Boulder.

AngieWashU · #9 03-13-2006, 08:36 PM

In the four years that I've been an adviser we've had 4 women plan to hold over from fall semester to spring semester, but only 1 successfully initiated. That is part of the reason that I'm worried we wouldn't be able to keep NMs engaged over summer break!

seraphimsprite · #10 03-13-2006, 09:30 PM

My pledge class was a late spring pledging and we were held over for the summer. It was actually fairly common on my campus because we were on the quarter system and our structured informal spring rush was always in April, at the start of spring term. It actually worked well because we always initiated these spring rush classes before school even started, during the first week of pre-rush workshops so the initiation week activities became a nice break from rush workshops and everyone was around and not stressed out by school for our initiation.

Some of the things we did to help keep these girls connected for the summer - make sure big sisters are assigned before summer break. Also if you have a house and the girls are moving in for the next fall, assign them to their roommates and make sure they're girls who will keep in touch with your new members over the summer. Also, if it's feasible, assign them to a rotation group for recruitment as well. Basically as many "groups" and people you can keep them in touch with, the more they'll feel a part of things. I got so much mail the summer I was a new member and it really did keep me feeling as if I was a part of the group.

honeychile · #11 03-13-2006, 10:16 PM

We had several holdovers when I was in school, and we tried to keep them in the college area ("Why don't you take the class on such & such with us? It'll be fun!"). We had a weekly meal together, and basically made them feel as if they were already part & parcel of ADPi. We also got their addresses & had each sister write a note at least once a week during the summer. And of course, we included them in the standard fun things that we always did during the summer!

Bottom line is that you have to keep in touch with them and make them feel part of y'all as much as possible!

FSUZeta · #12 03-14-2006, 08:51 AM

we also had holdovers back in the day, with formal recruitment before fall classes started-these girls all came back, and participated fully in recruitment as pledges.

i would encourage the chapter to initiate these girls asap and not wait until after formal recruitment. if they have fulfilled all the requirements of membership, then they should be initiated, no matter how busy with formal recruitment prep. the chapter is.

perhaps the new member coordinator could recruit some volunteers to send cards, small gifts, email and phone these new members on a regular basis over the summer break.

adpiucf · #13 03-14-2006, 05:21 PM

My impression: you have three open spots now and will have an even larger deficit in the fall due to a large graduating senior class this spring.

If you have already filled the three spots, get permission from your regional rep to speed up the new member education period and initate the members before end of semester. This is not an uncommon practice to coincide with a university break or exams. (You can set aside some special activities and events for them and the chapter prior to recruitment in the fall so they get some extra "love" from the chapter before the new members come in through formal recruitment). I also really liked the idea to send them notes and cards throughout the summer to keep them excited about being part of the sorority and to show them that the fall is going to be great!

There are benefits and risks associated with initating them now rather than in the fall. Assess what is best for your chapter.

But ... will recruiting only three members this late in the school year late help with your fall recruitment? You are going to have a significantly reduced chapter in the fall due to the large graduating senior class this spring... will 3 more women on the floor with relatively little sorority experience make much of an impact? Is the effort to recruit the 3 spots going to be worth in light of the business of the end of spring with graduation, members abroad, spring break, etc?

33girl · #14 03-14-2006, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by adpiucf
My impression: you have three open spots now and will have an even larger deficit in the fall due to a large graduating senior class this spring.

If you have already filled the three spots, get permission from your regional rep to speed up the new member education period and initate the members before end of semester.

Um no.

There's nothing to make NMs feel more out of sync with the sorority than to shorten their pledge period and give the impression to the rest of the sorority that they've gotten a "pass" because of when they signed their bids.

And if you have to speed up their pledge period just because you're afraid they might not initiate, are they really the sort of women you even want in your sorority? They deserve the same amount of time to make the final decision as to whether they want to initiate that everyone else had.

But back to the original question.

If you have three women who the majority of the chapter knows well...who have mentioned pledging before but cringed at the idea of having to go through formal rush...who are basically "honorary sisters" - by all means, bid them now, start pledging, and hold them over to initate them in the fall. (I personally think it would be very inspiring and uplifting to initiate them while you are planning/practicing for rush - it would get everyone's minds back to what rushing is really all about and be a positive boost for everyone.)

BUT if you don't have anyone like that in mind, and you would be starting from scratch as far as COB is concerned - it's not worth the logistics and the idea of shortening pledging.

AngieWashU · #15 03-14-2006, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by adpiucf
My impression: you have three open spots now and will have an even larger deficit in the fall due to a large graduating senior class this spring.

But ... will recruiting only three members this late in the school year late help with your fall recruitment? You are going to have a significantly reduced chapter in the fall due to the large graduating senior class this spring... will 3 more women on the floor with relatively little sorority experience make much of an impact? Is the effort to recruit the 3 spots going to be worth in light of the business of the end of spring with graduation, members abroad, spring break, etc?

Adpiucf--you're right on the money about our situation. The concerns you mentioned are the same concerns that are keeping me from whole-heartedly advocating recruiting 3 new women at this point in the semester. I don't know that three new initiates will make a positive difference during fall recruitment.

My largest motivation at this point for recruiting additional women is simply to ease the strain on COB after formal recruitment this fall. This chapter is rarely successful with fall COB because everyone is tired after formal recruitment and already focused on their new members. If I could reduce the likely 6 members needed through COB to 3, it might be worth the effort now.

33girl--thanks for being so honest and frank. You make some great points that the chapter advisers and leaders are going to need to consider as we make this decision.