Call to eliminate recruitment skits

[carnation]

Originally Posted by Just interested

I pledged in the mid sixties in the age of skits. I don't mean one round. I mean ALL rounds. Round 1 German Beer Garden where we sang among other things, our drinking songs (Let's drink a toast to Kappa Delt as the final song) Round two was KD's Hades ( which included in the skit black and red tights with horns on our heads) Round three Wizard of OZ ( you know the story, little pledge finding her home) and then Preference (all white, pearls, diamonds emeralds and white roses).

LOLOL! German Beer Garden!

[NutBrnHair]

To me, "no frills" = no fun.

[DubaiSis]

With the number of girls going through rush and the growing number of chapters at more and more schools, I think skits are a luxury of time that the chapters simply cannot afford. I think a good skit can hold a chapter in the memory of a rushee but not improve their reputation, but a bad skit can damage it. Better off taking those charming girls who are great performers and turn them into star rushers.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

Better off taking those charming girls who are great performers and turn them into star rushers.

The two are not always contained under the same roof.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I hate videos more than skits.

[ForeverRoses]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I hate videos more than skits.

Videos are goofy as well. Most of them are made by the same company in town and all look very similar. Which is why I am always amused when people talk about one being better than another.
There is only so much blown glitter, helium balloons, fountain dancing, and drone shots of the house/ philanthropy event that one can watch.

[AXOrushadvisor]

We got rid of skits years ago (over 10) I was thrilled. Skits took so much time and they were beyond stupid and outdated. Videos on the other hand take less then 10 minutes and are a great way of showcasing your chapter and their members. We have never done a craft thank god.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I hate videos more than skits.

Me, too. Especially those professional slick, glittery ones. Oy.

Originally Posted by ladybug12

Agree 1000%. The craft idea was a good way to "encourage" Philanthropy Day round way back in the 90's when it was mandated but its time has passed.

Ugh. When I went through Rush, THREE different sororities did the same craft. NONE of them looked very good!

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

To me, "no frills" = no fun.

I agree, however, I can understand that putting a cap on the spending would be a good leveling tool.

Originally Posted by carnation

I can see both sides of it. As a senior, though, I was relieved that I would never have to practice the can-can at 1 AM again.

See, I had forgotten that part! We usually did such basic skits, with only about 3 women with actual lines. We did the Charleston, but I don't remember the can-can!

Bottom line, I'm not wild about banning or not banning anything that's under the monetary amount set by Panhel. How much do these "let's make sure that non-greeks think we look silly & sexist" videos cost? They surely don't come very cheap, do they?

[33girl]

I think the criticism of skits is more about the amount of time spent on them (preparation and during parties) than it is about money.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I think the criticism of skits is more about the amount of time spent on them (preparation and during parties) than it is about money.

My alma mater stopped having skits long before I arrived (early 2000s.)

I think maybe one chapter I work with in my volunteer role still has them.

A big criticism of skits is that during the skit portion of the party, NO ONE IS TALKING which = less time for chapters to actually interact with PNMs.

You are "selling" relationships, in a sense, and 20 minutes with no one talking isn't doing that.

[ladybug12]

Agree 1000%. The craft idea was a good way to "encourage" Philanthropy Day round way back in the 90's when it was mandated but its time has passed.

[Just interested]

When I took over as HCB president in 2006 we found stuffed in every available closet
from the guest suite on bags and bags of "Boo Bears" Wash cloths made to look like bears. We undid the bears and donated the wash cloths to a homeless shelter. (we told them they needed to be washed first) I imagine they are still handing out those wash cloths today. We couldn't bring it upon ourselves to just dump them. I hate the videos, too.

[Griffins&Quills]

I'm disappointed about skits being taken out. They're fun and light. And as was mentioned, a good break from the monotony of constant talking and shouting over everyone and losing your voice.

I agree about the philanthropy craft. Hate it. Pointless, waste of time, energy and money. And many chapters throw their 'crafts' out.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Griffins&Quills

I'm disappointed about skits being taken out. They're fun and light. And as was mentioned, a good break from the monotony of constant talking and shouting over everyone and losing your voice.

I agree about the philanthropy craft. Hate it. Pointless, waste of time, energy and money. And many chapters throw their 'crafts' out.

I'll preface my comments by saying that I COB'd at a school that only held informal recruitment (when I joined back in 2004). However...

I understand both sides: not wanting skits/crafts because they're lame and a lot of work, but also wanting to break up recruitment week with a day where you don't need to start a conversation with "What's your major?" and hope it takes off from there.

I'm not saying this would work at every school, but... what about a game night? It could be board games, or larger group games. I went to an insurance industry Christmas party this past year for work, we did something similar, and it was a ton of fun. We had 8 groups of 6-7 people (all of us being randomly put together from different insurance carriers and agencies so we had to make new friends), and all the teams competed against each other in quick little games. Most of the challenges were simple, too (in that there was little to no prep, and they required few materials). At one point, each person was given an Oreo cookie, you had to put it on your forehead, and when someone yelled 'go!', without using your hands, everyone had to try to move the cookie down their faces and into their mouths. First team to eat all of their cookies was the winner.

Interestingly, things like that can also show you who is really supportive, who is competitive, who is impatient... and who is downright mean. I didn't really come across the impatient and mean people when I did this, but ya never know!

[KDMafia]

The Chapter I advise got rid of them several years ago. They were relieved. They thought the skit was fun but the lack of practices and late night/early morning set ups was worth it. They had way more energy, were more focused on conversation and connection and the videos can be a cute way to replace that dynamic.

I thought for sure they would pitch a fit because skit night was always their strongest night and a big seller but they ended up being perfectly happy.
This is also a school that does deferred recruitment with it happening during classes and only having one small room to stage everything in so I guess it's not a surprise they enjoyed more time/freedom/space.