Problems with 2nd Semester Recruitment

[sorority belle]

We do 2nd semester recruitment at my school.

What sort of problems does your chapter face with 2nd semester recruitment?

One problem we have is girls who we like end up dropping out of rush because it is a VERY time consuming process (basically girls have to give up four days & nights for us!) and they are already involved in a lot of campus activities. Or, another issue is girls are required to attend all eight parties the first night and then up to six the next night (Panhel uses software to determine schedules, etc, so it's not as easy as other schools, such as Stanford). We will get girls who honestly don't care about our sorority at all because they are hell-bent on XZY and they already have 4 sophomore friends in that one from some class.

Recruitment Counselors aren't really neutral/'disaffiliated' because the girls have seen them around with their letters on, and so forth.

While the concept of 2nd semester recruitment is good, I think it also causes a lot of other issues to surface, such as reputation/stereotyping. My school is fairly greek (about 40% of girls are greek) and freshmen are always full of stories about the "slutty sorority" or the "popular sorority" and so on.

[trisigmaAtl]

my very best friend is a fantastic Alpha Gam at a school that does second semester rush. This is what they do:

Rho Chis go nuetral first semester. I know this is a long time to be dissaffiliated, but it's the best way to keep things fair.
they also do their recruitment over a holiday weekend (president's day? MLK day?, I'm not sure) that way girls have three "weekend nights" and only have to give up one week day.

I think the best thing you can do to get rid of stereotypes is to get out there and meet as many girls as you can. One great benefit of second semester rush is that you get to have alot more "casual contact" with the pnms. you can help with move in, eat lunch with freshman etc. I know there are some limitations to this (going in their rooms etc, etc), but you can do alot to get to know pnms before rush.

[twinstars]

My college has deferred recruitiment, and I don't see any big problems with it. Yes, it gives the freshmen time to hear the stereotypes, but it also gives the houses time to disprove them. The freshmen actually can get to know at least a few upperclasswomen through class or clubs or sports, rather than having to decide on a house based on "reputation" and rush-week encounters.

I think it makes the rush process and the sororities' selections a bit less superficial since we've actually "known" these freshmen for three months before we have to decide who gets bids.

Rush week is hectic, but we only have 5 NPC houses and rush falls on the first week back from X-mas break, so classes aren't all that hectic yet.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

We do deferred recruitment as well (starts MLK weekend). We are a smaller campus though (5 sororities) so it only goes Sunday, Monday, Friday night, Saturday which probably makes a big difference.

I believe our Rho Chi's go neutral all Fall semester as well but I could be wrong.

[JohnsDGsweethrt]

We had deferred recruitment at our school. I think it can be good and bad. Good b/c you get to know the PNM better. Bad b/c the PNM can get dead set on which sorority they want. I think it can be harder for smaller groups and maybe better for the bigger ones. If someone is smaller they may have a more difficult time w/ the PR b/c they don't have enough people walking around in their letters. On the other hand, at least the PNMs aren't complete strangers so I guess there would be fewers surprises after rush (personality etc )

[33girl]

If the rushees can't give up 4 measley days/nights for rush I don't think I would want them as members...

The other side of the "rep" coin is that if you aren't the most popular group on campus, you know people are pledging your group because they like you, not because they've been fooled into believing you're something you're not during rush week. Yes you will have girls who already have their choice made, but that happens no matter when rush is...and it helps you narrow things down, if a person is that rude you don't have to waste any time on them.

[Munchkin03]

I am a HUGE fan of deferred recruitment. Yes, numbers might be smaller, but I've heard that attrition rates are much higher for schools that have Recruitment before classes start--which is just wrong on so many levels.

Our Recruitment starts the last week in January/first week in February, and goes for two weeks--each organization has 1-hour parties.

[angelic1]

We hold deferred recruitment as well. We use to have it spread out over an entire week. Though we were having the same problems... though this past year we changed it to be held only on two consecutive weekends. They came back a little early from break and we started on the friday before classes.

We had more girls stick with it (could have been for other reasons as well bc we made a bunch of changes-- though I think this was a big change).

There are ups and downs to both ways.. we got more time to meet the girls before and there wasnt that open week where sororities could talk to PNMs (which did happen in some cases) and such.

Though each sororities numbers went up. (though this could have been due to the new release system we put into place as well)...

there were a lot of changes done to recruitment to make it better this year...

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Okay, i fyou have deferred recruitment, wouldn't that mean that eevery chapter would be below total first semester? Are they allowed to COB? Or is total deliberately set low enough that most chapters are above it even after they graduate their seniors?

[MoxieGrrl]

The way we worked it......

A few of the chapters were below total after graduation. They COB'd girls in the fall. Some houses were not because their spring pledge class took the place of their seniors. The houses that were at total with their pledge class from spring couldn't pledge anyone until spring came around again. Total was set where it was because it seemed to work with the number of females on campus, and females going through recruitment.

[aephi alum]

Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby
Okay, i fyou have deferred recruitment, wouldn't that mean that eevery chapter would be below total first semester? Are they allowed to COB? Or is total deliberately set low enough that most chapters are above it even after they graduate their seniors?

My school just went to deferred recruitment, and they haven't altered total at all, so yes, all chapters were below total last fall, and they COB'd. AEPhi is way under total, and in the past, they've usually been the only sorority COB'ing; last fall, they lost the "protection" of total, and wound up without a fall new member class.

The big problem with the new deferred rush is that numbers have really fallen off... people get involved with other activities and can't fit in another one, plus it's their first semester on grades (first term freshman year is pass/no record) so they have that to worry about too.

[reverie]

I thought this was an interesting thread to bump up (although I know most deferred recruitment isn't until January).

My school has recruitment deferred until the fall of sophomore year. First off it's been killing me to listen to all of my high school friends talk about rush and their sisters while I just have to sit tight (but then I read the AI thread and I am just amazed by the patience of PNAM! ).

Anyway, when I told some of my friends that I was planning on rushing (since it effects having exec. offices sophomore year) they were told me not worry it and I'll definitely be an ABC. This is what bothers me about deferred recruitment. Maybe most people really do end up as an ABC or XYZ because people have gotten to know them, but luckily I've been around GC enough to know not to get my heart set on one sorority. I think that's definitely something that needs to be emphasized.

[PiPhiGirl2005]

Thanks, reverie, for bringing up this subject again. I go to a deffered recruitment school in the midwest, and think that the deffered system has pros and cons. Deffered at Hillsdale is just for the freshmen - sophomores, etc. go through informal recruitment in September, and we also have a fall COB period.

I like deffered recruitment because it gives the PNMs a chance to settle into school and kind of figure themselves out before something as huge as recruitment. Also, it gives us a chance to get to know the freshmen girls. We have a "Coke date" system, which is antiquated, but fairly useful for our purposes.

Deffered also has its problems. As mentioned before, the PNMs have all kinds of ideas put in their heads during first semseter from other people on campus (Greeks, independents, their freshmen friends, and even professors and administrators) about which "identity" is assigned to each house, so to speak. This means that they start recruitment with all these preconceptions/misconceptions, and tend to buzz waaaay too much amongst themselves about them. There isn't much that Panhel can do to counteract these opinions and rumors, and I think it's always going to be a problem with deffered recruitment.

Additionally, the deffered system tends to hurt our numbers. It seems like every year, about half the girls who were initially coming to our Coke dates and attending the Panhel roundtables have decided, by Recruitment time, that their plates are too full already. Many freshmen are totally with college by the end of first semester - academics, clubs, IM sports, friends, boyfriends, etc. - and they think that going through Recruitment and joining a Greek house would be just one more thing to deal with. So, they don't go through Recruitment at all.... When in reality, joining a house can help them learn time management skills, etc. - additionally, after first semester, things tend to "calm down" a bit.

However, the afforementioned problem does help our informal recruitment - all those girls who were too stressed out freshmen year for Recruitment come back sophomore year much more relaxed and eager to have the fun Greek experiences their friends are having.

Until this year, the fraternities at my school also had a deffered rush, with an informal rush for upperclassmen in the fall. Because they were hurting for numbers, though, the dean of men and IFC agreed to allow freshmen to rush first semester. I think I can safely say that it worked out really well for them and boosted their numbers a great deal. However, I know in each house there were a couple of freshmen inelligable for initiation because of their grades - presumably, these guys needed a semester to get their academic heads on straight, so to speak, before they got into major extracurricular commitments like Greek life.

Oh, and I forgot to mention: We do our deffered Recruitment during Christmas break. Generally the campus opens again on a Sunday in January, registration takes places Monday and Tuesday, and classes start on a Wednesday. We do Recruitment on Saturday-Tuesday so the PNMs don't have to worry about classes, etc.

Oh yeah, and I hate reading fun recruitment stories on GC in August when I have to wait until January for our recruitment!!

(Appologies for the length of this post!)

[APhi Sailorgirl]

I just graduated from a school with a deferred recruitment and was also last recruitment's chair for panhel.

We actually increased the number of women signing up and sticking through recruitment for 2 main reasons.

1- We stressed to all groups that they need to be out on campus constantly selling recruitment. This includes greek events and org events. Continue to sell participation in recruitment. I believe this fall they are even adding a mini fall greek week to entice freshman to remember recruitment in the spring sem.

2- Panhel did a fair share of advertising and constantly reminding students about recruitment. This was the first year that information sessions were held in the fall, as well as, enough posters and fliers all over campus. Secondly, during registration, our recruitment counselors were actively recruiting. I told them, do not just sit at the table, ask women who walk by. Give them a packet and get them to sign up.

There will always be pros and cons to each type of recruitment, but the most important thing is marketing Greek life itself. You have to sell your message and show that Greek life is a great addition to the college life.

[FSUZeta]

for discussing deferred recruitment!! i am the general advisor to one of two npc sororities on a campus that holds deferred recruitment. i attended a large campus with a large greek system and recruitment was held the week before classes started. your insight into deferred rec. has helped me to understand that system a little better!!