Fraternity Recruitment

Recruitment is one the most important aspects to maintaining and growing a fraternity or sorority.  Different schools recruit differently and fraternities and sororities also recruit differently.  This post will just focus on fraternity recruitment.  You can also find a post about sorority recruitment in our earlier blog post too. 

Now because different schools have certain rules when recruiting, we will not just focus on fraternities, but on school too.  We will focus on Sacred Heart University. 

Fraternities at Sacred Heart University are run by the InterFraternal Council (IFC) and are currently using a Deferred Recruitment system.  The IFC oversees, regulates, and mandates rules to all the fraternities on campus.  It is to ensure everything is fair between the fraternities and provide help to them when needed.  Also, a deferred recruitment simply means that these fraternities are allowed to recruit new members each semester.  Some schools only allow a Spring Recruitment and more less commonly in fraternities, other schools actually have formal recruitment. 

Typically for fraternities that do a deferred recruitment, the biggest recruiting events will be early in the fall.  So naturally, this is more focused on recruiting freshmen.  While these new faces are on campus and beginning to acclimate, this is the perfect time for fraternities to make an impression on these Possible New Members (PNM).  Events can include anything from sporting events being held, concerts sponsored by the fraternity, a barbecue/outing with the brothers, games, contests, and many more.  Another great recruiting tool that fraternities use in the fall is to wear their letters and/or rush t-shirts and help freshmen move into their dorms on the first day of school.  Once the fraternity has gained interest, whether it be by attending fraternity sponsored events or word of mouth, these new PNM's will receive bids from the fraternities that showed interest in him.  Bids are a way of showing that a fraternity will allow u to join them, if you accept.  Once a PNM accepts a bid from a fraternity, he will then beginning his new member process, or more commonly known as Rush.  Rushing is a whole new topic for a different day.  The spring semester in the deferred recruitment process is primarily the same as the fall semester except it is not as a big of an event as the fall.  It is also targeted less towards freshmen and basically targeted towards men from any class.  Since it is not as big of an event as the fall, there are not as much new members in the spring semester either. 

Recruiting is truly a cruicial time for a fraternity because they need to get more men that they lost the previous semester due to graduation.  If done correctly though, it can be a great, fun time for a fraternity!

Sorority Recruitment

Recruitment or Rush: The most important time of year for both the PNM's and the organizations.

Formal Recruitment:

Each college will have their sorority formal recruitment either in the Fall or Spring semester. Different colleges do things differently but no matter what you will have several different rounds to get to know each sorority. After each round you write down your top sororities and the sororities write down their top PNMs - this assures that you are picking each other and there is a connection on both sides. The last round, Preference night is the most important. This is the last chance you have to make sure you have build a strong bond with the active members.

What sororities are looking for:

Each sorority is looking to recruit PNM's that they think will represent their chapter well. It is not about how many girls they get on Bid Day but about the quality of the girls they are getting. Sorority women want to recruit PNM's that are involved on campus and show leadership abilities - the women recruited today are the future leaders of the chapter. Sororities want to recruit potential new members who want to become stronger leaders, contributors and difference-makers. Basically, sororities are looking for girls that are values-based, driven and goal oriented.

What PNM's should do during recruitment:

1. Ask Questions - Think of random questions you could ask the person you are talking to before you get in the room. No one wants to have an awkward silence in the middle of a conversation. Asking questions will show you are interested, eager, and excited to join their organization.

2. Everyone Ends Up Where They Belong - Everyone will find a home, you just need to be patient and let it happen. If you are not acting like yourself during recruitment, chances are you are going to end up in the wrong organization. By being yourself, you will easily find that you fit in best will one specific room.

3. Get Personal - To end up with the right sorority it is important you make personal connections. Yes, you are there to learn about the sorority but in order to know if you fit in you need to make a connection on a more personal level. By the last round of recruitment you shouldn't be asking basic questions about a sororities philanthropies, but expressing the why you would fit in with that sorority. For example, if your in the room you know if for you, don't be shy! Tell the person you are talking to you feel comfortable there and hope to see her later (at Bid Day)!

What PNM's Should NOT do:

1. Booze: Do not bring up drinking. You're in college it is understood that people drink. During formal recruitment is not the time to tell them you went out last weekend or you love the bars at your school.

2. Boys: Do not bring up boys. If you have a question about if your boyfriend will be able to come to any events, that's okay. But if you are going to tell someone you think the boys at the school are so hot, don't. You don't know who they know, who they have or have not dated or which boy broke their heart. Brining up a topic like this never ends well and if this is the sorority of your dreams, just don't talk about it.

3. Other Girls: Do not bring up other girls. Name dropping does not always work in your favor. You do not know who the person you are talking to is or isn't friendly with. Bringing up other girls can ruin your chances. If you know someone in the sororities room you are in, yes you can say you know her - otherwise leave that conversation for another time.

Bid Day:

Aside from initiation, this is the most exciting time for the new members. You will receive your bid, and run to the sorority you chose. You will officially get to meet each girl in the chapter and there will be a celebration. After Bid Day, you will start the new member process and start to learn so much more about the organization you chose!

Greek Letters

 Greek Letters

What are Greek letters?  What is the point of them?  Why are fraternities and sororities represented by Greek letters?  What do they even mean?  I know it may be confusing for anyone who is not part of the Greek community on why Greek letters are even important.  Here are just a few basic meanings of what they stand for and represent:




1.) First and foremost, Greek letters are simply just the Greek alphabet.  They are in chronological order just like our alphabet and that will be important to know later on in this post.  Here is a list of the Greek alphabet:

2.) The combination of different Greek letters in the alphabet are used to signify different organizations.  For example, different fraternities and sororities in the U.S.

3.) Within a certain fraternity/sorority, they are always expanding and adding their organizations to different campuses across America.  There are more than one Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and more than one Kappa Delta sorority across the U.S.  So to organize within a fraternity/sorority, we have different chapters.  For example, the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha has a chapter at Sacred Heart University which is the Lambda Alpha chapter and another chapter at University of Rhode Island which is the Lambda Beta chapter.

 

 (Lambda Alpha chapter at Sacred Heart University)

(Lambda Beta chapter at University of Rhode Island)

Now just like I said in the first point, the Greek alphabet is going to be important chronologically soon and soon is now, regarding to different chapters.  Wherever the first fraternity/sorority was founded would be considered the Alpha Chapter.  Once they expand and start a second chapter they will be the Beta Chapter, then the next would be the Delta Chapter and so on.  Once we get to the end of the alphabet we would start at the beginning again while also having a second letter chronologically again.  For example, once the Omega chapter has been established, the next chapter would be considered the Alpha Alpha Chapter then the Alpha Beta Chapter and so on like that all over again.



4.) We can go even deeper and have a hierarchy within a chapter too.  If an organization is new to a campus, they have to gain interest in some men and women.  Once they have people to join their new fraternity/sorority on campus, have been officially chartered, and recognized at that campus/nationally by whatever organization that is, these men and women are considered founding fathers and founding mothers of that new fraternity and sorority.  Each semester (or each year, depending on the school), more men and women will want to join these Greek organizations.  So the first group of men/women to join this fraternity/sorority will be considered the Alpha Class.  Then the next semester, or year, once there is more men and women joining, they will be the Beta Class and so on.
 

So to make sense of all these confusing Greek letters here is an example:

I am a founding father of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, Iota Alpha chapter (Sacred Heart University).  So to break it down, the organization I am in is Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.  The chapter I am a part of is the Iota Alpha chapter.  Lastly, I was part of the first group to join this fraternity at my campus, so I am considered a founding father.

Every man and women that is in a fraternity and sorority wear their letters proudly.  They will tell you what their letters mean to them and how much it has molded them.  It represents and defines them and makes them who they are. 

Sisterhood and Brotherhood

When joining either a sorority or fraternity you will immediately form connections with the other members in your pledge class, along with the older members. These connections are what form the sisterhood/brotherhood of your individual chapter.

So you might be thinking, what is the meaning of sisterhood or brotherhood.

There is not one perfect answer for this question because it means many different things. No matter what sorority or fraternity you are in, you will form life long relationships.

You will be there for one another no matter what. Bad days, or good days you will support each other.

                           

It means inspiring one another to be the best you can be and living your sororities/fraternities ideals, values and principles together.

These the are people you are going to spend the majority of your weekends with - whether it be a social with another organization or your chapter's formal, your sisters or brothers are the ones you share these memories with.

As you can tell, it is impossible to give it one definition. Having a sisterhood/brotherhood is one of the greatest experience you will have with you for the rest of your life.

These are the people you are going to spend most of your college years with. These life long friendships become irreplaceable and will make graduating college one of the toughest things you do.

Philanthropy on College Campuses

phi·lan·thro·py [fi-lan-thruh-pee]

noun, plural phi·lan·thro·pies.

1. Altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money,property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and bygenerosity to other socially useful purposes.

2. An organization devoted to helping needy persons or to other socially useful purposes.

 When the average person is asked what they think a sorority or fraternity is all about, most people will say hazing, drinking, partying, and everything else they see on all these college movies depicting collegiate Greek organizations.  It is highly unlikely that service, philanthropies or community involvement would even cross their mind.  Every sorority and fraternity across the nation has at least one philanthropy that they are affiliated with.  These fraternity men and sorority women dedicate numerous service hours to their philanthropy of choice each year and it is actually a very pivotal piece of being in a Greek organization.  These service events can include anything from hosting fun events on campus to raise money, having a 5K walk/run, community outreach, and much more.  

 Sacred Heart University's Greek life has a great example of a amazing service event on campus.  There are 5 fraternities and 7 sororities on campus.  They all have at least one philanthropy they are involved with.  Their philanthropies range anywhere from Pi Kappa Phi's Push America, Kappa Delta's Prevent Child Abuse America and Girl Scouts of the USA to Chi Omega's Make a Wish Foundation and Zeta Tau Alpha's Breast Cancer Awareness.  Although these organizations have to make time to raise money and help out their own philanthropy, all the organizations come together and they have their own philanthropy as a whole Greek life community. 

From February 27 – 28, 2013 the Greek Community at Sacred Heart University is going back in time to relive their childhood in order to give back to today’s youth through our second annual fundraising project, Greek Life Goes Back to Give Back. We are holding a 24-hour See-Saw-A-Thon in which each sorority and fraternity on campus will keep multiple see-saws occupied for 24-hours. In addition, there will be a number of different playground games, music, and entertainment in which we invite the campus and community to participate.

The funds raised through Greek Life Goes Back to Give Back will go directly to a new playground for the Six to Six Interdistrict Magnet School of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The PTSA at Six to Six has been working to raise funds to replace the school’s deteriorating wooden playground since September 2010. The Sacred Heart University Greek Life community decided to assist with this project by holding our first annual 24-hour See-Saw-A-Thon in December 2011. The school playground is estimated to cost over $75,000 and as of December 2011 the Greek Life community raised over $10,866 which almost doubled the amount the PTSA raised. The Greek community is hoping that with this event and your help, we will be able to reach our goal and these children will be one step closer to a fun and safe place to play.

If you would like to help, donations are accepted on: www.sacredheart.edu/greeklifegivesback

You could also learn more about the Six to Six Interdistrict Magnet School at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzZj-J1DqHg

 

Everything you need to know before going Greek

Everything You Need to Know Before Going Greek!

So you are thinking about going Greek but your'e not really sure, huh?  Well this is your 5 point guide of things you probably should know before going Greek.

1. What is Greek Life?

Greek Life refers to all of the sororities and fraternities on campus. There are many different organizations and each has it's own unique set of Greek letters from the Greek alphabet.


2. Don't take it personally.

If one fraternity or sorority does not show interest in you, do not worry about it.  There is always a perfect match for everyone, you just have to be patient.


3. Don't be intimated.

There will be fraternity guys and sorority girls everywhere, introducing themselves left and right.  Do not be scared, they are all just super friendly.

4. Every organization has a philanthropy.

You will hear the word philanthropy a lot throughout recruitment, each organization has at least one - it just stands for the community service they do. Every sorority and fraternity raises money for their philanthropy('s) throughout the school year.  For example, Make a Wish Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, Breast Cancer Awareness, to name a few.

5. Vocabulary 

Greek Life uses some of their own words that would be helpful for you to know before recruitment..
-Potential New Member (PNM): Someone who is interested in Greek Life and may join an organization.
-Bid: A formal invitation to join an organization
-Pledging: After recruitment, the Greek organization sends invitations to join, known as "bids." If the PNM chooses to join, he or she is "accepting the bid: and then becomes "a pledge" for the fraternity or sorority. During the pledge period, pledges learn even more about the organization and form close bonds with the other new members.

If you end up choosing to go Greek, do your homework about the organizations on your campus and keep an open mind. Meet as many different organizations as possible and get to know what they stand for! Going Greek has lifelong benefits and will be something you have forever.