Rush n reasons September 6, 2007
Posted by Jennai Ell in Kappa Kappa Psi, List of Reasons, Recruitment.add a comment
/walks back in with a frosty beverage
Sorry, that took longer than expected!
I wouldn’t want to attend a weeks worth of near mandatory events! Especially anywhere near the beginning of a school term! Give me a one-day/night “official” rush event and call it good – or split up the events between teams or something! I had classes to attend and homework to figure out…hell, I don’t think I could do that as an alumn!
It’s my understanding that events “hosted” by KKPsi go over better than “Rush” or “Come with KKPsi” – because those often sound like “only come if you’re looking to join”. I don’t remember if we actually stated it or not. But again, I was in the situation where most of the band members knew that if certain people were advertising it/talking/putting up a poster/etc, that it was sponsored by KKPsi. Especially since they were usually allowed to the front by the band director, who would mention that it was something fun/service/etc – and here’s Johnny to explain what it is. Perhaps if the brothers in a particular section were talking it up during warmups or something?
As for reasons to join KKPsi…
I found it to be a very simple decision to make…
Music gave me a lot. It lifted me up when I was down, it gave me friends when I was lonely, it gave me purpose and enjoyment to life. Joining KKPsi, to me, was a given extension of what music had given me – with the added bonus of being able to pay a little of that back.
As for why I stick around? Being alumni or life – is still a continuation of what music (and the fraternity) have given me.
Besides – I’m still indebted.
Looking for Insight RE: Rush September 5, 2007
Posted by Turf Herder in Chapter Issues, Kappa Kappa Psi, Recruitment.add a comment
This may just be a case of an old fart fiddling with other peoples’ business, but it’s a puzzle to me so I thought I’d ask everyone what they thought. It bears mentioning that I’m the sort of person who likes to ponder over things without ever necessarily thinking of interfering with the real situation – maybe that’s why 8 Brothers exists. :)
My old chapter is having Rush this week. Every day, there’s a different event – fun stuff, social stuff, but with built-in opportunities to learn more about the fraternity. Active members are strenuously encouraged to attend. Potential recruits are individually targeted by actives, and there are posters and flyers everywhere band kids go.
The problem is – and from what I’m being told, this has happened for the past couple of years – no one is attending. The active members show up but they can only get 1-3 potential members to attend. If this year is like last year, half of the people who attend Rush won’t interview – but they’ll get dozens of interviews from people who never attended a single Rush event.
The end result is that Rush is a total wash and a financial drain, serving only as a Brotherhood experience for the active members who are able to show (given that it is a solid week of nightly near-mandatory activities). However, recruitment is generally highly successful nonetheless.
I get to wondering – what’s the deal, here? Our school has a very small/weak Greek system, so maybe the kids don’t understand what “rush” means – but shouldn’t they be interested in going to the events just because they’re fun and offer information?
Does it matter if recruits don’t attend Rush?
Since the chapter is getting recruits hand-over-fist who never attended Rush, should they just save the time and money and skip Rush entirely?
If not, how can they make Rush more appealing to recruits?
Should Rush be mandatory for recruits? Should it be an interview question – “Did you attend Rush and, if not, why?” Should skipping Rush reflect in any way on a recruit?
Is ten days of solid recruitment too much, too fast? Would a two-week period with five or six events be better?
One thing that I’ve noticed is that the event posters do NOT say “Rush” on them – they say things like “Come float the river with KKPsi.” Do you think people think that it’s a KKPsi-only event?
Whaddaya think?
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes August 21, 2007
Posted by Turf Herder in Chapter Issues, Kappa Kappa Psi, List of Reasons, Recruitment.1 comment so far
Balcoholic, when I read your post I was thinking that you were talking about the changes our bands/chapters undergo while we’re still actively involved…?
And I sympathize, I really do. You’ve got a chapter with a certain personality, and then in comes a couple new members with a totally different set of priorities, and next thing you know the chapter is dividing into factions and cliques – and then, because the different people are younger, they stick around longer and recruit people with their priorities, and end up changing the personality of the entire chapter. It’s neither a good nor a bad thing, but for the people who were there when it all started, it can be really hard, sad, and disillusioning.
My mama always told me that everything changes every five years – sometimes seven years, but usually five. It’s hard not to hold onto “the ways things were” or to not believe that the way your generation of people did things was the only right way. There’s no stopping change, particularly in a school setting where the population is going to cycle every 2-5 years. The trick is, as you said, keeping the old magic alive while letting the chapter evolve with its new membership.
I know that there are times when the New is hostile to the Old (or vice versa) and that’s a whole different kettle of fish. Probably a recruitment misstep, as well, although that’s debateable; is it proper to decline membership to someone because you know they’ll cause shattering change in the chapter? But when the New and the Old are playing for the same team, just using different styles, I daresay there’s hope.
Communication and differentiation are going to be key, in my opinion.
The process of change is often hard because we don’t understand it – instead of seeing it as the natural evolution of the chapter, we see it as a personal attack, needless bickering, and other variations on DOOM. If we can sit down as a united group and talk about what’s going on, we can be more supportive of one another and considerate of the impact one person’s progress is having on another person’s tradition. There’s no reason why the Old and the New can’t work together for something greater – and in fact, that’s a large part of the reason behind this website: trying to help new members stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, so that they reach higher and achieve bigger and greater things.
Differentiation (delegation, pet projects, what-have-you) will help let the Old and New coexist peacefully. It’s good for a chapter if many different people are leading up projects that they’re passionate about, rather than just a few people doing all the work, or people having to do things they hate. If you bring in new members who are really excited about the stage bands, and your older members are much more focused on marching band, that’s not a bad thing – it’s an opportunity to diversify.
In my experience, things only really start to fall apart when one of three things happen:
- The Old violently resists change and makes the New feel unwelcome and thwarted.
- The New disrespects what has been and makes the Old feel defensive.
- Someone with a really bad, pushy attitude and drastically different priorities comes in and bulldozes their way through the chapter with no regard for peoples’ feelings, focused only on their own agenda.
What do you do in those cases? A good sponsor might be able to help intervene… or sometimes, maybe, you just have to ride it out…
Edited to add Reasons to be a Brother:
- Best course in interpersonal relations, communication, and leadership you’ll ever take in college
- Be a part of something bigger than yourself
- Gifts of random underwear
Lots of Reasons to be a Brother August 21, 2007
Posted by Pepper in Kappa Kappa Psi, List of Reasons, Recruitment, Retention & Attrition.add a comment
Not to change the subject but I’d like to add in a little side conversation here. I want to make a list of X reasons to join K K Psi – as many as possible. Not necessarily serious reasons but I hope not all silly ones. Maybe it would be more like reasons to join and/or stay in K K Psi. If we all post a few reasons ever now and then we can collect them all and maybe put them in one big list on this site, and also maybe give them to chapters who are recruiting.
Heres some to start:
- Have a family away from home
- Help band opportunities survive for the future
- Inside jokes that people in other states get but no one you know can explain
- Travel across the country
- Always have a place to stay on road trips
- Learn how to be a better leader
- Pie in the face
We don’t have to change subjects or anything, maybe just add a few reasons at the end of your post or whatever.Thanks!
Plan and Pay Attention August 18, 2007
Posted by Euclid's Dog in Brotherhood, Fraternal Families, Kappa Kappa Psi, Recruitment, Retention & Attrition.add a comment
Hello hornstothebox.
How can a VP motivate and help the chapter to do a better job of recruiting and retaining members?
In my mind, recruitment/retention problems only really spring up when the President and Vice President just kind of stumble through the year. If they have a plan and are actively thinking about such things, they rarely become a problem. I don’t know if that’s because the plans are good or if, because they’re thinking about it, they notice the small stuff before it festers. I’ve also found that people, including chapters, can be motivated simply by telling them what you want them to do, why, and periodically telling them that they did a good job.
I would imagine that for most chapters recruitment starts at band camp. So, if I were VP, I’d have a pre-band camp meeting where we decided what to wear each day, developed ideas for posters or other recruitment paperwork, and tried to generate good ideas from the rest of the chapter. Once band camp started I’d meet with the chapter for 5 minutes after camp each day. I’d ask for names of people they thought would be good brothers. I’d remind them what we were wearing tomorrow, and I’d tell them they did a really good job today and to keep up the good work.
During rush I’d try to create events that the chapter already likes to do. Your chapter like BBQ’s, then hold a rush BBQ. If the actives want to be there they will be (and they’ll be happy about it). After each event, meet with the actives, make sure that you’re inviting the people you’re after, ask if new people should be added to the list, and tell them it went well.
Retention. Retention is hard for a VP to orchestrate. In fact, beyond that first prospective year, I’d say retention was more of a President’s job. If the President keeps meetings moving along and schedules enough fun chapter activities most won’t want to quit (if they leave school or have time commitment problems there’s not much YOU can do about that).
Retention for prospectives involves making them feel wanted. If your education meetings aren’t during chapter meetings, have actives show up (even if they’re not doing anything). Have their big brothers send them a note a week (or maybe a small gift, like a candy bar). Reveal big brothers early! Seriously a big brother, family traditions, etc… can go a long way towards making a prospective feel like they’re part of the chapter. Make sure prospectives feel like they’re accomplishing something. Have them organize and implement a class service project, fundraiser, social event, etc…
To sum up, the VP should have a plan for recruitment and everyone should know what that plan is. The actives should feel as if they have a role to play in forming that plan as well as implementation and they should be thanked for their efforts frequently. For prospective retention, do whatever you can to make prospectives feel like they’re part of the chapter. For active retention, do whatever you can to make sure the chapter is an enjoyable group to be part of.
Greetings August 18, 2007
Posted by hornstothebox in Kappa Kappa Psi, Recruitment, Retention & Attrition.add a comment
Hello everyone! Let me get my artesian water, and say hi. I have been thinking about how to respond to this most recent issue, but am realizing that my brain is turning to mush, and coherent thoughts will not be forthcoming at this time. I guess I will try anyway.
How can a VP motivate and help the chapter to do a better job of recruiting and retaining members?
My main thought is that motivation would seem to be a non-issue in my chapter experience when it comes to getting active members involved in recruitment. To some extent, I think recruiting is an inherently pleasant task for actives. If an active is not eager to be involved in recruiting, I would guess that the he or she has more motivation issues than recuiting.
Also, if chapter members are apathetic about retaining members, then I think there is a deeper issue with the bond within the chapter. A chapter with a strong bond will naturally be motivated to retain members. If there a deeper issue with the bond, then improving that bond becomes a priority, which I think starts to all fall outside of the role of VP.
I guess my view is that the VP should not have a situation where he or she needs to motivate the chapter in recruiting and retaining members. Of course, as I just wrote that, I realized how silly that sounds, so perhaps I am a little off the mark… Does anyone have an specific instance of recruiting/retention apathy? That would help me.
losing prospectives August 17, 2007
Posted by Jennai Ell in Kappa Kappa Psi, Membership Education, Recruitment, Retention & Attrition.add a comment
I think we’ll all figure out the identities eventually…I’m fairly certain I know who Euclid’s Dog is (and Turf Herder, of course)
As for losing prospectives…no chapter ever loses *many* that I’ve heard about, and I can’t say that the chapters ask for much “official” explanation for their leaving. When they do have to bow out, it sounds like it’s usually for time commitment things – classloads are too heavy, they have to do things for scholarships, churches, parents get sick, etc. Some decide that the fraternity wasn’t something that they were really serious about (which is better than them figuring it out after initiation), sometimes they run into a money crunch. A few (for the chapters that either voted twice on prospectives (once when they became a prospective and again before they were initiated) or voted upon only before 3rd) would fail the final vote.
I think of all the stories I’ve heard from around the country, I’ve only heard of a couple prospectives who decided that the fraternity wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and stepped away from the program, DURING the program. It’s bad when it happens, and usually related to something not involving actual education.
Then there are the “pin n runs” as someone once called them. Those who’d be initiated and then fall off the face of the planet. Most of these are sad, but don’t come back to bite a chapter in the ass. However, there was a horror story about a brother who was initiated, and then immediately started telling people that which they’d learned in third degree.
Although, I knew a brother from another district who figured out most of TBSigma’s secrets just from paying attention, so it’s not impossible that it wouldn’t happen the other way around.
A Knife Indeed… August 17, 2007
Posted by balcoholic in Kappa Kappa Psi, Recruitment, Retention & Attrition.1 comment so far
Ah yes… a knife there was. And it gave me a really sick feeling in wondering why we had finally (after a LONG meeting) decided to let him in. But I have to agree with Euclid’s Dog in saying that I think he was a success story. I think he was one of the cases where the chapter was good for him as well as he being good for the chapter.
I also like Euclid’s Dog’s idea of re-interviewing. It would have helped my guilt as an active definitely. But yes, you have to be VERY careful not to let it guilt you into letting them in.
To return back to other questions from the beggining, I don’t remember loosing many durning the period of being initiated. Did any of you ask what the reasons for leaving were? What were they? I think we lost one or two due to time committments but I only remember loosing people a year or two AFTER they were initiated… mainly due to the chapter going in a direction that they didn’t like (which is a WHOLE other can of worms).
Euclid’s Dog – Hello, hello!!! I was wondering if my story would give me away. :) Now I’m going to be wondering about you.
LOL! August 17, 2007
Posted by Turf Herder in Kappa Kappa Psi, Recruitment, Stories & Memories.add a comment
Seriously – a butcher knife? The best we ever had was a bathrobe, I think – well, and a few doors slammed in our face when the camera flashes went off… :)
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August 17, 2007
Posted by Euclid's Dog in Kappa Kappa Psi, Recruitment, Stories & Memories.add a comment
If we’re writing, at least in part, to offer advice to current actives then I have some that’s mostly on topic. My chapter never did this, but I think it might we worth trying: Interview your candidates, discuss them and invite them to join. But for the ones you reject, re-interview them. Tell them what the chapter’s reservations were and allow them to attempt to set the record straight.
My chapter rejected one person because he didn’t take the interview seriously (but, for the record, most of the interview was quite silly and easy not to take seriously). He came back the next year and, while not my favorite brother (we argued a lot), he was a good brother. I was just a vote or two from not getting an invite but I would have been happy to address the reasons behind my no votes. If after a re-interview the chapter’s reservations still stand then go ahead and reject them. I think it would cut down on the guilt from actives and it would ease the rejection for the person being turned down.
(The only potential down side is if, after a re-interview, the chapter succumbs to guilt and votes in people it really shouldn’t just because they don’t want to be mean. That’s a possibility that the chapter would have to actively guard against.)
Might not work, but then again, it might.
balcoholic: Unless there are more chapters out there with butcher-knife wielding prospectives, I can pretty much guess what chapter you’re from and, roughly, when. Hello old friend. I’m not sure which one you are, but hello anyway.
But for the record, I think knifeboy was one of those success stories. He could make the chapter cringe every once and a while (like knife night) but I don’t think he hurt the chapter in any way and I think the chapter was good for him. He worked hard and deserved more recognition than he got. I’m happy about that one.
