Eight Brothers Walk Into a Bar…

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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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.

There’s an episode of Futurerama where, Fry and Leela discover that, in an alternate dimension, they’re married.  Apparently Fry had asked Leela out a number of times and she had run out of excuses (the only one left involved ghosts).  In one universe she went ahead and used the ghost excuse, in the other she went out with Fry and eventually married him.

I too entered college thinking I’d never join a fraternity.  I refused my first 3 invitations to rush events but I eventually ran out of excuses for not going.  I then attended every rush event afterwards, interviewed and was invited to join.  I wonder what life is like in the alternate dimension where I had used my ghost excuse.

I think everyone here has touched on the important parts of recruiting the right people (and it’s all about quality, not quantity).  You have to invite people, some of them you have to keep inviting until they’re all the way down to “ghost excuses”.  I wouldn’t spend the effort on every person but if you know they’d be a good brother then they’re worth the effort.  Sit down with your chapter; make a list of the people you want to join.  Go section by section and ask people who in their section would make a good brother and then beg, bribe and pressure them to come to rush events.  Sometimes you just have to flat out tell them they’d be a good brother.  If they still bail after all of your efforts, it’s okay, it wasn’t mean to be. But this blog already has at least 3 people who would never of joined otherwise…

Also the active members should be visible. Pick a day a week (one with band practice) to wear letters.  Be visible.  Have your band directors give you a plug whenever they can (especially during Rush Week).  People don’t want to join any organization until they know what it does and that it’s a good one.  You don’t have to have those long winded (and boring) conversations about what exactly KKPsi is if the band already knows. 

Now I’ll open up a can of worms.  Everyone, including myself, will tell you that quality is better than quantity.  However, I’ll also tell you that they’re not only not mutually exclusive but quantity has a quality all of its own. I encourage you to actively go after those you think would make good brothers but your passive recruitment (being visible) is going to bring in a few people you have your doubts about.  If initiating those people would actually harm the chapter then there’s no problem in saying no.  But if a band member sincerely wants to join and having them as a member doesn’t add anything but it doesn’t hurt either… I’d recommend saying yes.  Some of my proudest moments as a brother involve welcoming in slightly “less than popular” band members who had nowhere else to go.  They didn’t contribute much to the chapter but the chapter contributed greatly to their lives.  Plus, some projects, that are important to your band and important to future recruitment, require warm bodies to do the work;  You need some Indians to go with all the chiefs you’re actively recruiting. My advice: whenever possible be inclusive. 

(Anyone else notice that we’re all talking about recruiting but that was only one part of the question?  I guess educating prospectives and keeping them interested throughout the process is harder and less fun than getting them in the first place. Or maybe we’ll get back to those topics…)