Recruitment Rules for Alums
 

Recruitment sure has changed since I went through *coughcough* years ago (back then, they still called it RUSH!) I anticipate helping out with recruitment this year, and I'm really excited about the opportunity.

Does anyone have any recruitment rules for alums for someone who didn't go all the way through recruitment as an undergraduate?

Recruitment rules for alumnae vary greatly depending on the campus. Example...if I want to assist with recruitment at SDSU I need to be dressed exactly like the collegiates and be wearing an official nametag. Just to serve some punch! Where as if I assist at UCSD I have to be extremely careful not to dress like the collegiates!

The one rule that can be said for any house on any campus is to always defer to the women in charge. Be it the collegiate or officially designated alumnae. If you're at recruitment you're there to help them, not to reinvent the wheel. So if they ask you to do something never argue "Well that's not how we did it when I was in school." :)

I'll be assisting with recruitement at my initiation chapter (University of Houston). However, I don't think they'll want me to try and blend in with the other collegians! I'll be six months pregnant! LOL! Seriously though, I remember our alumnae all dressing nicely, but not in the same outfits. I don't think they are really allowed more than small pleasantries with the PNM's. Also, I think they restricted the numbers of alumnae allowed in a room per party. But, we'd always have a lot of support so our alumnae would line the halls outside our room and just SMILE!

aj

Thanks for the feedback! I'm really looking forward to recruitment this year - this will be my first time 'on the other side'.

approaching chapters
 

I'm the VP: Membership for my alum chapter. I'd like to contact the collegian chapters near us to find out about their needs for rush. I am hesistant because:

1. I don't know if this is appropriate for me to do or if I should work through a regional alumnae coordinator
2. I don't want to step on the toes of another alumnae chapter which might already be planning to help
3. I don't even know WHO to contact at the chapters because some have no website and the others are so out of date as to be laughable.

Marie

DGMarie, do not be afraid to ask questions. You are the new kid but want to help.

Chech with your HDQ. maybe?

Check with other Chapters via their web site.

ASK QUESTIONS, the dumbest one is the one you dont ask!:)

Goodest of Luck, let us know!!!!:D

Marie,
I would think that the Panhellenic Green Book would be an excellent starting point. Since DG and her 25 Panhellenic sisters are bound by the unanimous agreements of Panhellenic, I think that would be a great reference source.

The only thing that I can recall is wearing a name tag that said my name and then "Alumnae" underneath. If I did end up talking to a PNM, I did try to make an effort to steer the PNM back to a collegian as soon as politely possible, since it the collegians who ultimately decide who their new sisters will be, and I felt it best for the PNM to get as much "face time" in with the collegians as possible.

Sistermadly,

Several of my chapters have developed "contracts" for parents and alums who assist during recruitment. It lays out all of the rules that are applicable to alumnae and makes it very clear that as much as we want their assistance, we only want it if they are willing to obey the rules. It is not worth our time to have assistance from someone who will get us recruitment infractions.

I would talk to the VPR for the chapter you are going to be working with and ask her if you could get a copy of the rush rules and volunteer to draw up something like that to pass around to the alumnae who want to volunteer. That way everyone is on the same page before rush starts.

It is also a good idea to review the unanimous agreements, and put them in the contract for alumnae to read as well.

DGMarie, while I am not familiar with DG's structure, I would go ahead and contact your international HQ or regional person in charge of recruitment -- they both probably have contact information for the VPR or President. I don't think you are ever stepping on another groups toes by offering to assist with recruitment.

LD

Great suggestion, Laura! Thanks! :)

Marie,

You might find it easier to work through a regional coordinator at first. I would imagine that some of the chapters may have a lot of help while others have none and the regioal person is going to know that. I have found that recruitment seems to be the one thing everyone loves to help with (even if they do NOTHING else as an alumna) so we end up with more women than needed. Recruitment at the Univ of Puget Sound is pretty laid back (even though it's formal) so they only need a few alumnae each day. They also have a recruitment advisor so I always deferred to her to tell me how many women she needed. Nothing worse than alumnae getting in the way.......