Just like starting over

In a little more than a week, folks left & right will be flocking down to their respective colleges/universities to start off their lives as freshmen, green to everything that there is to know about campus life. Not only will they gradually become acquainted with their surroundings; they will also be away from home for most of their several months at State U. At the same time, they're looking for organizations which they can be/stay actively involved in as well as take on roles which they excelled at during their high school days.

Where do we as members of the Greek community factor into all of this?

Our involvement in showing them the ropes on Greek life is essential; in fact, when it comes to looking for quality men & women for our organizations, our involvement is crucial. And on their first official weekend on campus, this is all the more so. When they visit our Activity Fairs, this is where we not merely need to make an impact & make our voices heard, but it is also our time to address the hundredfold positive aspects about Greek life in general - not only for the whole system but also for our respective chapters as well. This isn't to say that we have to be severe with them, like, "You go Greek or else!!" No, our objectives aren't about pressuring them to join a Greek organization; rather, they're about giving them a chance to weigh their options before they make the first small steps into going Greek.

Is this to say we need to put off the issue on Recruitment until then? No way. For those who are all ready to go to work on finding quality members for their organizations, I commend them a lot. For those who are procrastinating, putting it off until the 11th hour...I don't feel pity for those individuals. But to keep things going on the up & up, I sure hope that we're making the issue of Recruitment known to the prospectives/incoming freshmen even before they set foot on campus, as part of a yearlong process which has been stressed who knows how many times.

If I can help adding a few additional cents in the matter, Facebook isn't the only place to find new members; if we went to high school with them, know of friends who have friends who'd like to go Greek but are debating the issue, have relatives/brothers... who just graduated from high school & know of other friends who'd like to give the Greek system a go, the possibilities of such networking are beneficial. To say that they're endless is a bit of an understatement, since these approaches not only give us a chance to see who's fit for our chapters & who isn't; they also could provide us with folks who are willing to make an impact & get involved for us as well.

At this point in time, we've got our work cut out for us. The next thing at this juncture is to formulate what kind of chapters we truly are when the Activity Fairs roll around the corner.

Fire up!!