Tips

• As for the first part – that is easy.  By spending time with these guys you will know if you want them to be your brother or not.  This doesn’t’ mean that they met any challenge you put in front of them. It just means are they good guys of high character that you would be proud to call a brother.
• Alcohol education
• A LOT OF HAND HOLDING
• Set rules to pledges about GBM NO PHONES
• Pledges in front during GBM
• Service project and service events
• Have pledges visualize who they will be by the end of the pledging process
• Sexual violence prevention training and new member symposium
• Pbro interviews after the 10 weeks ( have a group talk of 3 or 4 to get to know each other during pledge meetings)
• Missing deadlines is -2% off final
• Pledge committee and active committees are the same committees if you're in one you are in the other
• Post everything in the counselor chat before posting on lambda mu or the class page
• Use visualization techniques to help them visualize who thy will be in the pledging process, who they will be when they cross and who they will be as an active and who they will be as an alumni make them visualize the sound, sights and smells
• Teach them that they will be the future leaders and lead the next generation
• About your candidate education – don’t forget the fundamental purpose of it.  First, you want to be sure these guys are guys that you want to be your brothers.  Second, you want to start teaching them the skills they need in order to become successful, productive brothers.
• Send holiday cards to kids at banquet get from costco
• Help them find their personal ethos - what in life is important to you, these things will guide you through life, what would you do if you messed up and the blame fell on someone else. What would you do if there was a breach of integrity
• Seal ethos: maintain loyalty to country, team and teamate, serve with honor on and off the battlefield, be ready to lead and ready to follow and never quit, take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teamates, excel warriors through discipline and innovation, earn your trident everyday
• Fear is nuetral - understand it and face it because you cant avoid it. Find a way to act in the process of fear
• What is your why?
• You make the letters the letters dont make you
• Intellegence plus character that is the goal of true education - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Cover these topics - Risk Management - Values Clarification - Ethical Behavior & Personal Responsibility - Greek Community Accountability - Multicultural Relationships - Trends in the Greek System – nationally & locally - Goal Setting - Career Planning - Hazing - Sexual Responsibility - Scholarship/Academic Tips - Neighborhood Relations - House Management
• Bring speakers - Speakers: Alumni, faculty, staff or a hired keynote speaker; break-off sessions or roundtable discussions. Emphasize and talk about valuable leadership skills, transitioning from student life to the work environment, making use of the valuable learning opportunities and resources the university offers, motivation, problem solving, teamwork. Non-Greek student leaders are also encouraged to attend.
• Use Solomons wheel to determine what is important to you in an experience of pledging ( leadership development, social experience, community service, etc.)
• teach  how to run a meeting and run pledge meetings the same way
• Have Impactive retreat in the first couple of weeks
• Our fraternity had a great rush and now we have a large pledge class. What is the best way to start a pledge program to get these guys quickly involved? We are worried that some guys may quit, and that is the last thing we want. Thank you.
• 
  
• Answer:
• First off, congratulations on a great recruitment and a great new member class! Recruiting is a challenge no matter what, so my hat goes off to you all. Attrition in a new member class can result from a wide variety of things, but typically comes down to a few more broad issues. In addition to answering your question about getting them involved, I want to hit on a couple of other ideas that will help keep your new members excited and keep them in your chapter.
• 1) Get your new members involved ASAP
• From the moment your new members sign their bids, there needs to be some event that brings them together with your current active membership. Something as simple as your new member class walking over to the dining hall with your entire active membership serves as an easy way to bring them in to the chapter. Have a cookout, plan an event at the campus rec center, or have some type of celebration to welcome your new members into the fold. This way, it not only shows your new members that you want them to be a part of your chapter, but it also gives your current membership a chance to get excited about the growth of the chapter. Once the bids are signed, make sure you include your new members in every possible way. Include them in any chapter social events, community service, brotherhood opportunities, and most importantly, treat them as BROTHERS, not “pledges”.
• 2) Get your active members involved!
• Again, inclusion is sort of the theme here. When your active members are not just bystanders, your new members have a better chance of feeling like they are a part of the chapter, not just “the new guys”. This also gives your new members a chance to see how current members interact with one another, accomplish task, and manage events, all crucial parts in establishing strong future chapter leaders. This also allows bonds to form. I’m of the mindset that, in terms of fraternity recruitment, people join other people, not the allure of socials and community service events. Why then won’t this same approach work with retaining new members? We all can look back at our time as new members and think of a few active members, and not just our Big Brothers, that were the reason we stayed committed.
• 3) Make sure your new member education program is truly in line with your fraternity’s values
• This is the anti-hazing part of the program. Does your new member education process require absurd and lewd acts? Does it require new members to do illegal, immoral, or beyond stupid? Does your new member education process ask new members to do things that your active members wouldn’t do even if they were paid? If the answer to any or all of these is yes, you need to rethink your program. We use the phrase “New Member Education” because it is an education about the chapter, the general fraternity, and the true values behind why fraternities are so near and dear to so many of us. It is not “Pledge Embarrassment” or “Earning your letters”. New members drop out when they feel they are belittled, abused, or seen as objects of amusement. If you design your program to be inclusive and in line with the real purpose of your fraternity, your new members will be energized by it, not bogged down by it. When someone struggles, and they will, that does not mean it is time to ridicule them into improving. It means it’s time to provide proper support and encouragement.
• You and your fraternity already have the tools to be successful with your new members; you just need to use them properly. Best of luck on a successful new member process!
• We have decided to begin evaluating potential new members, but are confused on a few aspects of this.
• 1 – What characteristics should we judge?
• 2 – What kind of points system should we employ?
• 3 – How do we get the rest of the chapter on board with being this selective? In a lot of brothers minds a man should be extended a bid for just showing interest.
• Answer:
• 
  
• I can’t tell you what characteristics are important for your future brothers. Only the brothers in you chapter can decide what is important to them. That being said, your fraternity has established a set of values that every brother should hold dear. Look for those values in future brothers and you can’t go wrong.
• Regarding points systems – I don’t think that is necessary. It just complicates an already complicated process. You know good guys from bad.
• Your third question is the big one. The game your chapter is playing by extending bids to every guy off the street is a very dangerous one. I have seen the following process play out too many times.
• Your will take a chance on a guy who shouldn’t get a bid. Someone will vouch for him and call him a diamond in the rough. Most brothers will have doubts but will go along anyway. This guy will turn out to be all rough, and no diamond.
• This is the type of scenario that will eventually destroy your chapter.
• Here are ten reasons why:
• 1 – The diamond in the rough guy will weaken your brotherhood because brothers will not have any interest in being friends with him. If you don’t want to be friends with your brothers, then what is the point?
• 2 – This loser brothers will turn off high-quality potential new members. If the men you are recruiting are high caliber, than they will want to be around others that are high caliber. They will have no interest in joining a chapter with dud brothers.
• 3 – It will turn off sororities. If the men in your chapter are below the standard of Greek men on your campus, then sororities will gravitate to the other fraternity chapters on your campus.
• 4 – It will create a civil war in your chapter. Dud brothers will recruit dud brothers. Birds of a feather do flock together. This will create a divide between the men that belong and the men that don’t.
• 5 – You will be introducing problems into your chapter. The last thing you need to do is take a chance on a guy without really knowing who he is. What if he is real trouble – like a drug dealer? I have seen this happen before, and this will destroy a chapter.
• 6 – Brothers will stop coming around the house because they don’t want to be around their less-desirable brothers.
• 7 – Brothers will not have as much pride in the chapter. They will realize that earning your letters is cheap, and as a result they will wear them less.
• 8 – You will create an environment for hazing. Here is how it normally works: Your chapter takes a chance on a guy. No one likes him and everyone realizes it was a bad move. Then you screw with the kid until he quits the pledge program. However, he is determined and won’t quit. That makes the brothers start to really make his life miserable to get him to quit. This is cruel and a stupid way for the chapter to spend its energy.
• 9 – You will earn a label as the house that anyone can get into. This will have losers from every corner of campus flocking to your door.
• 10 – Brothers will quit.
• http://thefraternityadvisor.com/4-lessons-to-remember-during-fraternity-rush/
• 1) Teach them the value and traditions of your fraternity. It is important that they know what the organization they are joining is all about. Teach them in a productive manner (meaning no hazing). Whatever precedent you set as a founding father will be carried out for years to come. Make your legacy one that you can be proud of.
• 2) Teach them the skills they will need to become productive brothers. This means teach them how to recruit. Teach them how to plan community service events and social events. Make sure they learn these skills before they become brothers. This will make your chapter stronger once they do.
• 3) Teach them about brotherhood. Assign productive tasks that will bring the class together. Have them complete a house project or a fundraiser. These types of tasks will unite the pledge class and instill a sense of pride in your newest members.
• 4) Teach them about fraternity. Have them talk to your national HQ. Have them road trip to other chapters. Have them read my books to become better prepared to become brothers. They need to learn from brothers from outside your chapter and bring those great ideas back to your fraternity.
• 5) It needs to be a hell of a lot of fun. Fraternity is fun. You can learn to become a better man, and have a great time in the process. That is what makes fraternity great.
• Find a way to encourage them to make more than one event even though it is not required ( creates pride in their work and willingness to participate in the chapter)

• The next part is a little trickier, because it is an opinion scenario.  Who is really to say when a candidate knows enough that they can enter the brotherhood and be productive?
• My personal opinion is that they should know the history of the fraternity/chapter before initiation.  Greek Life history isn’t as important in my opinion. However, when they have learned whatever they are required to learn – move on.  Often chapters use their chapter history as a platform to haze and quiz their new members because they aren’t creative enough to teach them anything else.  This is a disgrace to their history and to the founders of the fraternity.

• 1. Acceptance

• The first and most common reason why guys join a fraternity is because they are looking for acceptance.
• Have plexcom create a weekly goal plan
• Most guys who will be rushing your fraternity are freshman who have just recently stepped foot for the first time onto a college campus. They have left behind everything they have ever known, including their comfort zone. It is natural for a guy to be looking for a place to fit in. Your fraternity provides that opportunity.
• To gain their confidence, you have to make them feel like they are part of the group. The first step towards accomplishing this is the simplest. You must remember the rushee’s name and making sure they remember yours. Think about it, the rushee is going to be in a room or house full of strangers. He is going to get names mixed up and is going to feel out of place. It will appeal to his self worth if you make it a point to refer to him by his name. Doing so makes the rushee feel like he is accepted. Then, you must always remind the rushee what your name is. Not only is that the classy thing to do, but it gives the rushee an opportunity to tell you that he remembered who you are. It doesn’t matter if that is a white lie or not. By saying that he remembers you, he is acknowledging a relationship exists.
• If enough brothers take the time to do this, he will definitely feel like the fraternity has accepted him. If you are really looking to score big, make sure the girls who are around do the same thing. Think of the impression it will make on a freshman if an attractive, older girl strikes up a conversation with him and knows who he is. It doesn’t matter if the girl is a brother’s girlfriend or sister. It will leave a huge impression.

• 2. Resume Builder

• The second reason why guys join a fraternity is as a resume builder. Appealing to this crowd is easy. Show these Greek Life Statistics — which is all the impressive stats on fraternity men. You know the ones I am talking about. The ones that say a crazy percentage of the Fortune 500 CEOs and members of Congress are Greek. That is good information to share and is a good first step.
• The next step would be to tell them a story of how a brother has used their fraternity experience to get a job. The story I would always tell rushees is how I got my first job. I would explain that when I applied for my internship with IBM, I had no real experience. Truth be told, I didn’t have very good grades either. The only thing I could sell them on is my leadership ability. Fortunately, my fraternity experience provided me great examples of how my leadership transformed an organization.
• Remember that a perspective employer doesn’t care about how many seconds you can do a keg stand or how you are the greatest beer pong player in seven states. The only thing they might care about is how you improved your organization by respectable accomplishments. I could explain how my efforts as president led to our fraternity GPA increasing for five straight semesters. I could explain that I organized an event that raised $5,000 for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. I could explain that I had to make the tough call on holding brothers accountable for their actions and the positive results that occurred as a result. I then summarized by explaining the awards I received as a result of my accomplishments.
• To be honest, this type of rushee is really interested in getting a good job and making money. I would tell him that my internship at IBM paid me just under $30 and hour and I could work whatever hours I wanted while in school. I would also make sure they knew that a lot of the alumni of the fraternity have got great jobs due, in large part, to their fraternity experience. I made sure they knew that this network of brothers would be able to assist them in getting a job once they graduated. If your rushee is really looking for resume fodder, give him what he wants.

• 3. Leadership Experience

• The third reason why guys join a fraternity is for the leadership experience. These are the guys you want in your fraternity. They are the type A personalities that form the backbone of all chapters. These are the guys who are going to put in the long hours to make your fraternity great. You need to make sure these guys know that the leadership opportunities they seek are out there.
• I would always relate this back to fraternity elections. Most young guys believe you have to be elected to a position to be a leader. While this isn’t further from the truth, it isn’t a topic worth debating during rush.
• Start by explaining to them when the next election is, and what positions they would be expected to fill. With these guys it is a good idea to develop a road map that would lead them to becoming president of the fraternity someday. That is their goal, so explain to them how it could happen.
• Explain that as a freshman they can hold a position like athletics director or fund raising chair. While these aren’t very glamorous positions, they are definitely great stepping stones, and are crucial to the fraternity’s success. Explain the impact that the rushee could have if he has a couple great fund raising events, or if the team performed great in intramurals. Not many events have a bigger impact on the health of a fraternity than a successful fund raising event. And everyone who has ever been in a fraternity realizes that the most points in fraternity athletic standings come from participation. If the guy can get brothers to raise some money or show up to most athletic events, he will have a profound positive effect on the fraternity. He will also show his ability to manage in the process.
• If he is successful there, he will be in line for a critical committee chair or an executive board position his sophomore year. I would explain that he would still need to make a difference in whatever position he takes. Holding a position is never good enough though. What matters is what the individual accomplishes in that position. If the guy could find his way into becoming the social chair or onto the executive board, he will have great experiences for becoming president.
• From there, explain to him that his year is going to be his junior year. Seniors rarely make good presidents because they are too busy trying to graduate. Letting him know that he is two small jumps from the big chair should be very appealing. Let him know that you can see the potential in him (remember that you are selling him on the idea and appealing to his ego) and you expect big things from him when he gets there.

• 4. They Don’t Want to Be Left Behind

• The fourth reason guys join a fraternity is because their friends are joining and they don’t want to be left behind. Let’s face it, a lot of guys are followers, not leaders. There is nothing wrong with that, and you need these guys in your fraternity. To get these guys you need to make sure you can convince the leader of the group to join and not ignore the rest of the group in the process.
• This may seem like common sense, but you would be surprised how often guys get ignored at rush events. Fraternity Recruitment normally occurs the first few weeks back from summer vacation. Brothers haven’t seen each other in a few months, and are eager to catch up. The last thing they probably want to do is chat up a freshman stranger. You have to remind them that they this is the most critical two week stretch of the year. This will provide the foundation for a great year, or a mediocre one. Don’t let them fall in this trap.

• 5. Meet Girls

• The fifth reason guys join fraternities is to meet girls. Some rushees think that by wearing Greek letters you instantly become a chick-magnet. Let them think this way. To win these guys over, you need to make sure you have girls at nearly all your rush events. It really doesn’t matter if they are girlfriends or strangers, they need to be there. Girls turn an average rush event into a great one. For example, my fraternity would always play indoor soccer. Indoor soccer became infinitely more fun when several of the girlfriends decide to play.
• Another example is a cook-out rush event we had at an apartment complex. It was an average event, until we discovered the pool. Having a bunch of guys swim is pretty lame, but throw in a few girls and it turned into a great time. You must remember to always treat your female guests with respect. Not only will you score points with your female guests, you will score points with the rushees.

• 6. To Party

• The final reason is for parties. You have to be careful that the guy you are rushing is interested in more than just parties. There have been several guys in my fraternity that pledged, and then disappeared until the night of parties. That really isn’t the type of brother that makes a strong fraternity. However, there is nothing wrong with a guy that enjoys parties, you just have to make sure that they are interested in the other fraternity functions as well.
• To appeal to these guys, I would always tell them stories of great parties we had. I would first explain to them that by joining a fraternity you have hundreds of people attending your party, instead of you being one of the hundreds of people who attend someone else’s party. That is a big difference in a lot of people’s eyes. I would tell them about the road trip we organized to visit our chapter at a university six states away and the great time we had there. I would tell them about our beach party that happens every spring, and the craziness that comes with it. I would back up all these stories with pictures of the events. Being able to show pictures makes the events more real for the rushee, and will have a lasting impression. Make sure you keep them around to provide backup to the stories you tell.
• Understanding the six reasons why guys join a fraternity will pay huge dividends during your next rush.  You have a much better chance of getting a guy to join your fraternity if you understand what he is looking for…

1. Choosing between quality and quantity.

People think they can only have one. Quality drives Quantity. One of the most

common things we hear repeatedly is “We need better members, but we need to

get our numbers up,” or, “We’ll build them up to be better through our new

member education program.” These are excuses used to take chances on

questionable candidates and examples of the battle between quality and

quantity. The assumption that you can’t have both is the biggest problem! This

misconception causes organizations to end up in one of two really bad places:

weak members hurting the chapter or a group that is simply too small to

accomplish what it wants.

Both quality and quantity are not only important, but also possible. How?

Determine the characteristics of your ideal member and make that the standard

by which you recruit. Don’t recruit or accept people lacking those expectations.

PERIOD. Then, use those standards to communicate to the best and brightest

that you are worth their consideration. Build the core of your organization

around top quality people and immediately teach them how to recruit other high

quality members.

Remember, Quality drives Quantity, not the other way around. Don’t just throw a

bunch of names against the wall and see what sticks. That’s not what our

founders did. And, that isn’t who we really are.

“People join people, and the organization follows.” Better members will ultimately

recruit others even better than they are, if you teach them how. Make it such

that by the time you graduate, it would be difficult for you to get in. Now THAT’s

building a legacy for your organization!

2. Recruiting only the first few weeks of each semester

In order to build strong and consistent recruitment practices in a chapter, it is

essential to view recruitment as a year-round responsibility.. Keep potential

members fresh in the minds of your members, discuss them at each chapter

meeting and continually add new recruits to your Wish List. Doing so allows time

to evaluate if these people align with your values and will be the type of member

you really want. Taking time to do this also allows those people who never

thought they would join (and often become our best members) to learn what

you are REALLY about. Time breaks down those negative stereotypes and allows

potential members to see what our organizations are truly about by seeing how

we normally act. We can stack the deck with sophomores who we have been

recruiting to be a part of that formal process from the prior semester. This is

legal, not dirty. It should be encouraged, not discouraged, by your community’s

rules and norms.

3. Lacking an action plan

Your chapter should have a list of goals, due dates, intermediary steps necessary

to accomplish those goals, and finally, who is responsible for each goal. Without

a plan of action in place, we see chapters flounder around hoping someone will

get things done. One member expects another will do it, then right before it’s too

late, someone throws something together. A well-developed action plan guides

chapter efforts and lays out each step necessary to get you where you want to

be. It is also a great tool allowing advisors and volunteers to hold you

accountable and even provide you with support in critical ways.

4. Delegating recruitment to just one member

For you to be successful, you must have the majority of the chapter bought into

your recruitment efforts. This doesn’t mean everyone is involved in all details. It

just means that each member has clear responsibility for basic participation. We

can’t delegate recruitment to just one person and hope they succeed. Does the

academic chair take all of your tests? Does the treasurer pay everyone’s dues?

No! Again, “People join people and the organization follows.” We need for our

members to be the reason why someone joins. Lots of people networking

throughout the entire year is more realistic and natural than a bum rush

mentality by a few; it’s the difference between cramming for finals and studying

along the way. The best performers in the classroom are the ones that do a little

work each week and don’t just cram. If we can have more of our members doing

a little work each week, we can reach more potential members in natural and

meaningful ways where we actually get to know each other.

When one member convinces people to join a chapter full of others whom they

don’t really know, retention drops. People don’t like a bait and switch, “like me,

but join them.” Getting more members involved spreads out our network and

allows us to recruit a wider range of people, more effectively..

5. Recruiting only freshmen students

Which year of school fails out at the highest rate? Which is involved in the most

alcohol and drug violations? Worst grades? Perfect! Let’s target THAT group and

no other! DUH!!

Not all first year students are bad people who will get drunk and fail out, but

statistically they are more likely to do so. Therefore, we shouldn’t be so

dependent upon just that population. Plus, everyone else targets first-year

students. That market is saturated with those efforts. The growth market for any

community is the sophomore class. With the strong negative stereotypes out

there about fraternal organization, can we blame someone for taking a year to

watch us to figure out they aren’t really true?

You might be thinking that only freshmen are interested in fraternity or sorority

membership, because older students already have an established group of

friends. Even if that were true, we can still succeed in recruiting older students if

what we offer is more than just friendship. Good chapters offer much more and

many older students figure that out. They will join if we ask them.

Yes, of course you should recruit freshman students. But, you should also

actively target, and not just passively accept, older students as well. We need to

recruit all students who can improve a chapter through their membership

regardless of their age. The lifetime commitment to your organization will allow

them to contribute for years to come, even after they graduate.

1. Blowing Off Class: A lot of guys new to fraternities spend the first semester hitting up parties instead of hitting the books. While a healthy social life is an important aspect of being in a fraternity, the simple fact is that fraternities exist within educational institutions for a reason and education is an integral part of Greek Life. Shirking your studies can not only get you flunked out of college, but kicked out of your fraternity too. So make sure to go to all your classes and set aside an appropriate amount of time to study. Talk with more senior members of your fraternity about time management strategies. You’ll most likely find that fraternity brothers who have the most success are the ones most diligent about prioritizing study time.

2. Snubbing Old Friends: Fraternities are known for fostering life-long friendships. It’s true that you and your chapter buddies will bond over your shared interests and the unique perks of Greek Life. But chances are you have friends who either didn’t choose to join a fraternity or tried but didn’t get in. Guys new to fraternities often assume that hanging out with non-fraternity friends is frowned upon or is a sign that they’re not serious about their fraternity. But this isn’t the case. Fraternities value a diversity of friendships and interests. As long as your non-fraternity friends aren’t ragging on you about your choice to be in a fraternity, there’s no reason to snub them or make them feel inferior. In fact, doing so only makes fraternities seem snobby and intolerant.

3. Practicing Unsafe Sex: One of the major perks of being in a fraternity is definitely the social capital. Between the parties and campus-wide prestige, being in a fraternity means your circle of friends and those who want to be more than just friends is going to widen. So it’s not surprising that you’ll have more options and opportunities for hook-ups now that you’re in a fraternity. But as with so many good things that suddenly become more abundant, it’s easy to forget the golden rule of getting it on—wrap it up!

Tell pledges to take pride in their scrapbook because it is what represents their class

Fill their time with things so they don’t have time to break dry pledging

• But remember that the fraternity did not offer you a bid and welcome you into their fraternity because of who you are today.  They want you to be their brother for the man you will become.
• One of the most important parts about fraternity life is you will experience growing socially and intellectually with other high quality men.  Because you are in a setting where growth and achievement are important, you will become a better man. This is all because of your commitment to your fraternity and the men in it.
• Take a cue from your soon-to-be brothers and be honest with them.  Discuss your concerns openly and honestly. You will find that there are others who have felt the same way you do.  If you fear being open and honest with your brothers this late in your new member program, I fear you might have missed one of its most important lessons.
• Reasons fraternities build leaders

• Reason #1: During Pledging

• As difficult as it may be to imagine, the simple acting of pledging (usually for a semester) for a fraternity already sows the seed for great leadership skills. This is because in order to develop leadership skills yourself, you need to have exposure to effective leaders. During your pledging period, you will face both trials and jubilations.
• You will know what you are working for and an effective leader will only serve to make your hungrier to succeed.

• Reason #2: Leadership Opportunities Are EVERYWHERE!

• The first thing you’ll notice when you join a fraternity is that the general membership is anything but “ordinary” or “typical.” In fact, most of the members will have already shown an aptitude and interest in leadership that you might never have experienced before.
• Between sports, extracurricular activities, student government and other areas to test your mettle, every day will offer new opportunities and experiences that will hone your edge as an effective, productive leader.

• Reason #3: Academic Excellence

• One of the greatest components of successful and effective leadership is to lead by example. Although many people view fraternities as nothing more than a chance to “live it up” in the university setting, the reality is that many fraternities have rigorous academic standards that they expect every fraternity member to adhere to. This is just one way that members are encouraged and instructed on how to lead by example. Failure to live up to these standards is an easy way to find yourself without a fraternity.

• Reason #4: Community Service

• In addition to the programs and activities that fraternities sponsor and participate in on campus, there are additionally community service opportunities that exist off campus. This is not only vital towards developing and strengthening your leadership skills, it also provides multiple chances to network with business leaders in your community and to work diligently towards a common, worthwhile goal!
• Tell everyone take everything one step at a time
• Study hours
• Reward them for high test grades
• Figure out how to make pledges want to be here

First, guided character development.

Our pledge pin is three stars with a crescent over it. We tell new members it means scholarship, fellowship, and character with the overarching guidance of the actives above them. Our ritual spells out some other principles and explains what they mean. We just came up with synonyms. We decided to go with integrity, brotherhood, being a gentleman.

Pledgeship was 8 weeks. The first week was devoted to pledge class elections and getting all the logistics taken care of. The last week was devoted to major projects. The six weeks in the middle had one of those six values assigned to each week. We did an hour long session on the topic as part of their weekly pledge class meeting, and reinforced it constantly throughout the week in the lessons they were learning from the chapter.

Rather than sitting in their first fraternity meeting as an initiate the next semester and not having any idea how the chapter works, now they have some direct hands-on experience with the majority of what we do. Maybe somewhere in there they find the niche they really like. Worst case you get some fresh ideas and accomplish some work that makes the chapter look good without a whole lot of effort by actives.

Finally, we instituted a dry pledgeship.

Like probably everyone, we use our pledges as designated drivers, but we took that to the next level. We basically told them they were on-call 24/7 as designated drivers. If they drank at all they were directly endangering our lives, and that doesn’t fly. We didn’t actually call them 24/7 for that duty. The pledge trainer would make up a schedule of who was expected to be on duty each Thurs-Sat night or when something was happening on an off night.

When guys were going to the bars, everyone would meet up to pre-drink at the house, a few pledges would be on duty there to drive them all down and then wait at the house to come pick them up again at closing time or when they were called. They would be in a quiet room studying or if they didn’t have anything to work on they could hang out in the chapter room playing pool or whatever – just so they weren’t drinking. That gave them a chance to enjoy the actual house as something that belonged to them without actives being around to remind them it doesn’t yet.

We made them these one-color front/back shirts with our letters on the front and “Designated Driver” on the back. They’d wear those when on DD duty or at parties. It’s great PR by the way, and goes over great with cops if they do get pulled over. You’d be amazed the bars that will let an underage DD in wearing that shirt while following us around, and the numbers they got from girls looking like both the responsible friend and the downtrodden pledge. Great move & super cheap to do. I think our T-Shirt guy may have actually just given us those for free the first time.

Couple other things we did were: we made them set up (so they know how to access University resources) and attend a leadership workshop with the student org development folks in the student affairs dept; and, we made them do a similar session on career placement, resume writing, etc from which they had to produce a resume with a cover letter like they were applying to be in our fraternity – I think that was probably week 2. We ended up expanding that career development thing into a program for seniors where they’d attend quarterly regional alumni events and be hooked up with an alumni mentor in the field they’re trying to get into.

Oh yeah, we did one other thing too – that will be the featured article tomorrow.

• Advancing social change begins with recognizing that we each have the power to serve and lead. According to Robert Greenleaf, who coined the term servant leadership, this exercise of power “begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”

http://scientificbrains.com/4-ways-to-accquire-navy-seals-mental-toughness/