1993 Volume 116 No 1–4 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive
1993 Volume 116 No 1–4 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive
1993 Volume 116 No 1–4 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive
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Page One<br />
How can you improve rush, alumni<br />
relations & save money ... pledge legacies<br />
by Arby Dickert<br />
General Council member-at-large<br />
W<br />
hy is it so difficult for a<br />
legacy to get a bid from<br />
some of our chapters If<br />
you are an alumnus with a coUegeage<br />
son, this question goes through<br />
your mind more than once in the fall.<br />
But for many chapters the answer is<br />
simple: chapters are autonomous and<br />
the members alone decide who joins.<br />
<strong>No</strong> amount of alvimni pressure can<br />
change that, and often alumni pressure<br />
only serves to make the situation<br />
worse—^marking the legacy as someone<br />
who assumes he will get a bid.<br />
This is certain to ruin any rushee's<br />
chances on many campuses.<br />
Generational misunderstanding<br />
between alumni and the chapter<br />
leadership obscures the chapter's<br />
vision of the real issues regarding<br />
legacies, however. Certainly there is<br />
damage done to alimini relations<br />
when a legacy is not given consideration,<br />
but the chapter may also be<br />
damaging its own recruiting efforts.<br />
Chapters that ignore legacies may<br />
be missing out on one of the best<br />
recruiting opportunities during rush.<br />
Look at the trends. On many college<br />
campuses, the number of men rushing<br />
college fraternities is decreasing.<br />
And many of the men looking to join<br />
are doing so merely for the sodal life.<br />
QuaUty rushees are becoming fewer<br />
and fewer.<br />
By identifying legacies—^relatives<br />
of all fratemity alimini—a chapter<br />
can make its recruiting efforts much<br />
easier. Studies show that the sons<br />
and daughters of Greek alumni are<br />
often sold on the Greek system before<br />
they ever set foot on the college campus.<br />
Legacies will often choose to<br />
rush the same organization as their<br />
parents due to loyalty and curiosity.<br />
What this means to the chapter is<br />
that most of the hard work of trjnng<br />
to seU the benefits of joining the<br />
chapter is already done. AU the chapter<br />
members have to do is treat the<br />
legacy with the same amount of<br />
friendliness and respect as other<br />
rushees and the chapter is almost<br />
assured of a new member.<br />
Legacies from other fraternities<br />
are also exceUent candidates.<br />
The other fraternities<br />
may treat their<br />
legacies with the same<br />
short sightedness that<br />
many of our chapters<br />
are guUty of. Alumni<br />
recommendations are<br />
laughed at, and no one<br />
asks the legacy over for<br />
rush.<br />
These legacies of<br />
other fraternities<br />
(LOOFs) have decided<br />
that they don't fit in<br />
with the eUtist jerks<br />
from their dad's fraternity<br />
and are looking<br />
around for another one to join.<br />
From an alumnus' perspective, the<br />
only thing worse than his son not<br />
joining his own fratemity is not joining<br />
a fratemity at aU. So he wiU probably<br />
encourage his son to look at the<br />
other groups on campus.<br />
So what does the LOOF do He<br />
goes in search of a group he feels<br />
more comfortable with. He brings his<br />
roommate along. Often, he'U hide the<br />
fact that he is a LOOF because he<br />
doesn't want to be embarrassed<br />
twice.<br />
Once he pledges, he vwU probably<br />
have the backing from his dad, who<br />
by this time is pleased his son<br />
pledged a fratemity whether it was<br />
his or not. When 1 say backing, I<br />
don't just mean emotional backing,<br />
but ftnandal backing as weU.<br />
The father of a legacy or a LOOF is<br />
more willing to help bankroU the<br />
dues, partidpate in parent's weekends,<br />
serve on the house corporation,<br />
and fund house improvements.<br />
Rush is a major item of any<br />
chapter's budget. Chapters spend a<br />
lot of money to attract new members,<br />
but do chapter leaders take the time<br />
to figure out if the chapter is getting<br />
its money's worth Divide the rush<br />
budget by the number of <strong>Phi</strong>keias<br />
and compare this figure with a<br />
member's dues payments over four<br />
years and it is easy to see that it takes<br />
time for a chapter to get a return on<br />
its investment.<br />
I know if s blasphemiy to compare<br />
a fratemity to a business, but the<br />
A lengthy legacy: Arkansas Alpha has a<br />
tradition with the Suffridge family.<br />
Bufford '62, and his three undergraduate<br />
sons, J. B., <strong>Phi</strong>llip and Calvin are all<br />
members.<br />
facts are that rush is expensive.<br />
What does this aU have to do with<br />
legades Legades are cheap. They<br />
cost less to rush, they cost less to seU,<br />
and they are more likely to pay their<br />
house biUs.<br />
In sales and marketing, people<br />
figured out a long time ago that it is<br />
much easier to seU someone on a<br />
product or a concept if they already<br />
are a customer. If s caUed repeat<br />
business. If s caUed brand loyalty.<br />
The legacy business in rush is repeat<br />
business—^the easiest business to get.<br />
So how do you improve rush,<br />
better alumni relations, and save<br />
money in rush •
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