Frat recruitment needs makeover

This editorial in the University of Florida student paper talks about the need to remake the image of fraternities and the way they go about recruiting.

Frat recruitment needs makeover

By Eddie Sarrine
Speaking Out

Once perceived as exclusive organizations for well-rounded men, fraternities are now viewed as holding tanks for a bunch of drunken fools.

So, it's no surprise that the number of men pledging fraternities has decreased dramatically. Especially at UF, where incoming freshmen have become progressively independent and free-thinking, rush has been placed on the back burner. Most freshmen shun the idea, considering the pledge process far too time consuming and self-deprecating than the membership is worth.
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Fraternities offer amazing opportunities for bettering and advancing yourself. It's very difficult to join one of these organizations and stay uninvolved. Each house runs like a business, which means there are countless leadership roles to be filled.[...]Trust me, when a chapter treasurer tells a job-recruiter that he managed a $300,000 fraternity budget, the recruiter listens.

Take a look around campus and you'll notice that many university leaders are fraternity men. Ryan Moseley, our Student Body president, is a Sig Ep. Al Warrington, a UF trustee, is a Chi Phi. Even Bernie Machen, UF's president, is a Sigma Chi. Warrington once told me that his success stems from lessons he learned while living in the fraternity house. Considering his name is engraved on the business college, I'll respect his point.
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Fraternities should take a recruitment lesson from the sororities, which are more popular today than ever before. Sorority recruitment runs like a highly efficient machine. It's well-marketed, organized and intense, requiring potential members to visit every house over the course of a week. Although daunting, the process allows each sorority to highlight its strongest points, whether it be a high GPA, networking opportunities or sisterhood. Furthermore, it allows potential members to make intelligent, objective decisions before committing.
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Fraternities should market the big picture by highlighting accomplished brothers who have done well. They should promote success and encourage incoming members to get involved.

A fraternity is a great networking tool. At a school as large as UF, it's a huge head start over everyone else.

Good points. SigEp and the other fraternities have a good story to tell. It is a shame that it gets overshadowed by the lapses in judgement that get so much publicity.

The Independent Florida Alligator - Frat recruitment needs makeover