Stalk the Freshmen

For years people have been boiling recruitment down to three words. “Stalk the Freshmen!” Recruitment chairs always wonder why their members are so unmotivated to go out and do this type of “recruiting.” No surprise. It is uncomfortable, unnatural, and unnecessary.

Why stalk people you DO NOT know, when you can (and should) recruit people you DO know. If we focused on our natural network of friends, and that of our brothers and sisters’ we have more than enough high quality leads to recruit. Sure there are artificial strategies to build up the potential pool – referrals, cold calls even wandering around our classrooms introducing ourselves to strangers. These buckshot methods have no quality control to our efforts and just make people feel weird.

Collect names from our brother and sisters of people they think would be good members. Tell them to ignore how likely or not that person will join. If we push them to really think, it should be about three times the size of the chapter. Now we have a Wish List. This list should be where we are focusing our recruiting efforts. Not buckshot, sniper. Many people on the Wish List think and say they will never join. OK. Many of us said that once too. And, just like us, these are the women and men who will make your chapter great. Who will make our founders proud. Who will become the family we get to chose.

The founders of our fraternities and sororities relied upon the natural networks they develop to find new members. They got to know people through NORMAL life. Meeting people with whom they lived, studied and worked. People with similar interests whom they met NATURALLY. The values of the fraternity or sorority were used as a measuring stick against what they knew of that person. They debated and discussed whether the person would bring honor to them through fraternal association with them. Then asked him or her to join them in a sacred bond of sisterhood or brotherhood.

The challenge in recruiting some of the best of our Wish list is that they know us well enough to question our claims. If your chapter ISN’T all that it says it is, they know the truth. A brother once told me that this type of recruiting can’t work. See, he wouldn’t put one of his close friends through the pledge program. He just couldn’t do that to someone he really liked! WHAT!? Others have said she is too old. She’s already a Sophomore, or (GASP!) a Junior! Well if our chapter doesn’t find value in older leadership, or just repeats the same old programming focused at the first two years of school, there is no wonder why we have such senior flight! Maybe recruiting more of these Wish Listers will force us to find, and fix the flaws in our chapter. Hmmm.

Sounds so natural. Sounds so clean. No cheesy awkward sales B.S. Sounds like the exact OPPOSITE of what so many chapters are doing RIGHT NOW in their desperate frenzy of getting new members. “Hi, what’s your name? Wanna join an organization for the rest of your life? Let me tell you about my fraternity! We are the BEST fraternity on campus. We’ve won Greek Week for the last THREE YEARS! We throw the sickest parties. You want good grades? That’s cool. We have a guy who got a 4.0 last year. We are really diverse. We totally have the tightest brotherhood too. Want some wings?”

As co-founder of CAMPUSPEAK, David Stollman has facilitated workshops on over 350 campuses and has also served on the faculty of numerous university and fraternal leadership conventions.  David is a crowd favorite keynoting the Greek regional conferences – MGCA, SEIFC, NGLA, SEPC, and WRGLC.  He is also an active volunteer for his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon.  David went to the University of Maryland for undergraduate degrees in both Government and Communications. David lives in New York City and enjoys following his Maryland Terps basketball team.

You! Do Work!

We’ve rounded the hump of the middle of the semester and your are either coming off of a big recruitment push or gearing up for next semester’s big push. Either way you might be experiencing a lack of motivation in your chapter when it comes to recruitment. You’re likely frustrated, overwhelmed, and a little burnt out. You might be asking yourself, “Why can’t I get anyone in the chapter to do any recruitment?” There is only one solution to this problem – Do Work!

It starts with you. It starts with one.

You can’t motivate your chapter to do work. You can’t even motivate five people to do work. The only thing you can do is motivate yourself. Do Work! You have the power to recruit and be successful. You may not be able to single-handedly double your chapter in size within the next four to six weeks of the semester, but you DO have the power to bring men or women into your organization – one, two, five or more highly qualified and highly motivated members. However, you aren’t going to get there by complaining or by pushing members of your chapter to do it. The only way it will happen is if you – Do Work!

You have to model the way. You have to – Do Work! If you are in charge of recruitment for your chapter and don’t actually do any recruitment, how can you expect any of your members to do any work? You have to be the role model. You have to set the standard. You have to be the best recruiter in the chapter. You have to be the most motivated member of the group. You have to – Do Work! Stop worrying about what people aren’t doing and get busy. Make friends, attend events, hang out, be visible, and be around. Do the things you wish your members would do. As you start to bring people to the organization or into the organization, others will notice and want to help, but if you aren’t doing the work – who will?

YOU have to meet people. You have to get their contact information. You have to add their name to the Names List. You have to hang out with them doing small activities. You have to talk to them about the sorority/fraternity. You have to – Do Work! Be the model of Social Excellence within your chapter. Be the model of good recruitment. Set the standard. Do Work!

Here are five things you can do in the next seven days:

1. Sit somewhere different in class or next to someone you don’t typically sit near (you may have to show up a little late or a little early to do that) and turn them and introduce yourself and ask them to study with you.

2. Go to a campus event on campus (blood drive, speaker, late-night event, student government meeting) and work the room. Meet the people who are there.

3. Call, email or facebook someone you met earlier in the semester and reconnect. Find a reason to hang out, study, or find something that they are doing for a student group they are in and go.

4. Ask one of your new members to introduce you to the people on their floor. Have them take you into their dorm door-to-door to meet them, say hi, and try to strike up a conversation with them (asking about future plans, classes, etc.)

5. Sign up for a service event on campus and go. Make friends with the other people there.

Recruitment success starts with you. It starts with one. Stop complaining about everyone else. Stop making excuses. Suck it up and – Do Work! You may be the only one, but if you don’t, who will? Do Work!

Jessica Gendron Williams is the Director of Women’s Educatoin for Phired Up Productions and brings a wealth of experience and skill when it comes to organizational recruitment and fraternity/sorority culture.  You can see more posts by Jessica at Phired Up’s Recruitment Blog.   Jessica has a Bachelor of Art degree in Graphic Design from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Science in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University – Bloomington.  She is co-author of I Heart Recruitment: The Eight Steps to Limitless Possibility for Sororities.  Jessica is a proud member of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority which she joined at EIU.  She now lives in Peoria, Illinois with her husband. Contact Jessica at (217) 390-7556 or Jessica@PhiredUp.com

Recruit Smarter, Not Harder

Let me just throw this out there:  Rush sucks.

It is exhausting, expensive and time-consuming.  Most importantly it is used as a crutch by many chapters, relying on potential new members to come to us rather than seeking out the top men on campus.  Should we do away with rush?  Of course not.  Rush is a great opportunity to introduce potential new members that you have been year-round recruiting as well as showcase the fraternity to men that are first considering fraternity membership.  However, rush should be the icing on the cake, not the end all be all.  Similarly, the amount of time the chapter spends focused on rush should proportionate to other methods of recruitment.

Unquestionably, every campus and Greek community is different.  However, here are some time-tested recruitment tactics that if used will yield positive results:

Discuss recruitment weekly - If your recruitment chairman has no report after rush, you’re blowing it.  Recruitment should be discussed weekly.  Whether it is discussing potential new members, upcoming small-group activities, or even ideas for rush the next semester/term, you have to keep recruitment relevant.  The weekly recruitment discussions should be supplemented by recruitment committee meetings where the overarching recruitment plan is discussed in depth.  This committee will also help the recruitment chairman manage the chapter wish list and plan recruitment activities and events.

Ask for referrals - If you need to grow your wish list, just ask.  During the summer, send out emails to all chapter and area alumni asking for names of students they might know are or will be attending your college.  After every sorority has taken a pledge class, visit each sorority and ask them for referrals of the top men on campus they know that should be in a fraternity.  Bring flowers and consider offering a prize such as a formal dinner for the sorority that offers the most referrals.  On one expansion project, our expansion team has received over 400 referrals from seven sororities.  The colony ended up holding a dinner with every chapter.  I guess it was a win-win situation…

Get involved - Do you have members who say they don’t know any potential new members?  Of course you do.  There is a good chance that these guys are not involved in another orgazation on campus.  I would recommend that you make it a requirement that all members are involved in one other student organization on campus.  The more organizations your chapter members are involved in, the larger your prospect pool.  Have your members bring in the rosters from their other organizations and share the names of all the members who should be Phis.

Scout! - Top sports teams don’t wait until draft day to narrow their search for new team members.  They begin the search years in advance to the big day and look for men that will compliment their program.  Why don’t we do this?  The scouting for the top Phi prospects begins today.  Go to your campus website, search student organizations, and add the names and emails of every male non-Greek student organization leader to the wish list.  I would recommend club sports, student government, campus newspaper, resident advisers, new-student orientation, faith-based, and business-oriented organizations.  Discuss these names with chapter members and have people who know them invite them to coffee or lunch with a member of your recruitment committee.  If no one knows them, it’s time for the recruitment committee to make first contact.  Once you recruit the leader of a group, there is a good chance other will follow.  Don’t beleive me?  Just ask the 60+ Founding Fathers at San Diego State…

Know your product - It is great to talk about Neil Armstrong, Lou Gehrig, and Burt Reynolds but how do those guys benefit our potential new members?  Take time to make a list of the things in your chapter that benefit your members.  Supplement that list with other benefits of membership provided through the Fraternity’s Foundation and General Headquarters.  Discussing things like leadership conferences, online networking, member-development webinars, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars given out in scholarships to members of Phi Delta Theta.  It also helps to know statistics.  Did you know that 230,000+ men have been initiated into Phi Delt, we have 115+ alumni clubs, and nearly 169 chapters and colonies?  If you didn’t, there is a good chance that neither did your potential new members.

Read dummy! – There are few people that naturally are good fraternity recruiters.  For the rest of us, there are books and websites that can actually teach you how to be better recruiters. Visiting websites like www.recruitordie.com or www.phiredup.com for online recruitment resources.  Read books like Mattson and Orendi’s Good Guys and  Carnegie’s How to Make Friends and Influence People for additional advice.

Try some of these out and see what works.  If it doesn’t work right away, go back to the drawing board and figure out how it could.  Once you have it figured write it down!  Every chapter should have a detailed, written-recruitment program to pass down to each successive recruitment chairman.

Now go forth and make it rain.

Shazaam.

Dustin Struble is a 2006 graduate from California State University, Chico where he served as IFC President, Order of Omega President, and was a student government officer.  Dustin joined the GHQ staff in 2007, originally as a consultant for the Northeast Region.  In 2008, he took over as Director of Expansion overseeing the growth of all colonies and interest groups of the Fraternity.   Following his time in Oxford, Dustin intends to pursuit a Masters Degree in Higher Education.  Dustin enjoys running, reading, karaoke, and In-N-Out Burger.

Using Technology in Your Recruitment Efforts

In today’s world, those who do not adapt to technological change will be left behind.  Companies who do not embrace new technologies to reach their customers will eventually fall behind tech-savvy companies determined to acquire market share through today’s technological platforms.

You know what these platforms are – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, iPhone applications, wikis for solving issues, etc.

It seems like everywhere we go now, companies, organizations, politicians, athletes, and many other entities are promoting their presence on these platforms.  Some do it well but others seem to just do it because everyone else is doing it.  Those doing it well have a distinct strategy behind why they spend time developing content to share through these platforms.

We, at Phi Delta Theta, utilize these technologies for three reasons: First, they help us communicate the good works that our undergraduates and alumni are doing throughout the world, dispelling stereotypes about being a part of the Greek community.  Second, by creating a culture of good news and camaraderie, our membership base is more likely to help each other and be open to our educational efforts, leading to an enhanced and better educated collection of undergraduate chapters and alumni clubs.  Finally, but most importantly, by giving those who are not Phi Delts a glimpse into what goes on within our organization and the benefits, we are setup for success when it comes to recruiting new Phi Delts and spreading the message that our Founders entrusted to us.

Your chapter can take this same approach and use technology to enhance your recruitment efforts.  Remember, the goal is not to aimlessly fish for bites or stalk potential members online, rather, the approach allows potential new members to find and learn more about your chapter that  much easier.

I’ve also recommended below who should be responsible for building each piece of your online strategy and managing its content.  Communications committees consisting of your recruitment chairman, historian, PR chairman, webmaster, and secretary help keep the strategy alive.

As a disclaimer, let me state that technology will help you build a bigger pool of potential members, but quality personal interactions with this pool will ultimately lead to larger Phikeia classes. People join people, not Facebook or Twitter posts.  The following tactics will lead people to you, but you have to convince them to join.

1.  Facebook Fan Page – Close to 90% of college students use Facebook at an average of 30 minutes a day.  You need to be recruiting within Facebook and this means more than just changing your status update or profile picture to “Rush Phi Delt” – everyone’s doing that.  A Facebook Fan Page provides your chapter with the opportunity to have a living presence on Facebook.  Facebook’s movement away from groups now allows your chapter’s updates to its Fan Page to be seen on your fans’ Feeds.  The Fan Page is a great landing spot to post the different content that is created about your chapter.  See Phi Delta Theta’s Fan Page for ideas and to see already developed chapter fan pages or create one by visiting the following link.  Recommended Officer – PR Chairman

2.  Chapter Blog – A chapter blog is a phenomenal way to share the Phi Delt experience with those who may be interested.  It allows you to document the life of your chapter.  Recap your events, highlight brothers and officers who have done great things within the chapter and on campus, ask alumni and parents to contribute. Make a blog calendar to map out who you want to contribute and give deadlines. Get creative and make sure to share your blog posts on your Facebook Fan Page. Two of the more popular sites to start your blog are WordPress and Blogger. See how Phi Delta Theta utilizes its blog.  Recommended Officer – Historian and Secretary

3.  Twitter Page – Despite one’s viewpoint or thoughts about Twitter, it has become relevant and can help you.  Contrary to popular belief, Twitter does not need to be time consuming.  There are tools that make managing your chapter’s Twitter account so simple you don’t even have to do anything once it is setup!   You can link up all of your Facebook Fan Page updates to the Twitter page so everything is replicated on Twitter.  To further the content on your chapter’s Twitter page, link up your chapter’s blog, so all posts are sent to Twitter as well.  Yahtzee, your Twitter account is now automated.  Recommended Officer – Nobody (Automate it)

4.  YouTube Channel – Besides being there in person, there is no better and more realistic way to feature your chapter than through the use of video.  A YouTube Channel allows your chapter to share its videos from different activities throughout the year.  Purchase a Flip Video for the chapter to have at all activities, create a chapter YouTube account, and create your channel to host all of your videos. A robust collection of videos will actually show potential new members the many different things you do rather than just hearing about them.  Recommended Officer – PR Chairman or someone who is good with video.

5.  Up-To-Date Websites – Where do most of your potential new members go to learn more?  That’s right, your website.  Your website should be your landing spot, allowing all visitors to learn more but also be easily linked to your other online content.  We’ve tried to make up-to-date websites easy for you by offering chapter websites through the GIN System.   There is now even the capability to insert a “Connect with Phi Delt” section on your homepage of these sites that allows you to link visitors to your Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Page, YouTube Channel, and Blog.  If you have not created a presence in all four areas, don’t worry, they default to what we have created for the General Fraternity. If you do not have a GIN website, that’s ok, just make sure visitors can find a way to all of your sites. See Indiana Lambda’s website as a good example.  Recommended Officer – Webmaster

6.  Facebook Ads – Ready to take your online presence and recruitment efforts to the next level?  Once you have the pieces above in place it’s time to launch a Facebook ad.  These ads allow you to target male students on your campus and you only pay when others click on your ad.  The biggest roadblock you’ll have is convincing your brothers that recruitment monies may be more efficiently utilized on this rather than t-shirts or big dinners.  I promise you though, done right, Facebook ads will build traffic to your online presence and ultimately to interest in Phi Delta Theta.  Don’t believe me, ask the soon-to-be initiated and installed, 50+ man Maryland Delta Colony at Johns Hopkins how they learned about Phi Delta Theta last fall.  To learn more about how to set these up, watch our on-demand presentation on Facebook Ads. Recommended Officer – Recruitment Chairman

7.  Google Documents – Google documents have become a great way for people to collaborate on projects.  They can also be used for recruitment in a few ways:  One, it is important for potential members to have a way to show their interest in Phi Delta Theta on your website.  If you have a GIN website, under the Join Us tab, there is an interest form already built in to help.  If you don’t have a GIN website, you can create an interest form through Google Documents and provide a link to it on your website.  Interested students fill out the form, and their information pulls directly to a spreadsheet within your Google account.  Once the form is being filled out by potential new members, the other great use for Google Documents is for the management of your chapter’s wish list.  Within Google Documents, you can build your wish list in Excel and share it with your brothers.  This way, when someone wants to make updates to it, they can, no matter where they are.  If you want to place different levels of administration to the list, you can do this as well.   Learn more about Google Documents. Recommended Officer – Recruitment Chairman

So there you have it, a roadmap to improve your recruitment efforts with technology.  We hope you’ll take the time to utilize technology during recruitment, and we promise that you will be pleased with your results.

After spending time as a Leadership Consultant and the Director of Expansion, Steve Good is now the Director of Education & Technology at GHQ. He spent his undergraduate days at Iowa State University and is currently working to obtain his MBA at Xavier University.

The Ol’ Spicy, Deep Fried, Bait and Switch

Rush events are great.  Free wings, steak dinners, raffles for a PS3, maybe even some laser tag.

There’s about a 99% chance that your chapter or someone else on your campus hosted one of the events above (or something very similar) in the last couple of months.  Everyone is attempting to outdo one another (while exerting a ton of energy and spending quite a bit of money) in an attempt to outdraw every other chapter, for three to seven nights of the year.

And why do we do this?  Partially, it’s because rush is an institution and a necessary evil, and we as chapters, need to participate in it to be competitive on campus and to get our name out there.  The theory is, we get people there, they meet us, eat our food, play our games, and get to know us over a couple of days, then they’ll sign a bid card.

But if I’m a rushee who has been wooed into signing a bid card with the combination of cayenne pepper and deep-friend goodness, I’m looking for the blue cheese and celery immediately following Phikiea induction.

That’s an obvious exaggeration, but my point is what we are doing during rush isn’t an accurate representation of who we are- it’s false advertising- the ol’ bait and switch.  The majority of rush events are not events that will happen as part of the actual Phi Delt experience once someone is a Phikeia or an initiated member. Because last time I checked, all you can eat boneless wings aren’t normally included in most chapter’s dues structure.

You always hear about focusing on year-round recruitment opposed to rush and the main reason for this is simply because of the numbers.  There are a whole lot more students on campus than those who go through rush, so that’s a no brainer. But the other thing that you’re able to accomplish by recruiting year round is by having activities with potential new members that showcase who you are as a chapter and who you want to be while not spending much extra time of money doing it.

Define who you are and who you want to be and recruit members informally.  If you’re an athletic chapter that loves intramurals, invite someone to an intramural practice, or if rules allow it, have them be on your team.  Do you have an alumni event coming up?  Why not invite someone from class to stop by the house and meet a successful alumnus. Just hanging out?  That’s OK too, bring them by to play Madden or shoot pool, hang out- it’s what we do, but outside of the rush setting it doesn’t seem so fake.  None of this stuff is over the top or even obvious that it’s a recruitment tactic, it’s just a chance for you to introduce your chapter and your members to someone that doesn’t include spicy BBQ.

There’s also a side of using year round recruitment to improve the quality and quantity of your membership.  Are you having a hard time getting guys to show up for service events or speakers on campus?  If you invite guys to participate in these types of events with your chapter prior to joining, they will see this as a part of who you are and not it will only help grow your chapter, but it will help you find Phikeia that are a lot more likely to be great brothers and not be fined for not showing up to this type of event.

If you already have elements of these concepts in your rush events , great, but make sure you’re pushing similar activities into other times of the year.  Because while everyone is always looking for the next ground breaking, revolutionary rush idea, chances are, you already know it; it’s something that you did last week or already have on the calendar next month.

DISCLAIMER- This blog intended to make a point about recruitment and the opinions expressed here are not representative of my own feelings about Buffalo Wings or those of Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity.

Sean Wagner has been a member of the Fraternity’s GHQ staff for six years serving as a Leadership Consultant, Director of Expansion, Director of Alumni Services, and is currently the Associate Executive Vice President.  He is a member of the Pennsylvania Mu Chapter and a graduate of Widener University and is pursuing his Masters in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from Northern Kentucky University and currently resides in Cincinnati.

Iron Phi – Join the Brotherhood of Athletes

Written by Steve Good

Two years ago, I decided that it was time to check running a marathon off of my “Things to do before I get too old list.”  Despite spending my Saturdays in ice baths, going through two boxes of band-aids, losing two toenails, relying on Body Glide to get me through the week, and getting stuck behind a guy wearing nothing but a hospital gown and fake derriere during the race, I consider completing a marathon one of the most memorable experiences of my life. 

Memorable, yes, but I can’t say it was 100% rewarding.  Upon crossing the finish line, I had two immediate regrets: One, I had trained and raced alone, and two, I didn’t run with purpose.  Throughout the 26.2 mile trek, I was amazed by the passion and camaraderie of the many “charity runners” entered in the race.  These runners had trained with small groups and raised money for a cause during their quest to call themselves “marathoners” or “half-marathoners.”  While I was questioning my sanity and eating every banana within sight upon finishing, the charity runners were rejoicing their accomplishments in a wave of emotion, knowing that they had truly made a difference.

At that moment, a light bulb appeared.

Phi Delta Theta has an enormous network of brothers who enjoy life by the help and society of others.  We also have a truly unique partnership with The ALS Association; a partnership that many believe could be enhanced tenfold.

Enter Iron Phi.

Iron Phi is a new philanthropic initiative within Phi Delta Theta that has the potential to capture the energy, competitive drive, youthfulness, and philanthropic nature of our members.  Iron Phi’s mission is to strengthen the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity and the impact it has on the fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease through the fundraising and athletic efforts of its members.

To become an ”Iron Phi” members of Phi Delta Theta (undergraduates and alumni) must select an athletic endeavor (marathon, half-marathon, running relay, 5K, triathlon, ironman, bike race, etc.), raise $1,000 for that athletic event, and accomplish the athletic event itself. It is our goal to have a select number of large-scale Iron Phi events each year across North America, with the first one occurring at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati this May.  We also envision brothers becoming “Iron Phis” through chapter or individual-led athletic endeavors in local communities.

Fifty percent of Iron Phi fundraising dollars will be sent to The ALS Association as a donation made in your name.  The other half will support the Phi Delta Theta Foundation, strengthening the Fraternity’s future.  Benefits for Iron Phis include an Iron Phi Bond number, an Iron Phi performance shirt for your race, a chance to be on a MLB field for next year’s Lou Gehrig Award presentation, recognition of your accomplishment in The Scroll, and the personal satisfaction of competing with purpose and brotherhood.

Nicknamed the “Iron Horse” for his perseverance, Lou Gehrig considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of this earth” upon retirement despite having a terminal illness that ultimately took his life.  Lou was the ultimate Iron Phi.

So Phi Delts, let’s honor Brother Lou’s legacy through the development and growth of the Iron Phi program.  Will you join us?

To learn more about our plans, how you can become an Iron Phi, or how you can help, visit www.tinyurl.com/ironphi or become a fan of Iron Phi on Facebook.

After spending time as a Leadership Consultant and the Director of Expansion, Steve Good is now the Director of Education & Technology at GHQ. He spent his undergraduate days at Iowa State University and is currently working to obtain his MBA at Xavier University.

On Being a Brother

One of my best friends is getting married.  He also happens to be a chapter brother. As my friend and brother prepares for a new life with his soon-to-be wife, it’s given me the opportunity to reflect on our relationship as friends, and more importantly, as brothers.

This is a tricky one as there are certainly differences between being a “brother” and a “friend” but the differences are so very hard to identify and dissect.  If you look up friend in the dictionary you’ll find that is it defined as one attached to another by affection or esteem; while brother is simply one related to another by common ties or interests.  Neither of these really help.

As a member of the General Council, I participate in all of our educational programming for undergraduates and alumni volunteers. Without question, the biggest issue we discuss is the idea of holding each other more accountable and responsible.  Time and again a discussion that starts about member apathy or counterproductive Phikeia education devolves into exploring a willingness to hold brothers accountable to the standards of their chapter and our International Fraternity.

All too often a chapter struggles because the members don’t hold each other accountable.  At the end of the day, I think this is the difference between just being a friend and being a brother.  Being a Brother in the Bond demands that we hold each other accountable to certain standards of conduct.  In fact, we’ve pledged to look out for one another, to be an advisor and counselor and to be a conservator of each other’s morals.  I think we forget about these pledges or more importantly we dismiss them as unnecessary or not our job.  Which I think is cowardly.

I actually think this is our biggest job as fraternity men.  I think this was ultimately what our Founding Fathers had in mind when they created our organization.  They wanted a support system to help them grow.  They understood their own folly and fallibility and knew that together they would be stronger, smarter, and ultimately better people.  I contend that this idea of being better because of our Brothers’ critical involvement in our lives is as relevant today as it was over 160 years ago.

We need to accept the challenge from our Founders to support our brothers when a helping hand is needed and confront when confrontation is demanded.  We need to create a culture in our chapters where we have functioning judicial boards that are not merely paper tigers but a living, active tool that helps reinforce the obligations and responsibilities of our membership.  We should encourage chapter-wide efforts to enforce our standards and we should learn to recognize and appreciate the men in our ranks who are courageous enough to be a brother, to provide us with the insight and input that can make us better men.

This brings me back to my brother who is getting married. I love Kevin because he holds me accountable.  He’s been this way since we met as freshman at Kent State and he continues this service in my life to this very day.  Plus, he demands this of me as well.  He wants my counsel and advice and while at times we don’t like to hear what the other has to say, we know that it is with true intentions that we confront one another.  It makes me feel closer to my brother and it makes me feel like I am accepting the challenge of our Founding Fathers – A challenge to be better than ordinary and to help those who have also accepted their charge to do the same.  It is through each other that those six men speak to us.  They challenge us and we should challenge each other a little more.

Rich Fabritius is a member-at-large on the General Council.  His other volunteer service to Phi Delt includes Education Commissioner and Province President.  Rich lives in Atlanta with his wife, Heather, and their daughters, Austin and Reese.  A past consultant and director of chapter services for the General Headquarters Staff; he is a graduate of Kent State University and a member of the Ohio Lambda Chapter.  Rich is Vice President, Managing Director of Brunner, an advertising and marketing agency.  His hobbies include traveling, golf, and fixing up his old pontoon boat.

Miller’s Meanderings – Volume 6

In Search of “National”

Many, many years ago when I first became involved professionally with the Fraternity, I served in a role that is now identified as a Chapter Consultant. As I traveled across North America, many Phis, both undergraduate and alumni, would ask the question, “How are things at “National?” In time, this became a bothersome question for two major reasons.

I soon learned that there was no clear definition of “national.” To some it meant the General Headquarters; to others it was the General Council. The term was used in reference to the Convention, and to some undergraduates it meant everything in the Fraternity outside the local chapter.

Aside from the confused meaning of the word, I was concerned that Phi Delta Theta had been an international Fraternity since 1902, and I thought reference to any part of the organization as “national” would be offensive to our Canadian brothers.

It was easy, as a young man, to take upon my shoulders the task of changing all my Phi Delta Theta brothers if not, indeed, anyone in the human race who continued to address Phi Delta Theta as a “national.”

Frankly, I felt I was doing quite well with my project. I was free with my advice while visiting undergraduate chapters and alumni clubs. I was about to shower myself with accolades until I paid a visit to one of our Canadian chapters and one of the members said to me, “How is everything at national?” With that my battle came to an abrupt halt, and I chalked this subject up as a lost cause.

An even more haunting rendition of this same subject has developed in recent years. Someone decided to add an “s” to “national,” so that now we hear the query, “How is everything at nationals?” The term is no more clear than its predecessor and in some ways is more confusing. Is the word singular or plural? I saw it used in a column heading of a newspaper with a singular verb. This proves nothing because I have also seen members of the press treat the word “media” as a singular noun.

I see another lost battle in the future if I take on the task of eliminating “nationals,” so I’ll not try. If you wish to be proper, refrain from using either “national” or “nationals” in reference to Phi Delta Theta. Ours is a General Fraternity, served by a General Headquarters, which was created by a General Council, elected at a General Convention.

If, on the other hand, you are a casual individual who prefers to wear his loafers sans socks and dines in Five Star restaurants wearing jeans and a T-shirt, go ahead and say “national” or “nationals.” The rest of us will attempt to understand what you mean.

My personal editor and good friend, Charles Hooper, Davidson ’55, suggests I explain to those who do not know me, that the preceding sentence carries with it “a tongue-in-cheek, twinkle-in-the-eye tone.”

Brother Robert J. Miller joined the General Headquarters staff in 1951 and was named Executive Secretary (later Executive Vice President) in 1955, a position from which he retired in 1991.  He continued to serve as President of the Educational Foundation until 1997 and currently serves as the Historian of Phi Delta Theta.

How to Save a Life

Confronting a friend with a problem is a daunting task – but being a true friend isn’t always easy. Brothers of Phi Delta Theta, have you ever talked to a friend about his self-destructive drinking habits? Have you ever wanted to say something but didn’t?

I know all too well the consequences of silence. My brother Joey died at his Ohio State fraternity after a night of heavy drinking with his brothers. Everybody knew Joey partied hard, but nobody identified his warning signs as a problem at the time. Looking back, I missed so many opportunities to say something. Unfortunately, I had also lost myself in the Greek party culture. Things were blurry.

We have all laughed at a drunken person at one time or another. But, when do you stop laughing and start acting?  Do you have a brother who frequently wets his bed? Constantly sleeps through class?  Has an alter ego?  Maybe he’s violent, makes bad sexual decisions, or regularly blacks out? Many of us know in our hearts that something isn’t right, but instead of stepping up and taking accountability; we sit back and justify inaction by telling ourselves “he will grow out of it.”

Don’t repeat my mistake – make a decision today to say something. Take your brother to lunch or find a time when it’s just the two of you. Let him know you are concerned and don’t want to lose him. Be specific about the things he does when he drinks. There’s a good chance he doesn’t even know it. Your brother cares what you think. You have the power to help him see things clearly. You might just save his life.

Erica Upshaw is a speaker with CAMPUSPEAK.  For more information on her programs for college audiences, please visit www.campuspeak.com.  You can also visit her weekly blog and website at keepfriendshipalive.com.

The Basic Rules of Alcohol

Alcohol on college campuses is not the problem.  Yeah, I said it.  Let me say it again – alcohol on college campuses is not the problem!  How we choose to use alcohol is the problem.  That is really the issue.  It’s not the fact that students drink that is a concern for most people.  The concern is in how people misuse or even abuse alcohol.

In case you’re already a little confused, allow me the opportunity to explain a little more about who I am.  I am not your average alcohol speaker.  What many of them do is come to your campus, or to your organizations, and they stand up in front of you and basically say something to the affect of, “…you people really need to stop drinking!”  And then after the program they go back to their hotel room and what do you think they do?  That’s right – they drink!  You will never hear me tell an audience not to drink.  I think it is very hypocritical…at least it would be for me.  Yeah, that’s right, I do drink.  So it would be wrong for me to tell you not to.  I do think we should follow the rules and the laws, but I’m not the type to believe that a zero-tolerance mindset works.

I also don’t have a big story to tell you.  I’ve never killed anyone in a car wreck; I’m not a recovering alcoholic; I’m not from a family of alcoholics; none of that stuff.  Now don’t hear me wrong.  Those stories carry a great message.  You should listen and make sure you don’t head down the same path.  But that’s not me.

My approach to alcohol is very simple.  If you want to drink, that’s your business.  It really is.  But what I will ask is this – if you choose to drink, just slow down!  You know how it is – most college parties operate off the “finish it all” method.  The party ain’t over until the alcohol is gone!  So really, I see that as being a big part of the issue.  Most people who choose to drink alcohol simply need to slow down a little.

I think it’s also important that we take a moment to acknowledge something else.  It seems like more and more are choosing not to drink at all.  For whatever reason.  Personally, I think college students have very tough decisions to make when it comes to their social life.  And, honestly, choosing not to drink at all is probably the best answer for some – or maybe for everyone from time-to-time.  I applaud those who are able to make this decision.  I think it is really awesome that they are able to overcome the peer pressure to drink that often exists within the college social scene.

But for those who still choose to consume alcohol, let’s continue this conversation.

We need to follow that old message – “If you drink – drink responsibly!”  So here’s the deal.  If you want to drink…to drink responsibly…you really have to recognize a couple of things that are reflected in our rules.  Believe me – if there is something we have rules about in today’s fraternities and sororities, it is alcohol.  Loads of rules.  Notebooks of rules.  You go to a national fraternity or sorority meeting and they’ll give you the notebook.  They probably even have a video supporting the notebook.  They may even have a speaker like me there to help you understand the notebook and video so you can return to your campus and simply fix the problems with alcohol!  But really, if you read the rules closely, there are only two big ones that must be followed.  Two rules, out of the entire notebook that are absolute requirements.

Rule #1 – you have to be 21-years-old to drink alcohol!  I know – sounds a little strange, but that’s the rule!  It’s the law in all fifty states!  I’m not sure what you think about this law; I’m not even sure what I think about it.  But I do know this.  It’s not a fraternity policy.  It’s not even a school policy.  It’s not something your board of trustees came up with one night just to make you and your friends mad.  It is a federally mandated state law.  Now, remember – I’m not going to tell you not to drink; even if you’re under this age limit.  I still think it’s your decision.  But here is what I will ask.  If you choose to drink and you are under the age of 21, please do not try to tell me you are a responsible drinker.  We decided a long time ago in this country that when you violate the laws you are being irresponsible.  So really, if you choose to drink under that age I just hope you are mature enough to choose to accept whatever repercussions might come with this decision.  When you get caught don’t start screaming and yelling, throwing things at the officer, crying about whom you are or what family you’re from or how much money your family has given to the school.  You knew this law way before I brought it up here so if you choose to drink and you’re underage, just choose to accept responsibility for this decision if/when you get caught.

Rule #2 – this one is really simpler than the first.  Rule #2 simply says, you can’t get drunk!  I know – you are ready to argue.  Some of you may live in places where simply being drunk isn’t against the rules.  But here is my thought.  Have you ever realized that our parties seem to be okay until folks have had too much to drink and that’s when we start to have problems?  I really do believe that if the school administrators could be honest…and the police could be honest…they don’t have big problem with the fact that students choose to drink.  If they do it’s really more of a moral issue than one related to the rules, etc.  What they have a problem with is when we have had too much and that’s when it becomes a problem for both the drinker and those around them.  And while we’re talking about it, I have also found that not near as many of our members get drunk as we may think.  In fact, I think if you watched closely you would find that most of our members drink fairly responsibly.  But we still have that handful that we need to address.  That small group that needs some leadership.

So those are the rules.  Just two of them.  But here’s yet another thought.  I really do believe that if we took care of rule #2 we wouldn’t even have to talk about rule #1.  Again, it’s not that folks are drinking that causes the issues – regardless of their age.  The issues only seem to start once folks have had too much to drink and turn stupid as a result.

Please let me be clear.  We do have rules.  We have notebooks of rules.  But really, if you read them closely, all those rules in the notebooks relate to one of these two:  1) if you are underage you can’t drink, and 2) regardless of your age you shouldn’t get drunk.  Any of the others may relate to things like fire codes, proper facility management, etc.  Our rules are important.  It is important that we recognize that people are generally held to a minimum standard.  If you choose to join a fraternity or a sorority we are even held to a higher standard.  And there is good reason for all of these rules and regulations.  But in the end, when it comes to alcohol and its use, it is fair to simplify the notebook and just accept that we only have two rules.  Follow these and you should be fine.

Let me summarize my thoughts in only five words:  If you drink, drink responsibly!

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Rick Barnes is a speaker with CAMPUSPEAK.  For more information on his programs for college audiences, please visit www.campuspeak.com. Feel free to contact Rick directly by email at Rick@RickBarnesPresents.com.