2008 Woodie Awards
Fraternity population numbers increase to 528
Groups change recruitment to retain more members
April Abernathy
Although new member numbers for fraternities remain the same as last year, the male greek population as a whole has grown from 505 to 528, Ken Burger, program coordinator for Greek Life, said. Burger said fraternities are retaining more members because of some of the small changes made to recruitment.
"We did a lot of encouragement on doing a lot more person-to-person communication," Burger said. He said this encourages the breaking down of stereotypes so people see more than what is on TV.
Cody Willis, Interfraternity Council president, said recruitment week went really well. All the fraternities had their own events and everything was alcohol free for the week, he said.
A round robin event exposed men to all the fraternities and encouraged them to visit all the houses to get an idea of variety, Willis said.
"You can see what each house is about and what they look like," Willis said. If the fraternity does not have a house, a booth is set up in front of the Student Center to offer information for potential pledges.
"It's a free for all," Willis said.
To catch the attention of potential members, recruitment and house tours were publicized more than in past years, Willis said. The Office of Student Life and the fraternities used marketing to get attention as well. Fliers and magnets were passed out with a focus on the dorms.
Willis said next year the fraternities hope to make the recruitment process into more of a united front rather than a competition. He hopes to have more community involvement that way more members will join who would not have joined.
Both Burger and Willis agree that every year, the greeks will evaluate their recruitment process and make sure it's improved each year.
"We did a lot of encouragement on doing a lot more person-to-person communication," Burger said. He said this encourages the breaking down of stereotypes so people see more than what is on TV.
Cody Willis, Interfraternity Council president, said recruitment week went really well. All the fraternities had their own events and everything was alcohol free for the week, he said.
A round robin event exposed men to all the fraternities and encouraged them to visit all the houses to get an idea of variety, Willis said.
"You can see what each house is about and what they look like," Willis said. If the fraternity does not have a house, a booth is set up in front of the Student Center to offer information for potential pledges.
"It's a free for all," Willis said.
To catch the attention of potential members, recruitment and house tours were publicized more than in past years, Willis said. The Office of Student Life and the fraternities used marketing to get attention as well. Fliers and magnets were passed out with a focus on the dorms.
Willis said next year the fraternities hope to make the recruitment process into more of a united front rather than a competition. He hopes to have more community involvement that way more members will join who would not have joined.
Both Burger and Willis agree that every year, the greeks will evaluate their recruitment process and make sure it's improved each year.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Nick
posted 10/10/08 @ 11:20 AM EST
This is great news. As a former fraternity member at Ball State, I am always proud to see growth and success. Keep up the good work!
Broski
posted 10/10/08 @ 2:17 PM EST
BREAKING NEWS: A shortage of pink shirts with popped collars reported in the Muncie area...
Mike B
posted 10/12/08 @ 11:04 PM EST
Great News! Personally, I am proud of my brothers that recruited the largest class in their short history at Ball State. If the university would like to see numbers continue to increase I would recommend bringing Dave Stollman back, and follow up by holding seminars to help chapters stick with the recruit 365 program. (Continued…)
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