[20065] in APO-L
Re: Bids in APhiO
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Phillip Dore)
Fri Jan 29 18:11:30 1999
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 15:11:20 PST
Reply-To: Phillip Dore <goldenbear96@HOTMAIL.COM>
From: Phillip Dore <goldenbear96@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
Brother Hsiung,
I pledged Gamma Gamma in Spring '95, the other "behemoth" of
Section 4, so I have some idea of what y'all are going through.
I would first try to find the root of the problem. Ask
yourselves these questions: why are members no longer interested in
participating once they are initiated? How is your program tailored to
meet the needs of actives? What incentives are there for actives to
participate? Is there a way of modifying the active requirements? Is
there away of modifying the awards system for merit? How much of the
chapter's time and resources are spent meeting the needs of pledges in
relation to meeting the needs of the actives? What are the chapter's
proceedures for disciplining actives who do not fulfill their
obligations to the chapter? Is there a simple and effective method of
stripping people of their membership if they fail to meet their
requirements for so many semesters in a row without permission of the
chapter?
I can't speak for GG now, but when I was there, there was a real problem
with "paper" actives (actives who were on the roles but never showed).
It's true that many of them probably joined so they could have something
on their resume. At the same time, there were many actives who felt
that the chapter placed too much emphasis on the pledge program, and
very little on membership retention. One of the things GG did was
better define and build up its committee of Members at Large, which was
responsible for counselling members and keeping tabs on chapter morale.
Our pledge program was also revamped somewhat. Much more stringent
enforcement of requirements, etc. (You have to ask them on this one, as
I have been away from GG for about 3 years. The class I'm referring to
is the Sp. '96 class).
You could try doing away with springtime pledge classes altogether, and
using the spring to emphasize bonding of the active membership. Sure,
the chapter's numbers will go down, but you could well have a higher
rate of retention.
As for bidding, I'm not against the idea in principle. It would depend
on how you do it. I would suggest revamping the program. Set the
requirements and be strict (but not unreasonable) about it. Set the
standards high. Emphasize brotherhood. Be sure they develop a strong
sense of comeradery. If you do so, you may well find that those who are
doing it to pad their resume will likely quit before they are initiated.
That's my 2 cents worth. Hope it helps.
LFS,
Phil Dore
Beta Pi Charter Member
Gamma Gamma Alumnus '96
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