Rush F23 (Darren and Thomas)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SmEIOhsuLQLLe5RGgGZKQvgmUaQ0xlqg4OYLfRtB0bY/edit?usp=sharing

Spring 2023 (CPW)

Reflection doc https://docs.google.com/document/d/16wNSKe3lTLwucgwMKAuBdpfC16400AFqLCiooYyLYjw/edit?usp=sharing

Spring 2019 (CPW)

We handed out cards at the boba event to invite people to KBBQ:

[edit]Fall 2018

During this Rush, 15 brothers managed to recruit 16 new members, completing our most successful recruitment season in over 5 years. Here I present my advice for how you can run as successful a Rush yourself, in order of importance (although they are all very important):

1. Organize Brothers Around a Unified Vision of the House's Identity. Freshmen connect best with the house if they can quickly get an overall feel for who we are and if that notion is reinforced by all of their interactions with brothers throughout Rush. In the past a lack of unity and cliquiness among brothers were contributing factors to lacking return on bids, and the best way to alleviate this is to make sure everyone is on the same page as far as what Theta Xi is, what we do, and what it means to be a member. This overarching vision should be expressible by every brother in one sentence, or, ideally, one word. Obviously creating this unity is easier said than done, but I can offer some guidance. Have a training meeting before Rush starts where every brother fills out a worksheet directly addressing these issues, and discuss until the house comes to a conclusion on its vision. I have provided a copy of the worksheet I used during my rush at the bottom of this section. Another key to unifying brothers around the vision of recruitment is holding every brother accountable for his contribution to Rush. I accomplished this by giving more responsibilities to the team leaders and Rush Teams when running events rather than running everything from the top down. The Rush Chairs specifically should lead by example, embodying the house identity and working tirelessly to ensure a successful recruitment. I have put this advice as number one because I think it is necessary for any and all success during Rush. Please read it thoroughly as my other advice will not help you if the house does not have a unified identity
2. Start Planning and Working on Rush ASAP. Whenever you are reading this, even if Rush just ended yesterday, it is not too early to start planning for the next one. The schedule is due in July, and that means that you should start discussing it during the Spring semester before. Rush chairs should coordinate with the previous year's ones as soon as they are elected to create a schedule for preparing for Rush during the Summer. Reserve vehicles as early as possible. The price for rentals will only ever go up since our rush coincides with multiple colleges' move-in dates and there are 25 frats reserving the same vans. The price will double in the time between the end of the semester and the beginning of Rush, but if you end up reserving late, make sure to choose a reputable rental service like Budget or Enterprise. If you haven't heard of the company before but they have a cheaper price, it is because they do not offer insurance and will charge you a ridiculous price for any damage, real or imagined, to the vans after you return them. Venues for events like Rock Climbing and Paintball similarly cannot be reserved early enough.
3. Hold Many Events at the House. Our house is one of the biggest selling points of the fraternity, and the more time rushees spend here, the more likely they are to join. Holding events at the house is key because it is easy to convince freshmen to hang around after them so that they get to know us better and stay for future events. If you need to fill a spot in your schedule, I recommend just putting a food or otherwise simple event at the house down. Once rushees are here, it is easy to introduce them to many brothers and build a relationship that will eventually convince them to pledge.
4. Allow for Impromptu Events. A high degree of spontaneity is a very desirable trait for prospective members, as it shows who we are when we aren't sticking to a packed schedule. Brothers should fill time between and after the day's events with further bonding opportunities as long as they can keep freshmen around. Don't be afraid to stop for boba, or order 400 chicken nuggets, or watch a movie in commons, or sing karaoke! Any impact on the budget will be repaid through additional pledges and campus presence.
5. Bid Night and the end of Rush should be Flawless. In the past, the way we often lost pledges was due to botching the way we gave bids and accepted pledges. The bid dinner, sleepover, beach trip, and IHOP run should be planned down to the minute in order to close rushees and get them to pledge as soon as we get back to the house. Make sure everyone offered a bid fully understands the pledging process and prioritize getting them to pledge as soon as they can after the beach trip. Once a few freshmen pledge, the rest become much easier to convince. Rank bidees leading up to the final day in terms of their likelihood of pledging and spend as much time as possible convincing those edge cases to commit.
6. Rush Training. As an MIT fraternity, we have many members who can be socially awkward or generally struggle with putting on this show for the freshmen we call Rush. Training meetings prior to the start of Rush should be focused on improving conversation skills through drills and role-playing. Don't ask anybody where they're from, or what they're planning on majoring in. They've already heard those questions dozens of times since coming to MIT. Get them interested in you, and when they ask you these questions, reciprocate them. Similar strategies can be applied to other common social faux-pas to transform you from an antisocial nerd to the coolest guy ever in the eyes of the rushees, but they do not come naturally and must be targeted by training in advance.

File:Rush.pdf