Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Greeks upgrade recruitment process with CD-ROM mailing
Sam Eaton
Staff Reporter

The TCU Greek community’s efforts to upgrade the recruitment process by sending out CD-ROMs to all incoming students had little effect on the number of pledges this fall, said Tom Sullivan Director of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs.

Sullivan said although the number of male and female recruits is at an all-time high this year, he cannot attribute the increase in recruits to the CD. The 346 men was the highest number ever and the 554 women was the highest number in 14 years.

“I think the CD could have contributed a little bit to the higher numbers,” Sullivan said.

“I do think the CD helped us communicate to people what fraternities and sororities are about better than what we had done in the past.”

Freshmen who received the CD had mixed responses on how effective it was in influencing their decision to join a Greek organization.

Freshman criminal justice major Deanna Mory said she did not look at the CD because she knew she wasn’t planning on participating in recruitment.

Joseph Morgenstern, a freshman radio-TV-film major, said he looked at the CD, rushed, but then decided not to pledge.

Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment Lisette Gerch said the IFC and Panhellenic groups sent out information booklets in the past.

“It (the booklet) had a single picture and basic information like dues and the name of the chapter,” Gerch said.

Gerch said that with the CD, individual chapters and the Greek community in general were able to offer more information to possible recruits.

Sullivan said despite the technical advancement of a CD over an information booklet, the entire project ended up costing less for IFC and Panhellenic council than in previous years. The traditional booklet had cost $7000 and the cost was split between IFC and Panhellenic. He said the entire project cost between $11,000 and $12,000, but that through advertising and chapter dues, the cost to IFC and Panhellenic was only around $4000.

“We were able to sell about $6000 worth of advertising,” Sullivan said. “Each fraternity and sorority also paid a fee because this obviously has much more information on it, per chapter, than it had ever had in the book.”

IFC and PHC chapters paid $150 each to be on the CD, and the NPHC chapters paid only $50, since their chapters have an average of five members each. The NPHC is the historically African-American fraternity and sorority organization, he said.

Sam Eaton
s.m.eaton@student.tcu.edu