THE EXPONENT: Volume 98, Number 3

News and Commentary for Triangle Leaders "For You"

Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion; you must set yourself on fire. - Reggie Leach

It's the start of a new year. Triangle is at the cusp of success. If we each reach out for it, working to plan for a better Fraternity and then setting out to get to that place, we will all be better for it. What does it take to reach out for it? Mostly a desire to make Triangle and ourselves grow and prosper.

Contents

• Guiding Strategy for Your Fraternity's Future
• Using the Facts--The Road Toward Recruitment Success
• Reading the Ritual
• Keeping Track of Triangle

Guiding Strategy for Your Fraternity's Future

Triangle Fraternity National Council

Over the last 1.5 years, your elected representatives of National Council have been developing and using a strategic plan for Triangle. You can review the plan here, but a summary of the the major parts of the plan:

1. The purpose of Triangle is to provide an environment of excellence and friendship in which each Brother may develop his intellect, social abilities, and professional abilities to the highest level possible.

    

2. Triangle Fraternity is serious about scholarship, sets and demonstrates high standards, and celebrates achievement.

    

3. Triangle can become a larger, stronger, more vibrant organization that is represented on most campuses with technical programs on this continent and where Triangle Brothers are more likely to find other Brothers on a frequent basis. To do this, Triangle needs to focus on three areas -- Relevance of the Fraternity to the members and other stakeholders, Improvements in the funding process for the organization, and Expansion of the number of members and chapters.

1. Council has adopted a set of guiding policies that the members will use to communicate decision criteria to the membership and to help maintain consistency of purpose in the leadership of Triangle. You can view (we encourage you to do so) these policies by pointing your Web Browser here.

    

2. Council has adopted a set of measurements that the National Chapter leadership will use to determine if Triangle is being successful in achieving the Fraternity's purpose. These measurements were developed from Triangle's purpose and vision, as well as the other parts of the plan. The measurements check the results of our Fraternity and thus help us identify what we're doing well and to find out what things we need to do better.

    

3. Because there are limited financial and other resources available to the National Chapter, the plan will help prioritize the work at hand so that the most important and worthwhile things get done first.

    

4. The National Chapter leaders can use the plan to develop better promotional materials for use throughout Triangle.

    

5. The Local Chapters can leverage the components of the plan by adopting it or similar ideas in their operations.

We hope that your chapters also keep the purpose of the plan alive by using the purpose and vision, and thought process, included in it. How does your chapter plan for continuity of purpose? Does your chapter have a plan that stretches beyond this day, this week, this month, or this year?

Using the Facts--The Road Toward Recruitment Success

Adapted from Campus Commentary (August 1998)

The results of a research study sponsored by the National Interfraternity Conference and National Panhellenic Conference show the following:

• Membership in a fraternity or sorority increases the likelihood that a student will stay in college to completion.

   

• Alumni/ae of Greek organizations tend to give more money to their alma maters.

   

• Greek alumni/ae tend to take part more fully in their communities by way of civic groups, religious organizations, and volunteer organizations than do non-Greeks.

   

• Greek alumni are more satisfied with their social experiences in college than non-Greeks.

Statistics in the NIC's Likely Joiners resource complement the research study by offering a profile of men most likely to join fraternities.

• Likely Joiners are much more likely to have been involved in student clubs and groups.

   

• Likely Joiners have higher expectations of earning at least a B average while in college.

   

• Likely Joiners have spent more time volunteering than uninterested students.

   

• Likely Joiners feel they have more leadership ability, as well as a higher drive to achieve. They are also socially more self-confident.

Fraternities can sell themselves with leadership and service, but unless this is reflected in the fraternity, these are only words. In short, fraternities need to walk the talk.

College students today are serious about reaching their academic potential, getting good jobs, and being accepted to strong graduate programs. Today's recruitment practices should show college students that they can achieve all of this in conjunction with a fraternity experience. Consider the following suggestions in planning and executing recruitment:

• Promote leadership opportunities, academic support programs, and community involvement so that potential members and other stakeholders see the benefits of fraternity membership.

   

• Shift the focus of recruitment conversations to the values of the fraternity, the foundation of our organization. You can still talk about intramural programs and social calendars -- they are a part of Greek life -- but sell everything that fraternity members offers and what potential members can become if they are part of your fraternity.

   

• Remind potential members that a fraternity is for life, as are the benefits of membership.

   

• Recruitment is essentially about making friendships and should take place 365 days each year. The best a fraternity has to offer should be shown every day, not just for short periods. Implement the 5-step model (meet him, make him a friend, introduce him to your friends, introduce him to Triangle, ask him to join).

   

• More and more students are experiencing community service in or even prior to high school and are looking for this outlet to continue in college. Include potential members in service activities and demonstrate to them that service is a key component of Greek life.

   

• Recruitment is similar to public relations in that it is 90 percent what you do and 10 percent what you say. Actions must be consistent with message. Do not contradict your efforts to promote your values by holding questionable events, etc.

   

• Position Triangle in the context of personal development, friendship, lifelong benefits, academic excellence, high standards of behavior, fun, community service, celebration of achievement, etc. Be proactive and take the message out to people -- please don't take the normal road so often traveled by Greeks of simply and only putting up posters and sending letters and then waiting for potential members to drop in. Triangle membership affords a strong potential member benefits that he wants. Find him and tell him and you'll bring in people of high quality and strong commitment.

Reading the Ritual

Tim Eiler minn87

One purpose of this is to help the members be better able to choose their parts for and to do a superior job during Ritual performances during the year. More importantly, though, since we are each to do live the precepts of Triangle on a daily basis, is the need to understand those precepts. The first part of understanding is knowing or remembering. The second is thinking about what is to be understood. If each chapter were to regularly read through the Ritual, outside an actual performance of it, subsequent performances would improve, more members would know and remember its concepts, and there's a better chance that Brothers will take a moment to discuss together those ideas.

The Ritual is an amazing thing -- the set of concepts and ideas it includes to help each of us conduct and improve ourselves is every bit as valid today as it was when it was first written. It's worth your time to study it.

Keeping Track of Triangle

TRIANGLE FRATERNITY

Is Serious about Scholarship

Sets and Demonstrates High Standards

Celebrates Achievement