Dynamic Recruitment and Election Campaigning

[RING OF PHIRE: The Ring of Phire is a team of undergraduate fraternity and sorority members dedicated to delivering the messages of Phired Up Productions to their peers around the country.]

by Kate Peer (Undergraduate Ring of Phire Member)

oh-canada-fullHere in Canada, we are currently undergoing a federal election. I spent my last weekend on the other side of the country volunteering for one of the candidates with a fellow Greek who also serves as a campaign volunteer.

While visiting and working on the campaign, I began to see some similarities to fraternity/sorority recruitment: going to big events, wearing similar colors/letters, hand shaking, dressing up, charity work, handing out fliers, gathering names lists, etc.  All these things are done just to get a vote; it seems so tedious at the time but when it all comes together, it is almost magical (just like sorority recruitment!).

Some of the best elected representatives, though, are the ones who build a solid connection with their citizens.  This is the same way student leaders should strive to build a solid connection with everyone in their community, Greek or not!

I even saw the effects of Dynamic Recruitment in politics by observing the true connections which are made and seeing how they are not just about face value.  While I was speaking to my friend about campaigning and asking him questions about what type of events his candidate did, he mentioned that, “’restaurant talking’ is probably the most effective form of campaigning.” He explained that this method is one in which people can have real conversations with their respective candidate – issues are discussed when parties are seated, allowing you to have their full attention.

At the time, I thought he was talking about campaigning, not recruitment.  But looking back at the conversation, I was able to realize how similar the two really are.

This concept is just food for thought (no pun intended). But maybe it is time you start thinking of places where you can discuss your fraternity or sororities ideals, a place where people will be sitting and listening, and a place where you can have their full attention rather than handing out thousands of flyers only to see them end up in the trash 30 seconds later. It also goes to show that the tools you learn as a sorority woman or a fraternity man are ones which will last you for a life time. Your brothers and sisters, maybe even you, have the potential to be great creators of change and lasting impact in the world, master the small skills now and you will be successful in all your endeavors.