Sigma Chi Recruiting and Legacies

Brothers,

The purpose of this news item is to offer advice for Sigma Chi legacies planning on going through fraternity recruitment in the near future.

Sigma Chi at UofA has a good group of high achieving young men. The chapter has performed well in many areas for years and is consistently considered among the top three on campus. Our undergraduate membership is limited to between 140 and 150 active brothers. Given this constraint, the chapter can only pledge a small number of men (in comparison to some fraternities). Most Fall semesters, this number is about 25-35 bids. 1000 young men are coming through recruitment and several hundred of them will want to join Sigma Chi. Selecting a pledge class is a daunting task that the undergraduate members of Sigma Chi take very seriously. They select those that they think will best fit the chapter.

Most years, we have significantly more legacies, younger brothers of active members, and recommendations than we have spots. No matter who the chapter pledges, many deserving young men will not receive a bid. This can cause hurt feelings for many people in the process. It is just the way th math works. It is important to understand that new members are chosen by the undergraduates. If you are an adult reading this, it is almost certain that the recruitment process is much different than yours. Be careful not to project what you think it should be or what you remember. This rarely is productive, and we caution against the temptation as recruitment has changed and will continue to change. While it is nice to get input from well-meaning adults and alumni, the active brothers choose whom they think will best fit the chapter. The recruitment system, while sometimes challenging, has served the Fraternity well and the chapter has done a good job of selecting members.

Here are a few suggestions to help your son, grandson, or nephew be successful during recruitment.

1. Bring your legacy to Homecoming as a freshman in high school and continue doing so through their senior year. It is a great opportunity for them to get to know some of the brothers and for the brothers to know them.

2. Make an appointment with the Recruitment Chairman in the Spring of your legacies senior year to come by the House and meet the brothers on a weekend.

3. A recommendation letter helps the undergraduate members be on the lookout for him. The letter mostly helps ensure he doesn’t slip through the cracks. Send it to the Recruitment Chair at betaphirecruitment23@gmail.com. Or go to our website and fill out this Recruitment Recommendation form.

Most importantly, help set realistic expectations. Only about 4 out of every 100 young men going through recruitment will get Sigma Chi bids. The system has flaws and isn’t perfect. A young man may do everything right and may be well deserving, but still not succeed in receiving a bid from Sigm Chi, or any Fraternity.

We hope to see you at Homecoming.

IHSV,

David Bina
Beta Phi Chapter Advisor
Sigma Chi Fraternity