2020 has been TOUGH!!! We all know it and we are continuing to live it daily. As I got to thinking more and more about virtual recruitment and how many things have changed for our fraternities and sororities specifically, I began to consider so many things. I know I’ve blogged previously about some of the faults my research has found in the current formal recruitment system, but right now its not about finding fault - and to be honest I don’t think it ever really was!

Two of my biggest dreams came true in October 2020. I became a homeowner for the first time ever in my life and I became a dog mom….not to just any regular dog either. My dream was always to have my very own golden retriever puppy. I could bore you with the details as to why this particular breed was my dream, but I’ll spare you! When these two amazing things happened for me, my life was truly a whirlwind. The house part of it was probably only 25% of the whirlwind, but the other 75% of it was when little Burreaux found his way into my arms and heart on October 24th! And yes, he is named after the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, Joe Burrow (now with the Bengals). He was so little - 6 lbs to exact….and I just cried! My friends will tell you that is true! My entire world shifted, pivoted if you will! The narrative of my life just became about this little 6 lb bundle of sweetness that I had literally dreamed of my entire 42 years on this planet! No longer was I able to function on my own and do what I needed to do inside or outside of my new home without Burreaux by my side.

That pivot has become one of my greatest blessings in that little puppy. This made me consider sorority recruitment in a similar way. Pivoting to virtual recruitment this fall and into this spring has caused tremendous anxiety and nervousness for many - myself included as a Chapter Advisor. The more I considered this pivot, I thought about how we could benefit from these changes. We have been in the same formal sorority recruitment method for so many years, few question if things can even be done differently or updated to create some new and innovative systems - until now!

My thoughts about a virtual experience for both our collegians and potential new members are vast and I know information is being collected on this topic, but how may we continue to shift the narrative to help create something for our students in 2020. Will we hear from our women that they preferred a virtual experience because conversations were more organic? Will we hear that they appreciated actually being able to hear and hold conversations in breakout rooms better than if they were in a room filled with other people? Will we hear that women felt more connected to the organizations that they were given an invitation of membership to? I don’t have all the answers, but I’m willing to have the conversations and I hope that you are too! We have a responsibility to hear from our women and actually LISTEN to their thoughts. Whatever change may come, it will be work without a doubt - but it is work that I am willing to take on and continue to talk about….I hope you are too!