by Matt Mattson

So, we've fallen a little behind on our blogging responsibilities over the past couple of weeks, and for that we're sorry. See, I was in Peru on vacation with my wife, so it was a little difficult for me to write recruitment blogs while riding in rickety busses over mountain passes, driving through rivers, and listening to the chickens in the seat in front of me (no kidding). Anyway, sorry we've fallen behind.

However, while I was in Peru I had some realizations about recruitment (yes, it is all I ever think about). Peruvian people are incredibly friendly. They're kind to foreigners (except the one guy named Lucas who tried to con us in Lima — another story for another day), and they're just all around wonderful human beings. It was while I was fighting through a conversation with a few of these wonderful people, as I was butchering their language, and using lots of big hand movements that I realized something… Meeting strangers is easier if you're out of your normal environment.

Now, that realization might seem pretty obvious to you, but bear with me for a minute.

I was talking last night with some members of the Beta Theta Pi Chapter at Washington State University — that's one of the chapters that has committed to a 12-month Extreme Recruitment Makeover from Phired Up. Anyway, we were talking about different ways to make it easier and more comfortable for their brothers to meet strangers (so they have a chance to recruit them). One thing that came up was that this upcoming weekend at WSU is “Mom's Weekend.” We then went on to discuss how it is much easier to meet people on campus when campus is buzzing with energy because of an event like “Mom's Weekend.” In fact, it can be downright difficult to meet people when things are normal — when things are normal, people are walking around with their eyes on the sidewalk, heading to class, and keeping to themselves. But when something throws the campus into a slightly different energy, people's eyes are up, and they're much more open to meeting someone new.

It's like travel. When you're someplace new — especially abroad — you're open to asking locals for advice, chatting with fellow travelers, or making new friends simply because it is outside of your normal way of life. At least that's true for me… I'm much more open to other people, and much more brave about approaching strangers when I'm traveling.

So, the question for the purposes of this blog is… how can you create that “traveling abroad,” or “Mom's Weekend” atmosphere on your campus to take advantage of the openness it creates in other people. Here are my quick recommendations…

1. Don't create it, join it. There are tons of things going on around your campus already — take part in those things. Consider campus-run events (Mom's Day), other organization's big events (Shakespeare Festival, Multicultural Fair, Job Fair, etc.), or community events (Pride Parade, Local Festivals, Demonstrations, etc.)

2. Service attracts friendly folks. Ever noticed when you're doing a service activity how friendly the other people doing service along side you are? I can think of times I've worked soup kitchens or clothing donation stations, and had incredible, deep conversations with the strangers who were serving next to me.

3. Travel with other students. This may be a bit more involved, but consider things like Alternative Spring Break, or even just sharing van/bus rides to campus athletic events or days in the nearby city. It is amazing how something that feels like a gradeschool field trip opens people up.

4. Instead of doing organization, or “Greek Community” events, try to get your community to do campus-wide events that create that buzz. Greek Week is a great example of something that is fun for Greeks, but makes everyone else on campus think Greeks are elitist, selfish, standoffish groups (because they're not a part). What can you do to send the campus into a buzz of energy?

The big message here is to put yourself OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE as often as possible to find people who are new and willing to engage in conversation.