As a fraternity president one of the things you constantly deal with is apathy. It’s not a fraternity specific thing, because every student group I was involved in would complain about the lack of effort from their members. Here are a few of the things I learned from my time in office.
1) People are lazy. I beat my head against a wall for three years trying to figure out how to motivate people. Then I talked to a former president and he relieved my stress, “I once thought that people in the house were the most apathetic people of all-time, and then I got in the real world and realized that all people are equally worthless.”
2) People want to be lead. They want someone they respect to tell them what they should do. Most college age students don’t plan further out than 8 hours, so help them plan.
3) Communication is the ultimate apathy slayer. If they know what’s going on, and it’s communicated in a positive and creative way, your members are more likely to attend. Consider it propaganda or hype, but there’s a reason governments use it. It works.
4) Fun and winning are contagious. The Greek system is a highly competitive division of campus. Even our philanthropic donation and community service are factored into awards and competition. It’s more fun to win than lose. Allow your group to recognize this.
5) Everyone has a story. Understand the background of members. There is nothing that disenfranchises people more than making them feel like you don’t care about them as a person. Know their hot buttons and aspirations, so you can line them up with the organization’s.
