The word is out on Temple’s campus — Pi Lam is back, and we are on our way to an impressive return.

Fifteen men have committed to Pi Lam for the fall 2009 class! The goal will be to add another 15 – 20 men in the spring to make us a 30 – 35 man chapter by the end of the academic year.

How are we recruiting? If you are envisioning a bunch of middle-aged alumni manning rush tables and dorm storming for new brothers while disturbingly ogling coeds… cut it out. There is a better plan.

Boots on the ground

The IHQ has lent us two of their best to recruit new members to the PA Alpha Delta chapter — Ian Lowe, Pi Lam’s Director of Expansion, and Phil Spence from the University of Florida. This dynamic duo comes with a recruiting pedigree. Ian engineered the 2008 reorganization of the UVA chapter last year, while Phil recently helped increase numbers for a failing University of Wisconsin chapter.

Creative recruitment

There was a time when the simple invitation, “grab a beer, it don’t cost nothing” would be enough to close a potential rushee. But without a house full of coeds and a bar in the basement, a new strategy was needed. In addition to distributing flyers, sitting tables, advertising in the Temple News, the chapter has gotten creative.

During the Phillies pennant run, the chapter raffled off Phillies T-Shirts to the student body. 300 people signed up for the raffle enabling the chapter to briefly tell them what Pi Lam was all about.

It turns out that many students really are at Temple for an education. We received a good number of applicants for two $500 scholarships, which were graciously funded by brother Eli Hoffman and the Jaqua Foundation.

In addition to regularly attending IFC meetings, Ian has approached other student groups for leads including the Residence Life Office and in the Army ROTC (now those guys can do push-ups).

And as usual, sororities are putting out… uh, leads for new recruits, that is. A grateful Phi Sigma Sigma sisterhood, impressed by a recent serenade, recommended about 35 men thought to be potential recruits. Similar meetings are planned with Delta Phi Epsilon and Alpha Epsilon Phi.

Building a unified group

While the group is still in its infancy, they are starting to gel together – they eat together once a week, have worked together on small projects, exercised together in the REC center, and studied together in the library. And soon they will begin the new member education program.

If you know of any men of Pi Lam character who are enrolled at Temple, or who will be enrolled in the spring, please contact us.