The Spring 2014 semester brought with it a unique start to the semester with the first full week of class cancelled due to excessive snow and frigid temperatures. The Tri-State chapter used this extra week as an opportunity get a strong start in recruiting new members. From inviting friends to the house to watch movies, play video games, and just hang out to starting pick-up games of basketball at Herschey Hall, the Tri-State chapter began the semester with the optimistic goal of a twenty-man pledge class.

With a great start to the semester, the Tri-State chapter continued towards its goal of a large Spring ’14 as well as Fall ’14 pledge class by holding various types of recruitment events throughout the semester such as playing dodgeball, going bowling, going to Free Movie Mondays at Brokaw Theater, hosting video game tournaments, and Nerf Wars.

Once a semester, the Tri-State chapter holds a brotherhood/recruitment lock-in where men interested in going greek are invited to join the brothers of the Tri-State chapter for an evening of fellowship and friendship, usually beginning with a pizza dinner in the chapter house dinning room. Following dinner, events typically include playing flickerball or kickball in the Trine University Athletic and Recreational Center (The ARC), dodgeball or basketball in Herschey Hall, Zombies, which is a tag-type game played on the east half of campus, where zombies (usually only 3 or 4 people to start) try to chase down and infect the non-zombies (everyone else), and later on, our guests are welcomed to stay at the house for the night to watch movies, play video games, or just hang out and meet the brothers of the Tri-State chapter.

We view this lock-in as a chance to promote brotherhood as well as show potential greek men on campus the benefits of going greek. The Brohood/Recruitment Lock-in continues to be a highly successful event thanks to scheduling. Always held on a Friday or Saturday evening, scheduling ensures that maximum brother and guest attendance may be reached and also, that classes the next day will not limit the time frame for the event, unlike our weekly recruitment events.

As the Tri-State chapter looks to the fall and a new freshman class at Trine University, we look for an even bigger and better turnout for the Brohood/Recruitment Lock-in.