Alpha Sigma Phi - University of Washington

7 Photo by Will Wilson Not all pledges included in photo M u Chapter has had some extraordinary pledge classes over the years but the spring and summer of 2016 boasted an Alpha Sig pledge class of 30 young men—the largest pledge classes since 1965 and 1966, when 40 men were pledged each of these two years. The success of recruitment and the advent of the largest pledge class in a half-century came from the hard work of three recruitment chairmen: Mitch O'Rourke '15, Griffin Paulson '15, and Campbell Addington '15. These brothers worked endlessly for months recruiting the future of our fraternity. For them, the past summer's recruitment was an unforgettable experience of determination and dedication. All three men agreed to dedicate 100% of their time forgoing a summer job or taking summer classes. Their days began early contacting potential new members (PNMs) through ChapterBuilder, a Greek Recruitment App created by two Alpha Sigs and used throughout the entire UW Greek System and other colleges nationally. Nights always ended late staying up with PNMs to find out their interests, then analyzing collected data to gauge the PNMs potential fit into our fraternity. Five hundred PNMs were given tours of the Old Gal over spring and summer, and dozens of recruitment events were held, often back-to-back over two days, including Mariner games, bonfires, go-karting, trips to Golden Gardens, trips to the driving range, and events at the Old Gal. The chairmen worked hard and the effort paid off with a stellar pledge class. Mu Recruits Most pledges are local, hailing from Seattle, the Eastside, or the Greater Seattle Area. However, two new members are from Spokane, one from Billings, Montana, one from San Carlos, Cali- fornia, and one from Xiamen, Taiwan. Four of the new recruits are legacies. Connor Bartee, Erich Bauer, and Nate Fischer all had fathers in the house, while Charlie Hanson has had both a father and an uncle in the house. The new pledges bring diverse backgrounds with them to the Old Gal as well as a multitude of majors and interests. Many of our new members are athletes, particularly with a background in soccer. Some are musically gifted in piano, guitar, and cello. Some are entrepreneurs having already started their own business ventures in many different fields. This will be a class long-remem- bered for its immense diversity. In addition, over the summer, because the sororities at the University of Washington close, many of the girls apply to live at fraternities. Along with the executive board, the recruitment chairmen determine which girls to accept for "Summer Live-In." The Old Gal played host to women from many of the sororities in the Greek system. The three recruitment chairmen report that these women were extremely involved in the recruitment process, attending every event and spending time talking with PNMs and brothers. The Alpha Sigs have some great, new friends as a result. Once again, Alpha Sigma Phi at Washington has brought in top-quality gentlemen. Recruitment is no easy task, but Mu rose to the occasion not only pledging its biggest class in 50 years, but also one of the biggest classes in Greek Row. BIGGEST PLEDGE CLASS IN 50 YEARS

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