This is, by far, the stupidest punishment that can be given to a fraternity. If a fraternity does something wrong, then either the university or nationals punishes the chapter by not letting the chapter take on new members. This is ridiculous on so many levels.
A fraternity has to take on new members to survive. If they don’t take on new members for one semester, that actually has a two or three semester impact. Everyone who has ever been in a fraternity realizes this because they know that this semester’s pledges get next semester’s recruits.
Why in the world would the university or nationals sanction something that will kill a fraternity? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face…
If this situation does happen, you must plead with the powers that be to reconsider the punishment.
If they won’t reconsider, then the fraternity must change its focus onto what it can control. There will be a reason why the fraternity was put on probation, and fixing that problem is obviously the first concern. Then, the fraternity must become as strong a brotherhood as possible.
If the brotherhood can actually improve through this troubling situation, then there is actually a realistic chance the the fraternity can come out of this situation stronger than ever. If the fraternity is strong, and can prove that they can have a lot of fun while still playing by the rules, recruits will be lining up at the door.
To learn more, check out our most in-depth article on fraternity recruitment: The Complete Guide to Fraternity Recruitment.