Party Theme: Twister

The Twister event/theme is great for events where you aren't very close with the sorority. It is a great ice-breaker. It's a very social event and very unique. It takes a lot of effort, so I suggest doing this event when you have pledges to help setting it up. 

The event is basically a big giant Twister board where jello shots are placed on each colored square. You play according to the rules of Twister (the easiest way is to buy a Twister game and keep the spinner). Use your common area/living room as the area for the Twister board. Buy colored sheets of paper to use as spots for the Twister board. I highly recommend duct tape as the adhesive to which you stick the colored sheets of paper to the hardwood floor or carpet. Make this Twister board very large as you will try to accomodate about 20 people per game. 

Place two jello shots on each colored square. When a person puts his/her hand or foot on a square, then he/she takes the jello shot (very simple concept!). Use the Twister Game spinner from the board game as the spinner for the game. Make sure to at least double the size of the regular Twister mat.

This event/theme allows your brothers to interact with girls in a competitive atmosphere. It is easy to create conversation topics, since guys and girls are doing an activity together. This makes it not too awkward for your brothers to talk to girls. Your brothers can strike up conversation about the Twister game, flexibility, jello shots, etc. 

Since not every brother will be able to go at the same time, it is highly advisable to let the seniors or older brothers go with the older girls for the first round. You should probably have two to three rounds of Twister--depends on how many people you have. 

What to Wear: Bright colored clothes (like a Twister board)

Comfort/Social Level: New social environmenta

Total Cost: Very low

Learn how to make Jello shots

How to Solve Party Problems

There will always be some sort of problem at your party. No party goes completely flawless. The question you have to ask yourself is, “Are you prepared to solve potential problems?” You should always have a backup plan or option. For example, if the alcohol runs out quicker than expected, then you should always have a reserve handle to bring out. Here are some common problems and their solutions:

Problem: What if there is a below average number of girls that show up to the social event?

Solution: It is not directly your fault for a below average showing of girls. The girls might have too much homework to do. In another case, that particular sorority may not have the best relations with your chapter, so it will be a few more events with that house until there is a better showing. Sometimes the theme of the party may not be that good. If that’s the case, then it’s your fault. However, you should always learn from your mistakes.

Problem: What if there is a below average number of brothers that show up to the social event?

Solution: This might often happen in your first weeks as social chair. There are a couple of reasons why brothers don’t go to socials. The first reason is that the brothers in the house may not like partying with the sorority that you scheduled the event with. The second reason is that brothers might have midterms or other schoolwork that takes precedence over partying. You should consult your brothers after the poor turnout to see how you, as a social chair, can improve.

Problem: The cops come. What do I do?

Solution: Make sure you turn off the music at it will most likely be a noise complaint. Make sure that no one has any drinks outside where the cops can see. Do not give them a reason to make them enter your house. Your sober brothers and president should talk to the cops. Be courteous and do not argue. The cops will appreciate it that you have sober brothers and are taking steps to make sure that you are partying safely. That doesn’t mean that they won’t give you a ticket, but it can lower your risk of being arrested or fined.

Music/DJ Chair's Reponsibilities at the Party

Music is crucial for the success of your party. No music playing equals no dancing, which equals no excitement. This chain of events can lead to people leaving your party. So make sure that you have a DJ or a long playlist to keep the party going. I recommend having a brother or a professional being the DJ--as you tend to get better music selection, and it’s easier to manage the volume. Invest in some quality speakers so the music can sound like it’s at a club and not in your living room.

In terms of genre and types of song, party music should progress to dancing music, not start with dancing music. A good DJ will know what songs to play that will make people dance and have fun. In later posts, I will let you know certain songs to play depending on the theme or party.

Security Chair Responsibilities at the Party

For any event that you have it is important to have at least two sober brothers. This is important for your risk management. Basically, if the cops come, you have someone who is sober and coherent to talk to them. Also, if someone cuts themselves, get hurts, etc, then you have someone who can drive them to the hospital.

You should rotate a couple of your brothers for each event and party that you have. You should also set the example by being sober for some of your events. A reward system is quite useful in motivating those to be sober brothers. You can reward them with a 12 pack of beer or other alcohol for them to use later in the week. For your larger events and parties, you should have brothers be sober and do security. Depending on how big your house is, the number of brothers you will need to do security. 

You should have three sober brothers at your main entrance or gate. If you have a guest list for the party, then one of your sober security brothers should be in charge of it. Three sober brothers at the gate should be enough to deter any possible unwanted party crashers. There should be at least two other sober brothers roaming your frat house during the party to make sure that no one is doing an suspicious activity (stealing stuff, assaulting girls, putting GHB in drinks, etc). These two brothers should also make sure that no girls are puking in the bathroom or having alcohol poisoning. It is also a good idea to make sure that the music volume is not too loud because you might get a complaint from your neighbors. 

Having proper security is very important as it can save your house a lot of trouble and money. It lowers your risk of being ticketed or cited by the police, and it lowers the risk of damages to your house. For your extremely large annual parties, you might even want to budget in some money for some professionals. Make sure that the professional security guards are bonded so you don’t get sued if they hurt an unwanted guest.

Choreograph Your Party

Every social that you plan will be your social. You planned it, and people will associate everything that happens to your planning skills. With that being said, you must make the effort to make people, at your social event, socialize. So if you see a group of brothers taking to each other, then go over to them, break up their conversation, and take a few to meet some girls. Not every guy in your house is outgoing. Most are quite shy, but it is your job to help them break out of their shells. Also, if you see a group of girls standing by themselves then take one of your shyer brothers and start a conversation with them. The girls will appreciate that you took the time to cross the room to initiate conversation with them.

During the party, it is your responsibility to make sure that there are no problems. For instance, you should make sure that there are enough beverages and cups provided. Make sure you have enough ice for the event. Do things during the party to attain your goal: the happiness of your brothers and the female guests. Be a good courteous host.

Act Like You Are Having Fun

No matter how bad you might think the party is, the worst thing to do is show your feelings about the terrible party. If you and a bunch of your friends are having fun, then people will observe your excitement and attempt to mimic it. Humans, especially females, love doing things that are popular. If a group of girls are having a bad time at a party, but they observe a group of guys having lots of fun, then they will wonder why those guys are having fun. The goal for girls at a party is to have fun. If they see people having fun, then they will do whatever they are doing in order to have fun like everyone else.

Party Tip: Separate the Girls

The best chance you have of your guys meeting girls is to separate them. By nature, girls go in packs of at least two to five girls. You see this when girls go to the bathroom. You would think that a 20-year-old girl is fully capable of peeing by herself. Yet, girls need their friends to make them feel confident and comfortable. Another reason to separate a pack of girls is that they love to cockblock guys. If a guy approaches a group of girls, but only flirts with one of the girls, then the other girls in the group will try to get rid of the guy. A girl doesn’t want to see her friend being hit on by a guy when she’s not getting hit on. It makes the girl who is not being paid attention to feel ugly. 

If a guy manages to take the girl away from her friends and talk to her, then he has a much better chance of getting hooking up with her. In order to break up the pack of girls, a guy will need other guys to talk and distract the girl’s friends, so their buddy can hook up. If all girls are being noticed and talked to, then they will not think about their friend hooking up, but they will be forced to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

A good way to separate girls is to make your party into different rooms. What I mean by this is to have stuff going on in guys' rooms. Instead of having the party in the living room, where girls can remain in packs, have it in a smaller room and girls will be forced to separate due to space considerations. Without her friends around for support, a girl will have to meet guys and talk to them. Also, when a girl is alone, it makes it a lot easier for a guy to talk to them because there aren’t any distractions.

Disecting Girls at a Party

Girls are very complex, and they can change their actions from the classroom to the party. Since the primary reason to throw a frat party is to get girls, then you must understand the motives of girls. Girls spend a lot of time getting ready for a party so they can feel good about themselves and be liked by guys. If a girl is not noticed at a party, but her friends are, then she will understand this, as something is wrong or different about her. She might conclude that she is unattractive (this might be true or false). A girl’s self-esteem plays a big role in the way she acts. Follow these three steps to make sure every girl is noticed:

1. Make sure you acknowledge every girl at a party (A “hello” is mediocre, but a proper introduction with name, etc is preferred)

2. Compliment her accessories, such as necklace, bracelet, or earrings (Why do you think she is wearing it in the first place? She took the time to pick out the accessory so someone can notice it)

3. Offer her a drink (Now she feels that you took the time to do something personal for her)

Act Like a Social Chair

As social chair, you have one of the most important and demanding jobs in the house. If you want to be a good social chair, then you need to be selfless. You must do things for the good of your brothers, not yourself. Even though there can be perks being social chair, such as popularity with girls, you have to be an active presence at all of your events. As social chair, your job is to get your brothers to hook up, and if there is time, then you can hook up with girls. Your first priority is your brothers. Don’t forget that!

As one of the "faces" of your fraternity, people will judge your fraternity based on your actions. In other words, you will have to please everyone at the same time. I highly suggest taking easy classes during your time as Social Chair, as you will probably be missing a lot of classes to spend more time planning parties. You should possess excellent people skills. If you don't, then find someone who does and use them to get your message across.

Get Organized: Make a To-do List

When planning for any party, you should always make a simple list or diagram, so your helpers know what to do. While you should be there for the set-up of every party, realistically that won't happen. You might have tests, appointments, classes, etc that may not allow you to have time to set up. Therefore, make a list. It will take 10 minutes to type up. Here is a sample:

Things to do for Party:

1. Put bar in corner of room

2. Set up decorations (you can draw a picture of the room and label the locations of the decorations)

3. Clean up living room

4. Place trash cans in (put locations here)

5. Put away tables and chairs from the common room

6. Put DJ equipment out

7. Set up lights