Spring recruitment has a sneaky schedule. You leave campus for winter break, you come back, and rush is basically already happening. If your chapter waits until January to think about shirts, you're showing up to the first event in last semester's merch — or worse, no merch at all.
Here's the move: handle spring rush merch in November, while everyone is still on campus and your exec board can actually get a vote together.
Why November is the sweet spot
- Everyone's still here. Getting design approval from 40 brothers over group chat during break is a nightmare. Do it before finals.
- Production needs time. Custom merch isn't printed overnight. Give your order a few weeks of lead time after your design is approved.
- You come back ready. Boxes waiting at the house the week you return means you're repping your letters from day one of recruitment.
The spring rush merch timeline
- Early November – Pick the direction. Decide the vibe: classic varsity letters, a vintage look, or something your chapter has never done. Collect ideas from your brothers.
- Mid November – Lock the design. Send your ideas to the Fratty Bear team, review the mockup, and approve it. One clear decision-maker (your rush chair or president) keeps this fast.
- Before Thanksgiving – Place the order. Confirm sizes and quantities. Most chapters order tees first, then add caps, stickers and a banner.
- December – Production. We make it while you survive finals.
- January – Show up ready. Rush week, matching fits, banner up at the table.
What to include in a spring rush kit
- Rush tees for every active member — the thing PNMs see first.
- Caps for the brothers working the table.
- Stickers to hand out (they end up on every laptop on campus).
- A banner so your table doesn't look like everyone else's.
Don't be generic
Recruitment is a first impression. A blank table and mismatched shirts say "we didn't plan." Matching custom merch says your chapter has its act together — and that's the brotherhood people want to join.
