Rush 2003 kicks off today for fraternities and Wednesday for sororities. The 12 Greek or ganizations will be recruiting in the coming weeks.
By Tracy Domingo
Staff Writer
As the fall semester enters its fifth week of class, the dust seems to have finally settled from the rush of new and returning Pepperdine students to Malibu. However, another kind of rush has invaded campus and it is expected to take students by storm: Greek Recruitment 2003.
“As the deadlines get closer, we are receiving more and more applications to rush,” said Vice President of Social Outreach Janice Ying. “We have a lot of new methods that we are using this year, like all the information and applications are online, but I think it (this year’s recruitment) will be just as successful as it has in the past.”
The Inter-Fraternity Council, the national governing body for fraternities, will hold Formal Recruitment today through Tuesday, Sept. 30.
“We’ve seen an enthusiastic freshman class and we, as a Greek Organization as a whole, are excited for Rush,” said Inter-Fraternity Council president Frankie Masterson.
Panhellenic, the national governing body for all sororities, will hold its Formal Recruitment Wednesday, Sept. 24 through Monday, Sept. 29.
Students planning on rushing will be able to consider 12 nationally recognized Greek organizations that have existing chapters at Pepperdine. Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi make up the seven sororities offered on campus. Beta Theta Pi, Psi Upsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu and Sigma Phi Epsilon are the five fraternities offered.
While the choices may seem overwhelming for a new student entering rush, active Greek members are anxious to receive their new members. To the Greek community of Pepperdine, recruitment is the most important event of the year, because the new members of each sorority or fraternity determine the future success of the chapter.
“New members are vital because they carry on the goals of each chapter,” said Holly Elliott, an active member of Delta Gamma. “I look forward to meeting our new generation.”
Rush activities differ between sororities and fraternities. Women’s recruitment consists of six consecutive days of gatherings that take place in classrooms. Potential new members can interact with each sorority during specific days including Open House, Video Night, Philanthropy Day and Preference Night, which all lead up to Bid Night where candidates may receive a bid from one sorority. Participation for women’s recruitment is $20.
Men’s recruitment begins with Orientation night, from which each fraternity has its own activity planned for the remaining days of rush. There is no cost to participate in men’s recruitment.
According to Student Organizations Coordinator Chris Van Velzer, there are usually between 225 and 250 women and between 120 and 140 men who go through the entire process of rush and end up pledging a house. However, he encourages all students to participate in Recruitment 2003.
“Whether you know for sure if you are going to pledge or not, it is a great opportunity to come to events and make new friends,” Van Velzer said. “However, students who have pledged have found that a lot of times it becomes one of the most defining and meaningful experiences in a student’s college career.”
Applications to rush can be found at seaver.pepperdine.edu/studentaffairs/studentactivities/studentorganizations/greeklife.htm
September 18, 2003