While most fraternities try to woo potential brothers with cigars and pizza at rush parties, some feature an additional attraction -- a dog.
Tux -- the black labrador of Phi Delta Theta -- attends fraternity parties wearing a white bow tie.
"He parties with us," said Tux co-owner and College senior Bryan McClelland.
And Tux, who joined Phi Delt in 2002, is not the first resident canine in the fraternity house. He joins Murphy, Kodiac and Paquale in a long tradition of Phi Delt dogs that dates back to at least the late 1970s.
And if Tux ever gets bored of fraternity brothers constantly vying for his attention, there are always the dogs of almost half a dozen other fraternities -- including Alpha Tau Omega, Phi Kappa Psi and Delta Phi -- to play with him.
But not all fraternity dogs have Tux's love of company.
Lebowski, the corgi-beagle mix of Phi Kappa Psi, is described as having a "Napoleon complex" by one of his four co-owners, College senior Pong Chulirashaneekorn.
But Chulirashaneekorn adds that though Lebowski has a temper, his dog is a campus "celebrity."
"People always stop ... not to talk to you -- to talk to the dog," he said.
Chulirashaneekorn -- who got Lebowski from a North Philadelphia pound with three friends about two years ago -- said that when he bought Lebowski he did not notice any other dogs on campus.
However, now he says that there are "so many dogs on campus [that] there should be a Penn dog show."
Chulirashaneekorn said that girls "go crazy" over Lebowski.
It's "typical girl stuff," he said. They "don't even pay attention to you ... they are just paying attention to the dog."
However, dogs aren't the only emerging animal on campus. College sophomore Mark Stagliano of Phi Kappa Sigma has a turtle -- Dylan -- who is growing to be as "big as a dinner plate."
Stagliano plans to move into a larger room next year where he can store Dylan in a bigger tank.
"Hopefully, I can accommodate him," Stagliano said.
This phenomenon is not unique to Penn. Fraternity pets can be found across the country.
Though these dogs attract much affection on campus -- McClelland says Tux "loves to flirt" -- national fraternity leaders are more ambivalent.
"We do feel there is some element of risk" to fraternities owning dogs, said Kathy Johnston, national director of risk management for Sigma Phi Epsilon. She cited potential neglect problems and said that students may not have time to care for a dog.
Adele Hudson of animal-rights group United Humanitarians agreed that owning a dog brings potential problems.
"If you have a pet and ... it destroys property, you're liable," Hudson said.
However, she added that if students can take on the responsibility, having a pet could be a good idea.
"I certainly would have liked to have my pet with me when I went to college," Hudson added, "It does have a calming effect. ... Someone to talk to."
The major insurer of Penn's fraternity houses, Hilb Rogal & Hobbs/Kirklin & Co. -- which insures 21 out of the 29 houses on campus -- allows pets in the houses but does not recommend it.
Managing Director Ned Kirklin said, "In general, we don't have a specific policy. But if a chapter was to contact us asking for a recommendation, we would discourage having dogs or cats in the chapter."
He raised concerns about adequate care of the animal and possible bad behavior on its part.
"If a claim results ... it would affect the chapter's insurance," Kirklin said.
But that's not a problem for McClelland, who calls Tux "the friendliest dog. ... He loves hanging out with everybody."
