A FRONT ROW VIEW: Rush events are poorly planned

Women do not care about Penn basketball. They don't follow it and it is irrelevant to their lives. At least, this is the message that the Panhellenic Council is sending by causing many sorority rushees and sisters to miss much of Saturday's Penn-Princeton game. Princeton is by far Penn's biggest rival, and this game has been eagerly anticipated by many fans since the beginning of the season. Princeton is also the closest competitor to Penn as the Quakers attempt to win their third consecutive Ivy League basketball championship. Unfortunately for all rushees and for the many sisters involved in the rush process, this anticipation will go mostly unfulfilled. The Panhellenic Council has scheduled a rush event called Mailbox from 6:30 p.m. to 8 Saturday night. The game begins at 7. Mailbox consists of the rushees writing down, in order, the two sorority houses they wish to bid. Although it is possible that a rushee could quickly write down the names, leave, and make the beginning of the game, Ro Chi rush counselor Stephanie [last names are not allowed to be made public] believes that many people will be forced to miss part of the game. According to Stephanie, choosing which sorority houses to bid is a major decision in the women's lives. Many of them like to think about it for a long time and will probably be there until 7:30, 8 or even 8:30. A rushee would have to hurry her decision in order to make the game on time. Unfortunately for the 40 Ro Chi rush counselors, they have to wait for every rushee in their group to leave before they can go. As long as there is one rushee in her group who is unsure of where to bid, a Ro Chi will miss part of the game. Additionally, there are people who have to check the results after all the forms are turned in. They will definitely miss most of the game. Should the Panhellenic Council make all of these people choose between sorority life and campus life? Are these two important parts of the University of Pennsylvania mutually exclusive? They should not be. But due to the Panhellenic Council, they are. Are there people in sororities who want to go this game? Definitely. "Many people are pretty pissed off," said Stephanie. One rushee who wished to remain anonymous was especially troubled with the dilemma presented to her by the Panhellenic Council. "It's really disappointing that I feel like I have to make a choice between two important things," she said. The fact is, Penn basketball is an integral part of University life, and Saturday night's game is perhaps the biggest game of the season. The Panhellenic Council's position is especially odd because so many sororities prided themselves on encouraging involvement in other forms of campus life in the rush book. It should be noted the Panhellenic Council is not unaware of the significance of this game. They have already rescheduled parties planned for Saturday night to the afternoon because of the game. However, if their goal was for everybody who wanted to go the game to be able to watch all of it, they were unsuccessful. Many rushees and sisters will undoubtedly be late. Correcting this problem should not be difficult. The parties have already been rescheduled; hopefully Mailbox can as well. If it were moved to Sunday, or even late Saturday night, the problem would be erased. Nobody should have to choose between sorority life and the biggest thing going on campus. Steve Schorr is a College freshman from Valley Stream, N.Y. and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian.