Rushees admit IFC, Panhel violated rules

Claim early bid promises, alcohol served at events While the rules of rush for both the Panhellenic Council and the InterFraternity Council are quite clear, several current rushees have alleged that a number of houses are violating and manipulating these policies. For both councils, new rules mandate that formal rush does not begin until the spring semester. But several potential Greeks, who asked to remain anonymous, report they have already been guaranteed bids from specific fraternities and sororities -- some as early as last semester. IFC policy decrees that fraternities may not serve alcohol at any rush events during the two-week rushing period, which began last Sunday. According to several rushees, however, certain fraternities have managed to evade the drinking policy, serving alcohol to rushees after "official" rushing events have ended. "What [fraternities] usually do is set times when they say that the rush event is officially over," one Wharton freshman explained. "And then they wheel out the kegs." Another freshman male admitted that he had experienced a similar situation at a fraternity event held during the rushing period. "[The rush event] was scheduled to end at, say, 9:30," he said. "And about an hour after that, the brothers and me and people -- including rushees I had seen there -- just drank beer." Acting Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said that if such rumors were true, fraternities could be sanctioned or closed. "In my mind, that's a rush event because the rushees are still there," Reikofski said. "It's a question of being unethical." But according to IFC President-elect Josh Gottheimer, the IFC is not aware of any violations of the alcohol-free policy. He went on to describe such behavior as being "seriously against what [the IFC] believes in. "If there's any alcohol served during the rushing period, that's trying to draw a line where one can't be drawn," the College junior and member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity said. "Unfortunately, you can't keep an eye on everyone." Panhel and IFC rushees have also reported receiving promises of bids, or offers of membership, before and during the rushing period. According to Sigma Delta Tau President Stacey Weinstein, this behavior "strongly goes again Panhel policy." "Panhel has cut down on the amount of rules, and now that there are so few rules to follow, it's a bigger deal to break them," the College senior said. But a freshman woman confided that she was promised a bid by a sorority member during the rushing period. "She told me that she would pull some strings and get me a bid in her house," she said. Another freshman woman reported that her friend told her she would "definitely get in" to the sorority. Weinstein said this was an unfair promise to make. "It's a promise that one individual probably couldn't keep," she added. "The purpose of the sorority rush process is for the houses to work together so that the rushes and houses form mutual matches," Weinstein said. "This year, all eight sororities have had positive relations and I can not imagine that any sorority has violated the rules." Panhel President Lissette Calderon, a Wharton senior in Kappa Alpha Theta, said she agreed. "We have not received any formal complaints," she said. "The official Panhel stance is that there is no promising or inferring of bids during the rushing process. We're not going to tolerate that," she added. And Engineering senior Ed Vincent, a Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother and IFC vice president of rush, explained that bids "have to be given during the two week period." But one male freshman reported being offered membership by a fraternity during the fall semester, prior to the start of the official rushing period. "[The fraternity brothers] said that if I was prepared to make a commitment and don't change my mind, I'm in," he said.