Big-C groups in no 'rush' to expand

Their goals differ from their IFC and Panhel counterparts. "Rush" seems to be the word of the day, with banners announcing open house parties appearing all over campus and the lines at Stouffer Commons magically disappearing around dinner time. But with a large portion of the University currently involved with InterFraternity Council and Panhellenic Association rush events, some members of the BiCultural InterGreek Council complain that their organization is being overlooked. "We tend to get lost in the shuffle of all the larger Greek organizations, just because we are so small," said Big-C President Jason Rosas. The upshot of having a relatively small organization -- made up of seven chapters with a total of 50 members -- is an especially tight-knit community, Rosas said. "I know every single individual in every [Big-C] organization," he added. And the organization is not necessarily interested in increasing the size of its membership. Rosas, a College junior, said the chapters are more concerned that students pledge the organization in which they feel most comfortable. "We don't want to force people into the wrong organizations," he said. Rather than holding an organized rush for their prospective members, Big-C groups welcome freshmen each fall at an assembly designed to introduce current Big-C brothers and sisters. Following this assembly -- usually held in the W.E.B. DuBois College House -- individual chapters begin recruiting and publicizing their houses, said Rosas, a La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., brother. He added that each organization inducts its new members at different times throughout the school year. The Big-C primarily focuses on community service, said College senior and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., member Nicole George. For example, members presented New York's Hale House -- which houses babies born to crack-addicted mothers -- with half of the proceeds from last year's Penn Relays. Rosas added that Big-C members are also dedicated to the promotion of cultural awareness and academic support. But College senior and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., President James Wilburn said that during their September "Call to Arms" campaign, Big-C members discovered that many students were unaware of the organization's involvement with the community -- such as his fraternity's upcoming Alpha Week celebrating figures who fought for racial equality. Wilburn said Big-C members plan to gain publicity through advertising their events in The Daily Pennsylvanian and on Center City's Pico Building. Rosas emphasized that Big-C fraternities and sororities don't fit the stereotypes many people associate with Greek organizations. "Fraternities and sororities are businesses," he said, emphasizing that Big-C organizations require a large time commitment because of members' responsibility to educate the community about minorities issues. "Everyone just does so much outside of the sorority [or fraternity]," George said. Although every Big-C organization requires a different minimum grade-point average, some chapter members say their service commitments detract from their studies, said George, a past president of her chapter. But the Big-C's section of the proposed 21st Century Report for the future of Greek life on campus provides for the formation of a resource center containing an old exam file and providing space for group study sessions. Big-C members averaged a 2.68 GPA last spring, slightly higher than the previous semester. And although the IFC and Panhel average GPAs were higher -- at 3.09 and 3.33 respectively -- Rojas explained that the other averages represent the grades of a much larger amount of people. In the Big-C, with its limited membership, one person's low GPA has a heavy impact on the whole organizations average, he added.