Women laud new Panhel rush

Last spring, the Panhellenic Council's Executive Board voted to change its traditionally structured rush process. Now, many of this year's rushes say they are benefiting from the results. After a slight decrease in the number of rushes last year, the eight-sorority governing board decided it was time to alter the rigid formality that has characterized the two-week process. This year's rush began Tuesday. Sororities are still prohibited from attempting to attract pledges prior to the rush period. And the rushes are still required to visit every house during the first round of rush -- a policy instituted to prevent any sorority or rushes from beginning rush with an advantage. Although Panhel's rush is still "pretty scientific" compared to the InterFraternity Council's, Panhel "made it more supportive of chapters and more interactive than it used to be," Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said. Panhel's board made several specific changes last summer in order to "make the process easier and more realistic for both rushes and houses," according to incoming Panhel Vice President of Rush Julie Galluzzo, a College junior. The first change was adding more opportunities for women to register for rush during the fall semester, rather than on only one or two designated days. Also, for the first time, sororities opened their houses for informal barbecues during last September's Greek Week to give potential rushes a taste of sorority life. "Greek Week [open houses] might have helped reinforce the fact that our Greek system is very diverse, and to persuade people to rush who previously weren't sure," said Panhel President-Elect Janelle Brodsky, a College and Engineering junior. Panhel has also made the rush programs less formal. Presentations such as skits and songs, which used to be a major part of the early rush period, were eliminated from the first round in favor of more opportunities for the rushes to talk to the sisters. In addition, the women will only revisit a maximum of six of the eight houses in the second round, as opposed to all eight. During the third round, rushes will visit three houses instead of four. Under the past system, it was hard for rushes to differentiate among sororities, outgoing Vice President of Rush Jen Wigman said. The increase in personal interaction "will have positive effects" in that more women will continue through all four rounds of rush and have better perceptions of the Greek system, the College senior explained. Although it is still early in the rush process, several sorority officials said they can already see positive changes. Sigma Delta Tau Rush Chairperson Lauren Greenspan, a College junior, said the changes "give sisters a chance to speak to the girls for much longer periods of time and get to know them better from the beginning." And Alpha Chi Omega President Alice Birnbaum said she felt the increased exposure during Greek Week encouraged more freshmen, as well as sophomores, to rush. The College senior added, however, that the changes have not yet had a major impact. Still, many of the rushes said they enjoyed talking with the sisters. College freshman Jennifer Lesko said that although she was "dreading [rush] at first, everyone was really nice and the sisters went out of their way to come to [talk to her]." And College freshman Danielle Cantor said that while presentations could have helped rushes get to know each sorority's personality, one-on-one conversation is really the only way to get to know individual sisters.