Four frats, one sorority hold fall rush

It is never too late to go Greek. Upperclass fall rush, which began for most houses about two weeks ago, gives students who missed spring rush their freshman year the opportunity to join selected fraternities or sororities. Fall rush is an informal process that involves only a few houses and is less regulated by the InterFraternity Council than spring rush is, according to Wharton Senior Jeff Snyder, the IFC's vice president for rush and membership education. Fraternities with low membership usually pledge in the fall people who are already friends with the chapter's brothers, according to Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Psi Upsilon, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Upsilon and Lambda Chi Alpha have informed OFSA officials that they are holding an upperclass fall rush, according to Reikofski. Pi Beta Phi is the only sorority participating in fall rush. Psi U President and Wharton senior Todd Bishop explained that pledging some brothers now will help "strengthen the younger classes who eventually will take over the house." His fraternity hopes to boost its numbers with the fall rush, he added. Psi U -- which moved back to its historic home in the Castle this year after losing their charter in 1990 for kidnapping and abusing a brother in a rival fraternity -- currently has 22 members. DTD would like eight new members, according to chapter President James Vergara, a College senior. He added that "about half the people [rushing] we know, and half we're hoping to attract through open events." Fall rush also allows fraternities to attract members who were not sure they wanted to pledge during their freshman year, according to Delta Upsilon President Jeff Reisenberg, a College junior. Houses hold more intimate rush events in the fall than in the spring, the presidents explained, and big parties are uncommon. Lambda Chi Alpha has already finished its fall rush, although the other fraternities will hold rush until early November. The fraternity is looking for six new members to join its current 17, according to Treasurer Mendel Hui, a Wharton sophomore. Pi Phi, the only sorority holding a fall rush, gave out bids last weekend. The seven other Panhellenic sororities filled their quota of 45 bids per sorority during rush last spring. Whenever there are less than three sororities involved, the Panhellenic Council does not oversee upperclass fall rush, explained Julie Galluzzo, a College senior and Panhel's vice president for rush. Therefore, Pi Phi ran its pledge events --Ewhich included a cocktail party, a TV watching night, an ice cream social and a downtown party at Paradigm -- independently. Rush Chairperson Alisa Plesco, an Engineering junior, said Pi Phi gets "some of our best women" through fall rush. College junior Andrea Brustein, one of the three new Pi Phi pledges, said she enjoyed rush. "It was very laid-back and they made us feel welcome," Brustein said. "I never wanted to rush in the spring [because] it's much more stressful."

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