Greek rush kicks off across campus

Rush means different things for different sexes. While guys travel casually to different fraternity houses, checking out the free food at a leisurely pace, girls donning black pants and pea coats travel in structured packs, visiting decorated sororities on a fixed time schedule. Although the approach may vary drastically, the goal remains the same -- find a match between a student and a house. With open house events under way, and closed events to begin shortly, students said they have enjoyed the process so far. "It's the best thing since sliced bread," Wharton freshman Jamin Casciato said. Mark Valenti, the InterFraternity Council Vice President for Rush and New Member Education, said he is excited about the potential for success with this year's rush. "There were a lot of people talking about rush events," the Engineering senior said. "The past few years we've had pretty good numbers," he added. "But there's always room to improve." He also stressed the importance of making oneself noticed at rush events. "You need to make sure you're meeting people and speaking to them to an extent that they'd want to invite you back," he said. And although rushees realize the value of this advice, many admit that the freebies are their main motivation for attending. "I mostly just go to get something to eat," Casciato explained. "Or to go to the bathroom," added College freshman David Bauer. "I see a couple guys walk in, get some food and 5 or 10 minutes later, [they] are out the door," Valenti said. "It's part of the deal." Female rushees don't have the temptation of free snacks driving their decision to rush. But despite the lack of edibles, females have found the rush process enjoyable as well. "It was not what I expected," College freshman Erica Falls said. "It turned out to be a more pleasant experience than I thought." "I didn't feel I had to be fake or anything," she continued. "But maybe that's because I'm not desperate to get into one of them." Girls travel around in small groups led by a rho chi, hitting between three and four sororities a night. Each visit lasts for about 30 minutes. The girls dress in similar attire and all wear name tags, drawing some practical jokes. "Some guys in the lacrosse house threw water balloons at us as we walked by," Falls said. Last night, the girls finished visiting all seven houses on campus and were required to make a list of the six houses in which they are most interested. Fraternities, however, lack a specific process whereby houses and rushees alike narrow down houses. Instead, each fraternity is simply required to hold at least two open events. The requirement is designed to disable fraternities from excluding rushees without giving them an opportunity to get a taste for the Greek system, Valenti said, adding that "it's a very good opportunity to have as many people as we can come through and meet the guys." "We want to have the highest level of interest possible," he said. "Open events are a good start to that." Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski emphasized the rewards of choosing to become active in Greek life. "If I didn't believe that fraternity [involvement] is the ultimate compliment to a strong academic experience, I wouldn't do what I do," he said.