Having a Hellenistic good time

For many students, Penn's Greek life is the main avenue for entertainment and socializing over the weekend.

There are 28 fraternities and eight sororities on Penn's campus, overseen by the InterFraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council, respectively. Panhel is currently led by Wharton senior Alison Ng, and College senior Conor Daly is head of the IFC.

During much of the fall semester, fraternities and sororities hold open parties. And with free food, music and -- naturally -- alcohol, these groups usually attract many students.

Part of the aim of all the free fun is to spark interest in a particular house among students, providing motivation for freshmen to rush.

New students learn more about individual fraternities and sororities during the spring semester rush, when they meet with current Greeks to determine if they will fit in with the house.

For the first rush week, IFC fraternities and Panhel sororities hold open houses for hopeful members. They supply free food and non-alcoholic drinks to entice freshmen into further rushing a particular chapter.

While men can visit whatever house they like, women participating in rush must go to every sorority. When open rush ends, women choose a maximum of six houses they are interested in.

The process is less organized for men. Each house holds three open and three invitation-only events. These closed events usually take place in the second week. If a student does not receive an invitation, he can assume the fraternity is no longer interested in him.

After several rounds of parties and interviews, rush comes to an end on bid night. Each woman will only receive a single bid, while men may receive several bids. If the student accepts the bid, he or she then begins the semester-long pledge process.

A limited rush for upperclassmen and transfer students takes place in the fall, though freshmen are not allowed to participate. This gives those students who were cut the previous spring or those who decided to postpone the process a second opportunity if becoming Greek.

The most recent addition to Penn's Greek scene is the sorority Sigma Kappa. The house has already attracted several women from all years, and Ng has expressed enthusiasm about welcoming a new chapter to Panhel.

There are also some traditionally minority Greek chapters, all under the supervision of the BiCultural InterGreek Council. The join-up process is slightly different and is known as "intake." All BIG-C fraternities and sororities have individual recruitment processes. "Intake" takes place throughout the spring semester.

Extra information for freshmen considering joining a Greek society is available on the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Web site -- http://pobox.upenn.edu/~ofsa.

For general information on the Greek system, students should look at the IFC's Web site -- http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~ifc and Panhel's website -- http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~panhel.

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