Greeks, frosh prepare for spring rush

While some Penn students may dread the end of their vacations, hundreds have been waiting anxiously for the spring semester to start, bringing with it the formal fraternity and sorority rush period. Starting tonight, the InterFraternity Council's two-week rush begins with open house events at 27 of the 29 recognized fraternities. Any male student may attend these open rush events to determine if they are interested in joining a fraternity while enjoying free food, non-alcoholic beverages and entertainment. IFC President Conor Daly called rush "the biggest two weeks in a fraternity's life," and expects the process to be exciting and exhausting. After the open events, rushees may be invited back to closed events, during which the brothers get to know them better. The fraternity rush process ends on Jan. 28 when rushees sign bids inviting them to join a given house. This year, the IFC modified the format of rush so that all rushees must pay a $5 registration fee. Despite the policy change, not all rushees have paid the fee, prompting Daly to call for further registration in the coming days. He noted, however, that the policy has already been met with "modest success." While sorority rushees are not facing any new changes in the rush format, the process for sororities is far more rigid than it is for fraternities and consists of four stages. Starting Tuesday and Wednesday, the open house round kicks off rush for women as they visit each of the seven sorority houses. In the next round, sorority rushees may return to a maximum of five houses, getting to know the sisters better and watching skits performed by the sororities. The "philanthropy round" consists of girls attending no more than three houses and partaking in charitable projects that benefit the Rena Rowan Breast Center. This round was implemented into the rush process last year, and in the words of incoming Panhellenic Council President Elizabeth Kimmelman, "gives rush a purpose, and is a really good idea... something I enjoyed very much." Finally, there is the "preference round" in which girls go to either one or two houses, deciding where they want to join as the sororities simultaneously narrow down their lists. Throughout this process, rushees are guided by a rho chi -- a volunteer recruitment counselor -- who provides guidance while not revealing her sorority affiliation. According to Kimmelman, about 450 girls are rushing this year, a figure consistent with recent years. Daly also expects to see numbers of fraternity rushees similar to last year. Such enthusiasm for the Greek system is evident on campus. "I'm rushing because I hope that it will enhance my experience at Penn by meeting new people and trying new things," College freshman Hayley Gross said. "It should be a good time." "I'm basically just expecting to have a good time, and that's why I'm rushing." College freshman Keith Cohan said. "I also want to see what the frats are about." After moments of contemplation, Cohan and Engineering freshman Fletcher Wilson thought of an acronym to express their enthusiasm for rush. "Rush," according to the two, "is rowdy, uninhibited sexual healing."