Freshman women will have to wait, but some older students have jumped on the chance to join a sorority this fall.
While all houses may conduct informal recruitment efforts, the Sigma Kappa and Alpha Phi sororities are the only two Greek houses on campus conducting formal fall rush, which began last week and will end on Sunday.
According to College senior Ashley Alexander, the Panhellenic Council's vice president of recruitment, fall rush is done to "make sure chapters currently on campus have strong membership" before another sorority comes on campus and competes for members.
Alexander added that the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs forbids freshman women from participating because they are still trying to get accustomed to college life and trying to find new friends.
She continued to say Panhel is looking for women who are "interested in Greek life truly and not looking for a social outlet."
Fall rush is a method sororities have to meet the usual fall chapter total of 115 members, a number set by Panhel.
But this fall, because of the return of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority to campus, the chapter total has been raised to 117 members at the unanimous recommendation of the National Panhellenic Council.
Alexander would not comment on the repercussions of not meeting that total.
Currently, Alpha Phi and Sigma Kappa are below the required total. But, according to Alpha Phi President and Nursing senior Haley Shimizu, other sororities are below the campus average, as well, and have chosen not to rush.
Fall rush allows transfer students and others who might have missed spring rush to join a sorority, according to Shimizu.
"We are using fall rush as an opportunity to extend membership to women who may have missed formal recruitment in the spring," Shimizu said.
Sigma Kappa President and College senior Rea Harrison said she does not see fall rush as simply a time to meet certain numbers, but instead as a crucial way to develop a stronger bond between the sisters.
Even though her sorority is below the chapter total, Harrison said that "Sigma Kappa is not looking to recruit a specific number of women."
She added that "the beauty of fall rush is that it gives us a unique opportunity to extend membership invitations to great women that have expressed interest in our sorority and who we see as extraordinary potential sisters."
Shimizu believes that rushees will be interested in joining a sorority at this time even though they can only choose between two.
"The new member education program is less of a time commitment," Shimizu said.
"The pledge classes are tighter and you get to know the girls a lot better," she added.
Shimizu is confident that her sorority will meet the campus total, but if they do not, Alpha Phi will probably rush at another time during the fall.
"We always look forward for opportunities to increase our membership," said Susan Zabriske, the executive director of Alpha Phi National.
Since fall rush only allows upperclassmen to rush, it lets women with more responsibility and leadership experience -- "stronger women in general," according to Alexander -- join a sorority.
According to Alexander, sororities can find "stronger women in general" during fall rush who will probably take on leadership positions at their sorority.
Meanwhile, many freshman women are anticipating spring rush.
"I definitely want to join a sorority," Engineering freshman Andrea Miltiades said, adding that, "I've already made good friends just through classes, but I want sisters."
And while some women from the upper classes are rushing, many others have already decided that Greek life is not for them.
"I have other things to spend money on," College sophomore Jessica Ragusa said.
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