The start of the spring semester will see sorority rushees singing a slightly different melody as the Panhellenic Council fine-tunes the rush process.
Today, rushees will meet their rho chi, a volunteer recruitment counselor who will guide them through the next week of activities. During the recruitment period, the rho chi is temporarily disaffiliated from her chapter.
Many rushees are evidently looking forward to the week.
"It'll be a great way to meet people," Engineering freshman Rachel Fried said. "All the freshmen I talked to are excited."
The compression of the rush process -- which was previously two weeks long -- took into consideration the fact that most sororities across the nation have only a week of rush, according to Panhellenic Council Vice President of Recruitment Ashley Alexander.
The first of four rounds, known as the "open house round," kicks off on Wednesday for the rushees, as they visit each of the seven chapters participating in rush for 45-minute parties.
On Saturday, the women return to no more than five sororities to witness skits performed by the sisters.
During the "philanthropy round," which occurs at the beginning of next week, rushees participate in mini-projects at a maximum of three of the houses.
These projects will benefit each respective sorority's national philanthropy instead of last year's choice of the Rena Rowan Breast Center -- the collective philanthropy for the Panhellenic Council.
This change, according to Alexander, was a result of the Rena Rowan Breast Center's request for "something that would address the needs of a cancer patient better than picture frames."
"Unfortunately, their request was impossible to fulfill given the short time frame we have allocated for these projects," Alexander said.
In the final round next Wednesday, the women visit one or two houses to determine where they feel most comfortable.
The rush process is one of mutual selection; sororities therefore also shortlist potential new sisters during the week.
Alexander expects approximately 500 rushees this year, similar to last year's final total of 491 women. As of Sunday, 478 women were registered for recruitment.
More women may rush, if the enthusiasm of those who have already decided to participate is any indicator.
"It's a new experience I haven't already had," College freshman Julia Gonzalez said. "I want to expand my horizons."
Yet, not all students share this opinion.
"It's not a part of the social crowd that I want to be in," College freshman Christina Watts said. "I'm not interested in drinking."
