This is our first year to take it very seriously (summer). We've already got 10-15 committments. I'm actually kind of worried we'll get more Candidates than we have Initiates.

Not a bad thing I guess:D

Good luck with your expansion ktsnake! I hope it goes well.

and Belaruz!- I always thought the midwest comrised the Great Lakes states and the great plains. At least that is what I was taught in Elementarty school. But hey- do your divisions however!

You can't get much more official than U.S. Census divisions. According to the census, the Midwest states are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

In my experience what part of the Midwest you are from influences your definition of it ... someone from Missouri is surprised to find out Ohio is MW too, and vice versa. Growing up in Michigan, I would never have called Nebraska Midwest - it was all the way over there!

Anyway, </hijack>.

I'm curious to know how summer rush affects potential rushees who are undecided on Greek life. I know at some schools people aren't induced to rush until freshman year or even later - do these guys join in later years or not join at all?

That is something that I do think is a problem. In the past there has been a fair amount of houses getting 6-8 guys as second semester pledges, but this past year only 7 guys signed up for Winter Formal rush, which I blame on a number of people, but I won't go into that.

There are also a number of people who will sign as sophomores, so it is not that big of deal, but the vast majority of rushees are freshmen.

The biggest thing is for the guys who are from out of state that may be on the fence. I was kind of in this position but I was considering the greek system already by the time I went to my New Student enrollment day. I had several friends who had signed at other schools, and the only reason I was on the fence still in mid-June was b/c I hadn't put in my rush application yet. Luckily I do think that having the opportunity to tour houses after NSE persuades a lot of guys to consider it.

Overall though I dont' think that our Greek system is hurt by the loss of potential members who are unsure. Being at such a large university makes the numbers game less important, although it does suck to see houses struggle to get guys, but at the same time there has been a summer where 75% of the guys sign. Last summer with rush numbers "down" a higher % of guys signed, so in one sense rush was more sucessful with fewer guys.