| BigRedBeta |
05-04-2008 11:32 PM |
We have summer rush, and I think it's a great process. Freshmen can sign with a house from the day after they graduate up until Friday of the first week of school. There used to be a formal rush week the first week of school, but the last time even half of the guys going through that week got signed (I think it was 7 out of 14) was in 2001. The week has been largely abandoned, though the idea gets kicked around during IFC elections every couple of years.
Admitted seniors usually get a mailing from Greek Affairs about Spring Break introducing them to the Greek System and directing them to fill out a rush application, which is now pretty much exclusively online. The app asks for basic contact information, intended major, ACT/SAT score, class rank, GPA, and 10 HS accomplishments/awards/honors/involvement. There's a fee for the sororities, but no fee to go through fraternity rush. There is a box for guys to say they don't want to be contacted until after they graduate, along with a space for that day, and this request is generally honored (you don't want to be the asshole house that calls early).
At noon on the Friday of finals week (usually the first week of may, it'll be Friday of this week this year), copies of those applications which have been received are delivered to all the chapters. Recruitment officers may then begin calling rushees. Generally, the first 4-5 weeks of the summer is the "travel period" where rush chairs travel all over the state and region to take guys out - dinners, rounds of golf and the like are pretty routine, some guys in Omaha will taken to College World Series games. I've heard of some houses sending their rush chairs as far away as 14 hours to take guys out, but this is a fairly new phenomena which with gas the way it is, is likely to decrease.
By about the fifth week of summer (second or third week of June) most rushees will have graduated, and the University will have started hosting New Student Enrollment for the incoming freshmen. Traveling dies down a little bit, and chapters are required to have at least one rush chair at the house available to give tours and answer questions. Since NSE is the one chance where all freshmen come to campus, tours can get pretty busy, so it's pretty rare for there not to be 2 rush chairs and a couple of brothers around to handle the tours.
Once NSE starts, most chapters start having some sort of weekly barbecues to allow rushees to meet the chapter and see the house. Typically they're Thursday nights, and brothers are lured with free food and parties afterward. The chapters also begin scheduling rush parties at various locations throughout the state on the weekends - usually at someone's cabin or a lake.
Rush is completely dry (and the rule is fairly well followed - there's always a handful of rushees where rumors start flying that such and such a house took them out before they signed and that's why they ended up in that house. Usually occurs when it's a guy that was coveted by the top houses ends up in a second tier chapter) , but once a rushee has signed their bid card, they can begin partying with the house the rest of the summer.
Chapters may give out bid cards at any time, and they're "good" for two weeks, though most get post-dated. Cards must be signed by the student and their parent. Some chapters put a great deal of effort into winning over parents. One of the most masterful recruitment jobs I ever saw within my own chapter occurred when guys in my pledge class were rush chairs and they spent about 3 or 4 times as much time with a rushee's mom and little 9 year old sister (who the rushee was extremely close with) as they did with him. It was the little sister who actually asked him when he was going to sign his card to Beta that got him to pull the trigger.
Generally June is the most hectic time, and by 4th of July, most chapters have the majority of their class signed. For the GDI student, they have to break their dorm contract by July 10th or else pay a fine, but Greek Affairs has an agreement with University Housing that guys joining fraternities have until the 15th to break their contract without penalty, so that kind of represents the major endpoint of rush with most guys having signed by then. Bid cards will trickle in throughout the end of July though, and by August most things are set and whatever parties remain are intended to get the new guys to know the guys in their pledge class better, to build the relationships, and allow roommates the chance to meet and plan out who's bringing what.
I like the setup because it's not hurried. There's plenty of time to meet with most of the houses, and really spend time to see if you fit. I also like the fact that it means guys know before they get to school what their doing and that they'll be living in the fraternity house from day one. It's a little tough for out of state guys, but since they have to come for NSE, they have to be on campus at least one day, and if they're from really far away, they're usually going to stay for at least two days so they have time to meet with houses.
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