Fall Rush at Texas (next year)
 

Whats up guys ! I'm going to be a senior in high school this year (yes i know, i still have a year left), and I plan to attend the University of Texas next year.
I want to join a fraternity, but there are many things that I'm curious about.
I don't know anyone in a fraternity or a sorority. So it will be difficult to even initiate first contact with the fraternities.
HOWEVER, I have a place i can go and stay at during the summer (next year when i enroll at UT) and i can even go up there for round up.

Here are my question:

I know that high schools students are not supposed to go to round up, but I was wondering if I should go? So that I could familiarize myself with all the fraternity members and what not, and so that I could have an edge when i do rush, since i do not know anyone in the fraternities.

Also, i heard about summer rush. I am guessing that it is bunch of events prior to the official rush, but I am curious on how to find out about the events happening during summer rush or how to come in contact with them.
Is there a way i can contact/find out about the events that the fraternities have during the summer ?




Thanks

I think you already answered your own question...

Concentrate on being a Senior and getting the grades, before worrying about something that is over a year away....

Yeah, focus on high school. Once you're done with that, if you get the opportunities to meet people, then do that.

If not, there's still rush events at the beginning of the semester. That's your opportunity to connect with chapters and hopefully get a bid if you're a good fit for one.

I do well in school. I am the salutatorian of my class, but thanks for the replies anyways haha

Did no one from your HS go to UT?

If not, then (asking this of UT alums) wouldn't he have a difficult time getting into parties at Roundup anyway?

I would think that being the random dude no one knows trying to get into Roundup events would hurt your chances far more than not going to Roundup in the first place.

It's kinda silly for everyone to hop on here and tell a rising senior "just worry about senior year" when we all know that a lot of recruitment networking at a school like UT happens WELL before that.

OP, you have to get into Texas first. Wait until you've done that. Once you have, do you really know NOONE who goes there? Not even like guys from your high school that you sorta know but not really well?

If you find someone like that, and he is in a fraternity, it is okay to send an email in the spring telling him that you've been accepted to UT, you are interested in fraternity life but don't know a ton of people in it, and if he has some time, you'd love to chat with him about his experiences. If he/his chapter are interested in you, they will take the hint from there.

regrettably i do not know anyone. :/

just wondering, do high school kids go to round up ?

This has been answered already. You answered it yourself, in fact, in your first post.

Are you out of state, or from a tiny town, or what?

I don't know, obviously, but it could be the kind of "high school kids are not supposed to go to Roundup" like most college freshman are "not supposed to drink beer".

I'm interested in the answer to your question, since the OP seems to know just enough to be dangerous to his own rush.

and what about summer rush? how do i come in contact with fraternities?

Do you know any UT alumni? Even if they're not greek, they might know some stuff about Roundup.

This is pretty much right on...

Here's a whole thread on Roundup at UT..although I will say that it's different for girls going through sorority recruitment..

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...hlight=roundup

Found this pretty easily via the internet.

http://www.texasifc.org/upcomingevents.htm

Sounds like they are/were serious about no high school students.

Here's the deal. Yes, you can go to round up and plenty of HS Seniors do. In order to get a wristband, you have to show a college ID, I won't discuss how, but people get around this all the time. IF you go, and I am stressing the word IF, behave. IMO, roundup can do more harm than good, with only one behavioral mistake. So tread wisely and go only if you feel you are in complete control of your own behavior. And good luck.

***Disclaimer...this is an answer FOR A GUY. If you are a high school girl...I would not step foot in the city limits of Austin on that weekend. It never seems to end well. :roll eyes:

Here is a clip from Round UP 2012...watch carefully...can you control yourself in this type of situation?....Yes, this is just one house, but every event of that weekend is similar...heck his is probably somewhat mild in comparisons to others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVQz3...eature=related

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JE_q...eature=related

So basically Round Up is 20 year old white dudes acting like they're Snoop Dogg. LOL. I just want to state that, the loose tank top thing REALLY needs to end NOW.

You could say that. I don't see the baggy tanks going away. The new thing is sports bras, in neon of course, with letters on them. I think they are just getting starting..just when you think it can't get any brighter...

Oh how the temptation must be overwhelming for HS students. I agree that this would probably not bode well for them. But if they can get around it they will try.

To the thread poster, don't do it. It will, in all probability, only hurt your chances of getting into a Fraternity. I see nothing good coming from your attendance as the college students will resent your presence at their party if they find out.

OH Dear Lord no. Please no. Ick.

Agreed. This is incredibly disrespectful to our letters.

What exactly is the reason for this roundup anyway? A big Greek party weekend?

Let me explain about the bras...the letters are on the sides so when the baggy tees show the edge of the sports bra...(normally neon and VERY full coverage) you see the letters...the purpose of round up...yeah...a BIG celebration of Greek life. Greeks from all the major Texas universities...(Texas State, A & M, TCU, SMU...etc) come for the weekend. Frats hire pretty big names rap stars to have concerts, they sell the tickets and money goes to their service organization. The sororities also hold events revolving around food to do the same...a bbq, mexican food, etc. I have heard a figure of $50,000-$75,000 spent by frats to host these concerts, hire security, have beer, punch, whatever...but I am SO out of lane I have no *proof* of those figures. It is a very large recruitment push for the frats for the next school year. They try to out do each other for each party to show they are better....you know the syndrome.

I believe the reason the frats do this is create these videos...example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S0RHow7sXU

And then they use them to promote their houses for rush events. The sororities use it as an opportunity to promote their unity by dressing alike in "round up gear" which are coordinated outfits from wind shorts, bike shorts, socks, baggy tanks..etc and they have certain outfits they wear each day. The frat guys buy this merchandise too....but they buy it blind as the actual gear is a highly held secret until the day it debuts. Beyond gear there are croakies, flasks, medallions, beads, the list goes on and on and on. I personally believe houses love it when their jerseys show up on the rap stars or when the singers wear their medallions, etc.

Roundup is a recruiting event along with being a big greek party event. It just is, and has been since before I was in high school.

Summer rush goes on during the summer before you start in the fall, there will be events during all of the orientation weekends. There are some big name events, like Fiji Island, Foam, etc, but there will be "late nights' every night during the orientations.

There is no formal rush week or anything in the fall for fraternities at Texas. Most bids are given out at "Austin State" weekend which is before school starts.

Most of the houses have websites where you can get an email for a rush captain, there will be rush captains in most of the big Texas cities. Email a rush captain and they will put you on the rush list. That's how you'll get invited to events.

It is harder to get on some rush lists than others. Start contacting people late fall, any earlier and it is a waste of time, but if they get you on the lists prior to Xmas formals, you may be invited.

My sons started going to events starting with Xmas formals, then all through the spring, including Roundup, then summer rush events, then got bids at Austin State. This was in 2007 and 2010, so it hasn't changed.

Good luck!

What? Do you mean they went to a fraternity's formal and took a date? Isn't that kind of intrusive as to what should be a special evening for brothers and dates only? (Not to mention, did they get to do this for FREE??)

Or do you mean they were dates of sorority members who needed them at sorority formals?

This agreeably consorting (i.e. they didn't lie and say they went to another college or something to sneak in to events) w/ HS students in any way is just very odd for me to wrap my brain around. I guess our longstanding Draconian liquor laws have something to do with it.

UT Fraternity Christmas Formals =/= regular school fraternity formals. Indescribable really (at least in the late 90's it was) in terms of scope and build out at the houses. Yes, it is a rush event, yes they bring dates (possible PNM's) and yes, they don't pay. Pretty sure that hasn't changed in the last 20 years, but I'm going to let srmom confirm that. Again, it's a touch-and-go situation for a PNM (both male and female) to attend as a HS Senior. Danger Will Robinson...

My sons didn't bring dates, but pretty much all of their friends went, guys and girls, just in a gang (like they tend to do - run in packs).

Anyway, like Shirley said, the builds are incredible for Xmas formals (they want to show it off), and they are not like a formal where everyone has a date. The way it works is the fraternity guys usually go with their dates in large groups (like by pledge class) to a swanky restaurant downtown, (for some events like parent's weekend or spring formals the parents are invited and go too and of course get hit up for the dinner tabs ;)) then get to the house around 11:30. The hs kids just meet up at the houses, and will go from one formal to the other.

It is used as a recruiting event, therefore it is free - dues pay for everything, that, along with social dues. If you knew what the recruiting budget is for these houses, you wouldn't be surprised that they foot the bill for recruits.

As for the drinking - all the houses have security (at least my sons' fraternity) does, and they also hire contract bartenders to dispense the alchohol. This is to try to combat the underage drinking, and to limit liability, but how well it works, I don't know. When we've been to events, I've seen the bartenders check Id's but I've seen kids I know are not 21 with a drink in hand. so....

For starters, A LOT has changed this year for Round Up. In the past, every sorority and fraternity hosted HS kids. This year, many sororities did not because UPC threatened us with pretty severe consequences. Fraternities still found ways to get guys in though, as they are the ones in charge of handing out the wristbands.

IMO, for guys, if you do not go to round up, you are very unlikely to get a bid to most of the top fraternities. Most fraternities do ALL of their rushing during the summer. If you are interested, get in contact with them sooner rather than later. Fiji Island was last weekend and a lot of the HS guys there already had bids.

Pineapple is right in that fraternities spend BIG money on round up, both as a recruitment thing and it is Texas's version of 'homecoming' since we don't have that.

Yes they do.

Go to round up.