Rush Questions- Can your past effect your future
 

I guess a little back story is required.
Back in Fall '09 I got arrested and suspended from school. I was a stupid freshman and after talking it out with the school I got it changed from indefinite to 2 semester suspension. So I took the 2 semesters off and determinded if I really wanted to go college.
So last fall I decided to return but couldn't get housing and only took online classes and classes at my local community college. And now in the spring semester I couldn't get housing again so I did the same thing. I've made sure I have housing for this fall and am working on this summer. Due to credits I'll be sophomore and I'll be 19.
So my question is would my past effect my chances during rush? I go to a small university there's only 6 fraternities. If that's to much information I'm sorry,and if I forgot or you need to know something just ask.
Thanks in advance
Steve

This will depend on a lot of factors. I think a large part of it will be exactly why you were arrested. However DON'T post that in the open. And I find it kind of strange that you decided not to take classes just because you couldn't get housing, but that is not related. Though now to think of it, if your chapters are housed, they might think you just want to join to secure housing, so I guess that is relevant after all.

I went to a medium-size college (a little under 10k undergrads) and when someone got arrested or suspended from school, word would get out. Did word travel when you got suspended? Did people you knew freshman year join fraternities? I wouldn't bring attention to it if you don't have to.

The rest is just my opinion if someone was coming through rush at my school: If I knew a rushee had been arrested and suspended from school for two semesters, I would not vote to extend him a bid. You could be a big risk management liability.

Hopefully word hasn't traveled and you are truly reformed. It will be an uphill battle if word gets out about your history.

I'm guessing that off-campus housing is either super expensive, or they have landlords who are sticklers and won't rent to anyone with an arrest record.

Well my schools newspaper did a story on what happened which is why my sentenced was lowered from indefinite to 2 semesters. And the majority of the school supported which is why when the case went to the county court my charges were dropped

I took online classes at the university while I lived at home and took classes at the community college just some of the credits don't transfer since class like massage therapy isn't a class most universities offer. If all my credits transferred I would only be one semester behind( that would be the semester I got suspended)
I don't have a car so I either have to live on campus or someplace that has a bus that goes to the school. There is only one place off campus that has a bus and part of my sanctions was exclusion from campus housing but I got that uplifted last month. As for the chapter housing theory, my schools Greek system is relatively new and small so they have yet to build Greek housing.

Learning the difference between "affect" and "effect" will affect your future grades. Might want to look to that and the rest of your grammar problems throughout your posts. Work on this.

So people know who you are then. Then it all depends on people's perception of you. Some people will be against you no matter what, so that's something you may have to deal with.

Hopefully there will be some who will be willing to have an open mind and take a chance. I hope that you will be willing to step up to the plate and prove them right.

It really depends on what you were arrested for, if you actually did it, and if so, how it reflects on how well you fit into the fraternity.

My personal advice is to not bring it up, but if it comes up, don't try to hide it because they already know.