Colorado-deferred rush
 

Likely due to alcohol and hazing violations, the University of Colorado announced today that sorority rushing for freshmen
would not commence 'til the second semester. No such report
has been issued for the fraternities...but may be forthcoming.
This might create a hardship on the men's groups. They are considerably smaller than the women's.
There are at least a dozen dormant chapters of NIC-NPC chapters
at CU. SAE, Delta Chi & TKE are presently colonizing long-dead
units there. Suitable housing on this campus is difficult to find,
as the University, like many, snapped up some gorgeous houses
when chapters were vacated, thereby diminishing the supply.
Will keep this site posted on further developments.
Does your chapter have an active advisor? If not, get one.

Hi Erik,

As I recall, Colorado tried to impose deferred rush on the fraternities, and IFC said "no way."

The Delt Shelter is a perfect example of a gorgeous property "snapped up" by the university.

Of course I doubt if we would ever consider colonizing there again.

Colorado
 

DU had an active chapter at Colorado from 1953-1997, good chapter,at least size wise, in the 1980's, began to go downhill in late 1980's after discipline problems. Chapter lost its house at 1012 University in 1992 and went inactive. Have not seen any word on Colorado being on a list of chapters to be revived by DU.

deferred rush--harbinger of doom
 

until we get booze and girls out of the house
until we get active advisors and boards
until we get hazing under control
deferred rush will grab hold and divert attention from the greeks
to the bells and whistles of government funded housing....
We will continue to lose a few chapters a year and will play musical chairs, losing beautiful houses doing it, and will become
a lesser influence on the collegiate scene of today.
The increasing costs, the increasing government intervention and
the increasing padding of bureaucratic positions to control the greeks...will all add to our dimuniution and loss of influence.
CU is but one of a goodly number of colleges who've amassed a
graveyard of Greeks. Not every campus has skiing and drugs in
such a supply, but other enticements detract on other campi.
We slept in sleeping dorms back then, and we had only one TV
in the house. Stereos were played during non-quiet hours, and
pledge duties helped keep a clean house. We had a housemom.
Where are we going? I simply do not know.
The ball's in your court.

And maybe, just maybe - deferred rush will weed out the first semester freshmen who don't know what Greek life is all about and are only pledging because they think they'll have easy access to alcohol and the opposite sex.

I'd rather have pledges who have sampled all the "distractions" and still want to be Greek, than those who just do it because all their friends do, or because they're afraid of not having a social life, etc etc.

Then you're very welcome to have your chapter not do anything social for that first semester or just make everyone study or whatever. Whatever you do though is something you control and not something an administration controls and throws onto you.

-Rudey

Deferred rush does not equal "not doing anything social."

I understand your point that you shouldn't have to do it because the admin says so and I agree - but maybe if everyone would stop freaking out every time it's mentioned the admin would realize how really ineffectual it is as far as any sort of control mechanism.

I mean, Erik's post sounds like "OMG if we don't get them first semester all the fraternities will wither and die." I don't think that's the case.

good point, 33
 

Yes, the screening of those who join for the booze and the other
dangers...might indeed be wise. But why can't we do it ourselves
and let the administration run the school?
But, human nature as it may be, sometimes after a semester, the
student is on a lease or esconced in a comfy setting and not of the type to seek betterment. And, will the chapters get off their
duffs to really recruit?
Like I said, perhaps the administration should run the school BUT
we need to get our act together, too.

And you're welcome to not think it's the case. For many others though, they don't think this way. I myself do not want an administration to interfere with how my chapter is run if we follow the laws and rules of the university. The danger is not only that they're controlling when we rush but that they are controlling more and more of what we do.

You did say you don't want people who will join just for a social reason and that this might weed them out. I don't even know how this is possible... Do people all of a sudden stop joining for social reasons after first semester?

Anyway, as for Colorado's problems, they are shifting their own risk management issues onto the Greek system. They need to attack those problems first instead of looking for people to blame.

-Rudey

I don't think it completely stops, but I think it does cut it down slightly.

Totally agreed that they are blaming the Greek system for things that appear to be a SCHOOL issue. They don't know WTF to do and so they are doing what people who know better know is the lamest thing possible, but what outsiders will nod their heads and say "good administrators!"

as both, Greek & administrator
 

As a loyal greek and retired college administrator, I can easily
recognize the shifting of blame...."blame will be placed"
CU withdrew recognition some years ago of the greeks...then they find the groups out of control...cause the kiddies ran off the
alums, the board, the advisor, the housemother and proceded to
foul their mess kits--and did a helleva good job at it.
The University, with a plethora of other problems, like athletics,
grants, quotas, comes down with the "deferred" notion.
Not all the Kitty Litter in the world will hide the stink.
Mealymouthing is a good word, and fits here.

33 and Rudey,

The "problem" at Colorado is really sort of the opposite of most schools -- as Erik has alluded to above.

Basically, the school has taken a "hands off" or "give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves" attitude as oppossed to trying bring more control to bear over Greek Life.

It may be working.

It at least appears that major parts of the system are out of control. Add to that the alleged party school atmosphere that may draw a few less than desirable types to the school and the GLO's and what can happen is the situation where major organizations (like Delt) will likely never return.

At one time our Beta Kappa Chapter at Bolder was one of our strongest, a big house on campus which spawned at least one pro football great and one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts. Beta Kappa alums are well known in Denver civic and economic circles. It was one of the first GLOs West of the Mississippi.

It was closed three times -- the latest in the 1990's. Even some (I would venture to say most) of the Alumni of the chapter don't want to see it recolonized. They were stung to the tune of $1.5 million dollars in donations on the last shelter renovation. The house was trashed within a few months. It was a beautiful stone edifice immediately across the street from the main campus area in a row with several sorority houses. It, and a much smaller armory next door took up most of an entire block. It had the Crest in inlaid wood in the entry foyer floor. The letters are still ingraved in stone above the front door and in steel in the front sidewalk. The last straw. It is now home of the Department of Continuing Education after being purchased by the university.

It is sad.

While it may be correct that the university is attempting to pass off its' Risk Management problems, I believe that the situation is not the same as it is in most cases.

It may be that after an alcohol related death, last years sorority hazing charges and numerous chapter closings that C.U. is trying to bring some order to the chaos.

Not that they don't have enough other problems outside the Greek System.

No I understand that. I do think though that these kids probably trash off-campus housing that isn't Greek related and that GDI kids get drunk and act awfully. It is those that pool of kids that a GLO then chooses from. So the problem to me is to bring control over that population. They need to enforce the drinking laws and crack down on fake IDs, noise complaints (parties), and make sure underaged kids aren't served alcohol. Once the pool is tamed, then the greek system will not suffer those problems either, if you asked me.

-Rudey

Sorry, I was editing my post while you were posting, but I don't think anything changed that would affect your comments.

I agree with you.

We (as a system) are inheriting huge problems from homes and high schools. No question.

I suppose the question is who is going to take responsibility since the individual students don't seem inclined to do that for themselves.

I didn't like "In Loco Parentis" when I was in college -- but there have to be some standards.

The question is who sets and enforces them. Or at least who takes the lead?

In a group of 10 people, we probably would have at least that many divergent opinions.

I was in Madison, WI when I was 20 and getting ready to order a beer. The next thing I knew a bunch of cops came in and did ID checks. I was pretty damn happy I didn't order that beer.

I don't understand why the university couldn't get the police to enforce noise laws and attack stores that sell to underaged drinkers as well as students who use fake IDs. Isn't this the cheapest possible solution? Also, this way you don't change people. You don't tell parents how to bring up their children and you're not telling children what to do. You are just enforcing the laws in the book.

I think the reason they don't is because they probably think this atmosphere probably brings in a lot of students and if they changed it they'd lose students and money. I'm not sure though. I may be totally off.

-Rudey