Quote:
Originally posted by Angels&Arrows
JAM,
PNMs going through fraternity rush can receive one bid or multiple bids, they then make the decision which house to pledge (they are not bid matched). Though rush can be competitive for fraternities, it is different from sorority formal rush... I would compare it to sorority informal rush (except all the houses participate and alcohol is not completely off limits). Formal is a bit more structured, but on some campuses (after open house day) you do not have to go back to every house that invites you.
Good luck with to your son! If he is anything like your daughter, he will be fine! He can not go wrong with a supportive mom!
-A&A
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A&A you got it pretty much right on the head, only there are some other rules that probably do vary by institution.
Most larger universities (at least in the midwest - I don't want to say anything about SEC rush b/c it always seems to be different than what I went through), informal summer rush is held. I know that rules differ as to how early a house can talk to a rushee.
Here at Nebraska, you can have open houses during the school year, but you can't "rush" the member (actively trying to get him to accept a bid card, although its a fine line), it's more just showing what your house is like and a chance to have the rushee meet a couple of the guys. I know that at K-state, the houses are allowed a certain number of rush functions with the intent of actually signing people. I had two friends at KSU that signed on the day after they graduated which is the earliest day possible.
Through the first part of the summer, from the end of college classes to the second week of June, the rush chairmen are supposed to do the majority of the rush process by going to rushees houses throughout the state. If the house has a large presence from a particular area out of state (in my houses case, Sioux Falls SD) then the rush chairman may go there as well.
Being from out of state, and not a well represented area, I didn't get taken out to dinner, while all my friends goign to schools in Kansas, were getting taken out at least once a week. During the rest of the summer the travel of the rush chairmen cuts down and rushees are encouraged more to come to the house on their own. Each house will also have parties throughout the state, at lakes with boating activities, food, and sun. It's at these functions where there are many brothers where it is easy to see how you'll fit in at a house. (My personal experience here was with ATO, where I really liked the Rush chairs--until they forgot my name--but when I and all the other rushees were ignored by the brothers, I knew it wasn't the place for me).
At any point during the rush process, if a rushee want's a bid card, he can tell the rush chairman that he'd like to sign, or if the rush chairmen are sufficiently impressed and all agree they want him (or desperate for numbers), then they may offer him a bid card at any time as well. It's not uncommon to hear that weaker houses on campus will extend a card within the first meeting of a rushee, sometimes upon them entering the door for the first time. So it is possible to end up with more than one bids. In a sense it makes rush more competive b/c a top rushee can get several bid cards, but at the same time more relaxed b/c each side can wait and have some more time to feel each other out before deciding.
At all the campuses I know of that do summer rush, alcohol is a HUGE rush infraction. On campuses where they do sort of a formal rush (although still less formal than sorority) alcohol actually seems to be accepted more readily. Seems like a lot of risk to me but campus culture is different everywhere.
Like Angels and Arrows said though, with such a supportive family and one sister in the greek system already, your son should do fine. My advice would be:
- Get his rush application in as early as possible
- Try to meet with as many houses as possible, and if going to the same school as your daughter, then ask her for her reccomendations of WHERE HE WOULD FIT IN BEST, not what house is the best
- Try to get know the brothers of the house, not to be solely impressed by the house, the number of girls at the rush party, t-shirts like the ones mentioned before, or by what athlete is in the house
- He should look at the objectional data to determine what houses have priorities closest to his own. I think it's necessary to have some idea of what houses are your top choices when starting.
- Finally, just enjoy the rush process, enjoy getting to know other freshmen (all the guys that I know in other houses, for the most part, I met first at various rush parties during the summer), the free meals, and the parties for what they are worth.
If you have any more questions of me, JAM, either PM me or post them here.
Geoff