Prohibiting 1st Semester Freshmen From Pledging

[BigRedBeta]

Personally, I'm of the opinion that there's nothing to be gained by having students wait - as far as the GLO's are concerned...and I'm not even sure that freshmen are really gaining a whole lot either.

Why?

1) I don't have any data for this but I'm willing to bet that for all the kids who have no idea about Greek Life when they get to campus and then choose to rush, there are at least equal numbers who feel that "school is too much" and they "don't have the time" to devote to being a pledge.

2) A good pledge program should provide help in the transition to college. I ended up with better study habits due to being in my fraternity as a first semester frosh. I'm not naive enough to believe that's the case everywhere, but if the fraternities were smart, they'd be heading that direction and selling that view point. Having older members around should cut down the learning curve for a great many typical students - whether it's how to register for classes to where a certain building is, mentoring is huge.

3) Reputations become a much bigger part of the game. Froshes now have 4-5 months to hear about how XYZ is all the jocks, and ABC is the nerds. While some may actually get a better sense of how each house is, I again feel that at least an equal number, if not more, let the rumors impact their decision. This hurts everyone involved, as it's never a positive to see a kid end up in a house that's not really right for him.

4) For all the concern about 'dirty rushing' that crops up in certain places, this system doesn't seem like a good idea for avoiding that.

5) The NIC in the past has often argued the Constitutional issue of a Public University (ie state-funded) infringing on freedom of assembly. It's an interesting question and one of those things that might actually have some teeth.

6) 1st semester freshman year is a unique time where you can meet so many people, because everyone is new...I can't imagine how many fewer people I would have met had I not been in my chapter.