U of Michigan Recruitment to Move to Winter in 2019-2020 Academic Year

[IvyAEPHI]

I live in Ann Arbor, where it has a been a tumultuous few years for greek organizations and saw this news released today:

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2018/03
/university_of_michigan_greek_l.html#incart_2box_ne ws_ann-arbor

[Tinkerbell1]

Why would they do this?

[navane]

Originally Posted by Tinkerbell1

Why would they do this?

Well, according to the article:

"We have studied the impact of recruitment practices on first-year students in the first semester on campus and determined that adjusting the timeline to winter semester supports first-year student success by providing the opportunity to fully engage in curriculum and communities," UM Vice President for Student Life E. Royster Harper said.

[33girl]

So kids can adjust to college life and being away from home without the pressures of rush and pledging.

I’ve got no problem with this. It weeds out the kids who really shouldn’t be in college, or at that college. And as far as NPC groups are concerned, women won’t be bound for a year before they’ve even had one college class, and won’t be initiated and bound for life before their first semester is even half over.

[Sciencewoman]

Having gone through recruitment at Michigan, I think this is a great move. Aside from the typical reasons of deferring recruitment until freshmen have had a chance to adjust and figure out how to manage their time and responsibilities at college, fall recruitment has always been so dragged out at Michigan, due to observance of the Jewish holidays and football Saturday conflicts.

[Cheerio]

Wasn't a Winter (Jan/Feb) rush schedule used by Michigan back in the early 1980's? If memory serves, some of my cousins attending UMich experienced a formal Winter rush.

Obviously the new rush timing will also impact KD's Fall 2018 recolonization. Anyone know whether KD will still take women this Fall, or move the colony to Spring 2019?

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

Wasn't a Winter (Jan/Feb) rush schedule used by Michigan back in the early 1980's? If memory serves, some of my cousins attending UMich experienced a formal Winter rush.

Obviously the new rush timing will also impact KD's Fall 2018 recolonization. Anyone know whether KD will still take women this Fall, or move the colony to Spring 2019?

Formal rush was definitely in the fall in the early 1980s, and has always been in the fall to the best of my knowledge. However, many chapters participated in informal winter recruitment at that time, because everyone was still working to build back numbers from the Vietnam War Era, when 7 sororities closed due to low membership. My chapter was down to only 5 members in 1975, and was still rebuilding when I joined in the early 80s. Several more groups did close in the 80s because they just hadn't been able to recruit sustainable numbers. The 1970s were a tough time for sororities at Michigan. Your cousins probably had so many informal recruitment options that it seemed like formal in the winter!

I would guess that KD will colonize after formal winter recruitment, not in the fall.

[clemsongirl]

Does anyone know if Theta has announced a recolonization date yet?

[APhi2KD]

Snow. Cold. Yikes.
But otherwise, can’t say it doesn’t make sense.

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by clemsongirl

Does anyone know if Theta has announced a recolonization date yet?

Not that I've heard, but I think they'll have to wait until after KD colonizes, because the stack was announced before Theta closed the chapter.

I am wondering if anyone is renting their house. AGDee probably knows.

[KDKells]

KD will colonize before the switch. We are colonizing this fall, 2018 and will have representatives on campus April 3-9. I feel like they wouldn't go through with that if it is pushed back. The switch will happen in 2019-2020 school year it says.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by KDKells

KD will colonize before the switch. We are colonizing this fall, 2018 and will have representatives on campus April 3-9. I feel like they wouldn't go through with that if it is pushed back. The switch will happen in 2019-2020 school year it says.

Help me fully understand if the following is the way Michigan will run sorority recruitment during the next few years:

Fall 2018, Michigan will have regular Formal sorority recruitment, still including freshmen women. KD allowed to colonize.

Winter/Spring 2019, Michigan will allow cob/informal sorority recruitment, including any freshmen women interested in participating.

Fall 2019, Michigan allows what type of recruitment by sororities?

Winter 2020, Michigan begins new winter Formal Sorority Recruitment era.

[33girl]

I would assume they would have a semester in which sophomores and above can receive bids. Whether it’s organized in any way or just informal will probably depend on what the numbers of the chapters look like at that point.

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by KDKells

KD will colonize before the switch. We are colonizing this fall, 2018 and will have representatives on campus April 3-9. I feel like they wouldn't go through with that if it is pushed back. The switch will happen in 2019-2020 school year it says.

Thanks! I didn't read the article, so I missed the dates! Best wishes to Kappa Delta!

[AGDee]

What this will mess up is housing. So instead of having sophomores living in, it will have to be Juniors. They will sign leases in October of their Freshman year for Sophomore year. That leads to 21 year olds living in the house and being mad that they are 21 and can't drink in their own home. It will also mean that smaller chapters might have to have seniors living in too and we all know how that goes.

On unhoused campuses, I get deferred. When you have to fill a house, it makes it really painful.

No idea who's renting what houses- I think a whole bunch of fraternities have been suspended so there should be houses available.