Someone at the FreeP must be Greek......... not that I'm complaining, mind you.
You have to understand that back in my undergrad days, this type of informational article about Greek recruitment would NEVER have been printed, at least not in a positive or even impartial light.
The Daily Free Press 9/15/2003
Rush week starts off with Greek Barbecue
By Julianne Shumko
Despite inclement weather predictions for Saturday, the eight sororities and five fraternities of Boston University gathered to kick off fall rush week with their annual Greek Barbecue.
The Inter Fraternity Sorority Council moved the event from the BU Beach to the second floor of the George Sherman Union after forecasts called for rain, IFSC Rush Chair Mike Metz said.
“If it rained, the event would have been ruined,” Metz said. “The band wouldn’t have played, we would lose the money we had already paid them. We couldn’t risk it.”
However, some fraternity and sorority members, including College of Communication senior Melissa Vigdor, disagreed with the decision to relocate. The weather turned out sunny and the decision may have hurt attendance, she said.
“It was a beautiful day, and it should have been outside,” Vigdor said. “Because the event is usually not well advertised, by walking by and seeing us outside, more people would have stopped to see what was going on.”
Metz said the event was successful despite the move, and noted more students attended than in previous years.
“On the fraternity side, I still saw a lot of guys come out today,” Metz said. “We actually had more potential rushees than last year.”
Each sorority and fraternity had a table set up at the event, displaying information about their organization as well as pictures, albums, banners, plaques, shirts and other paraphernalia, while other members roamed the event’s perimeter greeting prospective rushees.
This Saturday was just the beginning of a long week of events for rushees, Metz said.
Those seriously interested in rushing will attend an informational meeting, followed by outings and activities such as sports and restaurant gatherings to gain a better understanding of each chapter before they become pledges.
A larger sorority turnout is expected for formal rush during the spring because freshman girls cannot rush until then — although freshmen males can join this semester, according to IFSC members.
The barbecue helped College of Arts and Sciences freshman Kathy Moriarty decide she wants to rush in the spring.
“I always wanted to join a sorority and coming here today was my reinforcement,” Moriarty said.
College of General Studies Freshman Craig Schuh agreed with her and said the barbecue has made him more interested in joining a fraternity this year.
“Coming here today showed me that the fraternity guys really do have an interest in you joining,” he said. “I like the idea of having a tight-knit group of friends, so I’m probably going to rush this spring.”
COM sophomore Lauren Savett, a Sigma Delta Tau member, said she joined specifically because of the Greek events, such as the barbecue and the atmosphere of Greek life.
“I joined a sorority because it was a way to make BU smaller,” Savett said. “It was also a great way to get involved in so many other things. It proved to be a gateway to many activities.”
Aside from meeting people and having fun, potential rushees have even more to look forward to, according to Lambda Chi Alpha member and School of Management junior Ryan Mishina.
“Greek life includes so many different aspects such as social, academic, networking for jobs and community service,” Mishina said. “It has so much to offer.”
During the event, four fraternity members took place in a hot dog eating contest, while five sorority members engaged in a watermelon eating contest. The winners were awarded prizes varying from AMC cinema passes, Improv Asylum tickets and salon gift certificates.
The following events will continue fraternity and sorority rush:
• Sept. 15, 9 p.m. at the Castle — Fraternity Convocation, when potential rushees learn about the Greek system and individual chapters. Sorority Informational, the women’s version of this event, was held Sunday.
• Sept. 16 — Sorority rush begins, with events continuing during the week.
• Sept. 16 to Sept. 25 — Fraternity Rush, when each fraternity puts on about five events for rushees and chapter members to have fun and get to know each other.
• Sept. 20 — Sorority “Pref” Night, when chapters hold nice, invitation-only events, generally signifying women are halfway toward getting a bid.
• Sept. 21 — Sorority Bid Day, where the organizations extend bids to women they have chosen and then rushees commit to pledging with one sorority.
• Sept. 26 — Fraternity Invitation Night, when rushees decide whether they want to accept a bid and become a pledge.
Great Pro-Greek article in college paper!
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