In an effort to preserve Winter Rush given the anticipation surrounding the release of the steering committee's recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the Student Life Initiative, the Intra-Fraternity Council has decided to hold rush on Sunday, instead of Monday, January 10, as previously announced, IFC President Hondo Sen '00 said yesterday.
"We didn't want anything taken away from rush, but we also wanted to be ready for the release of the report," he said.
Winter Rush will now be held from seven to nine in the evening on Sunday. The bids will be given by Monday morning, before any likely release of the steering committee's recommendations, Sen noted.
The IFC decided to move up rush after Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deborah Carney suggested that it would conflict with the release of the steering committee's recommendations. The IFC's executive council then met and agreed to change the date that had been set for rush.
Sen did not feel that the impending release of the steering committee's recommendations on the day following rush would affect the number of people who will rush.
He added that he expects about 50 men will rush, with about five to seven men rushing each fraternity house.
"Most guys have a pretty good idea of where they want to rush," he said. "There won't be one house that will dominate."
There was some concern after last term's rush that some houses had not gotten as many members as they had in the past. Sigma Nu fraternity, which got eight new members, and Bones Gate fraternity, which got fewer than five new members, both received fewer members than in the previous year.
Newly-elected President of the Sigma Nu Fraternity Eric Shoemaker '01 said he is looking forward to this term's rush.
"We had a smaller pledge class last term because a lot of people were off campus," he said. "We're hoping for about five new candidates this term."
Bones Gate fraternity interim President Kevan Higgins '00 declined to comment.
Sen added that the men who rushed last term and did not receive bids would not be given any special treatment.
"We made a list last term of the people who were not given bids, but we haven't contacted them," he said.
"I don't think it's going to make a difference."
The IFC elections for new officers will still be held on Tuesday, as previously announced.
The steering committee is officially known as the Committee on the Student Life Initiative.
