The Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council are modifying the winter rush process, set to start Saturday night, as Greek leaders anticipate fewer rushees than in winters past after the major rush initiative implemented this fall.
IFC rush will be significantly shorter than usual for both rushees and house members. Instead of two-hour open houses spread over several days, this winter's rush will take place during one hour, beginning Saturday at 7 p.m. Rushees will indicate their preference for a house, or "shakeout," at the end of the hour, and bids will be delivered that night. IFC President and Phi Delta Alpha fraternity member David Grey '05 expects all bids to be sunk within four days.
Although he acknowledged one hour is not a substantial amount of time for potential new members to visit houses, Grey said the small number of candidates, many of whom know where their friends have already pledged, will expedite the process.
Despite the small scale of this winter's rush plans, the IFC favored a formal rush process.
"We talked about not doing a formal rush because there were so few guys, but the houses wanted to do a rush," said Grey. "It gives guys who want to join a chance to meet the houses, and it gives all the houses a fair shot at the guys."
The alternative to a formal rush process, allowing houses to offer open bids on an individual basis, would result in rushees receiving bids from "whatever house gets to them first," Grey said.
While the recruitment process will be curtailed for male rushees, their female counterparts will undergo a full-scale rush, despite having fewer potential new members than usual. Beginning Saturday, each rushee will visit all six sorority houses during round one, up to four houses during round two, and two houses on Preference Night. Rush concludes Jan. 13, when rushees may accept a bid to a house and become new members. The vast majority of those rushing will receive bids, according to Panhell President and Alpha Xi Delta member Krista Sande-Kerback '05.
Sorority members, however, will devote significantly less time to the rush process this winter. Houses will alternate rush party dates, so that each sorority will hold only one party during each round, instead of two.
Despite smaller numbers of rushees than in winters past -- Sande-Kerback estimates up to 60 -- rush parties will be similar to those held during Fall term. Smaller numbers of rushees will result in an atmosphere that is "a little more relaxed and more intimate," Sande-Kerback said.
Panhell executives will use this term's slower rush to try out new technologies, which will minimize the paperwork and logistical confusion that has characterized past rush. They first used the Interactive Collegiate Solutions software during a demonstration last spring.
"It will be a good test run to use it now with less people," said Sande-Kerback said. "Come next fall when we once again have a huge pledge class it will be very beneficial."
