A slightly lower number of students joined Dartmouth's three coeducational fraternities this term, according to several representatives from the fraternities. The organizations are aiming to attract more students who choose to rush later in the year.
Alpha Theta coed fraternity hosted two open houses during the past week in accordance with its traditional rush process. All 16 people who attended the dinners were offered bids, according to membership development chair Katie Behan '10. Seven of the 16 joined the fraternity.
Since bids at Alpha Theta are good for four terms, the nine students who did not sink their bids may decide to join the organization at a later time.
Only three fewer people rushed Alpha Theta this year than last.
While Alpha Theta's fall rush activities have previously coincided with single-sex Greek rush, its open houses were scheduled for a week later this year. Alpha Theta lost prospective members to fraternities because they were offered bids at single-sex Greek houses first, according to Behan.
"We will revise it so that we do it the same way as we did before," Behan said. "We will consider the other Greek systems' rush time when we schedule our own so we can be more competitive."
Due to the high number of Alpha Theta members who graduated last year, there is room for new members in the house, Behan said.
Phi Tau coed fraternity also hosted two open houses this month for prospective members.
Unlike Alpha Theta, Phi Tau uses a "rolling rush" system, which allows students to rush anytime during the term.
The benefit of such a system is that prospective members have more time to familiarize themselves with the organization, according to Phi Tau President Elizabeth Gray '10.
Bids are good for students' entire undergraduate careers at Dartmouth. Of the six students Phi Tau gave bids this term, two have accepted and will sink their bids on Nov. 14.
Five students are part of Phi Tau's current pledge class, including two who received bids this summer and one who received a bid last spring. Gray said she expects more students to pledge later in the year.
The Tabard coed fraternity has an "open door" policy for new members.
Students can join the fraternity at any time during the year, and new members can sink their bids at the organization's weekly meetings.
"We don't make selections," Ignacio Rueda '09, former president of The Tabard, said. "Whoever shows up to sink and whoever is eligible by College criteria can sink the house."
Nine students joined the organization at the "Meet the Tabards" event this fall, down from a dozen last fall. The number depends on how "receptive" seniors are to incoming freshmen, Rueda said.
The Tabard does not typically fair well during Fall term because many members traditionally join in the spring, according to Rueda.
"It may be that the people did join other houses and didn't like it, or attempted rush and didn't make it," Rueda said.
Membership in the Panarchy undergraduate society has grown because of internal changes, according to Panarchy President Michelle Reyf '10.
Panarchy does not have a rush process. Members can elect to pay dues of $100 per term, but this is not a requirement. Fifty students are paying dues this term, according to Reyf.
