Every fall semester, students delve into the world of Greek life to find a home forever among “brothers” and “sisters” who share their values.
Rush Week, formally known as Recruitment Week at NSU, is a week of events that allow students to find their best fit with the fraternities and sororities at NSU. NSU is home to several fraternities, a group of men who share a bond of brotherhood, and sororities, a group of women who share that same bond of sisterhood. All chapters are governed by three separate councils based on the types of fraternities and sororities, which include the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Panhellenic Council (PC) and the Unified Greek Council (UGC).
The Interfraternity Council is the governing body over the three nationally recognized social fraternities on campus: Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Sigma, and Phi Gamma Delta. The Panhellenic Council manages the social sororities: Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Sigma Sigma, and Sigma Delta Tau. Multicultural-based fraternities such as Iota Phi Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi and Phi Beta Sigma as well as sororities such as Alpha Kappa Alpha, Lambda Theta Alpha and Zeta Phi Beta are governed by the Unified Greek Council.
In addition to the Greek fraternities and sororities, there are also professional co-ed fraternities such as service fraternities and honors societies that are governed by the Interorganization Council (IOC), which also is in charge of all clubs and organizations on the NSU campus. These include: Alpha Kappa Psi, Alpha Phi Omega, Beta Beta Beta, Delta Epsilon Iota, Kappa Delta Pi, Kappa Psi, Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Alpha Delta.
Understanding the process
Recruitment for men varies from the recruitment for women. The men’s recruitment week is more open as students can come out to any of the fraternities’ events and meet the brothers. Though the process is much more informal, it works well for them. This leads to students receiving a bid, meaning that a student receives an offer from a fraternity or sorority to join. That student may decide whether they will accept and become part of the chapter or decline.
On the other hand, women’s recruitment is more formal. According to Ashley Challenger, the vice president of the Panhellenic Council, everything is a scheduled process for the women after they register for recruitment. The last day of registration is Sep. 5.
“If you look at it the way our UGC looks at it, this is a lifelong commitment,” said Kovachy.“I’ve worked at another university that has a freshman quota and an upperclass quota, so you can only take so many women. We are fortunate here that we are more flexible with the students allowed to rush, as long as they are an undergraduate.”
This flexibility does not apply to hazing, the practice of any form of harassment or abuse through recruitment rituals. NSU has a zero tolerance for physical or emotional hazing in any club or organization. In a case of hazing, the incident will be reported to the Office of Student Activities and to Gay Holliday, associate dean of administration for Student Affairs and the College of Undergraduate Studies.
Choosing a Greek organization
Choosing a fraternity or sorority boils down to that student’s personal preferences, level of involvement, and the connections made with the brothers and sisters of certain chapters. Students need to understand what the chapter does at NSU to assure that it is the right match for them.
“We really stress to women and to men or anyone joining an organization, you need to ask questions and find out what the organization values and understand the requirements,” said Kovachy. “They have requirements for chapter meetings, for attendance at events, community service and GPA. All sorts of other requirements that I feel like people just get excited about ‘Oh, I get to wear these letters’ but they may not understand the commitment.”
Graduate Assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life Ashley Crews and Challenger said that the ideal questions to ask the chapters while rushing include the following: What does the sorority or fraternity value? What has the chapter done in the most recent years that has made them grow as a chapter? What level of involvement do brothers/sisters of the chapter have and is involvement in other organizations encouraged?
Crews said the way students feels is a large part of their decision to join as well. Though a student may ask the right questions, the conversation may not flow as smoothly as the student would have imagined.
“When it is right, you feel it,” Crews said.
Challenger agreed.
“You feel comfortable around the people you are having conversations with,” Challenger said. “You don’t feel like you’re being judged or any other type of uncomfortable feeling you could be having.”
If a student is not given a bid for a fraternity or sorority, there are many options at NSU that may be a better fit for the student and their needs.
“At the end of the day, I look at it like applying to college,” Kovachy said. “As much as I would’ve liked to have gone to Harvard I found an institution that really fit me as an individual. I think if a Greek organization does not work out for you, there are at least a hundred and one organizations on campus we can get you connected with.”
Joining
Rushing for a Greek organization yields many benefits, ranging from personal to professional.
“You are joining for the people you ave connected with,” said Kovachy. “It’s not because ‘This sorority has silver and blue and that’s my favorite color.’ You are joining for that connection to feel part of something because you have shared values with that organization.”
For example, Challenger said she knows women who have gone through recruitment and have found that they have formed connections with a Greek organization that supports a philanthropy because the cause means so much to them.
From a professional standpoint, becoming a part of Greek life has been influential in academics as well as involvement in the university’s affairs after graduation.
Kovachy said, “There has been research done that Greeks, at a national average, graduate at a higher rate; their GPAs are higher when stacked up against unaffiliated people on campus, and they donate back to their universities at a higher rate.”
Knowing the important dates
This year, there will be two independent recruitment weeks. The UGC will host a Meet and Greet event on Aug. 28 after the Greek BBQ. Both IFC men and PC women will host their recruitment week from Sep. 8 through Sept. 14, which will involve social events to meet the brothers and sisters of the chapters at NSU.
For more information about Greek organizations and Recruitment Week, contact the Office of Student Activities at 954-262-7288.
