At NSU, social fraternities and sororities celebrate their notoriety with fall recruitment. For the Interfraternity Council, the recruitment process is from Sept. 7-11, and for the Panhellenic Council, the recruitment process is from Sept. 9-13. Greek life is a well-known aspect of the college experience. Every fall, thousands of students worldwide pledge to Greek organizations and hope to be invited to join the long-lasting bonds of brotherhood or sisterhood.
Rush Week, formally known as Recruitment Week at NSU, is a week of events that aims to show students the benefits of joining social fraternities and sororities. Social Greek life members help interested students find their best fit within the social fraternities and sororities at NSU. All social Greek chapters are governed by either the Interfraternity Council (IFC) or the Panhellenic Council (PC).
IFC is the governing body over the three nationally recognized social fraternities on campus: Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Sigma and Phi Gamma Delta. PC manages the social sororities: Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Delta Tau and Theta Phi Alpha.
The recruitment process began early this year for PC. Over the summer, the recruitment team reached out to some of the incoming freshman to explain what it means to be Greek at NSU and introduced them to some of the different sororities on campus.
Vice President of Recruitment of Panhellenic Council Blake Giroux, junior nursing major, said the recruitment team is a group of eleven women from different sororities who volunteer to drop their Greek affiliation to help transition the new class in an unbiased manner. After bid day—where new members join their sororities, each recruitment member rejoins her sisters.
“We’ve had a few events so far, like mixers and barbeques, to help transition the new women into the recruitment process,” Giroux said.
The recruitment team will continue to table in the Don Taft University Spine throughout the day for the first two weeks of school to answer questions and serve as a support system.
Giroux said that the dates of fall recruitment are later than the timeline other universities usually follow.
“We want the women to settle into the college lifestyle and get into a routine with their classes. Education is a very large and important aspect of Greek life,” she said.
In addition to the importance placed on academics, IFC and PC prioritize student safety. All members of Greek life are required to attend a hazing workshop on Sept. 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre.
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 the Dean of Administration for Student Affairs and the College of Undergraduate Studies.
Giroux said hazing is believed to be a rite of passage that creates bonds within a group and is commonly thought of as a Greek tradition, but that it is a huge misconception.
“We think of new members as equals and not as inferiors. Greeks encourage new members and work with them hand in hand with whatever they may need,” she said. “If there is ever an instance of hazing, the Greek office has an open door policy, and we encourage all to come to us immediately. There are appropriate repercussions for hazing.”
Giroux said she expects the members of the Greek system to be respectful of the processes and to wear their letters proudly.
“It is important to support NSU as an institution and their programs and events. We at NSU strive for sisterhood and to create bonds that last a lifetime,” she said.
Photo printed with permission from NSU Greek Life.
