by Rob Strauss
Staff Writer
Changes are being put in place to make the recruiting process for fraternities and sororities, known as Rush, more accessible to the students.
One of the biggest differences this semester is the addition of mail-in registration.
“[Mail-in registration] gives students a greater opportunity to get involved with Rush,” said senior Heidi Rudin, sorority Rush co-coordinator and a member of Iota Delta.
Another policy change is that sororities now have open bidding. Under the new rules, sororities can give bids to anyone they choose, if that student has not already signed a preference card with another organization.
Fraternities have done open bidding in the past.
“Open bidding is going to be a good thing for sororities,” said Rudin. “It will allow more people to become a part of the Greek system.”
Furthermore, sororities will no longer have “Dry Rush,” the period when no sorority member is allowed to consume alcohol. Senior Rebecca Rogers, sorority Rush co-coordinator with Rudin and a member of Phi Theta Chi, said the decision was made because “La Verne is already a dry campus and all of our activities are on campus.”
“They are minor changes that have a major impact,” said Rudin.
Apart from the changes, Rush, which begins next week, will include many of the same events that it has had in the past. The main point of the week is to recruit new members.
“[Rush] gives students an opportunity to see what the fraternity [or sorority] is like,” said junior Joe Martinez, fraternity Rush coordinator and a member of Phi Delta Theta.
“Rush should be 365 days a year,” said Tony Tong, president of the Inter-Fraternity-Sorority Council (IFSC), the governing body for Greek organizations, and a Delta Sigma Phi fraternity member.
There are three sororities at the University of La Verne—Iota Delta, Phi Theta Chi and Sigma Kappa, which is a national sorority. The three fraternities on campus are Delta Sigma Phi, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. All three have national affiliation.
Rush Week will consist of many different events. For sororities, Sunday night will be Open House, a time when all of the rushees look at what the three sororities are about. Wednesday night is Theme Night, where sororities get to know the rushees. On Preference Night, which is Friday, rushees are invited to certain parties. Rushees can be invited to all three but can only attend two of them. Rushees will have to decide which sorority is best for them.
Rush events for fraternities include such activities as bowling and Pizza Night.
To rush a sorority, a student must have a grade point average of 2.0. Fraternities have a higher requirement of 2.3. Furthermore, rushees must be full-time students and have 12 college credits amassed before they can rush.
One concern when joining a fraternity or a sorority is expense. The pledging fee for fraternities ranges from $50 to $100. There is also an initiation fee of $150 to $200. The dues each semester are the most expensive part, costing $100 to $250, with Phi Delta Theta being the costing the least and Sigma Alpha Epsilon the most expensive. With sororities the dues range from $13 to $30 a month, which is the cost to belong to Sigma Kappa. Iota Delta has the least expensive dues.
Rudin states many different reasons as to why people should join a fraternity or a sorority.
“It changed my life,” says Rudin. “I learned a lot about people, true friendship, community service and leadership.”
Melissa Jaunal, coordinator of student programs, is quick to point out that “the Greek system is not for everybody.”
“[Rush] does not commit anybody to anything,” said Jaunal. “You have to learn for yourself.”
