Olivia Medovich
Staff writer
Last week meant the beginning of Spring Rush for Greek organizations on campus – a far different process of selection than the week-long event that takes place in the Fall.
Most Greek organizations accept bids for new members in the fall semester, leaving most fraternities and sororities to expect fewer interested people.
This creates a far more lax rush process, which opens the doors to organizations throughout the semester.
This is different from the falls festivities, which include nightly events and an induction ceremony at the end of the week.
Brad Ezell, senior from Hopkinsville, Ky., and president of Alpha Sigma Phi, said this semester the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) changed the rules for the traditional spring rush.
“It’s called an open rush,” Ezell said. “This is something new that IFC had decided to do and fraternities are aloud to give out bids throughout the semester.”
He said so far this semester Alpha Sigma Phi has extended 5 bids to new members.
Ezell said current members of Alpha Sigma Phi make an effort all year long to find interested men to join the fraternity.
“Recruitment is 365 days a year,” Ezell said. “It’s not just a week, it should be all the time where you are meeting guys you want to rush your fraternity.”
Ezell said finding potential new members in the spring presents more of a challenge than in the fall semester.
“In the fall it’s a little easier because you do have that promotion of fall rush week,” he said. “Guys who are coming are most likely freshmen. During the Summer Orientation sessions they have Greek sessions they can attend and that also helps get their interest going. In the fall they know to look out for fraternity rush week.”
Ezell said there are traditionally fewer new members in the spring. In the fall semester the fraternity usually takes 20 to 25 new members.
Thomas Werfel, junior from Waverly, Tenn., and president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said the fraternity so far has only extended four bids to new members this semester.
Werfel said the atmosphere for spring recruitment is more relaxed than recruiting members for the fall.
“Everyone knows the fall rush is the big-to-do and that’s when guys know traditionally that’s when you rush a Greek organization,” he said.
Typically, most incoming freshmen want to rush in the fall and are unsure of what fraternity is right for them, he said. But spring potential members have a better understanding of what they are joining.
“In the spring we are not going to beg people to join,” Werfel said. “We want to see the guys who are really interested and see who can make good contributions to the fraternity.”
Aimee Beasley, junior from Paducah, Ky., and president of Alpha Omicron Pi, said the rules for rushing a sorority in the spring are less strict than the fall.
“In the spring girls don’t have to visit all the sororities,” Beasley said. “They only have to visit the ones they are interested in.”
She said members of Alpha Omicron Pi are still discussing how many new members they can accept this semester.
Beasley said there is a fewer selection of girls, who are new to the University, and wanting to rush the second semester.
She said most girls who rush in the spring have a better understanding of the responsibility that comes with joining a sorority.
“They are girls that have seen Murray State’s Greek Life,” she said. “They know a lot more of what they are getting into and what Greek Life involves.”
Beasley said sororities on campus are not required to participate in spring recruitment.