Greeks rush students to participate
Campus Times
March 5, 1999
Sophomores Jaymel Capinpin, Danny Craig and freshman Richard Rodriguez
look on as freshman Kylene Rodriguez signs up during Greek Recruitment Week.
Sorority members Lizbeth Ulloa-Davila, senior; Alena Vlna, sophomore; and
Diana Verduzco, junior, help answer questions. Fifty-one women and 22 men
signed up for social rush, while more than 30 people signed up for Alpha
Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity.
by Nune Gazdhyan
Assistant Features Editor
Informational tables are scattered around while smiling faces look on,
greeting potential members. It is recruitment week, one of the few weeks
during the semester in which students have the opportunity to learn more
about the Greek organizations on campus.
"Greek life is not for everyone, but it's worth going through Rush
Week and checking out if it is for you," said Melissa Jaunal, coordinator
of student programs.
Rush Week sign-ups started Feb. 22 and lasted until Tuesday. At the
sign-up tables, sorority and fraternity members offered prospective members
with informational packages about their organizations.
During the week-long rush, interested students could sign up to participate
in events sponsored by the University of La Verne sororities-Iota Delta,
Phi Sigma Sigma and Sigma Kappa-and the fraternities-Sigma Alpha Epsilon
and Phi Delta Theta.
There is a process prospective members must go through in order to become
a candidate and eventually a member of the Greek community.
The process varies for each organization. Sororities have a more formal
process which includes three different on-campus events where prospective
members have the opportunity to meet and mingle with current members.
"The national women's sororities have a number of rules that are
set down to them by their national governing body [National Panhellenic
Council]," said Jaunal.
Fraternities, on the other hand, have more lenient rules. They are allowed
to hold less formal events off campus.
Both sororities and fraternities offer a pressure-free environment through
Rush Week in order to provide students with the opportunity to learn more
about their organization without any pressure to join.
"Show up to all the events, have a good time and enjoy getting
to meet people. Come hang out and have a good time," said junior Grant
Schmidt, fraternity rush chair.
Once a rushee feels that he or she is comfortable and ready to become
a member of an organization, another set of requirements must be met.
All potential members must have a minimum of 2.0 grade point average
and have completed at least 12 college semester hours which equal to one
full-time semester. In addition, each organization also has specific requirements
and standards that must be met aside from the general requirements.
Though first-semester students are allowed to partake in Rush Week,
they cannot join any of the Greek organizations until they have completed
the minimum unit requirements.
After the week-long rush period and the last event, Preference Night,
the prospective member is able to state the two top choices for which he
or she wants to be considered. The following day, the bids are distributed
to the prospective members, inviting him or her to become a part of the
Greek community.
