Wait 'till winter

First-year students should rush now

The start of each term here at the University brings with it long textbook lines, new names to remember and constant complaints about Wolverine Access. However, there is an aspect of campus life that needs to be restricted to winter term - at least for first-year students experiencing all of the staples and headaches of college life for the first time: Greek rush.

The recent $100,000 settlement of the lawsuit brought against the University by George Cantor - in connection with his daughter Courtney's death from a fall from her sixth-story Mary Markley Residence Hall room - serves as a reminder to the entire University community of the dangers linked with alcohol. Cantor stated that he hopes that Greek rush be delayed until winter term, in order that students might have had more time to settle into the environment of a large, public school with a thriving Greek system.

Delaying rush for first-year students would be beneficial to those considering life in the Greek system. Students, after a semester at the University, will have become acquainted with life here and will have independently laid a social foundation. After four months on campus, they will be more aware of their different options for activities and will be able to make a more informed decision about whether "Going Greek" is right for them.

While some people argue that other activities on campus that students also become immediately involved with present the same problem as the Greek system, these other activities are not accompanied by the same degree of social strain that a fraternity or sorority demands. Also, these other options often do not require the same level of obligation in terms of demands on the frequency of involvement and the duration of commitment and often will not put the same pressure on a student who wishes to quit as the Greek system will.

Another argument that is often made against winter rush is that students will not be willing to rush after they have committed themselves to a housing lease for the next year. This is a risk which students who chose to rush should be willing to accept if they are sincere about joining the Greek system. Oftentimes students who are not involved in Greek life at all will find themselves in a different social circle in April than they had originally developed within the first few months of the year when they signed their housing contracts. And if one checks any classified listings it is clear that there still are houses and apartments left in the winter. Housing difficulties are a part of Ann Arbor life and should not be the basis of an argument for retaining fall rush.

The elimination of fall rush for first-year students does not mean the elimination of a chance to participate in Greek life. It means that first-year students, especially those from high schools that have not sent many students to this University, will be able to form friendships and grow independently of the Greek system. Friendships formed in fraternities and sororities may last a lifetime but so can those that are made between hallmates and other freshmen going through the same new experiences together. Waiting one semester may feel like a long time, but in the long run it will not have been too long to wait to learn about yourself and your niche at the University.