Students should wait to go Greek

The University is notorious for the many divisions of which it is composed - Greek or independent, athlete or academic, LSA or Engineering, out-of-state or in-state - the list goes on and on. Perhaps due to the sheer size of the student body or perhaps because of the highly independent and self-motivated students the University attracts, it is next to impossible to cross these stereotypical boundaries. But even more disturbing is the fact that many first-year students fall into, or even willingly join, one of the pre-determined sets of students as early as their first few months at school. Nowhere is this more evident than during the Greek System's Fall Rush.

FILE PHOTO Greek Week, a spring event where the members of the Greek system gather in a week of competition, is one of the activities the houses engage in.

This multi-week period for prospective Greeks heightens the need for new students to fit in and fit in quickly. Rush is held at the end of September - relatively early in the academic year - and can have a huge impact on a student's entire collegiate experience. Within a little over two months at the University, a student who rushes and receives a bid can acquire a group of friends, a predetermined party schedule, and in some cases, a place to live for the following year. But what rushing so early fails to acknowledge is the possibility of missed opportunities. First-year students often fail to look upon their early decisions with the same overall analysis. When it comes to rush, there is no harm in waiting but there can be something to lose by jumping the gun.

First-year students should not feel the pressure or need to have much to offer the student body and surrounding community. It overflows with active and eager student leaders, stresses academics, participates in philanthropic events and provides a nearly non-stop social calendar. But the Greek system itself would benefit from an older, more well-adjusted group of students entering their doors during Rush. Almost every negative stereotype that precedes even the mention of "sorority" or "fraternity" is due, in part, to its pledges - members not yet initiated.

All first-year students at any university or college are notorious for making mistakes - drinking too much while studying too little; socializing too much while skipping class too often - and pledges are no different. But after rushing a house and accepting a bid, pledges are welcomed into an environment of older and more experienced students. These differences can give pledges a false sense of security and thus perpetuate the behavior that creates a negative stereotype for the entire Greek system. Both the Greek system and its members would benefit from a later Rush, whether in the second semester or during sophomore year.

There should be no debate that the Greek system has much to offer students and those who are certain in their decision to join should pursue their plans. But not all first-year students should so eagerly rush and more important, they should not be made to feel as though rushing later is a mistake or a Greek system "faux-paus."

Houses should as eagerly welcome a second-year student as they do a first-year student, and the Panhellenic Association should not allow houses to place a quota on the number of sophomores it is allowed to admit. These actions place an unnecessary pressure on first-year students to decide whether or not to rush and also discourages potential members from rushing as a sophomore.

While rushing does introduce students to others and creates almost immediate social groups, it also secludes those participating from the even larger portion of the student body that chose not to rush. Being at the University for the first time should be a year of exploration and growth - students should not be so quick to limit themselves, especially at such a diverse university.

Rushing is not the beginning of the end, nor is it the decision of a lifetime. It clearly presents opportunities, but it also takes others away. First-year students should simply be aware of everything at the University before making limiting decisions such as rushing. Weighing all aspects of every option will serve students well, both within their collegiate experiences and throughout life.

09-08-98