Greek Activites Fair Attracts Students

It’s that time of the year. No, it’s not the holiday season or your birthday, but it is the time of the school year when the Greek rushing season begins, hoping to involve freshmen and upperclassmen in learning about Greek life. On Thursday, Oct. 29, the second annual Greek Activities Fair was held in the Wismer Parents Lounge, as Oct. 31marks the first social event held by Greek members.

Crowded in the lounge and upper Wismer, each Greek organization set up a decorated table, garnished with pictures, composites, banners, and sign-in sheets, hoping to entice the wandering students to learn about each sorority or fraternity. “I thought each fraternity and sorority did a great job setting up their tables,” said Steve Leydet, a junior and member of fraternity Sigma Rho Lambda. “The displays really showed the true colors of each organization.” To learn more about Ursinus College Greek life, visit the Ursinus College webpage.

Behind each table sat members of the represented sorority or fraternity, ready to answer questions or alleviate students’ concerns over rumors. “I think that it was beneficial for students to be able to ask questions and directly talk with members of Greek life,” said Shannon Grube, a junior and member of sorority Omega Chi. Sign-in sheets frequented the tables of the organizations, so as to stay in touch with the students who participated in the Activities Fair.

This year’s Greek Activities Fair is one of the events considered mandatory for students who intend to rush to be eligible for participating in New Member Education in spring 2010. The fair and the other mandatory events occurring in the coming weeks are focused around ensuring students’ knowledge of the various Greek organizations before engaging in New Member Organization. “I think the fair was a good idea,” said a sophomore member of a sorority who chose to remain anonymous. “I think that students should know a little about each organization before starting the New Member Education process.” The most popular question for most organizations, by far, surrounded the concept of New Member Education, taking place in the spring.

New Member Education, also more widely known as “pledging”, is the act of “initiation” of new students into a Greek organization. Each organization’s education process is different, and typically works to teach the new members the values and ideals that that organization instills and follows.

Because the New Member Education process is constantly being revised by Ursinus College administrators, the requirements for being eligible to participate in New Member Education are also altered frequently. In the past, the school has not held such a tight leash over “pledging”, and although students were not harmed, there were definitely more risks involved. Today, the administration keeps a much tighter hold on the requirements for pledging and rushing in order to ensure the safety of the students. “I think that the requirements for being eligible to rush are beneficial because it gives freshmen a broader prospective of all the sororities and fraternities instead of focusing on just one,” said Chrissy Walsh, a junior. The current schedule for rushing and the New Member Education Process includes about a month of social functions from Oct. 31 through Thanksgiving Break, and one week of formal rushing in January, with the New Member Education process following shortly after the rushing period has ended. The social functions are used as tools to meet and greet the new rushes, and there are “wet” and “dry” rushes (meaning with alcohol versus without alcohol) to meet students in different atmospheres.

Students have a selection of seven sororities and fraternities to choose from; there is only one national sorority and there are only two national fraternities, while the rest of the Greek organizations are local. The requirements for being eligible to rush for a local organization versus a national organization ask for the same obligations to be fulfilled. “I think the administration is doing a good job of compelling students to learn about the several organizations,” said a member of a fraternity who chose to remain anonymous. “The point of rushing isn’t just to party, but to explore what Greek life truly has to offer. I think the fair did well in showing the many sides to Greek life at Ursinus.”

To read more about upcoming or past events for students to participate in, check out The Grizz.