It’s been difficult to miss the crowds of well-dressed freshmen and hopeful sophomores around campus for the past week. Why? UA fall sorority and fraternity recruitment were happening simultaneously.
“Having rush at the same time as the girls was interesting because we could bond over the long rush process,” said Ben Otto, a freshman studying philosophy, politics, economics and law. “Coming back to the dorms after rush, everyone was in the same boat.”
Fraternity and sorority recruitment involved 1,040 men and around 1,700 women, numbers that have grown steadily over the past few years.
The 15 Panhellenic sororities that participated in recruitment welcomed new member classes of about 130 women in size.
Danielle Fork, a journalism sophomore, said she chose not to participate in recruitment because Greek life does not align with her personality.
“I don’t enjoy being around a lot of girls, and I don’t believe in paying to be a part of a sisterhood or to have friends,” Fork said. “I don’t need to be a part of Greek life to enjoy my college experience.”
Stephanie Fick, a business administration senior and active member of Delta Gamma, disassociated from her own chapter during recruitment week to help the potential new members go through the recruitment process.
“It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” Fick said. “The women in my group and the other recruitment counselors constantly made me happy, even on the long days. I’m so lucky to have met them this week.”
Brian Kewin, president of the UA Interfraternity Council, said there were about 150 more men registered for fall recruitment this year in comparison to last year. Kewin believes this is due to increased awareness of the new formal recruitment process.
“New member classes will range from 10 to 45; it purely depends on the chapter,” Kewin said. “We are excited [for] the group of men that will [be] joining our community and we feel there is a bright future for the University of Arizona Interfraternity Council.”
Otto said he decided to participate in fraternity recruitment because he wanted to find a group of men to bond with and be a part of.
“Since we go to such a big school, I felt like a fraternity would be a great way to make the school feel smaller,” Otto said. “Coming from Chicago and not knowing many people in Arizona, it also gave me a great opportunity to meet new people.”
Otto said he would describe the recruitment process as long and grueling, but rewarding at the same time.
“There’s no better ice breaker than asking the guy next to you if he can see the sweat coming through the back of your shirt,” Otto said.
Kewin said all 14 fraternities that are part of the UA Interfraternity Council, as well as three new expansion chapters, Alpha Kappa Lambda, Theta Xi and Zeta Psi, participated in recruitment.
“I really like the diversity of houses on campus and the different things each house has to offer,” Otto said. “I’ve met some cool friends during the rush process, which is something I wasn’t expecting. Overall it’s been a great experience.”
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