The fraternity rush process began with all nine Interfraternity Council (IFC) organizations meeting potential new members. While the recruitment process happens at the same time every year, this year’s spring rush looks a bit different.
According to sophomore Sam Ades, IFC vice president of recruitment, potential new members — or PNMs — are required to visit every single on-campus house during the first open house day, which was Sunday, Feb. 4.
In years prior, PNMs could choose which fraternities they wanted to visit. While visiting every house may elongate the process, most people said they find this change beneficial.
Freshman class president Michael Swartz said that he is excited to go to all of the houses because it allows him to gain a new perspective on each fraternity.
“You get that opportunity to go to places you maybe wouldn’t have in the first place, so it allows you to have more of an open mind and not cut people off just from things you heard in the past,” Swartz said.
IFC Vice President of Judicial Affairs Zachary Honig said they made this decision to encourage new members to expand their ideas about which fraternity they are looking to join.
“One thing we're really trying to do this year is change the stigma that most freshmen know where they want to end up before rush even starts,” Honig said. “I think that overall it will help, and help more freshmen get the chance to look at places they might not have heard of or had the chance to go see in the first semester.”
Typically on the first day of recruitment, fraternities hold interviews with PNMs, however there were no interviews on Sunday. Instead, PNMs were interviewed during their open house visits on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6.
Delta Upsilon President Cameron Annear said that giving PNMs time to meet with fraternity members on the first day allowed them to be more relaxed during their interviews.
“It really makes sure that both the brothers and the PNMs are talking to each other and are getting to know each other before they have to do those interviews,” Annear said. “That way they may actually feel a little bit more comfortable in that setting.”
According to Alpha Epsilon Pi President Ryan Ward, he is looking forward to meeting new people and seeing the various experiences and personalities that each PNM brings to the table. To Ward, being in a fraternity and Greek life overall is a great way to become a better person — both in the Elon community and beyond.
“It’s really exciting that Greek life can kind of offer so many different avenues for every different PNM,” Ward said.