The Interfraternity Council tells spring rush recruitments to be themselves.

‘Be yourself. Bring what you have to offer. Show everyone in the fraternity system who you are-don’t put on a face,’ said Brian Smith, IFC recruitment chair.

This year, the IFC hopes spring rush will have a larger turnout and a safer bid night for its newly selected members.

Rush, a staple tradition of greek life on campus, kicks off in two weeks.

‘Go through the rush process even if you don’t think you’re interested in joining a fraternity,’ Smith said.

Smith hopes for 400 to 500 potential new members (PNMs) to attend the rush week activities this year.

On Feb. 4, a mandatory fraternity expo and informational meeting in Goldstein Auditorium will provide potential new fraternity members the opportunity to meet with all 19 fraternal organizations on campus. Each PNM will speak with each fraternity in order to get a broader perspective on greek life, and also to learn the basic rules of the recruitment process.

Those who attend the fraternity expo will have the opportunity to attend chapter open houses on Feb. 5 and 6.The open house includes a tour of the house and a chance to meet current members.

After the open houses, each fraternity will decide which PNMs they would like to ask back to their houses for an invitation-only event the following evening. The PNMs must also submit the names of fraternities they hope to join.

The selection process concludes when PNMs submit a final list of their preferred fraternities and the current members of the fraternities decide who will receive formal bids.

Those who are not selected will be notified via e-mail because bid night activities are only for those who have made it through the selection process.

After the PNMs accept or reject their bids, they participate in a risk-management program. The program, created this year by the IFC, aims to eliminate drinking-related problems that have occurred on past bid nights.

‘It’s a reminder of the rules that we have in our constitution, a reminder of what’s happened in the past, a reminder of what can happen when you have all of that built-up tension,’ said Matthew Abdifar, president of the IFC.

As another part of the program, food is provided to further prevent pledges from drinking on an empty stomach.

Michael Schottenstein, vice president of external affairs for the IFC, drafted the proposal for the risk-management program.

‘People just end up getting so excited and drinking a lot, and they may get sick. That’s the problem that we’re trying to curb, and that’s why we’re doing these programs this year,’ Schottenstein said.

‘We’re expecting that we’re not going to have any problems, and that would be the first bid night in a long time that nobody had gotten in trouble on,’ he said.

Published on January 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm